Recently photos of serial Honda S660 were scattered on the Internet. It is an entirely new roadster, which will be released to the Japanese market in the traditional country-kei-class cars. So we decided to remember its four brothers, which we would like to see on the all roads of the world.
And what is kei car in general?
In Japan it is a special class of ultra small cars designed specifically for the close cities of Japan. Format of kei car is very strictly regulated by law there.
Honda S660
Honda S660 was introduced in 2011 under the name Honda EV-STER and as the electric concept.
But small and so stylish roadster has collected so many rave reviews that the company has decided to give the concept a “green light”. For us, it is no surprise that the car earned such popularity, because it is literally a “dwarf” NSX! Its exterior like expensive sports car in combination with small dimensions and a goo price, which is less than any other sports car. And it’s of course a huge advantage. After days of Honda Beat, Honda S800 and Autozam AZ-1 were gone long time ago, and since then we haven’t seen anything common.
Technical specifications fully meet the standards of class of a small Honda – turbocharged engine of 660 cc and 64 hp, dispersing it to 140 km / h. Small cars – safety ratings?
But it looks very “grown-up”: cool interior, the engine starts with the buttons, sport seats, manual transmission, offered as an alternative of variator … What else do you need? Close your eyes and imagine yourself at the Nürburgring at the wheel of the NSX. Besides, who knows, maybe, the model still comes to other markets in the LHD version, but with the bigger engine. We will follow the developments and hope for the best. Are modern engines as reliable as used to be?
Daihatsu Copen
The first generation of this little roadster sometimes can be found on the streets of European cities. Here you can meet both RHD and LHD version of the car, as in the first generation, it was introduced to the European market in the respective performance. Version for Europe was differed by engine, not limited to the requirements of the Japanese level of 660 blocks and had 1.3 liters of volume.
By 2012, the production was stop, first saying to stop European sales, and then fully completed model release. However, a year later, to the delight of the fans, it was announced on its revival, it meant the new generation of the car. Copen became a little “dudes” with aggressive notes in appearance. The only and the main disadvantage was the fact that the new model was the prerogative of domestic Japanese market. This means that even buying such a handsome man, you have to put up with the right wheel, and other related features.
Mitsubishi Pajero Mini
This “mini-samurai” immediately comes to mind every time when it comes to kei-cars. We do think that it is an almost perfect embodiment of urban car for every day. Judge for yourself: very convenient size for the city, decent ground clearance, a small fuel-efficient engine, four-wheel drive, allowing you to feel confident especially in winter, and an automatic transmission with an alternative in the form of the “mechanics”. What else can wish a person who needs all year round and seamlessly to drive to work, without getting stuck in a snowdrift in every yard and not bothering with unnecessary thoughts about where he can park? Going to Europe? Be ready to have difficulties with parking
In addition, in the last generation it has acquired almost all the main stylistic features of the older models in interior and exterior, so it looks quite as the Pajero, only in miniature.
But, like all good things, the release of Pajero Mini was ceased in 2012, and no other model didn’t replace it. We sincerely hope that the small SUV will fit in Mitsubishi’s future strategy, which made the basic rate for crossovers and SUVs. And perhaps Pajero Mini will repeat the fate of the Daihatsu Copen in the future. Mash the levers – test drive of sedan crossover Volvo S60 Cross Country
Suzuki Wagon R
In fact, this auto has a certain popularity in the world. In any case, a number of cars of all generations were represented in the secondary market. His merit first of all is in its extremely popularity in Japan and other markets where it diverges by huge circulations, being one of the best selling models of Suzuki. But apart from that, the car simply captivates its practicality and economy: the engine, as we know, has a small volume (from 660 cm ³ at the Wagon R to 1200-1300 cm ³ at the Wagon R +), which implies a low consumption with adequate dynamics and high narrow body gives a significant amount in the cabin, where no one will not rest on his head on the ceiling.
Honda N-ONE
Undoubtedly, this car will be the most controversial of the current five. It bribed us with its appearance, made in the style of his ancestor, Honda N360. Today, when in the market there are a lot of cars with obvious retro slant, this style of car has attracted particular attention. And angular appearance and round headlights N-ONE stand out sharply against the background of other modern kei-cars, and that’s why we pointed it.
This retro-style does not imply a similar filling: in the arsenal of this car are front and side airbags, CVT and even an optional all-wheel drive. All wheel drive, front wheel drive or rear. So which one to choose?
