Real Road Test: Honda S660 - teeny, tiny sports car!
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- Опубликовано: 23 окт 2021
- Honda will kill off the S660 in 2022, so I was very glad to scoop a drive of one. This one is owned by @lane motor no less! With a screaming 658cc, three-cylinder, turbocharged engine mounted in the middle, this is a proper little sports car in every sense, but with just 63bhp!
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I want one. Much more exciting than a huge powerful car
These would be the answer in cities across the world, not just Japan. Imagine how much extra space for people there would be if London, Birmingham or Bradford were full of little Kei cars instead of Qashqais and X3s.
Cities of that ilk can be managed very nicely on a bicycle.
@@millomweb Thanks! And if you are riding a BROMPTON there is even more space when it's folded. 😃
@@millomweb Thoretically yes, but climate and crime make it unappealing to many. Making cars smaller and cleaner is probably more realistic than trying to get everyone on a bike.
@@martinneumann7783 I may be the only person that's ridden a T5 with a T5 on the rear carrier.
3/4 of my bikes are T5s The other one's a 'city bike' 18 speed derailleur - with dynamo lighting, of course ;)
@@jasonk7072 I've had no issue with crime.
There are ways to deal with climate. I think the only thing to deter me from using the bike would be a winter storm - the wind factor would make it significantly unpleasant.
It looks like you're doing about 150mph when you're actually only doing 60mph. Great fun.
I love 💘 miss hubnuts laughter in the back ground with her Welsh accent 😍
Love it - such a pity that they never officially imported them here - i would have bought one!
you can have Smart roadster instead
@@Janshevik Funnily enough, I have a Smart Roadster - but would still go for this Honda. :-)
There are a few in the country now, was behind one earlier today
carfromjapan website allows you to import them directly to your country, just have to go through the legal process of finalizing it
I own an S660 6MT in Tokyo myself... It's the absolute perfect car for both the tight alleyways in the city and sharp hairpins out on the touge (especially with the surprisingly ample low-end torque it has).
One thing about that "sport mode" button: it only has a functional purpose on the CVT version, as it turns off the idle-stop feature and alters the CVT's pseudo-shift points & response. On 6-speed manual versions, aside from turning the gauge red and swapping the fuel consumption meter for a boost meter, it does absolutely nothing mechanically.
This is why I love my 3 cylinder, 74 bhp Seat Mii. It's a hoot to drive within the limits and sounds good too.
What a great looking sports car, it is the perfect size for Miss Hubnut. What a pity that it is no longer being made.
I love watching videos like this, I never knew this car even existed and what a great car it is!
A bootiful wee car Mr HubNut, thanks for finding and sharing this one with us.
Absolutely brilliant video and review quality as usual from the Hubnut team and just shows how clever Honda are in terms of their engineering. Thank you for the review.
I had a CRX/Del Sol, which had the electric rear window and a demountable metal targa top, which stored in the boot. The VVTI 1600 civic based engine became a beast at 4000 revs, and topped out at 8000. Lovely noise.
Japanese Smart Roadster….
Without the leaks!
And a good gearbox!
Agreed on both counts though the gearbox isn't too bad if you don't rush it. 😉
Please try to get to the Lane Motor Museum. Fantastic cars, and very helpful staff. The tour through the basement back stock, if available, is really great.
There's a lot of car packed into that tiny package. It looks like a real hoot to drive!
A great review Ian. Caterham have released a new Kei car engined seven called the 170, should try one of those out.
I’ve got a 1992 Honda Beat, this car’s older brother, which I just imported it to the US. It’s fun to see how Honda has updated the Beat concept into the S660. It’s hard to imagine a car with less luggage space than the minuscule amount in the Beat but the S660 accomplishes that!
As a Civic driver this looks great, I recognize some dashboard similarities! Thank you for showing us this unusual car.
Thank you Ian, so glad you enjoyed it and the giggles returned, I do love a quirky kei car not that many boxes on wheels are but I do love these sporty versions, those 3 cyl engines do sound like small versions of V or Flat 6's.
Saw one of these in Sydney a few days ago .... small yet perfectly formed.
Great little car. I love it! Japonese engineering is always good.
You two make me feel great evertime. Cheers!
That's lovely. Prompted me to think about the Suzuki SC100 Whizzkid that I had a dealer test drive in in 1980. I believe that was a K-car , into which Suzuki installed something like a 980cc (Suzuki jeep ? ) engine. The UK importer of Suzuki cars easily sold every SC100 that they could get.
Kei cars are limited to 660cc.
@@iatsd as of 1980 they were 550 cc, but it was common to put larger engines in export models, just like Ian's Charade (Mira) with its 1 litre engine
@@iatsd That's the point he was making; in Japan the Whizzkid was known as the SS20 Cervo and had a 550cc engine. For the export market Suzuki fitted a 970cc engine (as used in the SJ410) and it was called the SC100.
A nice surprise from Honda 👍
Honda have a long history of these types of cars. Many years ago we had a Honda 800S. Engine screemed to 9000 revs all at national speed limits
I looove that little thing. It's brilliant. What attention to detail!
I've been to the Lane motor museum. It's great.
Great little car. I love the kei concept.
Absolutely lovely car Brilliant video Ian 👍
5:31 That engine sound and exhaust note under hard acceleration reminds me of the smart roadster (rear mounted, 698cc, 3-cylinder, turbocharged)
Yes just a "wee" bit sad not like a...MUSIC KOGA RACING HONDA S 600.....great grandpa with that roller bearing crankshaft and 10k plus redline , But only a ...HONDA S800 RSC 1968 .....can get near the full on ...META TARO BLURAY....experience ! Old boy Soichiro was never a fan of turbos or wait till "dead and buried" diesel/derv "heavy fuel" burners ...was grave spinning at up to 24.000 rpm when .....HONDA "GRRR" came out ?
@@tonypate9174 Can somebody translate this for me? 😂
@@skogpekka Any fluent in Ewok (slow basic) care to help ? Raise a paw now.
This is the big drawback for me, it does sound more than a bit like a sewing machine. I know the Ford 1.0 3-pot is somewhat larger capacity, but it does sound quite a lot meatier. Maybe a larger non-Kei power turbo would help?
If Honda had built the Smart Roadster it would have been properly developed as this has....
That said, they're a hoot! (80hp, same weight) Even with the leaks, crap gearbox and guinea pig turbo chirp....
I can get my bike in the back of my coupe, with only minor dismantling of bike and car.....!
I think the UK and EU should employ the K car regulations. Great vid Ian.
Bit late for that now. The uk and Europe are so fixated on evs that those regulations wouldn’t work here.
Why?
The UK and EU have city and mini cars that are much more practical.
@@connory6741 I guess you've never driven an EV? Break the mould and take a test drive. You'll soon see why people are starting to buy them in droves. Most of the new cars sold in Norway are fully electric, for one example. Not because government forces them to buy EV's, but rather by choice.
In the U.K., two large delivery companies have just ordered an initial 1,000 delivery vans each. UPS is one of them.
Look, I like EVs, but some of us also like the feel and sound of a petrol engine. It's possible to like both.
@@RWBHere EV has lots of pros, but doesn't work everywhere. If you live in an apartment, you have to compete with dozens of other people for the electric plug. And in cold weather you can easily lose 50% of your range, as well as taking twice or three times longer to recharge.
Also, the average age of a car in my area is 12 years old. Guess what, the EV battery needs to be replaced at around 10 years, at a cost of 7,000$ to 10,000$. This makes buying a used EV car very risky.
What a car!! Great fun!! Nice driving!!👍😁
Just had a look at the prices here in Australia, 45000 dollarydoos. Ouch, especially when you have to add on the HKS turbo kit and get 100hp out of them. Maybe if I win the lottery.
Why don't you ask Ian for a T shirt: Power: Lees is more !
That looks like a ridiculously fun car to drive. I have been to the Lane Car Museum and it is chock full of tiny cars. I never knew so many of them existed. Thanks for the ride along, it was fun.
It looks like a perfect fit for the UK.
Nimble, cheap to run and compact, it seems like a no brainer.
I've always loved this car. So cool.
Your camera woman keeps laughing! 😂🤣😂
WHY can't we have cars like this in the UK , they'd be great for first time drivers, and for people like you and me just to have a little bit of fun.😭👍
Safety standards, this car is designed for cities they are terrifying at 70 mph
The Lane Museum is truly remarkable, especially for those of us who are fascinated by unusual machinery. They have everything from microcars to Tatras, pretty much the kind of thing you can only read about here in the USA. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit there, and would love to return someday.
I’ll be checking it out.
Excellent stuff. Thanks.
Be well and stay safe.
That's my kind of sports car. I'd love one and it would fit in my tiny undersized garage. What a shame they never came here. It seems to get along just fine on 60 bhp or so. I still can't afford one though 🙄
Very good insight into a rare sight in the UK, I've personally seen this exact car in Northern Ireland before it made its way to England. Its so perfectly mint. Wish they sold these in the UK I'd buy one no problems.
I want one!
I thoroughly enjoyed this! 😁 😎 What a brilliant little car.
Sad that Honda are discontinuing this. I guess that's how the car market is.
This brings back memories...back in the day I had a red MG Midget. What a fun delightful car! Problem was that in the late 70s I could not be seen by the other drivers in their block long cars in NYC 😌
But yeah... Less is def more
Thanks for the vid dude...and dudette ✌
Wow what a treat, thank you! The only other video I’ve watched on this was on Ross Reviews channel (but it was a modded one) I bought one of these on Gran Turismo Sport on PS4 lol, it intrigued me so much. Love it
When an S660 has a 6 speed manual but an Alfa Romeo 4C doesn't. That's alll that Italian passion for you.
What a fantastic little car. Sounds great! I want one!!
Brilliant little sports car, that looked amazing fun!
Love it this car. Love all the videos, has kept me going and happy for so long. Not a fan of the Multipla but still won't deter me being a fan of you Ian and the channel.
Woohoo! Small cars that feel fast seem like the best fun. Chiming in to cheer for the Lane Motor Museum, about 20 minutes from home. Well-rounded collection and well-curated exhibits, got to go a couple of times each year.
Super little car - I'm sure they'd sell well here.
I would love one of these. It's a really pretty little car too
I have to hand it to you HubNut, this is one of those cars that I never knew existed. I am familiar with the Honda Beat and assumed that it was the end of the line as far as sporty Honda Kei cars are concerned.
As good looking as this car is, and being a big (literally) fan of small cars, and Hondas in particular, I realize that even if this had been available in the U.S that I never would have been able to fit inside it.
BTW, I used to live in Tennessee and finally made it to the Lane Museum about 12 years ago. I spent nearly 4 HOURS there, and yet towards the end I was rushed, so I could easily have spent 6 hours there. The museum also includes many motorcycles.
Love it! S660 and N-One are awesome little cars, both very Honda 👍
Looks great. Reminds me of the Honda Beat that I was desperate to get in the 90’s
Love these. Tourqe GT have also just posted a video on one. Your video is better 👍 The lead developer of this car was 22/23 years old after winning a company competition to design the car iirc.
If the UK govt are at all serious about our roads and transport, then we need a Kei-like car specification. Electric cars aren't going to be cheap enough for ordinary people for some time, and they only have a short battery lifespan anyway. Base the spec on the Kei, and work with Japanese manufacturers to build these in the UK, or at least adapt them here. Terrace streets just don't have room for ordinary sized modern cars anyway, and don't have driveways to charge your electric 3-series in. U-Kei would make UK jobs, better parking, and are actually interesting, amazing little cars. Its a win all round. And I don't want you to give it back either!
I want one too !!!
Excellent review. What a delightful car.
Only 12 more bhp than our Daewoo Matiz's 51 bhp Ian, probably similar weights, so not hard to explain why I believe my Matiz is just as much fun at less than 1/10 of the cost.
Brilliant, I adore this little thing (I adore the Copen too). I'm guessing its a car where to wring the performance out of it you have to be on your own as even the one passenger will slow it down. Looks like so much fun. It would also be a perfect sports car for Miss Hubnut to own!
I love these little cars. I wish they were available in UK for sale, but some EU laws prevented them being sold here.
I have seen a couple for sale in the UK, from importers.
The one i saw advertised, they wanted £20K for!
@@oceandrive7283 wow that's a mad price. I think the older k cars are getting to those prices as well if in good condition.
Import one. They very much can be sold here in the UK. I own one. £20k is a bargain for these knowing how much fun they are.
These little k cars are great. I bought a new metallic blue Suzuki SC100 GX coupe in 1982 and had a blast all over the UK before selling at 56K miles.
I remember this channel when it celebrated the 'mundane' and ordinary?
What a fabulous noise. Lovely 3 cylinder noise with turbo whistle
im impressed tiny little sports car
Very cool little car, sounds good 👍
There's a reason that Sochiro Honda decreed that the Beat would be normally aspirated. It sounded so much better! Same power as the S660, but at 8000rpm with a redline at 10,000. From a low rpm growl to a full on three cylinder racing wail. I miss my Beat.
Great road test...you two make a great team for these videos! All's I can say is that car looks/sounds "nifty", to use an old-fashioned expression...the interior space reminds me of why I liked the CR-X when it first came out in 1984...lots of room for an averaged-sized person such as myself, being a two-seater, and a hatchback!
What a great video again take care both 😊👍🏻
I daily drove a Honda Beat between 2006 and 2018, it was an absolute hoot. The engine access looks much better on the S660, although it looks like there's even less luggage space. The trick to shopping for groceries in a Beat is to go by yourself, and make full use of the parcel shelf, passenger seat and footwell.
I was just thinking there is a lot of wasted space at the rear end, presumably an extended crumple zone to meet safety requirements. My wife often does a weekly shop in her Smart Roadster, which has considerably more luggage space (back and front) than the Honda.
This car is proof positive that there is more fun to be had driving a slow car fast than there is driving a fast car slow. I would be afraid to try to get in it, though. I tried with the S2000 when it came out. Took the salesman and a friend to get me out of it. We nearly had to call the fire brigade to take the jaws of life to it. I was that firmly wedged. I do rather wonder what the fuel consumption is, since revving the wee out of that tiny engine seems the only option in traffic. Still, a neat car indeed.
I have a feeling, Ian, that the Lane Motor Museum should be on your itinerary when planning your honeymoon. I have another feeling that lodging might be rather easy, as I a reasonably sure you have subscribers who would be more than happy to offer a bed and what have you. Keep up the great work.
Miss Hubnut, that laugh of yours is positively EVIL. I love it.
Oh that looks like Fun. Mr Hubnut was having some. Which was Obvious..!
Cheers All. 😎
Hi Ian & Miss Hobnut what a great car I want one. Very good video.
Oh man, absolutely loving that! 😍
Thanks for the great video, I really like the way you explain the car. S660 has indeed inherited the spirit of MG Midget.
I am going to buy one soon!
Wow! As a JDM car owner I really want one now!
Another great video has always Ian and miss hubnut and hublets and hubmutts
What a great little car!
Another great review from the HubNut team, informative and funny - makes me want to buy a Kei car.
I went to Lane Motor Museum around 2010. I have relatives in TN so I should go back, I really liked it.
I love this!
What infuriates me is some states in the US are now outlawing vintage vehicles like your previous Mitsubishi Delica.
This is a proper city car that works as a every day car that can be driven in the country.
And the sound of the engine, glorious!
Great video. Fun car. And you illustrated well the 'Power - less is more'. But you started by saying, "...a 2015 Honda S660 which lives in Tennessee... so it's an interesting tale already... it's been all over Europe the past year and had quite a few adventures." It would be interesting to hear further details of how it has succeeded in retaining its US plate, because I understood that 'visitors' could keep their original plate and registration, but for a limited period only. Perhaps it's because it has been moving about between countries and never been in one country long enough? Cheers.
Love that back window - handy for visits to diy superstores! ;-)
My son's just been having a blast in one for the last few days. Rented for a get out of Tokyo break. It's a brilliant Lamborghini-esque wild green which really suits it. His first car, when he lived in Ireland was an imported Honda Beat - a tad more space for gloves in that.
The Honda S2000 was amazing as well. It used to rev into the stratosphere!
I saw 3 of these in Kyoto all in red and it looked fabulous along with all the other K cars that we have never seen here. Wish I could of packed one on my suitcase.
I would absolutely love it as a daily commute ride (if it had proper right-driving configuration)
Fantastic. Honda reliability and build quality in a fun little package. It is a wonder they did not sell them worldwide. Great video aided by camera work by Miss Hubnut. 👍
The giggles at Ian's seat bolster comment... 😃
Great vid thanks!
All about the handling with these. I like it. You could hold the revs around corners and keep enough power to get round the bends quickly.
Indeed a funny and useful little car for the small winding roads.
What a brilliant little car very interesting 👍👍
😁always good to see a car that makes Hubnut chortle.
Love it, especially with top down. Only drawback is that I am a mochyn braster.
I had a Brabus Roadster that was remapped to nearly double the power of this. The problem was it was harsh to drive and the gearbox was a little slow at times. Would have one of these in a heartbeat, much more user friendly.
Either your really tall, or that car is unbelievably small. You'd think with al the emission laws in England, they would build smaller, lighter cars, but no they go in the opposite direction, and build big heavy cars which probably have awful mpg
Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland too.
The way EU fleet emissions work mean that small cars have a much harder time getting approved. Good example being the suzuki jimny, if it was the size of a land rover discovery it would have been just fine
Safety regulations MIGHT be another factor in why cars are growing bigger, and more alarmingly...HEAVIER. When I read the specifications on newer electric cars I find it had to imagine why the vast majority are hugely powerful and hugely heavy.
@@VeyronBD Maybe that has something to do with then
Do wish we got more kei cars in the UK.
That really does sound lovely
Outside the grounds of Shute Barton near Axminster,a lovely place.Perfect place for a car like this.