2017 Fiat 124 Spider – The jury has returned a verdict

The all-new 2017 Fiat Spider is arriving at dealerships. Proud owners are posting up images of their new rides at the Facebook Fiat 1214 Spider 2017 club. Vicki just grabbed number 87 in blue with tan leather. Owners are raving about the new car, as are reviewers. We thought it would be fun to pull together a quick list of what is being said about the new car.

Torque News– Our own Patrick Rall has had as much seat time in the new Fiat 124 Spider as any other journalist. He started his review with “…the 2017 Fiat 124 Abarth provides more fun to drive factor than any small, affordable roadster sold in America, making this new Fiat my favorite option in the segment.”

Autoweek had a chance to run the 124 Spider around and autocross course. They found “…this platform’s wonderfully predictable balance makes it hard not to learn and gain confidence with each lap.”

Those practical souls over at Consumer Reports did a preliminary analysis of the new Fiat Spider. Though not complete, their rankings do list Customer Satisfaction as “Excellent.” Isn’t that all that really matters?

Motor Trend gave the Fiat 124 Spider a mixed review but did find nirvana in one type of driving. They said “Where the Fiat excels, however, is out on the highway. The engine is spinning in the strong part of its powerband, which makes passing and darting through traffic a breeze. The ride is relatively smooth at freeway speeds, where the tiny roadster does an admirable job of canceling out bumps and road imperfections.”

Kelly Blue Book tested the 124 Spider and concluded that “The 2017 Fiat 124 Spider hits the right emotional notes with just enough rationality to justify the fun.”

Top Gear did a rain test of the new Fiat Spider, and said, “I can report the speed at which you need to travel to deflect all rain over the cockpit is exactly 23.8mph.”

So there you have it. Opinions from our own editor and senior writer and those of some respected automotive media outlets who have had some seat time in the newest roadster to come to America. When you have had your ride, please update this story with your comments below.

Image Credit – Photo courtesy of Vicki Bradshaw Jamison, Facebook Fiat 124 Spider 2017 Club member and contributor.