The Fiat 124 Spider Abarth: A Lightweight Turbocharged Joyride

In this video, we're taking a closer look at the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth, and I'm excited to share my experience with this manual transmission model. As someone who previously tested the 124 with an automatic transmission, I was eager to see how the Abarth model would differ. The main changes between the two models include engine tuning differences and the addition of a sport button, which allows for peak torque to be reached earlier.

One of the coolest features of the Abarth is the sport button, located behind the shifter. When engaged, it gives you 184 lb-ft of torque at 2500 RPM, rather than the standard 3200 RPM. This means that you'll feel more power and responsiveness from the moment you start driving. The base model also receives a slight power increase, going from 160 to 164 horsepower. While the automatic transmission in the Abarth does have paddle shifters, it's still not quite the same as shifting gears manually.

The Fiat 124 Spider Abarth is an incredibly lightweight car, weighing only about 100 pounds less than its MX-5 counterpart. However, this weight difference is more than made up for by the addition of a turbocharger, which gives you 22 PSI out of the 1.4L engine. This results in impressive low-end torque, making it a joy to drive on curvy roads. The car's direct steering system and responsive handling make it a pleasure to navigate, with a nice balance between feedback from the tires and a smooth, predictable ride.

On a rainy day, I found that the car's tires provided plenty of feedback, allowing me to feel exactly what was happening on the road. This was a stark contrast to my previous experience with the Jaguar F-Pace, which felt like it was floating on air with little to no feedback from its tires. In comparison, the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth feels like a true driver's car, with a nice balance of power and control.

When I put my foot down, I found that there is some turbo lag to the car, particularly when starting out from a standstill. However, once I reached higher RPMs, the boost really kicked in, making me feel planted firmly in my seat. The gearing on this car is incredibly aggressive, which I think is perfect for lightweight cars like the 124 Spider Abarth that don't have huge engines to carry them.

One of the things that stands out about this car is its responsiveness and playfulness. It's a joy to drive, with a perfect balance between power and control. The pedal feel on this car is also noteworthy, with a significant amount of travel on the throttle that allows you to feel exactly how much boost is being applied. This, combined with the aggressive gearing, makes for an incredibly engaging driving experience.

In terms of braking, I found that the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth has some impressive performance, despite its relatively light weight. The brakes are smooth and direct, with plenty of control over the car's speed. While it may not be as powerful as some other cars in this class, the Abarth makes up for it with its agility and responsiveness.

One thing that I did find was that the shifting on this car is incredibly smooth and direct. The clicks into place are nice and pronounced, making it easy to get a feel for the gearshift. While some might say that the transmission is similar to the old NC Miata's manual transmission, I actually prefer the way this one feels.

The biggest thing about cars like the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth is how lightweight they are and how responsive they make you feel as a driver. These vehicles are truly in a class of their own, with a unique blend of power, control, and playfulness that's hard to find elsewhere. Whether you're a seasoned car enthusiast or just looking for something fun to drive, the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth is definitely worth checking out.

As I reflect on my experience with the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth, I have to say that it's been incredibly difficult to pick between this car and its MX-5 counterpart. Both cars are fantastic in their own ways, but they offer different experiences that cater to different driving styles. The Abarth has a certain playfulness and responsiveness that makes it feel like a joyride, while the MX-5 is more of a traditional driver's car with a focus on handling and agility.

Ultimately, the choice between these two cars comes down to personal preference. If you're looking for something fun and playful to drive, with a unique blend of power and control, then the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth is definitely worth considering. But if you're more of a traditional driver who likes to get into the meat of things, then the MX-5 might be the better choice. Either way, both cars are sure to provide an unforgettable driving experience.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enHello everyone and welcome! In this videowe are checking out the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth and we've got the manual transmissionso I have previously tested the 124I did quite enjoy it, but it wasn't the Abarth, and it also had the automatic transmission.So what are the changes for this particular model?Well, there are some engine tuning differences and one of the cool things that they do is with the sport button you get peak torqueearlier on so now if you put it in sport mode with this little button behind the shifter you get your184 lb-ft of torque at 2500 RPM rather than at 3200 RPM.We also do have slightly more power 164 hp, rather than 160 for the base model.And I quite enjoyed the 124 with the automaticbut you know it's not quite the same when you don't get to shift the gears yourself and the automatic gearboxfor the 124, you know, it didn't have paddle shifters. It does for the Abarth version. If you do get the automatic andit does quite change the driving experience.Now this is a pretty lightweight car. You know based on the MX-5 a little bit heavier than ityou know a hundred or so extra pounds, but what the difference is this is turbochargedso, you've got 22 PSI! Which is crazy out of the 1.4Lversus, you know, the MX-5 of course has the 2.0L naturally aspirated with a higher compression ratio does decent torquebut you don't get the low-end torque that you get in this carwhichis a joy and on these nice curvy roadsit is absolutely a blastso let's work through the different systems a little bit of a rainy day hereso not you know perfectly ideal for testing. You do get a lot of feedbackyou know from the tires. You actually feel what's going on on the road.I just got out of the Jaguar F-Pace, so it's a very stark contrastof what I was just driving. You know of course it's an SUV, so it's big and floatybut there was no feedback at alland it's nice to be able to actually feel what's going on with the road in this know what's going on with the tiresyou've got a nice direct steering systemwith you know, it's not a real heavy weight to itbut it does have a good on center feel and it is very precise as far as turning in. I'm getting response out of it.There you can definitely hear the turbo spooling up when you have it in high RPM in second.There definitely is some turbo lag to it. You know they say peak torque is at 2500 RPM with the sport button engagedIn the Abarth and you know when you put your foot down, you do wait a little bit you feel that boost build upIt's got a good amount of torque to it though. You know and these cars typically don't. They're not really carsthat kinda plant you in your seat when you put your foot downbut this one actually has some pretty good run to itand you know nice aggressive gearing so that you're getting into that peak torque and staying thereyou really get planted in your seat. I mean, i'm at about 5,000 RPM at 40 mphso pretty aggressive as far as the gearing is concerned. Which you know I likeI think that's the ideal way to do it especially for lightweight cars like thisthat don't have huge engines and don't create a ton of torque you want to use that gearing to help give younice plant yourself feeling there is some progression to the throttle pedalI mean there is turbo boost, but you know you also do have control with ityou know there's a large amount of travel to that throttle pedal and depending on where you arethere is a significant difference in how that feelsso you do have good control which you know not all modernelectronic throttle bodies give you so it does feel pretty good as far as the brakingwe've definitely heard squeaking that might because it's a little wet or perhaps there's a rock or something in there.You know it's interesting, it seems like there's kind of two phases to it.There's an initial push where you get a light amount of braking and then you kind of dive into this second areawhere it gets much more aggressive and then as you can hear the wheels locking up there.You know one of the things I faulted the S2000, I was doing in comparison with that versusthis was the brakes and the braking feel and I think a lot of that had to do with the tires.I wouldn't necessarily say from a braking standpointthis feels superior to the MX-5but you've got plenty of control there, and it doesn't feel bad.Now as far as the shifting actually pretty smooth shiftsand it's direct. You know, it's got a nice kind of clicks into place as you place that gear.I actually quite like it. This is basedI believe on the NC Miata's the old, previous manual transmission for itversus the ND, the newest Miata has a different transmission. I don't have any problem with thisI mean, I think the biggest thing is if they kept the gearing aggressive, and I do like that.I mean the great thing about these vehicles that you really don't get to experience in anything else period is just how lightweightthey are and as a result. There's thisresponsiveness that you otherwise never feel and so you know they're they're truly a joy to driveand it's something that you know basically no matter how much you spend,you don't get to experiencebecause more expensive cars tend to have larger engines and they tend to weigh more and so with this you know you get this packagewhere the turbocharger you've got good low-end torque now you plant yourself back in the seat and all the whileyou've got this super nimble super playful ridethat just truly enjoy to drive, so I do have a hard timepicking between this and the MX-5. There is something that's very fun of course about having a turbocharger andgetting significantly more torque to the wheels than you do in the MX-5you do have a little bit more heft and you know you do feel that you do feel that weight differencebut it's a it's a fun vehicle.So thank you guys for watching, and if you have any questions or comments of course feel free to leave those below.\n"