[LongBeachJim]

How does your 124 rank with your last car? I really loved my late model Corvette Grand Sport, but I can't explain it, the 124 is simply more fun. It's a blast to drive, and way less expensive. I come up with the most ridiculous excuses to take it out on the road. Palm Springs next week!

 

[JFernald]

How does your 124 rank with your last car? I really loved my late model Corvette Grand Sport, but I can't explain it, the 124 is simply more fun. It's a blast to drive, and way less expensive. I come up with the most ridiculous excuses to take it out on the road. Palm Springs next week!

My last modern "sports" car was a Mazda RX8. While I thoroughly enjoyed it, I like the 124 better. It is more nimble than anything I have ever driven.

 

[RBH58]

The Abarth 124 replaced an Alfa Romeo MiTo QV at our place. Which curiously had the exact same engine in the same 125kw/168hp state of tune as the Abarth and weighed about the same, but, being FWD it struggled to put the power down like the 124. It was nowhere near as well designed, built or sorted (it had the most incomprehensible ICE/Phone/Bluetooth setup I've ever seen), but it was a sweet little car that was fun to punt around town though you could effortlessly cross a continent in it, and it served us well and faultlessly for nearly 3 years and around 40,000kms. And it was only AUD$24k (USD$18k) brand new. And yes...those are stock Brembos behind the stock 18" rims.

The US market misses out on lots of great little cars because of its aversion to hatchbacks. The Ford Pinto was 47 years ago guys. Get over it!

 

[oliverpull]

We bought a VW Golf TDI diesel (we call it "The Cheater") in 2014 to complement a diesel M/B SUV. The Golf restored feel and agility to the everyday drive; it is my wife's, but I chose to drive it in place of the Benz whenever I could. The diesel is torquey, the dual clutch tranny is efficient, and the ride and handling just about perfect for a car that size. The move to the 124 Spider is in part due having the "joy of driving" restored by the Golf. But there is far more joy in the 124 Abarth! The Benz diesel has been relegated to a garage where it is kept in reserve for towing duties.

 

[iamz]

....The US market misses out on lots of great little cars because of its aversion to hatchbacks. The Ford Pinto was 47 years ago guys. Get over it!

I really hate blanket statements like that. We are not a monolith culture.

I currently own a Ford Fiesta hatch and my previous ride was a Mazda Protege5 hatch. I've also owned a VW Scirrocco, a VW Corrado and a Honda Civic hatch.

 

[GuidoVeloce]

I really hate blanket statements like that. We are not a monolith culture.

RBH58 is not criticizing your or me, he is just stating a well-known fact that many Americans think that adding a trunk to a Focus or a Golf makes it a more upscale and practical vehicle. Consequently, the market for hatchbacks is quite small here.

 

[RBH58]

RBH58 is not criticizing your or me, he is just stating a well-known fact that many Americans think that adding a trunk to a Focus or a Golf makes it a more upscale and practical vehicle. Consequently, the market for hatchbacks is quite small here.

The US market is the only reason the VW Jetta exists. But yes, the US market has missed out on some spectacularly good small cars from Renaultsport, Peugeot, Ford, VW, Alfa, and Lancia. Hot hatches are huge in the UK and even do quite a decent business in Australia (Australia is Renaultsport's 2nd largest global market after France). Seems things are starting to change in the US, but it's taken a long time.

 

[spilner]

Too bad for VW the Golf is going to exist during one of the toughest times for it, rival brands are heating up in that segment. But it will be a slow decline. Ford is a good example of the take over, I have seen more Fiesta ST's than Golf's!

 

[RBH58]

Too bad for VW the Golf is going to exist during one of the toughest times for it, rival brands are heating up in that segment. But it will be a slow decline. Ford is a good example of the take over, I have seen more Fiesta ST's than Golf's!

The Fiesta ST is a great little car and very much of the old school hot-hatch ethos. Ford Europe are great at this sort "affordable performance" car and always have been.

Sorry....further off topic. My bad

 

[reece146]

We just bought my wife a GTI after cross shopping the Focus ST.

GTI seemed better built, more "mature" vehicle.

Not to take anything away from the Ford, it's a great car, just not what we were looking for at this stage of life.

 

[RBH58]

We just bought my wife a GTI after cross shopping the Focus ST.

GTI seemed better built, more "mature" vehicle.

Not to take anything away from the Ford, it's a great car, just not what we were looking for at this stage of life.

The Fiesta ST is a better car than the Focus ST in my opinion. I've driven both and I loved the Fiesta ST and was underwhelmed with the Focus ST which is simply not as well sorted as the Fiesta. I don't blame you for picking the GTI. Great car and much better than the Focus.

Whoops. Further off topic

 

[Stelvio]

On the sporty side, the closest rides I still have are all motorcycles. One of my bikes while a good handler, doesn't compare because it is so much faster in a straight line. Another is a light cruiser style, similar in mid-range torque and certainly as nimble, but doesn't real feel that way, having a cruiser like turn-in..
From a fun factor, on back roads, my 1971 BSA comes the closest. Not the fastest thing out there, but extremely light compared to most modern motorcycles. There are obviously limits to comparing motorcycles to cars but the light handling, spirited exhaust note, the connected feel to the road, the simplicity, are all characteristics that connect the BSA and the Abarth with fun.

 

[RBH58]

My Great Uncle Bill used to be a test rider for BSA in the 50s and 60s.

 

[Redtoys]

my last ride was a 2013 NC GT 6 speed.

the improvements to me...

1. new technology, streaming music, more mpg info etc nice to have
2. love the backup camera and side warning detection
3. smoother ride
4. much quieter top up and down
5. midrange punch
6. Rosso Red!

miss the linear power and higher redline of the NC, but 95% of the time, the fat mid-range on the Abarth is more useful than a screaming redline. Wish it had door pockets or even nets to hold a paper towel.

 

[Unknownsir]

last ride was a 2011 Chrysler 200 hard top conv.
do not miss the extreme torque steer when i got on the throttle.
do not miss having to wait for the top to go down
it was quieter, but not complaining
it had great power but the 124 has enough and is much nimbler
that car was a boat
i would describe the 200 as a golden retriever; nice and friendly
the 124 i would describe as a chihuahua; small and very entertaining

 

[RBH58]

...the 124 i would describe as a chihuahua

Really? Yappy with small dog syndrome?

(Sorry if I just offended any chihuahua owners)

 

[JFernald]

The US market is the only reason the VW Jetta exists. But yes, the US market has missed out on some spectacularly good small cars from Renaultsport, Peugeot, Ford, VW, Alfa, and Lancia. Hot hatches are huge in the UK and even do quite a decent business in Australia (Australia is Renaultsport's 2nd largest global market after France). Seems things are starting to change in the US, but it's taken a long time.

The lack of those cars in the U.S. has nothing to do with hatchbacks. First, there are plenty of hatchbacks sold in the U.S. Second, those manufactureres, for the most part, quit selling cars in the U.S. decades ago because they did not like having to meet U.S. safety and emissions requirements. After they upgraded to higher standards, they had no dealership organization in the U.S. and found themselves on the outside looking in. Fiat's purchase of Chrysler changed all that for Fiats and Alfas.

Go to any of the websites for cars sold in the U.S. and you will find hatchback offerings at nearly all of them. Hatchbacks are very popular in the U.S. because we are not as stupid as you think we are. Also, you can compare sales figures to see that they sell more in the U.S. than elsewhere.

The car I traded in for my Fiat was a Ford C-Max Energi (hatchback).

 

[GuidoVeloce]

Let's not call them stupid, but rather Corolla-buying zombies. In any case, I wouldn't say that hatchbacks are "very popular" here, whether European, Japanese, or US-made.

 

[JFernald]

Let's not call them stupid, but rather Corolla-buying zombies. In any case, I wouldn't say that hatchbacks are "very popular" here, whether European, Japanese, or US-made.

I disagree and so do the sales stats. The last Corolla I had was a 1980 hatchback.

 

[LongBeachJim]

I disagree and so do the sales stats. The last Corolla I had was a 1980 hatchback.

I had a 1979 Corolla (I think yours was the swanky 1980 redesign). Same dreadful color! Drove it 100k reliable miles. I absolutely don't understand why hatchback cars are not more popular in the U.S. Our SUV's and crossovers are in essence, hatchbacks.