• Lots carried over from MX-5
• Nicer materials used though
• Taller drivers may struggle

If you’ve driven a Mazda MX-5 then there’s little you won’t recognise in the Fiat – there is a pair of low-slung, supportive yet comfortable seats, a solidly built dashboard and clear, easy-to-read dials.

The driving position is great unless you’re tall, because the seat doesn’t go back very far and the steering wheel adjusts for height but not reach.

What differentiates the Fiat from the Mazda is a finer grade of materials, with softer-touch plastics on the dashboard and doors. You also get a leather gearknob and wheel as standard.

The media system is straight out of the MX-5, which is a good thing, because it’s one of the best on the market thanks to its clear display and easy-to-use control wheel.

• More compliant ride than MX-5
• Great seats, especially in leather
• Taller occupants may struggle

Ride comfort is spot-on in the Fiat 124 Spider if you want your roadster to have a more relaxed, continent-crossing feel. It’s supple and compliant, soaking up bumps well and isolating them from the cabin.

Refinement with the roof up or down is impressive, although taller occupants will have their hair rearranged by wind spilling over the low screen.

Higher trims come with soft leather that can be picked in a retro tobacco brown colour, which both looks and feels very nice indeed.

The seats themselves are a good shape too, incorporating a stereo speaker in more expensive grades, and offering a good level of support.