Add Extra Fun to Your Dallas St. Patrick's Day Parade with a Fiat Spider

How do you make a St. Patrick's Day parade experience even better? You celebrate in a convertible that has been known around the world for 50+ years as one of the most beautiful cars produced. Since Sherri and I were participating in this year's official Dallas St. Patrick's Day Parade, I requested the iconic Fiat Spider Classica convertible for my press loan for the week.

Back in 2012, Mazda and Fiat announced a joint venture to build the Fiat Spider alongside the Mazda MX-5 convertible; so when you look at a Spider you will see Mazda's successful N platform as the bones for the Spider, but the rest of the convertible is pure Fiat engineered.

Throwback Spider Exterior

Many of the exterior differences that differentiate the Spider from the MX-5 are subtle to the eye. The difference starts with the exterior sheet metal and some unique exterior styling points that accent the timeless low-slung presence of past Spiders. There is also a slight increase in the length of the vehicle which allows for a sporty cabin-to-hood ratio and a bit more cargo capacity.

Bose 9-Speaker System

What good is it to be running down the highway in your convertible with the wind in your hair if you can't hear your traveling music? All the Spiders come with FIAT Connect 7.0 and Bluetooth connectivity which allows you to pick and stream your favorite driving music. To hear that great music with amazing clarity, there is a Bose premium nine-speaker audio system that even has two speakers located in each head rest. There is also a 7-inch touchscreen display that fits nicely on the dash.

Trim Levels

Fiat offers three separate trim levels for the Spider. There is the throwback Classica that honors the past 50 years, the Lusso, and the Abarth which is designed for those seeking a bit more of an ultimate Italian roadster experience. The Abarth comes with the Bilstein sport suspension and the sport-tuned chrome quad-tip exhaust that produces the world-renowned Abarth sound.

New Colors for 2018

You can also personalize your Spider with three new exterior colors this year as well. Puro Bianco Perla (Tri-Coat White Pearl), Grigio Chiaro (Silver Metallic) and Blu Scuro (Dark Blue Metallic).

Drive Impressions

The Spider I drove for the week had the automatic transmission, which was perfect and convenient for driving in the parade with all of its stops and starts; but if I was going to personally spend my to own money on a Spider, I would get the manual six speed. I believe it would allow me to utilize the Spiders best-in-class horsepower and fully enjoy "the ultimate Italian roadster experience." And now as I think about it a bit more, I would probably jump up to the Abarth so I could also get that the world-renowned Abarth sound too.

Loaner Specs:

Fiat Spider Classica

Exterior Color: Rosso Red

Interior: Nero Black

Engine: 1.4L I4 MuiltiAir Turbo

Transmission: 6-speed ASIN Automatic RWD

MSRP $28,635

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Fiat | Spider