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With the 124 Spider, Fiat has been offering its open-to-the-move icon since mid-2016 to buy after more than three decades. However, the carmakers from Italy save half of the development and production costs and let build their roadster together with the new Mazda MX5 in Hiroshima (Japan). With small but subtle cosmetic corrections, the open Fiat now represents the brand worldwide as an elegant, yet sporty, agile roadster. That the corrections have been minimal, owes the lifestyle two-seater fan and customer community. For this, the open starts with the vehicle adapted comfort features, a manually opening and closing fabric roof with eight different exterior colors and three different leather upholstery. To drive against the summer sun, the Italians have put together a clear range of engine and drive variants. The entry is the style icon at € 24.990
Review: Fiat Spider 124 Lusso
Rebirth of a fresh air icon
In order to make a sportily elegant design even more attractive, subtleties are required, thought the designers of Centro Stile in Turin. Task was to connect elements of the predecessor of 1966 with the needs of today's customers. We have agreed on the first tour of the new test car, that this has been achieved with a chassis that is timeless but has a lot of presence. It is not only the features of the front with the upper hexagon grille and the Grillmuster and the hoods (power domes) on the front hood, it is the side guides of the car that make us rave. The changes to the ancestor allow the vehicle to be completely wide and flat on the road. Non-visible modifications in the reinforcement of the body in the event of an accident are self-evident. Important were the straight girders and the most consistent frame structure possible, which is especially needed for convertibles with front engine and rear wheel drive, as it is the Spider. In the event of a head-on collision, Fiat's "multi-load-path" body structure distributes the impact energy in two directions. The energy is dissipated along the side skirts, B-pillars and tunnel section to reduce the risk of passenger cell deformation.
Sound is not waived
The driver's and front passenger's seats are classic manual settings, but still offer a comfortable lateral support. For legroom is sufficiently taken care of, which makes a relaxed cruising for two possible. Instrument unit and operation are self-explanatory at first impression, do not seem overloaded, but very informative. The optional infotainment system features an 7-inch touchscreen display in the center of the dashboard as an eye-catcher. Included with the system are AM / FM radio, HD radio, MP3 player, two USB ports, AUX input, six speakers, multimedia control, Bluetooth connection, rear view camera and an 3D navigation system. Speech recognition enables us to operate the mobile phone, music and navigation system by hands-free operation. The transmission of voice messages (Voice Text Reply) is a matter of course, according to the Italian engineers with a compatible mobile phone. For excellent sound quality, even with the top down, the Bose® Premium Sound System features nine speakers, including dual headrest speakers per seat and a subwoofer, which, of course, makes us feel like a semi-professional musician. The maneuvering when parking and fast load change of about four meters long vehicle is very easy on the direct and precise steering, even if the view over the hood is a long one. In addition, we get a good response on straights and in long curves alike. So the 124 Spider does not only look good in straight-line driving.
Saving fuel by cruising
Sitting in the driver's seat and pressing the start button of the Spider, you can hear the 1.4 liter turbocharged MultiAir four-cylinder with its 103 kW (140 PS) growling growling. The six-speed manual transmission brings the slightly more than 1.100 kilograms weighing Roadster with a lot of power in motion. The well-tuned chassis with the double wishbone axle (with stabilizers) at the front and the multi-link axle (with stabilizers) at the back prove again and again its performance in neutralizing road bumps especially in urban traffic. The settings of the Spider give us the opportunity to maneuver the vehicle agile and unerring through the traffic. The Roadster shows noticeably more stability during load changes when driving faster. The manufacturer's specified standard fuel consumption of 6,4 liters on 100 kilometers is in any case to create, because in cruising the saving of fuel is always possible. We think: for this vehicle: a remarkably small sip from the gas cylinder. The drive of the convertible produced in Japan, however, delivers lean 240 Newtonmeter torque at 2.250 revolutions per minute. The power delivery causes the spider to accelerate from zero to 7,5 km / h in 100 seconds. In the top are according to manufacturers up to 217 km / h in it.
Roadster with little helpers
The Turin worked on the new edition of the 124 Spider not only on the performance of the vehicle. The comfort features that are already customary for the standard of a mid-range vehicle have been similarly revised and optimized. The package includes AFLS Adaptive Headlamps, Active Bonnet, Automatic Headlamp Leveling, Daytime Running Lights, Electronic Rollout Prevention (ERM), Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC), Keyless Enter'n-Go System, Mechanical Parking Brake, ParkSense Parking Assist System , a ParkView reversing camera and windscreen wipers with rain sensors. Closed trips up to maximum speed are acoustically absolutely feasible. When opening the soft top, the soft top folds down and settles on the body, serving as a cover at the same time.
Purist price
The 124 Spider, which Fiat offers with only one petrol engine, is available from a price of 24.990 Euro. For the Italians offer an 1.4-liter petrol engine with 140 PS and six-speed manual transmission. To the basic equipment Fiat still uses an upgrade, the equipment "Lusso". The extra charge of 2.000 Euro includes leather seats, 17-inch alloy wheels, a roll bar in aluminum look and electrically adjustable exterior mirrors. In the second equipment, the Roadster can also be combined with an automatic transmission.
And finally ... Fiat's 124 Spider Roadster stands for emotion, lifestyle and sporty elegance. In the open two-seater on the familiar Italian filigree processing of the materials must not be waived. Thus, the customer receives the all-round carefree fresh air feeling of a style icon.
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Fiat |
Spider 124 Lusso |
| Motor | R4, super gasoline |
| Capacity | 1.368 ccm³ |
| Performance | 140 PS @ 5.000 RPM |
| kraft | 240 Nm @ 2.250 rpm |
| Transmission | 6-speed manual transmission |
| drive axle | rear-wheel drive |
| Length Width Height | 4.075, 1.740, 1.230 mm |
| wheelbase | 2.310 mm |
| Empty weight | 1.125 kg |
| turning circle | 9,4m |
| top speed | 217 km/h |
| Acceleration 0-100 km / h | 7,5 sec |
| standard consumption | 6.4 l / 100 km |
| everyday driver | 6.3 l / 100 km |
| Eco-expert | 5.9 l / 100 km |
| Field service mode | 6.6 l / 100km |