2017 FIAT 124 Spider

The 124 Spider has only one true convertible competitor, the Mazda MX-5 Miata, and the two are evenly matched both on price and on the spec sheet. The Miata is the sharper of the two, but the 124 Spider is a better all-around vehicle and my choice for a daily driver. Small, affordable, rear-wheel-drive roadsters are an endangered species; the Mazda MX-5 Miata has been the only remaining candidate for the past several years. So Fiat’s betting there’s room for one more contender, resurrecting the 124 Spider nameplate that hasn’t been seen in the United States since the 1980s. Interestingly the 124 Spider is very much based on the Miata. It uses the same chassis, many of the same interior parts and even the same key fob as the Mazda. As Fiat loves to point out, though, there are a few differences that make driving each one a unique experience. It gave the 124 Spider different tuning for its steering and suspension, and there’s a different engine under the hood: a turbocharged, 1.4-liter four-cylinder borrowed from the 500 Abarth. Compare the two convertibles here. The 124 Spider is offered in three trim levels: Classica, Lusso and the performance-oriented Abarth. I drove a Classica with Fiat’s Technology Package on the road and an Abarth in its natural setting: an autocross course. Exterior & Styling Put the two competitors side by side and the differences are obvious. The 124 Spider is longer and leaner than the Mazda, with 3 inches added to the front overhang and 2...