The Fiat 124 Spider is based on the Mazda Miata platform, and one automotive journalist thinks the 124 Spider is even better than the car it’s based on.
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Every auto journalist is entitled to his or her opinion, and this author hasn’t yet driven the 124 Spider, so we won’t confirm or challenge the writer here (full disclosure: this author knows the Forbes author as a colleague). But it’s interesting for the author to call the Fiat 124 Spider the greatest Miata ever, when it’s based so heavily on Mazda’s iconic roadster.
There Are Differences
Of course, there are differences. Despite a similar interior, the Fiat has a different engine and different exterior looks. It’s also longer overall despite sharing the same wheelbase length.
Indeed, it’s the engine that the Forbes scribe praises as making the Fiat better than the Miata, mainly because it offers more low-end torque – the Fiat offers up to 184 lb-ft at 2,500 rpm with the Abarth exhaust, while the Miata makes 148 lb-ft at 4,600 rpm.
That means you get a car that costs about the same as the Miata and offers more acceleration for both urban driving and hard driving.
Will Mazda Add More Power?
Makes us wonder if Mazda is thinking of tweaking the power in future versions of its own Miata engines.
After all, the automaker probably doesn’t want its sister car to be consider the best version of the Miata, now does it?
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