TheFiat 124 ABARTH...The Best Factory TURBO Miata?
 

Hi Guys!

Excited to share that two of our team put in laps in the new Fiat, which uses a 1.4 Turbo Fiat motor in an ND Miata chassis with restyled body panels and other changes.

I did laps spread over two days, my review published in DSPORT MAGAZINE at first link below:

Fiat 124 Put to the Test by Good-Win Racing - DSPORT Magazine

http://www.mazdatalkforum.com/downlo...hp?id=3595&t=1


Our own Sean Thomson also got laps, his review in our forum at this link:
Mazda Talk Forums ? View topic - Fiat 124 Abarth....First Autocross Test!
https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7351/2...c58650bf_h.jpg

Thanks for posting. The abarth has been getting a lot of good reviews and looks like it's definitely worth a look.

Great stuff! I am very happy to see that both the ND and Fiat are shaping up to be very good cars. I am probably in the minority but I think the Fiat is quite ugly compared to the ND.

I agree. The Fiat looks kinda fat, very Chrysler-y (no surprise there). Impressive how much torque that thing makes with the 1.4. I would be interested to see a dyno run plotting out intake pressure to see how it spools up.

Beautiful car, but why so underpowered? It's 2017, not 1993. Impressive torque though.

Hmmm maybe time to go test drive one of these....I just can't get over the way it looks from the front end. Maybe it's a car that looks better in person

well that explains a lot, I saw one of these in Montreal at one of the F1 festivals. Did look horrible but didn't look great either.

Maybe for the 55 and up crowd. I love the way the ND looks. I haven't let myself go test drive one though.

When you eventually do, don't waste your time with the sport... drive the club :likecat:

Came away with the opposite conclusion, actually. The only thing the Club had over the Sport that I actually would like to have is the LSD.

Here's how this is shaping up in my evil mind . . .

1. 2018-19 Sport (give them a couple of years to fix the gearbox and whatever other issues come up);
2. Swap in LSD from a wrecked 2016 Club;
3. Add the ND XIDAs, 6ULs and recommended sways that will be out by then;
4. Add ND roll bar;
5. Add long-tube headers, exhaust and tune to add 40ft-lbs across entire rev range;
6. Profit!! :likecat: :party: :likecat: :party:

I prefer the ND. Looks better, smaller, 100 pounds is 100 pounds. I'm confident the 124 will have its audience though.

That actually is a very sound plan :naughty: The LSD was the only thing I liked between the two.

As for the fiat, meh :dunno: Not for me.

But like you mentioned, someone will like it :eggplant:

https://www.miataturbo.net/attachmen...ine=1466001443

I sat in and drove both the sport and the club and ended up with the sport, they both drive the same and felt identical in the corners (even though the club has a "better suspension"). The ride height in the sport sucks though, but a new set of springs will fix that. I hated the 7 inch screen in the middle of the dash, that does not belong anywhere near or inside a sports car..not to mention the terribly placed buttons that also control the screen. If i ever find myself needing the LSD for any reason on my DD..i'll swap one in.
:skid:
I also think the ND looks far better than that Fiat, it makes me cringe looking at it.

hornetball's plan is what I'd want to do.

But I'd also like the better stereo since it'd be my DD as well.

Can i order wine colored ext and cheeze colored int?

LOL. I always take the radios out of my Miatas. Will be harder to do on the ND I think.

Best Miata stereo is a good exhaust system. Second best Miata stereo is an iPod/iPhone with a set of earbuds.

Just my $0.02, of course.

Best one is a turbocharger.

But agreed with above wholeheartedly.

The power delivery of the 124 makes the driving experience fun, it isn't the fast way around the track and that's OK, it's about the experience. My 500 Abarth is a riot on the street because of the massive torque hit in the mid range.

The car looks MUCH better in person but the design is not for everyone. If I was picking between the ND or the Fiat for a street car, I'd pick the 124 for the turbo engine and massive torque after a tune. This engine has been pretty proven in the 500 Abarth and makes great power once it is uncorked. If I was picking between the ND and the 124 for a track weapon, I'd go with the ND + Long Tube header without thinking twice.

I've never thought anything buy I6, V8, or V10/12s sounded "good."

Most magazine editors say that.

I couldn't disagree more

(that's not to say I dislike them and think turbo 4's are the business, but that there are at least a few turbo 4's that sound really cool)

"Pop, crackle, rev, whine, whoosh!" What's not to love?

I love how the LS3 sounds on my G8 and how the BB Mopar sounds on my Fury too. My Mom used to have an XK-150. It was glorious.

All much better than hip-hop or talk radio (again . . . IMHO).