Mazda MX-5 vs Fiat 124 Spider: can Fiat out-Mazda the Mazda? 

Mazda hasn't had a competition for so long, it made its own!

124 US version, Fully loaded Lusso, Every factory Option, Manual, Meteor Gray/Black... BEST / Funnest car I've ever owned.. EVER!!!... My Mustang GT hasn't even been started in 4 months since I got this car.. It's going on the Auction Block.... NO REGRETS !!!!!

Love the Fiat 124

If you just look at the numbers the Fiat is superior all around, interior and mechanics, faster, better torque etc. Some people have a problem with Fiat as a brand and if exactly the same car would carry a German badge they would prey in front of the car. I don't like Fiat as a brand myself but honestly 124 Spider it is a stylish good looking car, probably the only Fiat I would buy.

I bought the Abarth 124 spider after testing both. The Abarth has totally different character and styling I prefer....Mazda has the best platform for this market sector...that’s why Fiat choose Mazda for their platform.

I go with the Fiat it's a stunning ride.

The Abarth version of the 124 is a game changer.

Fiat 124 Spider

The Fiat looks better

Contemplating getting the ND Miata but didn’t know if it was worth it without the LSD. This video just changed my mind. I have to buy one now.

A sliding MX-5 is about the happiest thing on four wheels!

Most English moment ever @ 7:10 :)

I think from a own for 25 years and Dad still has it, Fiat all day long. Just has something about it that is more timeless.

The body roll at the beginning made me think it was drifting

In answer to your question - NO. In fact my 1.5 was rolling roaded and found to be putting out 143bhp from factory - now remapped to 158 thanks to BBR in Brackley. - perfect.

Let's face it if you are in the market for a roadster and can go the price for a Porsche or similar then you do but the Spider of MX-5 are great looking fantastic value cheaper options.

Why not the 2.0 MX5 then? More torque (and without the lag), firmer suspension, LSD, Recaro Alcantara seats (more upmarket) and so on... Seems like a better choice than the Fiat.

I myself prefer the miata mainly cause of the fiat reliability issues but also the ND a really sleek design, but both are gorgeous in the end

Whilst the Fiat may not be overly pretty, I would take it over the Mazda. Over the years, the Mazda has become too common and is now rather dull to look at. And to hear a road tester say a Fiat is better built than a Mazda! Well, that is a turn up for the books! Plus more power for my money. It is a no-brainer.

my 1.5 turned out to be putting out 143bhp from factory - now 158 thanks to BBR.

I'd buy the fiat, looks like a car and less like an angry wasp

I don't like Fiat from principal but I can imagine owning this one. Question is how long will last easy days? If car works as it should just keeping service intervals, well I am willing to forget its Fiat badge, because visually this car is move in the time!

if you want a sporty feel then check the abarth 124 spider :D

the gearbox on the 124 is the one from the NC mx5....and i prefer high reving screaming naturaly aspirated engines...so its mazda for me! good to have both though..

1.4lt might be easier everyday but if you drove the Mazda Miata MX-5 Club with the 2.0lt, would the Fiat still be your choice?

an Alfa Romeo version of these cars...

I like the look of the 124 more

YOU did NOT just drift the 1.1 Fiat - THATS Brilliant :) xp added

the fiats front double grill is hideous. the new mx-5 a tad stubby since its shorter.. but I own a 2006 miata and it has been flawless .... when push comes to shove id take the new mx-5 RF model over both of these cars

So much body roll on that mazda

Still can't make my mind up which one I want more the 1.5 or 2.0 mx5

Tough call... do I want the car that has Japanese reliability all around or the one that has Japanese reliability except under the hood where it has a *cough* Fiat *cough* engine... ? Also the 124's prices are a bit loony when compared to the MX-5. Spec-ed up, it's quite a bit more expensive and some extras aren't even available unless you go for the insanely expensive Abarth. Plus the 124's turbo is pretty old school and has noticeable lag down low. The 2.0 in the MX-5 is a pretty sweet engine with very linear power-delivery and frugal drinking habits. I'm running my ND 2.0 between 6.5 and 8 l/100km (36/29 mpg), depending on my mood/driving style. Even when I gun it on the Autobahn, fuel consumption is still very decent. It's damn near impossible to push this engine to double digit l/100km average consumption.

eh. NA beats turbo anyday. the more experience i get with turbo cars, the less i like them. and the bigger the boost, the worse it is, so this stand to reason i don't REALLLLY mind small turbos, but still i'd rather have the 7500 rpm redline and the instant, predictable and linear throttle response of a naturally aspirated engine. that said a ton for a 120hp car is pretty shit (i should have written that the other way around but oh well) considering the price and what type of car it's supposed to be. i'd take whatever more power i could get with the 2.0 instead. i have a 450kg car that has 99hp and THAT's a better power to weight ratio for the fun stuff. if the mazda had that same ratio it'd be great. i think the 2.0 might be pretty close to that, isn't it?

I'd have the 2.0 mx5. I prefer the looks tbh.

I stick with my 67 124 spider. on the 4 engine.

I like the mazda mx 5 it is an icon, i prefer the 2.0 with 184hp👍

Fiat 124 for my taste

I think the 124 shifter is from the previous 3rd gen max-5.

I vote Fiat !

second the best!

I love my 1.5 nd. However it'd be great to see Ferrari and Porsche designing their own 1000 kilo roadsters with high revving naturally aspirated engines. 1800 V6 Ferrari with 250ish PS. Obviously the Boxster exists but it's too fat and expensive now.

Ever notice if you complain about Miata or Fiat 124 lacking power that the self appointed experts immediately claim it would be foolish and wrong cause they are perfect as is and more power will only ruin the qualities so carefully engineered in to begin with?.....But then you read reviews where an MX5 has been properly upgraded like with a BBS Turbo and it is just totally wonderful with only some suspension and braking upgrades ...heck even a properly done but still ridiculous V8 conversion is raved about as being an absolute joy to drive even on the track! I personally think it is total BS that the ND does not fully deserve to have a 250hp version available right off the showroom floor! Either a Turbo or just a bigger na motor like a V6...They could up the price another $10k easily and the real fans would line up to place deposits...I sure would! Yes not for everyone and a lot of folks over the pond are no doubt perfectly happy with the 1.5L version....I have a blast in my '18 ND1 but I would trade it in a heartbeat for an ND3 with somewhere in the 250ish..or even 220ish hp vicentity so long as the weight penalty was not more than 10%. What is missing on the current ND is PASSING power! Which people dont even understand unless they are blessed with mountain roads to play on... I also ride a sport touring motorcycle that does have buckets of power and it is a sheer joy to ride without ever being held up much at all by slow traffic....it just easily and safely squirts right by with plenty of margin ....the MX5? I have to wait forever to find just the right time to go...I dont take chances these days So I have spent plenty of time in frustration simply stuck wishing I actually had some reserve power on tap

Abarth 124 vs Fiat 124 next time?

Do people actually try and ‘get the car sideways’ on public roads? It seems extraordinarily irresponsible.

But now we have the RF...

F124 spider = mazda's handling + cheap tunable multi air + better than mx5 look;

MX5 for me

i'd take the fiat, if only they still produced it here in Italy

The Abarth tjet

The Fiat is the Mazda in Italian clothes

Many says Fiat is the manly option but to me, standard 124 is more feminine than MX-5

If your looking at the used market *at least where I live* the Fiats tend to cost more then the miatas.

2 is the same car that

why not compare the 2 liter miata to the 124?

If mazda never had a rival why did they give fiat EVERYTHING except the engine and bodywork? It is like they want a car from another company to be better than their mx-5 so its sells less!

NA is the best yet for 2 simple reasons - up- down

So sorry little Fiata....RIP you just could not hold on to it...was such a great effort though! How they might have totally killed it slam dunk! Turbo'd 225hp version with premium suspension and brakes at a $10k premium over Miatas ...If nailed right I would have been lined up for that one!! Maybe Mazda would have nixed being the lesser or the two...as it stood the 124 was only different but certainly not better

I prefer the 2.0L MX 5

Fiats a nicer car, but Mazda has the dealerships. Thats what the problem was in the 70s with Fiat, the local yokel at the Pontiac garage where they were sold didn't have a clue how to work on the far more advanced braking systems, overhead cam aluminum engines, 5 speed transmissions etc. and wrenched down on them without a care.

whats the point there is a 2.0 liter version of the mx5........ should compere this to the fiat....

mx5>124

I chose the Mazda for its naturally aspirated engine.

Love Mazda

Speak for yourself James, I would never spend any money on a car as ugly as the new Miata

Mazder?

for the simple fact that it comes as a hard top I would take the Mazda over the fiat!

The MX-5 is a car so comically shitty that it's enjoyable.

124 Abarth is much better then the mx5 IMO ..but better off with the mx 5 if u dont get the Abarth also the Abarth is much faster better build not to mention a limited slip differential

Forza Fiat

The Fiat looks way better than the Mazda.

For 40k you could buy a new Nissan 370Z or used BMW M3, Porsche cayman/boxter S, Honda s2000.

Can Fiat out-Miata the Miata

I've just bought a Fiat 124 you haven't got a clue mate they are like chalk and cheese the fiat is far better!!!!!!

A while back I had a FIAT X-19 ... FIAT= Fix It Again, Tony.

fiat win :)

first?

Mazda looks much better but Fiat has better engine......

I wouldn't touch the Fiat with a bargepole.

Was gonna get the MX-5 and slap on a supercharger but I’ll probably end up with the Abarth and tune it to 200-220whp

Have you ever heard about Abarth 124 Spider? Bye bye Mazda 2.0

Fee it! Hahahaha

The fiat looks even uglier than me

the mazda will have great reliability. the Fiat will fall to bits 😃

I had a 2001 Mazda for 7 years and my wife has the 2015 Miata Club. Both great great cars. Both great looking cars also. You have to like the looks of what you drive. I hate to say it, but the 4th generation Mazda is really an ugly looking car. The more I look at it the more I dislike the design. Yea, it's probably a great machine. But it's ugly. The Fiat on the other hand is a much better design. I would be willing to jump ship and go with the Fiat. They look much better in real life. This video really doesn't show the real personality.

0-100 in 8 secs ? My Polo does that in 6.6

I'll take a BMW Z3 M roadster over them any day

made from 87% chinese parts, disposal junk with the lifespan of an inkjet printer

But everybody know that a Fiat will spend much more time at the mechanics than a Mazda.

Fiat is ugly. I prefer the look of the MX5

Ugly cars. The Abart 124 Spider at least sounds exciting

it's easy this time. Fiat is gay favourite, so Mazda is best.

Pointless video basically the same car. If Fiat made their own roadster and not copied mazda's then fair enough...

when a girl asks you what do you drive? you can say either a miata in which case she would think you are gay or a fiat 124 spyder (she will be yours)

I've Always hated the Mazda Mx-5 Hairdresser Edition. That fiat also looks like it belongs to a beautician. If your a male and you buy this fuck you and evaluate your current life choices. For the same money you could get a Nissan 370Z, with a 3.7 Ltr engine and 344bhp. Sounds great, looks manly and you still have a 2 seater coupe. Hurry up and make a new RX-7 & 8 Mazda.

made from 87% chinese parts, disposal junk with the lifespan of an inkjet printer