[GeauxLSU]

After many years of working hard in school and two months sitting in the number 1 spot on the preorder list for the entire city of Las Vegas I've picked up my Abarth 124! I've owned it for a week and I wanted to give some honest feedback for anyone still on the fence about buying a 124. I've tried to organize my thoughts by some logic, I hope this helps!

Ordering process: A total pain. Fiat doesn't inform the dealers on what they're getting or when so it's a total toss up. I was given a month window when the dealer would receive their first round of Abarth 124s and that worked out. I picked an almost fully loaded one from that first batch and I'm totally happy with it. I wanted mine in red, mine is silver, and the luxury package, mine doesn't have that. In all honesty, a 9 speaker Bose system in a cabin smaller then my couch does seem ridiculous. Now, you do have the option to spec a car the exact way you want it. The only issue is that this will take around 7 months. So if you're not in a hurry, no worries.

Exhaust Sound: If you've heard a 500 Abarth you know it sounds great. This doesn't sound that good. Now it's not the end of the world. There a tons of tuner companies coming out with exhaust systems that sound amazing. 500 Madness, Goodwin Racing, and Flyin Miata are solid places to start. Plus! Mopar is coming out with performance packs that won't mess with your warranty. I've posted a link to a video on YouTube of the Mopar modded version going around an auto cross course.

Recaro seats: For the first few days they were uncomfortable as ****. Once you break them in and sit with correct driving posture, knees together, they are actually pretty comfortable. I have wide shoulders, my fiancé won't sit next to me on planes, and I feel totally comfortable.

Sport Button: Yes, it does actually make a difference. The throttle response is higher and the stearing is a bit heavier. You have to hold it forward for 3ish seconds to engage it.

If you have any questions please feel free to message me!

 

[RBH58]

Recaro seats: For the first few days they were uncomfortable as ****. Once you break them in and sit with correct driving posture, knees together, they are actually pretty comfortable. I have wide shoulders, my fiancé won't sit next to me on planes, and I feel totally comfortable.

I loved the Recaros in my Megane. They were awesome. The reason we didn't get them on the Abarth was because we didn't have a lot of choice if we wanted a white manual Launch Edition and the car we got had the red leather seats that look pretty awesome with the other red details on a white car. The only problem I had with the Megane's Recaros was that they used to creep and every couple of days you had to nip the backrest back up a couple of notches. Great seats though.

 

[LongBeachJim]

So this is a video of the add-on Mopar Performance Pack? Any idea when it will be available?

BTW, I recently canceled my deposit with a Las Vegas dealer who had told me I was in the #1 position two months ago. They only recieved two silver Abarths and I wanted Gelato. They never bothered to keep in touch with me and always acted clueless when I called.

Congratulations and thanks for the write-up.

 

[MotoPete]

At first the Recaros caused my calves to ache, however I realised it was because I had the front edge of the seat set on too high a setting, placing pressure on the blood vessels behind my knees and obviously impeding flow over time. Lowering the setting sorted the issue.

The lateral support offered by the seats is superb.

The heating function works far better than that in our previous BRZ S.

 

[berndv]

If Recaros would have been an option on the regular 124 spider, I certainly would have considered them. As the standard seats provide zero lumbar support, I already have mine modified to make the backrest a little firmer with more support. Still I am wondering whether it would be possible to get the Recaros afterward. First thing I would like to kwow about the Recaros though is, if the backrests are thicker than the regular seats. With 6ft 3" my height is about the maximum that will fit in the Spider. If a thicker backrest would push me forward a bit, my knees would hit the dash.
Is there anybody who sat in both Recaro and regular seat, can say something about this?
Thanks,
Bernd

 

[RBH58]

Recaros are generally wafer thin. Very little padding at all.

 

[Greg]

I am anxious to sit in the Recaros. A comfy seat is fairly important to me. I also need to hear the Abarth exhaust and Record Monza exhaust before I make any decisions there. We will likely have several exhaust options on the Eurocompulsion site before too long, as well as a full range of performance items. https://shopeurocompulsion.net/collections/fiat-124?page=1

Greg

 

[roundrockbear]

When will the Mopar options be available? Sounds like they are ultra slow at getting their gear on the market.

 

[bffmike]

When will the Mopar options be available? Sounds like they are ultra slow at getting their gear on the market.

Going to be a while. I've been trying to source red mirror caps for weeks. Apparently the U.K. and Italy are out of stock.

 

[MotoPete]

RBH58 is spot on, I've sat in both and the Recaros are definitely lighter on the padding; that's certainly not to say they are less comfortable however.

 

[MotoPete]

Still I am wondering whether it would be possible to get the Recaros afterward.

They'll be much more pricey than adding them as an option at time of sale, but yes I'd imagine the mounting points and electrical connections would be exactly the same as the standard option.

 

[Bauer]

RBH58 is spot on, I've sat in both and the Recaros are definitely lighter on the padding; that's certainly not to say they are less comfortable however.

Does less padding mean lower position and more leg room?

 

[LongBeachJim]

Going to be a while. I've been trying to source red mirror caps for weeks. Apparently the U.K. and Italy are out of stock.

I ordered mine last week from a Southern California dealer. He said it would take about a week. Contact your local Dodge or Fiat dealer with part # 68307688-AA. They are $182 plus tax.

 

[RBH58]

Does less padding mean lower position and more leg room?

Potentially, but it depends on how they've mounted them. The Focus RS has Recaros but they have been mounted stupidly high. On my Megane you could get them nice and low.

 

[bffmike]

I ordered mine last week from a Southern California dealer. He said it would take about a week. Contact your local Dodge or Fiat dealer with part # 68307688-AA. They are $182 plus tax.

Did just that and they said they'd be in by Friday. We'll see, but regardless, thanks! Did you notice that the red front spoiler & tow hook cover aren't in the catalog?

 

[LongBeachJim]

Did just that and they said they'd be in by Friday. We'll see, but regardless, thanks! Did you notice that the red front spoiler & tow hook cover aren't in the catalog?

I ordered the red front spoiler from a U.K. based seller on eBay named "desira_gy", part #52060683. He is almost out of them, so hurry. He told me that he will get the red tow hook cover at some point but has no date yet. Bffmike, if you go this route, let's keep each other posted. That little red round cover cap is the last thing I need.