2017 Fiat 124 Reveal

If these depreciate like other Fiats, they will be selling for roughly half the price of the ND in short order....despite having more power.

I can't wait.

In reply to pointofdeparture:

Perhaps, or it'll stay somewhat expensive

I like this better than the new Miata. I wonder if I fit in one...

I like it. So any idea of cost?

bravenrace wrote: I like it. So any idea of cost?

My guess is 25% more than the similarly equipped Miata

I need to see it in person, I love aggressive front ends from the 60s and early 70s, but I won't be sure that it works with the rest of the car until I see it in the flesh. I didn't think the front of the ND worked with the back end treatment until seeing it in person, 2 dimenional print has a funny way of misleading us.

WOW Really Paul? wrote: In reply to pointofdeparture: Perhaps, or it'll stay somewhat expensive

The truth will probably be somewhere in the middle. Seeing that every other Fiat sells for 70% of MSRP with under 10k miles (heck, how about the $5k incentives they were handing out on NEW 2014 Abarths) it is probably just going to come down to how well they end up selling relative to the MX-5.

captdownshift wrote: I need to see it in person, I love aggressive front ends from the 60s and early 70s, but I won't be sure that it works with the rest of the car until I see it in the flesh. I didn't think the front of the ND worked with the back end treatment until seeing it in person, 2 dimenional print has a funny way of misleading us.

the original fiat 124 had a fairly aggressive looking front end. To be exact, while still falling towards "cute", it's sheet metal was designed to look taut and ready to pounce... always a shame the US spec engines were not up to the task

alfadriver wrote: I see that as an updated 124 shape than anything else- since it pre-dates the Z and the Miata by a way.

To me, the windshield would have to sit about a foot closer to the front of the car for it to really recall the 124 Spyder.

In reply to Duke:

I was kind of ignoring the windshield- since it also has that metal colored surround.

But other than the passenger area moved back a ways- there are a lot of design ideas that one can see from the older 124.

The front end is more modern thanks to the more modern light shape- so the fenders are a little more subdued. And the very back end is changed- again, I wonder if the ability to have something other than a flat light helped change that. The more rear seating position may be a result of crash needs- but with the more angled W/S, it looks more aggressive to make up for the movement.

Basically, considering this is an Italian car, it does appear to be related. Which makes me think that the Italians are on the retro-look thing. Not as much as the Mini, Bug, or Mustang, but there's more related than they have done in the past.

In reply to pointofdeparture:

True, but this will be their first car in the US that isn't based on a 500, so it's somewhat unbroken ground

I was worried when I saw that black one but the blue looks pretty darn good.

Already has the Abarth engine and hopefully the exhaust, which would be sweet. When the inevitable Abarth version comes out the following year or so...Hm.

I really hope they price this comparative to the MX5, so if you like the MX5 but turbo is life, you have a choice.

I will need to see this in person, but I'm heavy with anticipation. I have some concerns from the pic of the black one. It's looks like they had some nice crisp feature lines then sanded them down a bit to make them softer. The blue rendering does look better, final judgement will have to wait until I see it in person.

Looks good. I like it more than the Miata visually. I think there is a crowd that will buy these that wouldn't buy a Miata. Sol far Fiat hasn't been able to attract that crowd, but maybe this will work.

I like the looks better than the Miata, but they don't say "Italian" to me. It's almost more Aston-Martin-ish. As much as I like the sound of the Abarth motor, it'd be hard to part with the reliability of a Miata.

Kreb wrote: I like the looks better than the Miata, but they don't say "Italian" to me. It's almost more Aston-Martin-ish. As much as I like the sound of the Abarth motor, it'd be hard to part with the reliability of a Miata.

I'd forgotten the sound. There are three Abarth's here at work and they all sound just awesome, that could be enough of a differentiator on its own!! And if 200+hp is easily and reliably achievable with the Fiat engine then I can see it becoming the enthusiasts choice even if it ends up a few lb's heavier which I can imagine it will. My bet is it they will come slightly better equipped than the Miata to help justify the higher price point.

I think it looks good and will probably be straight up sexy in person but I also think that it's an example of how designers have to work with compromises so the design meets modern safety and manufacturing standards.

Or it's just not easy to make a Japanese platform look Italian.

This is the angle that looks a little awkward to me.

But a little convertible with the turbo engine from the 500 Abarth? Sounds good to me.

WOW Really Paul? wrote: In reply to pointofdeparture: True, but this will be their first car in the US that isn't based on a 500, so it's somewhat unbroken ground

That's actually not true. The 500x and 500l are based on this; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_Fiat_Small_platform

The 500 isn't on its own platform, either, and is based on this; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_Mini_platform

First reaction: I like it. It has enough of the original styling elements people old enough to remember the original (like me) can recognize it.

There is resemblance to its Japanese cousin. It is also different enough from the ND that I don't expect to be confusing the two. I sure there will be criticism that it looks too much like (fill in the blank with any two seat convertible from the last 20 years). I am guessing safety and other vehicle regulations are such that many design elements have to be there.

At least Fiat didn't put a bloated caricature of of 124 on top of a midsize or full size platform like GM did with the Camaro.

In reply to pres589:

I stand corrected, good info.

I don't care for the styling personally. It's homely. I find the nose clumsy and there's something wrong with the relationship between the body and the wheels, almost as if there's a body kit grafted over an existing set of hard points. You rarely see the new Miata in dark colors, but that would be my choice. We have a dark grey ND that looks great. But hey, more little sports cars is good. And while Mazda is aiming at a younger demographic with the Miata (it's hard NOT to aim younger than the new NC owner demographic), this Fiat looks like it's meant to appeal to an older group.

I've actually seen the Fiat in person when it was being tested. Despite the fact that it looks quite different than the Miata in pictures, seeing the camouflaged cars immediately triggered the "Miata" flag in my brain. Must have been the shared windshield. The air intake was surprisingly high on the car.

Autoblog reports the same power but more torque than the Miata and a 100 lb weight gain. The interior is a photocopy of the Miata. We'll see what both engines feel like when uncorked - 2.0 high compression vs 1.4 turbo is going to come down to a matter of taste. I wonder how much the parts will interchange?

In reply to Keith Tanner:

If the little 1.4 holds true to the Abarth it's currently in, 200whp is about $400 away.

Robbie wrote: Somebody needs to tell her how many positions there are on a clock...

She knows what time it is, 1:30

I want to see it in various Fiat 500 colors, really nice range of choices, versus red and six shades of grey for the ND Miata. The 124 looks so much better than the ND to me.

If they use the 500 Abarth motor, no motor parts will interchange. I wonder if they strap that motor onto a Miata transmission, or do the whole driveline. I bet they design it to bolt up to the Miata transmission, would make it a lot simpler, save them from having to get a transmission together

Imo, seeing this immediately made the Miata look cheap and dated. I really like it.