Daily Archives: March 13, 2018
3 Factors That Make The New Fiat 124 Spider S-Design Special
Fiat launched another variant of its ever-popular Fiat 124 Spider at the Geneva Auto Show. Remember, the Spider 124 was revived in 2016 after 50 years of dormancy to compete with the likes of Mazda Mx-5 Miata. The Italian roadster, however, was decidedly more stylish than the Miata, thanks to Fiat’s decision to come up with various variants and trims, including an Abarth model and a racing edition.
1. Exterior
This little Italian number gets more polished and elegant because of a number of things—steel finish roll bar, A-pillar, side mirror caps, standard foglamps, chrome exhaust pipes, exclusive 17-inch wheels, red side sill stripe, and tricolor badge. The red side sill stripe is not something everyone can go gaga over but if it is offered in other colors, then that’s more options for owners.
2. Interior
The S-Design comes with a bit of more extra fun and sophistication in the cabin. The interior will remain familiar to those who previously owned a Fiat 124 Spider in the past, but there’s a slew of features that extra standard features that owners will get to enjoy. Among these are the leather-wrapped seats and steering wheel, automatic climate control, cruise control, and the Keyless Go system. There’s also an MP3 radio unit with USB port and four speakers. Safety features are also enhanced through the inclusion of four airbags.
3. Drivetrain
Everything remains standard under the hood. It will come equipped with the same turbocharged, 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine as the regular 124 Spider. The output remains at 140 horsepower and 240 Nm of torque. The engine is paired with either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission.
Photos
Check out the official photos of the Fiat 124 Spider S-Design Special at the Geneva Motor Show in the gallery below, which were provided by Motor1:
Video
Here is also a video highlighting the awesome driving features of the new Fiat 124 Spider S-Design:
2019 Hyundai Genesis G70 Will Come With Manual Transmission Option
The upcoming 2019 Hyundai Genesis G70 compact sports sedan will come with a manual transmission option, a representative for the South Korean automaker said. Genesis is Hyundai’s standalone luxury brand.
This manual transmission option has just placed the G70 in a segment that has increasingly become lacking of options that would allow you to “row your own” vehicle. Kevin Smith, Genesis’ spokesman, said in a report by The Car Connection that the 6-speed manual gearbox will be paired with the G70’s standard 2.0-liter turbo-4. There are no details though on the pricing of these different trim levels.
It is further revealed that the G70’s manual option is only for purists, which means those who can handle the turbo-4 and a rear-wheel drive. On the other hand, the more powerful 3.3-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine will be exclusive with the 8-speed automatic that will be optional with the turbo-4.
It’s in the fuel economy that will suffer, apparently. The rear-wheel-drive G70 will be powered by the 2.0-liter inline-4 with manual transmission. That has an EPA rating of 18 mpg city, 28 highway, and 22 combined. Compare that to the 22/30/25 mpg for the G70 with an automatic transmission, the turbo-4, and rear-wheel drive, and the manual option surely did a take a lot of hit.
The rest of the lineup will have these ratings: 21/28/23 mpg for the turbo-4, the 8-speed automatic, and the all-wheel drive, 18/26/21 mpg for the optional V-6, and 18/25/20 mpg for the V-6 and all-wheel drive.
The G70 will probably make its debut this early 2018 as a 2019 model, so that should come anytime soon. As for the prices, though there is no official word yet, it will probably be in the $30,000 bracket.
Aside from the Hyundai Genesis G70, other luxury models from other brands offering manual transmission are the Cadillac ATS, Audi A4, and BMW 3-Series.