Abarth 124 vs MG Im5

What's the difference?

VS
Abarth 124
Abarth 124

2019 price

MG Im5
MG Im5

2026 price

Summary

2019 Abarth 124
2026 MG Im5
Safety Rating

Engine Type
Turbo 4, 1.4L

0.0L
Fuel Type
Premium Unleaded Petrol

Electric
Fuel Efficiency
6.7L/100km (combined)

0.0L/100km (combined)
Seating
2

5
Dislikes
  • Annoying turbo-lag
  • Tight cabin
  • Pricey

  • Awkward rear seating position
  • No physical spare wheel
  • Some over-zealous active safety
2019 Abarth 124 Summary

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.

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2026 MG Im5 Summary

Yep, it’s like deja vu all over again! Yet another fresh name in the Aussie new-car market, but this time in the form of a sub-brand from a carmaker that itself feels like it’s only been around for five minutes (but has in fact been in market here for a decade or more).

We’re testing the MG IM5 Performance, the IM badge standing alone in other markets. There, as here, signifying a new level of equipment, performance and quality.

And we’ve been steering this top-spec, dual-motor AWD version of the pure-electric, five-door liftback IM5, priced and specified to challenge a rapidly expanding group of high-performance mid-size EV sedans now occupying local showrooms.

 So, read on to see if this premium electric performer has what it takes to tempt you into a new option from the latest challenger brand to jump into the ever-intensifying, no-holds barred contest for your new-car dollars.

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Deep dive comparison

2019 Abarth 124 2026 MG Im5

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