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2017 Fiat 124 Spider Named Best Sports Car For the Money

The Fiat 124 Spider edges out the Miata to take Best Sports Car For the Money in a new U.S. News and World Report ranking.
The Fiat 124 Spider edges out the Miata to take Best Sports Car For the Money in U.S. News and World Report ranking.

Fiat's new 124 Spider convertible has edged out all other convertibles to earn U.S. New & World Report's top ranking as Best Sports Car For the Money. The Spider joins many well-respected vehicles on the new list which includes the venerable Toyota Prius, the stylish Audi A4, the trend-setting Kia Soul, the segment-dominating Lexus ES 350, and Hyundai Sonata.

U.S. News' selection of the Fiat 124 Spider over the Miata is an interesting result. The publication calls the Miata its number one sports car overall and the Miata costs less than the Spider when comparably equipped. U.S. News ranks the 124 Spider fourth among all sports cars.

Commenting on the Fiat 124 Spider in its review section, U.S. News said, "The 124 Spider has athletic handling and great fuel economy, and putting the top down is a snap." Summing up its feelings about the 124 Spider, U.S. News said, "The 2017 Fiat 124 Spider delivers an excellent combination of capability, interior quality, and affordability, and it should be a consideration for many sports car shoppers."

Runners up to the Best Sports Car For the Money included the Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86. Oddly, the Miata was left off the podium in U.S. News newest ranking.

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Comments

Yam Carotta (not verified)    February 8, 2017 - 10:28AM

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I don't care if FIAT makes cars out of gold, because, at the end of the day, they break down, have poor reliability and terrible dealer support. Nothing changed since the 1970s. And Fiat - Chrysler is constantly at the bottom of reliability lists. I have owned FIATs and Miatas. Skip the headaches and just get the right one!

Carlos Ferreira (not verified)    May 19, 2017 - 3:39PM

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You're grossly misinformed and biased.

I've owned an Abarth 500 for three years, and the only issues I've had were a burned out light bulb in a the cruise control switch and a faulty TPM sensor (not made by Fiat). the turbo Multiair 4, which is the same as the one on the124 Spider is known to be a very overbuilt engine with no issues, and its stock internals take a lot of extra aftermarket horsepower. In a recent reliability test in the UK, the Fiat 500 was second only to the Toyota Yaris in reliability for cars in its class, and the Fiat Panda, on which the 500 is based is at the top of reliability surveys.

I'm afraid you're the only thing that hasn't change since the 70's.