Abarth 124 Spider first drive review

There is more than one way to make a chocolate cake. But in the end it is still a chocolate cake.

Seemingly, that's also the case when you alter the ingredients in the recipe for a lightweight roadster.

Fiat's performance arm, Abarth, has just added its re-born 124 Spider in Australian showrooms, promising it offers more power and a tighter focus on performance than the Mazda MX-5 it essentially shares its fundamental underpinnings with.

While the Abarth uses the skeleton of the iconic Japanese roadster, it sprinkles some Italian passion to the mix with its own unique design on the outside and revamped mechanicals under the skin, with a 1.4-litre turbo charged four cylinder engine, stronger transmissions, uniquely-tuned Bilstein suspension and more powerful Brembo brakes.

Priced from $41,990, it sits slightly above the range-topping 2.0-litre MX-5 GT but Abarth says the extra gear makes it a better value proposition, and extends that by offering the 124 Spider for $43,500 driveaway at least until the end of the year. There is also an incentive to get in quick, with the first 100 'Launch Edition' models with contrasting bumper inserts, tow hooks and mirror caps as well as a numbered plaque in the cockpit.

Like the MX-5 GT, the 124 Spider comes rolling on 17-inch alloy wheels, has heated leather seats, cruise control, keyless entry and push button start, climate control air conditioning and a dash-mounted 7.0-inch touch screen with sat nav, Bluetooth connectivity and integrated internet audio apps like Pandora and Stitcher radio.

As it is in the Mazda, the Abarth has four airbags and the basic suite of electronic driver aids, missing out on modern functions such as automated emergency braking, lane keeping assist and forward collision warning.

But Abarth has done more than just slap its scorpion badge on the body. The 124 Spider has a unique look that is derived from all-new body panels which hold a few retro design cues that hark back to the original that was first launched in 1966. It's a polarising car in the metal with a much heavier look than the whippet-like MX-5, but it does have longer overhangs at both ends that makes it marginally longer than its Japanese donor car anyway. From some angles it looks completely individual, whereas from others you can see the basics of the Mazda.

It's roots are even more obvious from inside the cockpit, which – apart from unique seats, the Abarth badge in the airbag cover on the steering wheel, a different gear lever, a red face on the centre tacho and odd 30km/h increments on the speedo – is exactly the same as the MX-5. That's not such a bad thing though, as the latest-generation Mazda is more convenient than it has ever been with modern creature comforts, adequate storage space for a car of its size and a great low-set driving position. It also has the quickest and easiest soft-top roof in the business, which can be opened or closed manually in one movement and locked in place – in either position – within seconds.

So what about those different ingredients? Well, the most significant change is the engine, which has a twin-scroll turbo charger and features Fiat's electro-mechanical MultiAir cylinder head to produce 125kW and 250Nm – up from 118kW and 206Nm in the 2.0-litre MX-5 – and is enough to propel it from 0-100km/h in 6.8 seconds and onto a top speed of 232km/h while using a claimed average fuel consumption of 6.7L/100km.

The increased outputs require the fitment of an upgraded six-speed manual transmission, or the optional six-speed automatic with paddle shifters that costs an additional $2000. Like the MX-5, it drives the rear wheels but comes fitted with a limited slip differential with either gearbox whereas Mazda only offers it as standard with the manual transmission.

Firstly, during our first taste of the Abarth of the 124 Spider at the Norwell driving complex on the Gold Coast and then on the roads in the hinterland, the engine feels fitter and fatter in lower to middle engine speeds – something that has always been criticised about the MX-5 – which not only makes it faster to extract the fun factor on the track or a twisty back road but it is also slightly more effortless to drive in everyday situations as you can hold higher gears rather than rowing back and forth through the transmission. But, at the opposite end of the spectrum, it runs out of puff higher in the rev range, which is exactly where the MX-5 is at its best. So it's a bit of trade off between the two; the Abarth is easier to drive quickly while the MX-5 is more engaging for enthusiasts.

Even though we have yet to experience both cars together, having spent plenty of time in the latest MX-5 it is surprising to note that the Abarth, even with a completely different engine and a quad exhaust system, doesn't sound that much different, at least in overall character. It's here where the Italians could have injected their own flavour into the recipe; there's none of the hollow-chested intake noise under acceleration or crackling and burping when you back off the gas that has been a hallmark of Abarth cars.

Thankfully though, the manual gearbox doesn't feel or act that much different from the one in the Mazda, still offering a tactile mechanical feel across the gears with a light and easy-to-use clutch action.

Even more than that, Abarth hasn't messed with the car's overall driving character. The stiffer Bilstein suspension makes the 124 a little more fidgety over patchy road surfaces and it has slightly less body roll under heavy cornering, but in essence it drives with all the same brilliance of the MX-5 as the steering is light and responsive with good feedback through the wheel and it leans on its outside haunches through the bends, progressively communicating its limit of adhesion.

In the end, the 124 Spider is a case of Abarth creating its own drop-top chocolate cake. It's borrowed the basics of the recipe to create a lightweight, open-air fun machine, added some of its own ingredients, decorated it in its own way and yet, in spite of the differences, it has come up with the same tasty creation. And who doesn't love a good chocolate cake? Or a great convertible sports car?

Abarth 124 Spider price and specifications

Price: $43,500 (driveaway)

On-sale: now

Engine: 1.4-litre four cylinder turbo petrol

Power: 125kW at 5500rpm

Torque: 250Nm at 2500rpm

Transmission: 6-spd manual/automatic, RWD

Fuel Use: 6.7L/100km (man) / 6.9L/100km (auto)