Questions for the Fiat 124 Team

[Andree]

Here is a new one to ask..

How come the European version of the Fiat 124 spider gets such a higher documented MPG range? I realize that the car has 20hp less, but I can't believe that explains a 27% (urban) to 50%+ gain (extra urban) in MPG?

European Version: http://www.fiat.co.uk/124-spider/performance urban cycle: 33.2 MPG, Extra-Urban Cycle - 55.4 MPG, Combined Cycle - 44.1 MPG

http://www.fiat.co.uk/uk/CMSEN/PublishingImages/124spider/Performance%20table.png

US Version: http://www.fiatusa.com/en/spider/ up to 26 CITY MPG, UP TO 36 HWY MPG

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UPDATE: ok.. I partially answered my own question. Its because the EU measurement uses a imperial gallon which .. 1 US gallon = .83 Imperial gallons.
However taking .83 of the European MPG .. I get 27 urban and 46 extra -urban. Thats still a large differential at the top.. 36 to 46.

In the US, Fiat has typically posted estimated mpg that most folks can achieve. For instance, my automatic 2013 500 has an estimated 27 city, 34 highway, 30 combined. When I lived in San Francisco, it was less, and much of my gas was burned going zero mpg...stop lights, stop signs, and parking lot stop and go struggles. I'm now in Arizona, where I easily get 40 mpg in mixed driving, mostly highway. And about 35 mixed driving, mostly around town.

No matter what the estimates are, you will have your own personal route, on which you practice your own style of driving. You may be able to alter the route, change habits, but nothing will beat being in an underpopulated area with open roads everywhere. And nothing will sink you faster than being in metro anywhere, with grid lock, bumper to bumper crawling commute traffic and more cars on the road than the road was designed for.

[steve6225]

This may have been asked already, but I couldn't find it in the thread. Will the Abarths have the matte black hood and trunk that is in all the photos and videos that I have seen? Or will it be an option?

[Fiat500USA]

This may have been asked already, but I couldn't find it in the thread. Will the Abarths have the matte black hood and trunk that is in all the photos and videos that I have seen? Or will it be an option?

The anti-glare hood and trunk will be optional. Here are a few links that will help you with answers:

http://www.fiat500usa.com/2016/07/driving-fiat-124-spider.html

http://www.fiat500usa.com/search/label/124%20Spider

Read through my posts for many answers like this and others:

http://www.fiat500usaforum.com/search.php?do=finduser&userid=2&contenttype=vBForum_Post&showposts=1

[steve6225]

Thanks. That is what I thought, but my dealer believes that the Abarths will come that way.

[Fiat500USA]

update on the Matte-Black option

Here is an update from a company source on the matte-black anti-glare package for the Spider Abarth:

Abarth Spiders with the matte-black anti-glare package will now all be sent to a central Mopar authorized, Penske paint center near Detroit to have the paint applied. Preliminary info given was the painting would be done at facilities located near the ports, but this was scrapped due to local environmental paint regulations.

[stevenvillatoro]

I have a question about the 124 Spider Abarth exhaust. Noise intrusion in the cabin – specifically with the top UP – is my primary concern. Better interior acoustics is one of my principal reasons for buying the 124 Abarth over any ND Miata trim.

With the 8-point noise attenuation protocol, do those measures effectively moderate the Abarth exhaust for relaxed freeway and long-distance driving? My 500 Abarth was a surprisingly quiet freeway cruiser. Will there two settings for the 124 Abarth's exhaust? And when accelerating, as well as when steady cruising, how is the exhaust sound distinct from the 500 Abarth's sound?

Thanks to all. Great to be getting back into the Fiat community!

[Fiat500USA]

I have a question about the 124 Spider Abarth exhaust. Noise intrusion in the cabin – specifically with the top UP – is my primary concern. Better interior acoustics is one of my principal reasons for buying the 124 Abarth over any ND Miata trim.

With the 8-point noise attenuation protocol, do those measures effectively moderate the Abarth exhaust for relaxed freeway and long-distance driving? My 500 Abarth was a surprisingly quiet freeway cruiser. Will there two settings for the 124 Abarth's exhaust? And when accelerating, as well as when steady cruising, how is the exhaust sound distinct from the 500 Abarth's sound?

Thanks to all. Great to be getting back into the Fiat community!

Great to hear you're back on the forum! The stock 124 Abarth has a sport exhaust system that is throatier than the Lusso or Classica. The stock 124 Abarth is quieter than our 500 Abarth. The dual mode Record Monza is an option. That exhaust has a muffler bypass feature that is loud and I would say is similar to our 500 Abarth. I drove that with the top down and with a blow-off valve and I would say that it isn't a quiet car.

The stock 124 Abarth was much more subdued, but I didn't drive that with the top up, so can't really say how much louder it is over a regular Spider. I would say the Lusso is like a normal sedan and in my eyes (or ears) and surprisingly quiet for a convertible. It was also very civilized with the top down on the highway especially as the wind buffeting is really tamed. I've had a couple of early 70s 124 Spiders (which were also very refined cars for the time) and the difference in wind buffeting and comfort was astonishing. While I'm mentioning the older car, my only real critique is the original 124 Spiders were roomier.

[stevenvillatoro]

The stock 124 Abarth is quieter than our 500 Abarth. The dual mode Record Monza is an option...

The stock 124 Abarth was much more subdued, but I didn't drive that with the top up...

First of all, thanks for the welcome back!

Following up on the quoted comments above, which I greatly appreciate:

Would you judge the 124 Abarth exhaust as 'significantly' quieter, or 'slightly' quieter? Feel free to use your own better descriptors! I've heard the 124 Abarth exhaust in various online clips, but it's hard to know if those were equipped with the Record Monza, or whether the microphone placement is conveying realism. Those videos are showcasing the exhaust sound up close and revving, making it hard to evaluate the sound from a daily-driver perspective.

About top-up noise:

Automotive journalists fail to 'get' that convertible owners don't always drive with the top down. We'd appreciate knowing top-up feedback about blind spots and convertible-induced or -mitigating noises of all sorts, for example. When it rains, when the sun is broiling, on long-distance trips, or in rush-hour freeway traffic, the top-up experience becomes relevant. I'm very encouraged by the large metal panel that Fiat has brought to the 124 from the Miata GT trim, coupled with additional insulation and thicker glass. But when the media doesn't evaluate these features, their writing becomes more fluff than substance. [Rant] The Lusso I drove was a great improvement over my past Miatas with the top up. Conversations in the closed-cabin Lusso could be relaxed, and a Bluetooth phone call would have been comfortably noise-free. Hoping the Abarth will not be far behind in its ability to isolate exhaust noise, for times when you just need to chill.

Nice to have this Q & A thread!

[Fiat500USA]

I'm with you on the top up driving. The sun beating down on you can get old! However, one of the most stand out things on the new car was how comfortable the car was to drive with the top down. When I had my Spiders, the top was up a good portion of the time because the wind noise and buffeting was tiring. The new car I drove easily six hours in the California sun at all sorts of speeds at I was struck by the lack of wind buffeting and noise.

As far as how quiet the 124 Abarth is compared to the 500 Abarth, I didn't have the two cars together so I can't say definitively as I don't want to mislead. However, my collective memory is the 124 Abarth was noticeably quieter. In fact I spent a good deal of time with the lead engineer later in the evening going over many of the questions posed here and the conversation turned to the exhaust and how people seemed surprised that the Abarth Spider didn't have the same exhaust note as the 500 Abarth. I was told there were a couple of more bends they had to be dealt with, plus the exhaust is homologated for around the world, where as our 500 Abarth is NAFTA only. This also brings up the point that in Europe, the stock Abarth exhaust is the same one we get, however, it is tossed out at Officine Abarth where the Record Monza is installed. So when you here a sound clip of the European 124 Abarth, it has the Record Monza exhaust. That may partly explain why the sound is different.

[stevenvillatoro]

Exactly what I was hoping to hear, thank you!!

[MrFiat505]

Question for the 124 team. Why are so many vehicles with less than 5k miles losing coolant out of the front freeze plug and water pump and the 1.4L turbos in the 500 Abarth and 500L not doing the same?