Fiat are saying that the 124 Spider is, “the best value roadster in America…and the most powerful four-cylinder in its class”.
Car and driver names it the Fiata after its sister car the Mazda Miata. They are both built in the same plant in Hiroshima Japan, however, the Fiat is slightly longer, and weighs about 100 pounds more. How is this an advantage?
Well, the Fiat has a larger trunk so if you were considering a Miata but can’t fit it in that extra pair of pants, the Fiat is for you! The Fiat has a different engine to the Miata, despite being made in the same factory. The Fiat has a four-cylinder 1.4 turbo engine which is assembled in Italy, then shipped to Japan. The Miata has a 2.0 naturally aspirated engine (non-turbo).
The original 1960s Fiat 124 Spider was designed by legendary Italien designers Pininforina. Pininforina were hired by car manufacturers to design vehicles for them. They were responsible for designing vehicles such as Ferrari’s, Alfa Romeo’s, even some Cadillacs. Some of the original Pininfarina design features in the 1960 Fiat 124 Spider are present in today’s version.
Overview
160hp 184 lb-ft Torque
Up to 36mpg
6 Speed manual transmission with Short-Throw shifter available/6 Speed Aisin Auto Transmission
Paddle mounted shifters available on the Abarth with Auto trans
Bilstein suspension with front strut tower brace and rear stabilizer bar
Nearly 50/50 weight distribution
Adaptive headlamps with automatic levelling
LED headlamps (with headlamp washers available)
SiriusXM® radio/ Bose® sound system/GPS available
The Drive
Although the Arbarth version comes with Bilstein suspension for a stiffer ride, the standard suspension is still pretty good with very little body roll. You’d have to be cornering particularly hard to notice any. Of course with the car having a short body and riding fairly low to the ground, this also helps with the handling.
The handling is superb. As far as straight-line speed goes, the turbo gives enough power to charge through the corners, although you may run out of revs if you were straight-line drag racing but that’s not what the car is designed for anyway.
2018 Fiat 124 Spider. Photo: Fiat.
Space is pretty limited in the cabin, this car is definitely little people friendly. It took a second or so to find the volume control for the stereo. It is a round knob located on the center console between the driver and passenger seats, which makes it a little cozy if you want your passenger to be the DJ.
With the 124 Spider being such a small car, the idea of a backup camera seemed rather ridiculous, however, it was needed to see beyond the blind spots created by the convertible hood.
Overall, this roadster is very impressive and a super fun car, esecially for the price.
What are adaptive headlamps with automatic leveling?
Based on steering and speed calculations, the headlamps adapt to the road ahead by pointing in the direction of travel so you’ll always be able to see the road ahead. The headlamps are always adjusting to point downwards no matter what position the car is in and this is the automatic leveling. This feature is available in the Premium and Luxury Collections.
In a word, yes. It’s not as far away as you might think. By 2023 exactly is when federal agencies want to have all new vehicles talking to each other. The U.S DOT, the auto industry, state and local transportation departments, and academic facilities are all in on this.
Arriving in dealerships soon (first quarter of 2017) will be the world’s first AWD muscle car coupe. Now a muscle car can be for all year round and not just for the few months of summer we get here in the West. Our first one at the Casper store just arrived yesterday!
Wyoming Comes 51st in Child Vehicular Heatstroke Deaths
Upon researching the new 2017 GMC Acadia ‘rear seat reminder’, some harrowing statistics came up”. Each year in the U.S., about half of the children under the age of 14 who die of in-vehicle heatstroke, do so as a result of being forgotten” 1. Wyoming comes 51st on this list with no vehicular deaths (between 1998 and 2016) as a result of heatstroke. Nebraska comes 38th. The worst state is Arkansas with 16 child deaths. It’s not like Wyoming doesn’t reach high temperatures in the summer either, and whilst it is really difficult to write about this being a mother, this is great for WY, but is still a problem and could still potentially happen.
In 10 minutes, the temperature inside the vehicle can rise 19°F. In 2-4 hrs the temperature can rise as much as 55°F. Cracking the windows has less than a 3°F difference, ie. leaving the windows open a little doesn’t help.
ANIMATION (Courtesy GM and Jan Null, San Jose State University)
Wyoming does not have a law relating to leaving a child unattended. Neither does Arkansas (why not?) but Nebraska does. 2.
The 2017 GMC Acadia
GMC came up with an industry first design called the ‘rear seat reminder’. It alerts drivers to check the rear seat before exiting the vehicle. The vehicle does not know if a person or item is in the back seat, but the alert is activated if the back doors are opened 10 minutes before it’s started or whilst driving. On exiting the vehicle, 5 alarms will sound and bring up a message on the driver display with a reminder to check the back seats. This is a standard feature on all 2017 GMC Acadia’s.
This doesn’t solve the problem of children being accidentally locked in vehicles, though. With newer vehicles, this shouldn’t be an issue with keyless entry. There are also ‘remote lock and unlock’ apps available on smartphones assuming the phone isn’t left in the vehicle. Then there are also third party companies associated with manufacturers such as OnStar and UConnect who can unlock vehicles via satellite connection. These features may require subscriptions for long term use. Manufacturers usually offer a free trial period with the purchase of a new vehicle.
“Source: Jan Null, CCM, Department of Meteorology and Climate Science, San Jose State University, http://noheatstroke.org“.
We are excited to announce that Fremont Motors will now carry a full line up of new Fiat Models. Fremont Fiat dealerships are in Casper, WY and Rock Springs WY. The first shipment arrived today. We received a white Fiat 500, a green 500L (which is a bigger version of the 500) and yellow 500L. A 124 Spider Classica, a 500X and a 500 Abarth are currently on the way. More vehicles will available as soon as they arrive.
Never heard of Fiat?
Fiat is an Italien car manufacturer that has been around Europe for donkeys with original Fiat 500s and has a cult following almost as big as Minis and VW campers.
The car was noted for having ‘suicide doors’. ‘Suicide Doors’ got that name because they opened the opposite way to most doors. Thankfully the new ones don’t have ‘suicide doors’ as this might be an issue in the Wyoming wind!
They are definitely fun quirky cars and its something that every gear head should drive at one point in their life.
Introduced in North America in 2011, Fiat brings, “simple, yet modern design, blending form and function beautifully”. 1
The Fiat 500 Abarth
The Fiat 500 Abarth is the sporty version with a 1.4 engine. Ok I know you are thinking, bah, a 1.4 engine in America, that tiny, but wait for it…it has a multi air turbo engine. The engine delivers 160hp and 170lb-ft of Torque. 183lb-ft torque in the automatic transmission version.
Twin intercoolers, bucket seats and a boost gauge to name a few of the cool features. 0-60mph in 6.9 seconds is pretty respectable for a car that can get up to 34mpg on the highway. Official figures can be found here.
Photo: Fiat
So you like the style but need AWD. Yes. The Fiat 500X is available with an AWD option. This crossover has the option of a ‘Dynamic Selector’,
“The available Dynamic Selector Traction Control System helps you make the most of the road ahead with three customized modes for optimal performance. Auto is for routine everyday driving. Sport provides a sporty, more rapid driving response. Traction+ maximizes low-speed traction on low-friction and off-road surfaces, for when the road gets a little slick or bumpy.” 2
Dawn Messling recently joined the Fremont Motors Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram store in Casper, Wyoming. Dawn works as a sales consultant, selling new and pre-owned vehicles. Dawn was born in Illinois, but grew up and graduated in Thermopolis and has now lived in Wyoming for 34 years.
Recent Comments