Abarth 124 vs Mercedes-Benz E-Class

What's the difference?

When you take on a classic you’d better get it right.

Which is why, back in 2016, when Fiat released a new 124, many an eyebrow was arched.

The original was an icon from the late 1960s, the golden age of roadsters. Styled by Pininfarina, it also oozed Italian swagger and, to top it off, its double overhead cam engine (modern at the time) helped introduce a swathe of innovations to the Italian automotive scene.

Even 50 years later, those old boots were looking awfully hard to fill, and the complexity and demands of today’s economy had Fiat working with Mazda to use its MX-5 chassis and Hiroshima manufacturing facilities to get it right.

A travesty? To some, maybe. But the MX-5 once aimed to emulate cars from the original 124’s golden era, and was a runaway success since, arguably making few missteps.

Thus, the apprentice has become the master. So, does today’s 124, which we only get in angry Abarth spec in Australia, bring something different to the ultra-refined roadster formula in 2019? Is it more than just a badge-engineered MX-5?

I took an Abarth 124 – the latest Monza limited edition – for a week to find out.

You like performance, love a bit of luxury and fancy a traditional sedan. The budget is healthy and there’s a surprising amount of choice. But Mercedes-AMG believes it’s created the car that perfectly answers your new-car brief. 

The Mercedes-AMG E53 Hybrid 4Matic+ is a fresh expression of an established high-performance sedan formula mixing internal-combustion power with electric punch and all-wheel drive.

We were invited to its local launch, so stay with us to see if this newcomer is ready to fill that primo European performance car shaped space in your garage.