Jeremy Clarkson Reviews the Fiat 124 Spider, Calls It Inferior to the Mazda MX-5

When Mazda had rejuvenated the MX-5 Miata for the fourth generation, almost everybody liked the little Japanese two-seat convertible roadster, save for those who don’t like its styling. Then Fiat came along, created the Miata-based 124 Spider by worsening what makes the MX-5 so exquisite, then called it day. As expected, not even Jeremy Clarkson likes the result.

In his latest

car review for The Sunday Times Driving, the former Top Gear head honcho and current asset of Amazon had found it appropriate to call the Fiat 124 Spider “an elephant on a unicycle.” I would certainly love to see one of those, but then again, the 124 Spider has plenty of faults.

As compared to Mazda, who have developed the fourth-generation MX-5 Miata as a true sports car from the ground up, Fiat had morphed it into a softer affair. The suspension is softer, the interior is better insulated from the elements as long as the soft top is up, the 1.4-liter turbo engine produces a drearier exhaust sound than the naturally aspirated units in the MX-5 Miata, and the list can go on. But then again, there’s a certain brilliance in the Fiat 124 Spider’s softness.

Put simply, it’s a better cruising machine than the MX-5 Miata, one that breaks new ground for this segment of the sports car genre. It also blends plenty of deliciously retro visual details, directly inspired by the old 124 Spider. As Jeremy puts it in his test drive, the Miata “is simple and perfectly executed,” while the Fiata is “quieter and less fun,” as in less willing to wag its tail out.

Clarkson also points out that most versions of the 124 Spider don’t come with a limited-slip differential. That’s only reserved for the Abarth 124 Spider, which is extremely expensive for what you get in return if I’m to be brutally honest. Also, the entry-level Fiata is more expensive than the Miata, which is yet another drawback of dressing up a perfectly fine Japanese ragtop sports car in Italian clothing.

At the end of the day, the 2017 Fiat 124 Spider is a three out of five stars in Jeremy Clarkson’s view. The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata, on the other hand, is a five-star affair that also acts as “a cure for depression… You can’t be in a bad mood when you’re driving it.”