Fiat Spider or Mazda MX-5?

It's a question as old as the hills, and we attempt to answer it in the next issue--using track-prepared cars, of course.

Here's a sneak peek:

And if you subscribe now, of course, you'll get that issue.

I'm wondering if the answer changes using track-prepared vs stock?

I hope the Fiat wins, it's so much better looking.

^I don't know, there is something very "short bus" about the face of the FIAT to me.

Neat, I wonder if the conclusions will be any different then what Road and Track came up with for the non-prepped versions. I almost never see 124s around here - but they are gorgeous, especially the Lusso trim with some of the darker metallics.

I don't think the Fiat will age as well as the MX5.

Looking forward to this.

z31maniac wrote: ^I don't know, there is something very "short bus" about the face of the FIAT to me.

I personally don't like the look of the new Miata, and prefer the Fiat by a wide margin.

The Miata is one of a very small number of cars that looks better in pictures than in person, to me. The way the rear of the car is shaped just look odd, to me.

And that saved me a lot of money- since I now just need to restore my old Miata.

Somehow I think a bit of suspension tuning and ECU tuning can really wake up the Fiat.

I really like the way the ND miata looks. At first I didn't like the rear view as much, but I'm okay with it now. Unfortunately I don't fit in it and in today's world I don't think it would be viable to mount the seat on the floor to make me fit (seat has airbags). To me the 124 looks okay, but that's it.

I love the ND----it's truly a fantastic car.

I recently got to spend a week in a 124 Abarth driving around the Midwest.

On the street, the choice is not an easy one, as both cars have their plusses and minuses. It's more a question of what you are looking for the car to do. On the track, it's more about numbers and control at the limit---- so it's a little more cut and dry.

I'm just glad we have both to choose from.

It's a really interesting case study. Functionally, what I've read is that stock, the MX-5 is the way to go. If Fiat has a chip that will add a bunch of ponies, that might change. Stylistically they really are on different planets. One is classically pretty and well-proportioned, and some will find it bland. While the other is folded and creased which can seem either cutting edge and exciting or over-styled and ugly. What is fantastic is that we have a choice - sorta. Can I order the Miata motor and suspension underneath the Fiat body?

The rear of the Miata makes sense as soon as you see an RF. The soft top is the RF with the top cut off.

The Fiat's styling has some good angles and some very awkward ones. They're difficult to photograph well, but if you do get the angle right, they look good. Get the angle wrong and the proportions get very clumsy, almost as if the designers were given a set of hard points and told to cover them. It also has a hilarious optical illusion - due to the way the edges of the hood rise, it looks like you're piloting a Lincoln Continental from the driver's seat. The rising edges counter any sort of perspective and the hood looks enormous.

There is no Fiat chip that will give the internet-promised 200 hp. That ECU was discontinued in 2012 IIRC. We found the car to be very resistant to power modifications. Of course, the claims being made for the ND Miata haven't quite materialized either.

I've driven both in track prepped form on the track, it'll be interesting to see if the article comes across any differently than my impressions.

David S. Wallens wrote: It's a question as old as the hills, and we attempt to answer it in the next issue--using track-prepared cars, of course.

The hills must be in a tectonically active zone, as the question is about a year old

Snrub wrote: I really like the way the ND miata looks. At first I didn't like the rear view as much, but I'm okay with it now. Unfortunately I don't fit in it and in today's world I don't think it would be viable to mount the seat on the floor to make me fit (seat has airbags). To me the 124 looks okay, but that's it.

How tall are you?

Keith Tanner wrote: The RF's styling has some good angles and some very awkward ones. They're difficult to photograph well, but if you do get the angle right, they look good. Get the angle wrong and the proportions get very clumsy.

Funny---- I changed this because it's exactly how I feel about the RF. I prefer the soft-top car. When I first saw pics of the RF I thought it was a knockout. Now that I've seen them in person......meh... The 124 styling left me cold at first, but is growing on me---- especially in Abarth form. (but without the blacked out hood)

Put some meaty tires and a slightly lower ride height on the RF and it's a looker from all angles The Fiat gets a little more awkward with the same treatment, as the long nose just looks longer.

I think it's amazing how small changes can affect visual mass, and my preference. The way the Mazda's nose and tail curve down gives it a much lower, lighter and sportier appearance. The Miata looks like they chiseled away as much as they could and shrink wrapped the body around the chassis. In this day and age of rolling, slab-sided bunkers it's a breath of fresh air in my opinion.

The Fiat looks like they added a bunch of retro styling onto Miata hardpoints (which they did), but the result is overhangs that are a bit longer and more awkward. The nose looks so tall compared to the way the Miata front dramatically drops off. I think they successfully achieved the retro 124 look overall, and I've seen worse looking cars, but it's not my preference here.

If the situation were reversed and the Miata had been based on the Fiat from the beginning, I wonder if I might feel differently.

z31maniac wrote: ^I don't know, there is something very "short bus" about the face of the FIAT to me.

+1. But I do like the small displacement turbo engine idea in that chassis though.

Good point about the rear view of the RF vs. the soft top. The common aspects do look nice in the RF.

HonestSpeedShop wrote:

Snrub wrote: I really like the way the ND miata looks. At first I didn't like the rear view as much, but I'm okay with it now. Unfortunately I don't fit in it and in today's world I don't think it would be viable to mount the seat on the floor to make me fit (seat has airbags). To me the 124 looks okay, but that's it.

How tall are you?

6'5". My eye position is almost above the car. The same is true in the NA, but the seat can be changed to make it work.

Bobzilla wrote:

z31maniac wrote: ^I don't know, there is something very "short bus" about the face of the FIAT to me.

+1. But I do like the small displacement turbo engine idea in that chassis though.

It is very interesting to drive the same car back to back with two very different powerplants. The engine you prefer is going to depend on how you drive the car - the Miata has a sharper edge and quicker response, the Fiat has more ultimate thrust once you get there but it has a very soft throttle response. It's a small turbo that's running a LOT of boost but with very little timing to help it spool. The Fiat is the highway car, the Miata is the track car.

It's great to talk about styling - actually I love it when people can articulate beyond merely one-word descriptions (good or bad). But there's a lot to be said for gut reaction. The soft-top Mazda requires a certain amount of rationalizing for me to like it's looks. The hardtop less so. But the Fiat has the opposite effect. My instantaneous reaction is niiiiice! And then as I look more deeply I find flaws. The biggest thing negative about the MX-5 is the hood line in profile. It's the same thing that Nissan did with the 370Z. They wanted to tighten the lines and reduce bulk, which necessitated an abrupt downward transition after the hood clears the engine. It's form-follows function, which is a good thing, but what's lost is a bit of grace.

I hope there's bonus video (and audio) to go with the article. Imagine my shock when I saw a 124 Abarth for the first time in the flesh at an autocross, expecting a 500 Abarth soundtrack, and it was the quietest thing there outside of the Prii! Hopefully some of the tuning will improve that...

Well, when I win the powerball I'm calling Keith to get me one of each with an LS.

mtn wrote: Well, when I win the powerball I'm calling Keith to get me one of each with an LS.

It's a deal.

STM317 wrote: I think it's amazing how small changes can affect visual mass, and my preference. The way the Mazda's nose and tail curve down gives it a much lower, lighter and sportier appearance. The Miata looks like they chiseled away as much as they could and shrink wrapped the body around the chassis. In this day and age of rolling, slab-sided bunkers it's a breath of fresh air in my opinion. The Fiat looks like they added a bunch of retro styling onto Miata hardpoints (which they did), but the result is overhangs that are a bit longer and more awkward. The nose looks so tall compared to the way the Miata front dramatically drops off. I think they successfully achieved the retro 124 look overall, and I've seen worse looking cars, but it's not my preference here.

As the owner of an original Fiat Spider, I think they could have dropped the tail some on the new one. The original 124's rear fenders and trunk sloped downwards more like that of the Miata.

The other thing that got lost in the translation is that the original spider is hunched forward, like it is about to leap ahead.