I’ve owned my 2009 E89 BMW Z4 for just shy of two years now. I’ve really enjoyed it, but have begun wondering if I’m missing out on something.
Many automotive journalists extole the virtues of cars like the Mazda MX-5. Lightness, simplicity, a manual gearbox. Better than cars thrice the price.
I owned an MX5, briefly.
Very briefly. Three months it lasted.
This car was heavily modified by its previous owner into a track day weapon. It rode very firm, had a very loud exhaust, and to me was a chore to drive for any more than an hour or two.
But at least it would be great fun once you get somewhere right? Well, no.
I once took it for a mountain drive and found it boring and lifeless. I think it was actually too good, and so ‘asleep’ on a normal backroad.
When I realised I’d made a mistake, I tried driving a stock MX5 ND1, but didn’t like that much either. I think in reality I like the concept of an MX5 but in practice, it’s not for me.
Enter the Abarth 124 Spider.
This promised to fix many of the things I didn’t like about the MX5:
- Turbo motor with more torque
- Awesome noise with the ‘Record Monza’ exhaust option
- Re-tuned suspension and better body control
- Recaro seats as an option
- I prefer the styling of the Abarth, especially from the rear. The black wheels are bleh, but with silver it looks great:
Overall it seemed like more of a factory-setup drivers car than the MX5 which has to be modified to reach its potential.
I found a 2016 model in white with the Record Monza exhaust and vision pack (LED lights). Unfortunately it had the standard seats, but no matter.
I drove it for around 45 minutes on a mix of suburban roads, some motorway, and some sweeping switchback private roads between 70-120 kph.
Herein I’ll compare it to my BMW Z4, which I am aware is not a direct competitor, but a different take on what a sports convertible can be.
I’ll also compare to my limited experiences with a stock MX5 but will mostly ignore my modified MX5, as I think it was too track-focused to be compared to a regular road car.
Design
Important to a sports car is the looks, you should turn and stare as you walk away from it. In my view, my Z4 is stunning from every angle, with the roof up or down. The Abarth is also a good looking car, but to my eye not as pretty, especially let down by the canvas top. The factory black wheels lack definition.
The interior feels mostly like an MX5. Slightly nicer with a bit more leather. I don’t like the ipad-on-dash style screen, but at least its not directly in driving eyeline. The infotainment is dated and lacks carplay/android auto, but so do many cars of this era. Bluetooth music works well and track information is displayed. The hifi is fine, but there’s no sound stage, it’s acceptable considering the focus of the car.
Legroom is adequate and ergonomics are good, however there’s no telescoping of the steering wheel. Fine for me since I’m 5ft7, but despite my average-ish weight the seats feel like I’m not fully ‘in’ them. I feel like I’m being held in place more by the door and transmission tunnel than the seats. The cabin feels small, this is not necessarily bad, just an observation. I feel like I’m sitting in the middle of the car, perched high and looking down the nose. I’m aware there’s seat lowering mods that would help with this.
I like the steering wheel, but the speedo is terrible, major increments are 60 / 90 / 120 – it’s very hard to see your speed. Presumably this could be fixed with a new speedo card too.
Convertible noise
Any convertible will be louder than a normal hardtop. In the Abarth, the insulation is worse than my Z4, however there’s less tyre roar due to the thinner tyres, so it kind of evens out.
There’s less squeaks in the Abarth as it doesn’t have a complex metal roof overhead, however the canvas top makes the car feel even smaller when its up, and impedes rear and blind spot visibility. At least there’s a reversing camera.
The Abarth’s canvas roof significantly affects how it feels on the motorway, like it’s out of its comfort zone. In the Z4, when the roof is up it really feels like a coupe which can cover great distances in comfort, even the Abarth’s hifi is negatively impacted by the canvas roof.
Driver controls
The Abarth’s pedalbox is great, the clutch feels perfectly weighted for a sports car and modulation is easy. Shifter is excellent, really good feedback and inspires confidence. I was driving quickly immediately, and I very rarely drive manual. I think I prefer the Abarth’s shifter to my old ND MX5, it feels more solid and reminds me of my RX8.
Handling, ride and steering
The suspension is better than a stock ND MX5 too, it corners flat and level, but isn’t too firm or crashy. Unfortunately it is unsettled on the motorway, it hops over small bumps at highway speed.
Steering is quick and responsive, the car turns in without a hint of understeer and seems to have endless grip. The light weight is apparent here, as the tyres feel completely un-taxed. Unfortunately there’s no additional steering feel I could discern compared to my Z4. The rear of the Abarth talks to you more than the front, the inside rear lifts and pivots as you push harder through a corner which is an enjoyable trait.
The suspension is far better judged than a stock MX5 – body roll is controlled and inspires confidence for sporty driving.
By comparison, my Z4 glides on the motorway, but still manages to have great body control, this may be due to the adaptive shocks. It too has plenty of grip with Pirelli P-Zero tyres, but if you make a quick turn the understeer is apparent, the Z4 prefers smoother inputs. That said the gap between the two cars was not as significant as the 450kg weight difference would imply. Getting out of the Abarth and back into the Z4 did not feel like getting into an SUV. It still feels nimble and sharp.
I preferred how the Z4 rode, but the Abarth had sharper steering uncorrupted by weight. The Abarth wore Continental MaxContact MC6.
Engine
The Abarth’s engine is far better than the ND MX5 in my view. The turbo torque makes the car feel so much faster, and because there’s a small boost lag, there’s a rewarding surge of power that isn’t present in the MX5.
Throttle response is a little slow even in sport mode, I had to recalibrate my foot to give a longer input for downshifts. A lighter flywheel would help with this I think. Shifting by sound and feel is easy.
The exhaust sounds fantastic, one of the best I’ve heard especially for a small 4, however the engine’s vibrations and noise are unpleasant when cruising at above 3,000rpm, which is where you want to be for sporty driving. It has a buzzy, unbalanced feel.
This isn’t really a problem when accelerating through the rev band as the vibrations and noise change as you progress, but it meant I wanted to sit a gear higher than ideal to quiet it down. I would prefer to be more isolated from the engine and instead enjoy more of the exhaust sound.
In my Z4, the engine is so smooth that I can comfortably sit in second or third gear at 5,000rpm without feeling any mechanical sympathy for the engine, or enduring unpleasant noise. On the contrary, lifting off delivers pleasant overrun burbles from the exhaust which bounce off walls and trees. I’d like the Z4’s stock exhaust to be a little louder overall.
Feel
I didn’t get the ‘slow car fast’ sense of speed from the Abarth (and MX5) that many journalists talk about. The Abarth is, and feels, fast. Period. There’s a lot going on in the Abarth, exhaust and engine noise, vibration, and manual shifting. Its more visceral, but they were sensations I did not enjoy, excepting the manual shifter.
I wonder if much of the sense of speed actually comes from the open roof rather than the driving characteristics. In a convertible, it starts to get uncomfortable above 80kph, and at 120kph you really have to put the windows up at least.
Conclusion
I wanted to drive the Abarth because I had developed a view that the Z4 was a heavy, over-complicated luxury cruiser for show, and not a real sports car. I wanted to know what I was missing out on. The reality is that the Z4 is far more capable than I gave it credit for, and almost perfectly judged for my preferences.
One more thing I hadn’t considered is how the car makes me feel. Every time I am sitting in the Z4 it feels special, it has some wonderful interior design elements that are bespoke, and it has theatre of its own that differs from the Abarth. Driving somewhere the Z4 I often find myself just looking around and enjoying the interior.
I realise now the feel of a car is not actually how the car feels, it’s how the car makes you feel. The Abarth doesn’t flatter me like the Z4 does.
Thus for now, the Abarth is not for me. It has instead inspired me to try to get more exhaust noise from my Z4, try some different tyres, and do some suspension refresh / upgrades.
Thanks for reading!