Forza Motorsport 7: Italian Lessons

A few moments ago, I get to try out the new Fiat 124 Spider Abarth, which is part of the Samsung QLED TV Car Pack of Forza Motorsport 7, and I was amazed that it has a lot to live up being the modern-day successor to the original Fiat 124 Spider from the distant past. Now, let's get to the interesting part about what if the 124 and the Roadster clash each other. Let's get this show on the road.





What better way to settle this showdown than taking it to the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Hence the name, this is how America's top motoring magazines test the latest cars here. It was also the perfect venue for the Best Driver's Car every year and now, it will be my playground for the main event I've lined up for the two open-top roadsters.





Every gearhead is familiar with the Laguna Seca raceway ever since they were nine years old so they are familiar with the breakneck twists and turns as well as the dreaded Corkscrew corner that trips even the best drivers due to the tricky elevation. It's best to be careful when you're out there but because all of you are familiar with Laguna Seca, this should be a walk in the park for you.





Of course, the MX-5/Roadster ND and the 124 Spider are built in the same factory but what differs between then are the dynamics because Fiat engineered the 124 by themselves, meaning most of the components are different than the MX-5 and in the 124 Spider Abarth, the 1.4L MultiAir engine produces slightly more power than the MX-5's SKYACTIV-G 2.0L petrol engine, the engine that is not available in Japan but only offered on the RF variant. Yes, it maybe slightly more powerful but the MX-5 is shockingly lighter than the 124 Spider, meaning these two byproduct of the Axis Powers are on equal footing and equal is kinda boring for me so to spice things up, I've added a little wild card to this showdown.





Surprise! It's an Alfa Romeo 4C and it has the pricing equivalent of these two mentioned above, which is rather expensive for a man with exquisite taste but the 1750cc turbocharged 4-cylinder engine produces 240HP of power while mated with a 6-speed Alfa TCT Dual Dry Clutch Transmission, resulting to a 0-100kph time of 4.5 seconds and top speed of 258kph. Yes, I know this is faster than these two but the 4C's not important here because this is the battle of the relatives, although I can use it as a benchmark.



With the 4C set a 1:51.122 lap time, the goal is for these two is to get as close to the time set by it, but sadly, none of them can match the 4C's because it's too darn quick for its own. Still, I can get on with the main event where two Hiroshima-born relatives will settle the score once and for all at the Laguna Seca. This will be a match between power and lightness and because the 124 and the MX-5 are on equal footing, this could be very one-sided.

Time to get this show on the roll...


And now, the moment of truth...

124 - 1:58.495
MX-5 ND - 1:58.799

I called it. It really is a close call for these two because with the 124's grunt and the MX-5 lightness, the result is as close as the Senate majority and I am very shocked that even in the most powerful 124 Abarth, the driving experience is as same as the less powerful but light top-spec variant of the MX-5 and I will never forget this kind of experience.



No matter how many Italian lessons this Japan-born roadster has learn, it still behaves like a lightweight Japanese car and in the case of the most powerful 124 variant, the Abarth, it still behaves like the top-spec MX-5 variant and because of such close result, it's hard to decide which one is the victor, although I had to admit that it was a hollow victory for the 124 Spider Abarth, but a pinch on the result really makes a big difference between the two byproducts of the Axis Powers. Looks like I'm quaking my sitting muscle right about now but I'm glad I put these two for a close match. Speaking of which, I had a little surprise for the 124...







Italian lessons really payed off!

Forza Motorsport 7: Performance is in the Air

This is the original Fiat 124 Spider in play and upon driving this classic Italian roadster in the world of Forza, it made you realize that driving one of these is like a step back in time to the classic motoring from the last century. The golden years of motoring, if you may, and even emerged from the time the fuel crisis stopped them from driving Ferraris on the open road and made the switch to smaller but fun-to-drive cars that catered to the essentials a true car enthusiast should live.



There's so much to love about the classic Fiat 124 Spider in every tangible way but for those who demand to drive the more modern version, here's the one you've been waiting for...



Here it is, ladies and gentlemen, your new Fiat 124 Spider, as emerged from Forza Motorsport 7's Samsung QLED TV Car Pack. Before I take a spin around this so-called by-product of the Axis Powers, as you say it, let's investigate the 21st century 124 Spider.



At the 2015 LA Auto Show, Fiat revived the 124 name as the newest open-top rear-wheel drive sportscar on the road, and while this is basically a Fiat, the shocking moment is that it was based on the Mazda Roadster (MX-5) ND and they're built at the same plant in Hiroshima, Japan.

Even though it features the same components as the fourth-generation MX-5, the Fiat 124 Spider differs from it because of the 1.4L MultiAir engine, shocks, and added length and cargo capacity compared to the MX-5.

The high-performance variant, the Abarth 124 Spider, was introduced at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show and it was powered by an Abarth-tuned 1.4L MultiAir engine producing 170PS of power and 250Nm of torque while mated with a 6-speed manual gearbox. It does 0-100kph in 6.8 seconds and onwards to 232kph, faster than even the top-spec MX-5.



Even though it was just an MX-5 underneath, the Abarth 124 Spider I'm driving is no MX-5 indeed because thanks to its Italian engineering lurking around the Japanese-made Italian sportscar, there's a big reason why a 124 is better than the MX-5 in so many ways and in this Abarth version, it really explains a lot. It still drives like whatever lightweight open-top roadster should but because the power and dynamics are what set these two cars apart, the 124 is a tour de force unlike the MX-5 even though it's the byproduct of the Axis Powers if you call it. It has some character, it has some stance, it has some personality, and the bark that its donor car couldn't possess, and looks like Japan should be worrying about why an Italian MX-5 is better than the original MX-5. Could it be a conspiracy why a different version is better than the original even though they were made from the same assembly line? It's too early to tell but in the meantime...



I'm at the Top Gear Test Track on a rainy day to see if the modern 124, in Abarth guise, really is the true successor to the original 124, the one Jeremy Clarkson drove on his final day as a Top Gear presenter before he became the host of The Grand Tour alongside Richard Hammond and James May. Wait a minute, this Abarth 124 did feature in The Grand Tour with Hammond behind the wheel but anyway...





Looking back five decades, the Fiat 124 Spider is an all-time classic that likes to live up to the examples of the greatest lightweight sportscars in history, and in today's time, the MX-5-based 124 continues the tradition despite having spaghetti and sushi served on the silver platter. Some say that the normal 124 Spider wasn't as good as the MX-5 but thanks to the Abarth variant, it really did and it can outrun even a top-spec Mazda MX-5 with the SKYACTIV-G 2.0L on it. I'm starting to love this new open-top Fiat even more and speaking of which, who wants to see a quick lap with these beauties?


After a wet lap around the Top Gear track with the past and present 124 Spiders, here are the results...

Old 124 - 1:48.092 (wet)
New 124 - 1:38.683 (wet)

Five decades and looks like the 124 did evolve into something special, which isn't bad for an Axis Powers team-up that made us upset, very very upset why the Rome-Tokyo-Berlin Axis made its way through the motoring industry because of BMW, Toyota, Fiat, and Mazda. Looks like the car companies from the Allied Forces need to step up against the motoring Axis Powers. If the fat man who controls our lives once said the Germans are evil, why not the Italians and the Japanese?



Still, I am glad to drive the new 124 Spider in the game, even though it's long overdue just like the Alfa Romeo Giulia that I drove a couple of moments ago but I'm not done yet because later on, I will find out if the Italian version of the Japan's favorite roadster is better than the original. This should be interesting so watch for it.

Fiat 124 Spider Abarth

The Abarth lineup is currently filled with beefed-up versions of the 500 and it's time for a change. Perhaps a Fiat 124 Spider-based model should come to the mix and enjoyment couldn't come any hairier than this with the first-ever, open-top, rear-wheel drive Abarth based on the new Fiat 124 Spider.

2017 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth

The 124 Spider Abarth is the high-performance version of the Fiat 124 Spider, which is based on the fourth-generation Mazda Roadster, and judging by its performance, it will make not just owners of the normal 124 Spider but also owners of the latest Mazda Roadster the remorse they will regret having an lightweight open-top roadster that delivers a potential track-day talent some may call it "accessible".

Just how accessible is the 124 Spider Abarth? Well, with looks inspired from the 1972 Abarth 124 Spider, you can tell that this car has heritage from the legendary breed that became a talk-of-a-town when it battled fiercely though rally stages and numerous race feats, but that's just the half of the story. Under the hood lies a smaller, yet powerful 1.4L four-cylinder turbocharged engine producing 170HP of power and 250Nm of torque. With this output, it will go from zero to 100kph in 6.8 seconds and onwards to 232km/h, which is very quick for a nippy little open-top sportscar with some shouty exterior design fit for the fashionable car enthusiasts. It also makes a not-so-bad noise from its exhaust as well.

Apart from the engine, the dynamics is what makes the 124 Spider Abarth very accessible, thanks to its perfect weight distribution and lightweight design, making it a new gold standard in the roadster segment. With a class-leading power-to-weight ratio, and weighing less than a Ford Fiesta, not to mention some track-honed handling, the 124 Spider Abarth can be as swift as swinging a wrecking ball with all the strength and force you can wield at and make some lava holes but living in a day-to-day basis can be somewhat challenging, that is when parallel parking on reverse is like climbing up a mountain.

Although not what you call a daily driver's car, the new 124 Spider Abarth, with its 40,000 Euro price tag, may sound expensive to own but it's a start for buyers looking for high-performance open-top rear-wheel drive roadster who believe that owning an Alfa 4C Spider or a Lotus Elise can be a costly experience. Nevertheless, the 124 Spider Abarth will make anyone's decision making a hard one choosing between a car inspired from and a car originated from. The Fiat 124-Mazda Roadster decision-making experience couldn't get even more complicating.

Photo: FIAT

Fiat 124 Spider

For the first time since...um...forever...there is now a rear-wheel drive Fiat that we can all enjoy for and this rear-wheel drive Fiat marks the return of the legendary 124 nameplate in honor of the original 124's 50th anniversary since 1966. Heritage aside, the newly revived 124 Spider is just one of the biggest contributions in the axis powers (read: Japan-Germany-Italy collaboration) in the history of automobiles. Why?

2017 Fiat 124 Spider

There's a big reason why because the new 124 Spider is basically a fourth-generation Mazda Roadster underneath it but despite most of the stuff comes from Mazda, its performance is what differs it because the 124 has a little spark of Fiat on its Mazda-wrapped backbone. Under the hood is a 1.4L turbocharged MultiAir petrol engine which produces around 138 horsepower, which sounds like more than the Roadster's 1.5L petrol engine produces, meaning it can go 0-100kph in seven and a half seconds and onwards to 215kph. Even when they both have the same 6-speed gearbox and the same driving feel, the 124 is the better bet because it can do things that the Roadster can't in terms of speed, power, and everything else.

2017 Fiat 124 Spider

In context, those who did enjoyed the latest Roadster had the impression that this car still retains the classic Roadster formula, valuing aerodynamics over performance, as well as delivering its nimble and yet accessible dynamics everyone can master. For the Roadster-based Fiat 124 Spider, though, while it promises to hark back the legendary 124 fifty years ago, it still acts and behaves just like the Roadster. It's nimble, it's easy to drive, and very accessible if you're sure enough to drive one on the open roads but driving one on the cities can get too tricky because while this is mated only with a 6-speed gearbox, parking this car can get messy but whatever it is, feels like this day will never end.

2017 Fiat 124 Spider interior

While this is purely a Mazda Roadster underneath with a different engine from Fiat, the new 124 feels very gorgeous to look at from day to night, however it can still be overshadowed when the open-top car you've encountered is another Italian car. Specifically, an Alfa Romeo 4C Spider. While the 4C is strikingly gorgeous to look at and drives better than the 124, best to know that the 124's starting price of 27,500 Euros, meaning that you can buy two of these (and some) for the price of the 4C Spider. Now that's a bargain good enough for a poor man's 4C Spider, though.

2017 Fiat 124 Spider

So, would you rather have this than the Mazda Roadster it was based upon? Well, since the new 124 behaves like the Roadster, the only difference you will notice is the performance due to its turbocharged petrol engine made by Fiat and once you notice how it works, you have a clear judgment on which would you pick.

Available colors: Rosso Passione, Bianco Gelato, Grigio Argento, Grigio Moda, Azzurro Italia, Bronzo Magnetico, Nero Vesuvio, and Bianco Ghiaccio.

Photo: Fiat