New Fiat 124 Spider unveiled in LA

The Italian brand will be sticking to its own engines and will be launching the 124 Spider with the well known 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo four-cylinder engine. The engine has a max power of 140hp (103 kW) and a max torque of 240Nm. It will be paired with a six-speed manual transmission. For the US market Fiat is also launching a 160hp version of the 1.4 MultiAir. Fiat is also likely to offer the car with an automatic transmission in the US.

 

Compared to the MX-5, the new 124 Spider from Fiat is slightly longer, due to slight increases in the front and rear overhangs as the wheelbase remains the same.  Windscreen, header rail, manually-operated fabric roof and the rollover protection have been carried over from the Mazda, but all of the main body panels have been changed.

 

The interior of the new Fiat sports car is clearly derived from the MX-5. It features a very similar architecture, which includes a reskinned version of Mazda’s 7in touch-screen infotainment system on higher-end editions.

 

In terms of design Fiat tried to go for some inspiration on the original 124 Spider, without going to far on the retro look. For example, the three-piece LED rings were designed to reference the car’s round headlights and the bonnet's ‘power domes’ bring back the memory of  later versions of the original 124 Spider. Another reference to the original car is the positioning of the Fiat badge on the top of the boot.

 

An Abarth version of the new Fiat 124 Spider should be arriving very soon and should get more aggressive front and rear bumpers and a more powerful version of the MultiAir II engine.