Skip to main content

Fiat’s Miata-based 2017 124 Spider blends Italian bravado with Japanese genes

Fiat has finally introduced the Mazda Miata-based 2017 124 Spider at the Los Angeles Motor Show.

As expected, the 21st-century 124 Spider stands out from the Miata with a retro-inspired design that pays homage to the original 124 Spider that was introduced in 1966. Up front, it gets oval headlight with round LED daytime running lights, a thin hexagonal grille, and a pair of heritage-laced power domes on the hood. Out back, Fiat has fitted its version of Japan’s favorite roadster with rectangular tail lamps and a small spoiler built into the trunk lid.

All told, the 2017 124 Spider shares a few key styling cues with its predecessor but its design isn’t full-on retro like the Fiat 500. The story is different inside, where the topless Fiat features a carbon copy of the Miata’s back-to-basics cockpit with a driver-oriented center console, a three-spoke steering wheel, and a tablet-like seven-inch screen that runs the infotainment system.

On our shores, the Miata is powered by a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that’s borrowed from the Mazda3 and tuned to deliver 155 horsepower. Fiat isn’t allowed to use the Mazda mill, so the 2,436-pound Spider is equipped with a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder that sends 160 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. A six-speed automatic gearbox is available at an extra cost. Performance specifications haven’t been announced yet.

Although Mazda is still on the fence about turbocharging the Miata, Fiat has confirmed it will launch an Abarth-branded version of the roadster designed with an unrestrained focus on performance. Car & Driver reports it will be fitted with an evolution of the 240-horsepower, 1.7-liter turbo four currently mounted transversally behind the Alfa 4C‘s passenger compartment, though other sources — notably British magazine Autocar — believe it will simply use a more powerful version of the regular model’s 1.4-liter mill.

Built by Mazda in Japan, the 2017 Fiat 124 Spider is scheduled to arrive in showrooms next summer. It will be offered in two trim levels called Classica and Lusso, respectively, and the first 124 units shipped to the U.S. will be part of a special edition dubbed Prima Edizione Lusso that will gain azzurro italia blue paint, beige upholstery, and a commemorative plaque on the dash.

Ronan Glon
Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…
The Kia EV3 could be the cheap electric SUV we’ve been waiting for
White Kia EV3

The Kia EV9 was already one of the cheapest ways to get an electric SUV, but now the company is taking things to the next level. After teasing the Kia EV3 last year, the car is now official.

The EV3 is built to be a slightly smaller, cheaper version of the EV9 -- following the path of the Rivian R2, which arrived after the Rivian R1S. It's certainly not as technologically advanced as the EV9, but it still looks unmistakably like a modern Kia, and is clearly a sibling of the larger SUV. On the outside, the vehicle has the same split taillights and very similar Tiger Face front. But it is quite a bit smaller. The vehicle will be available in nine finishes -- however only "Aventurine Green" and "Terracotta" are being announced right now.

Read more
Kia EV3: release date, performance, range, and more
White Kia EV3

Kia is on a roll. Hot on the heels of the success of the Kia EV6 and EV9, the company is already announcing what could be its cheapest electric vehicle yet -- the Kia EV3.

The Kia EV line seems to follow the rule of lower numbers indicating a lower price — and if so, the EV3 will end up being the cheapest electric car Kia has released to date. That, however, thankfully doesn’t mean that the EV3 will be a low-end car — it just means that Kia may be pushing the boundaries on electric car pricing.

Read more
Kia EV3 vs Tesla Model Y: Can Kia’s new entry-level car take on Tesla?
White Kia EV3

The Kia EV3 is finally coming, and it could well end up being the best small-size electric SUV to buy when it finally rolls out. It's smaller than the Kia EV9, but it offers many of the same design elements and features. But there's another small-size electric car that's currently one of the most popular vehicles out there -- the Tesla Model Y.

How does the Kia EV3 compare with the Tesla Model Y? And is one vehicle actually better than the other? We put the Kia EV3 and the Tesla Model Y head-to-head to find out.
Design
The design of the Kia EV3 is very different than that of the Model Y, though they're both reasonably good-looking vehicles.

Read more