The 2017 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth. |
2017 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth. |
Beyond that, the differences are in looks and suspension. The Abarth gets dark gun metallic trim and 17-inch gun metallic aluminum wheels. Were you to equip your Abarth with an automatic transmission (what's the Italian word for sacrilege?), you'd get paddle shifters. Our tester came as God intended...with a six-speed manual.
Where the Abarth brings it is in a Bilstein performance suspension with a front strut tower brace, Bilstein shocks, stiffer front and rear springs and a rear stabilizer bar. In an afternoon on the winding back roads from TireKicker World Headquarters in Folsom, California through the Sierra foothills and back, the car was an absolute marvel to drive.
2017 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth interior. |
There's also a perfectly adequate four-speaker audio system, automatic climate control, heated front seats, automatic headlamps, front fog lamps, power mirrors, LED taillamps, a quad exhaust with bright tips and a tire service kit.
Our tester came with one option package and one stand-alone option. The package was the Luxury Collection with SiriusXM satellite radio. It includes sport leather seats, an upgraded 9-speaker plus subwoofer Bose audio system, blind spot and cross-path detection, rear park assist, GPS navigation, LED adaptive headlamps, which are automatic-leveling units with washers, heated exterior mirrors, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and a universal garage door opener ($3,995). The stand-alone was a set of four red Brembo performance brakes ($1,495).
With $995 destination charge, the bottom line came to $34,680....a shade more than a thousand dollars higher than the Lusso we drove earlier in the year. The choice comes down to your personality and driving style.