COVER 124 Spider vs MX-5
Why Fiat roadster is a better bet than its Mazda sister car
IT’S almost 50 years to the day since the original Fiat 124 Spider first broke cover. Back then, Italian car makers led the way with affordable roadsters, and it was the latest in a long line of models that placed open-top thrills and agile handling ahead of practicality and comfort.
Yet over the following half century, Fiat lost faith in two seater drop-tops as buyers looked first to hot hatches and then to rugged SUVS. So when the slow-selling, left-hand-drive-only Barchetta disappeared from price lists in 2005, the firm didn’t bother replacing it.
That’s all changed with the arrival of the new 124 Spider, which harks back to the original with its retro lines and traditional rear-drive layout. Yet under the skin there’s a lightweight aluminium structure and punchy turbo engine, which brings this reboot of a classic format bang up to date.
But it’s been so long since Fiat tried to make a car like this, it got some help from Mazda, a firm with nearly three decades of record-breaking roadster success under its belt. The result is that the 124 Spider shares much of its underpinnings with the world’s best-selling roadster – the MX-5.
There are differences, though, both visually and mechanically. For instance, the Mazda uses a naturally aspirated engine, while its suspension settings are tuned for the ultimate in driver satisfaction. And as our reigning roadster champ it sets the standard in this encounter.
So which of our drop-top twins comes out on top in this fierce bout of sibling rivalry?