Skip advert
Advertisement

Fiat 124 Spider review – The MX-5’s classier cousin? - Performance and 0-60 time

The drop-top Italian posses a distinctly calmer persona than the Mazda that it shares its underpinnings with

Evo rating
RRP
from £21,050
  • A characterful cruiser
  • Lacks finesse when driven enthusiastically

Performance and 0-60 time

The Fiat 124 Spider develops 138bhp from its 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, and maximum torque of 177 lb ft is available from just 2,250rpm. That’s much lower down than the more rev-happy Mazda MX-5, which develops max torque at 4800rpm in the 1.5-litre car or 4600rpm in the 2-litre.

The 124’s 0-62mph time is dispatched in 7.5 seconds – just shy of the 7.3 seconds that the 2.0-litre MX-5 requires to do the same. The 1.5-litre Mazda takes 8.3 seconds.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Best look yet at new Jaguar GT – bold EV sheds disguise as comeback looms
Jaguar GT Type 00 front
News

Best look yet at new Jaguar GT – bold EV sheds disguise as comeback looms

Jaguar’s comeback GT continues testing with reduced disguise at the Nürburgring
22 Oct 2025
Were the 2000s and 2010s the performance car sweet spot?
Audi R8 and Lamborghini Murciélago
Opinion

Were the 2000s and 2010s the performance car sweet spot?

The 2000s saw an abundance of cheap finance and brilliant new performance cars, but were the 2010s actually even better?
20 Oct 2025
Are classic cars as good as we remember them?
Eras 80s
Opinion

Are classic cars as good as we remember them?

Looking back, were we viewing the ’80s and ’90s through rose-tinted glasses? Or were they in fact the definition of the thrill of driving?
16 Oct 2025