The best sports car ever? Suzuki Cappuccino - Size, Less is more

[@douglasfleetney5031]

"Wow, look at that view....". Shot of windscreen bar and sun visors. Never change Ian, you are unique.

[@GadgetMart]

Looks like an inflatable sun visor too

[@millomweb]

His camera work is edging ever closer to the same quality as Murray Walker's commentary.

[@justintime-8844]

Sir ian is unique in his own way? Still could learn a lot from jeremy Clarkson.

[@ingvarhallstrom2306]

@@justintime-8844 To many English auto journalists suffer from Clarksonitis, and it is very tiresome to watch. Clarkson is an unbearable sod of a dinosaur that should be put out to pasture, and it doesn't get better with a bunch of Mini Me- versions aping his antics.

[@AR-iu9jv]

Well it is HubNut.

[@Shane_Marsh]

The thing I love about your channel is you drive cars I've only seen in magazines or rare cars I have only had a fleeting glance. It's a fantastic channel Ian , pure magic.

[@660einzylinder]

I have always argued that in most real life scenarios absolute horsepower is a total waste, but a car you can drive to it's limit within the law is an absolute hoot......you only need to drive a Mk1 850 Mini to prove that point. I had much more fun hustling my Reliant Rialto along twisty roads than ever I did road testing big powerful sports saloons which could never be allowed to properly let rip.

[@richardhemingway6084]

Totally agree. I used to have a blast in the Fiat 500s I had. You had to row them along with the gears. Double declutch with the crash box. You could hustle along without breaking the speed limit. A real hoot :-)

[@Riley_1955]

Yeah I like the old adage that I would rather drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow works for me......And this especially applies to motorcycles also because I own both a Honda CBR1000RR and a Ninja 300 and the most fun one to drive between both these bikes is the Ninja 300.

[@Beany2007FTW]

Yup, I had a 1.7 Puma and you could use it's 125hp *everywhere*, all the time. Got an E46 330 at the moment and while the torque and power can be fun, it's more difficult to find places to use it properly.

[@aussiebloke609]

I was thinking the same thing. I started on Minis, and my brother still occasionally races his FIAT 850 Coupe. So much fun when you can get them wound up. The only downside with extracting all the horses, all the time, is that you do it _all the time_ - so it wears out that much sooner. :-(

[@Beany2007FTW]

@@aussiebloke609 yeah, I went through idlers and bushings and tyres quite quickly on the puma, a side effect of driving it at 4500-6700rpm everywhere, and throwing it through twisty backgrounds at full pelt all the time!

[@PaulinesPastimes]

What a lovely sound but the closeness of the sun visor nearly did my eyes in. Also, in case you ever come back, doing a U turn at a set of lights in NSW (not Victoria) is illegal and attracts a $228 fine and 3 points. All water under the bridge now. Thanks for the sample of such a fun car. Cheers

[@aussiebloke609]

You'd be amazed what you can get away with if you're on an international driver's license. Once they see that, you're generally not worth the bother to them.

[@millomweb]

@@aussiebloke609 I get a bit sick of daft laws. If you don't adversely affect any other road user, what's the big deal ?

[@aussiebloke609]

@pmailkeey What's the big deal? Money, of course. It's a cash cow. And be ready for a slew of radar traps and crap in the near future - I'm sure they're all feeling the pinch with so few drivers on the road lately, so they'll be looking for some quick revenue collection.

[@millomweb]

@@aussiebloke609 There is that aspect to it I guess ;)

[@RWBHere]

@@millomweb It's the ART; Additional Road Tax.

[@BrorAppelsin]

As a Smart Roadster owner, I approve!

[@Jaxs2]

My wife had one of these, Great little thing she love it , But in the UK it seemed to just dissolve in the bad weather the rust was unbelievable even rusted on the inside , if they had addressed this problem I think she would of still owned it 😢 great vid Ian nice to see a yellow one 👍

[@conesuela1]

I absolutely love it, being a mk1 mini owner, I fully understand the meaning of less is more, fun at 30mph is what it's all about, that's why I'm a hubnutter, brilliant.

[@graemew7001]

I am so with you on the less is more, I worked on MG's and E Types when I was younger and I had way more fun driving the Midgets and Frogeyes than I ever did in the E Types. Second gear in an E Type and I had to start easing off and they also didn't handle well on slower roads.

[@Luke-PlanesTrainsDogsnCars]

..but the E Type was so goddam sexy i could have cum in my pantz.

[@graemew7001]

@@Luke-PlanesTrainsDogsnCars I wouldn't quite go that far 😂 but I do agree that the look of the E Type is something to behold, Just a shame that the handling and brakes weren't as impressive. They had a decent turn of speed but most of it is unuable on the road like most cars in that sector.

[@arkeys74]

Those 3-pot engines sounds so energetic! That is one of the reason I actually find the original Aygo/107/C1 quite charming despite all its cheapness 😃

[@petergouldbourn2312]

I love your world HubNut. Thanks for allowing me to share a little bit of it through your videos. And I concur your love of this little Suzuki. Cheers. Pete UK

[@eddiestevenson-kaatsch6306]

I owned a red UK version about twenty five years ago. I bought it as a used car from the Suzuki main agents in Northampton (long gone) for about 8 thousandish Pounds. UK versions didn't illuminate the high level brake lights or even fit the leds into the lamp unit... weird. I always compared the performance to a 2 litre saloon car and was very frustrated by the speed limiter, a feature of Kei cars as a whole. You could do about 80mph and then it cut the engine until you slowed a bit, kicked it back in, etc. You ended up getting sea sick unless you held back a bit or bought a get-around kit. I left mine standard to keep my insurance within reason, but I was always on the cusp for giving in and getting one fitted. I can verify that they are quite easy to lose traction in, especially in the rain. They were specced with sticky, road/race tyres, which were fantastic in dry conditions, but lethal in the wet. The little turbo would spool up very quickly with barely noticeable lag, but even as you lifted your throttle foot to smooth your acceleration as you felt you were on the traction limit, the boost carried on boosting a few seconds longer and I've spun out on a couple of occasions! Being so tiny and light the car stayed in its lane and came to a halt quite safely, even if I was wetting myself in the process. I remember going up the steep hill in Aberystwyth that goes towards the University (hot, sunny day) and acting the twat by keeping the back spun up and waving the tail side to side... naughty, but nice. After the OE tyres wore out rather quickly (ahem!), I fitted decent road tyres to the front and a harder compound set to the rear. This gave one a much more predictable grip level and allowed you to hang the tail out without ending up in a spin. Its one of the few cars I've owned that spent most of its time at full throttle and passing everything it got stuck behind. One more memory is of the heater/ air-con system. I lived in a Close in Crick (N'hants) and with the air-con and the demister both on, the car was moisture and ice free by the time it was at the end of the Close my home was in... the best I've ever experienced. They are as complex and fragile as they sound and need to lovingly cared for rather than blasted around. It's possible to drive hard and fast without overloading a vehicle's design parameters, just as long as you keep everything smooth. I still miss that little sportscar. As Ian says, everyone loves it, nobody feels threatened by it, you get people waving at you and talking to you about it when you stop. It's like owning a particularly sweet little puppy.

[@safetyfirst5917]

Kei cars are my absolute favourite thing. It's a dream to own one at some point

[@JoeWalker98]

Get one asap. Drove a dihatsu copen got a while as a stop gap car, and i dont think i stopped smiling once

[@safetyfirst5917]

@@JoeWalker98 bare minimum 4 grand to get a decent model imported, I'm a poor atm. Soon as the opportunity is presented though I will be on it

[@dannyhtheretrogamingmaster9548]

@@safetyfirst5917 Mitsubishi Mini Pajero's can be imported for less than £1500.

[@mebeasensei]

Yep, they are gems and a genius concept.

[@BlatentlyFakeName]

Just watchout for morons in massive SUVs who dont see you. I learned that from driving an Elise.

[@StevieRay.]

I just got one last month as my daily in Japan and this car is so much fun to drive! I would argue it's better than a Miata even! A super fun little roadster. Thank you for featuring it on your channel

[@marty2.059]

I absolutely love the uniqueness of the cars on this channel and I'm learning something new every video 👍

[@cameronbrown7925]

My wife and I spent two weeks in Scotland and England in the 900cc turbo triple version of the Renault Captur, driving all over everywhere, from tiny lanes to 90mph on the M4, and we enjoyed it immensely! I’m sold on 3 cylinder engines, for all of the same reasons as you’ve mentioned here. The Captur has a button that deactivates the turbo completely (they call it “Economy” mode), which leaves you with a 0.9L 3-cyl mini SUV, and that was also great fun. 70mph on the motorway requires the turbo, but everywhere else is made more fun by turning it off, truly!

[@Wreck-Gar]

That's some serious amount of engineering squashed into such a small car. Amazing 👍

[@HubNut]

Thanks. Have another kei sports car test coming later this week. Hopefully with better camera work!

[@jonathanteagle]

I'm so glad you liked the Cappuccino. I owned one for a couple of summers and loved every minute of driving it. Ownership was a more mixed affair however but I'm so glad I did it, because of the Cappuccinos uniqueness.

[@davidmorris587]

My very first car was a Honda K car - a LN360, a van version of the Honda N360 or N600. The engine was a 354cc motorbike air cooled twin cylinder job. Top speed was 65mph. A "constant mesh" 4 speed gearbox. Deafness came as standard. The noise of your car brought back memories of driving my little Honda flat between Lusaka and Kitwe (247 miles) with all my stuff in the back, and refuelling stop halfway.. Best fun car I've ever had.

[@denisehorsfall6008]

What a great road test. Had a silver one of these back in 98/99 and really enjoyed driving it. You've given it a very fair description

[@SB-vb8ch]

I had a Smart Roadster Coupe (stonking 80bhp version) a few years back which was very much in the same ethos. Really well honed car which worked in pretty much every scenario, buzzy engine which was willing & could be used hard without ending up at silly speeds, good refinement & economy. I loved it, only criticism was that the handling was fine upto 8/10 but then got a bit ragged but fully concur that these sorts of cars are brilliant for real world use, I can only imagine that the Cappuccino would be a bit more involving having a manual box & clutch rather than the Smart's automated manual effort. Top review as ever!

[@Batou_73]

"At least I can use this for captions"...... Ian you are pure gold! Please never change!

[@chrispenn715]

They still had the Japanese spec speed limiter fitted as standard in the uk, so top speed was restricted to about 80mph - but the limiter could be removed. I left mine on - it meant that you could pretty much drive flat out on the motorway without too much worry about being done for speeding. :-) I had a stainless exhaust on mine and a K&N filter - sounded lovely. I also had mine rustproofed, but that just delayed the inevitable by a few years. Thanks for the memory........

[@jimclarke1108]

Corvette killer)) great looking sun visor

[@Hertog_von_Berkshire]

Hubnut, thank you for your report. Electric power assisted steering (EPAS) was fitted as standard to the 2nd (blue, SB2) and 3rd (black, SC2) "Limited" F6A-engined models and the automatic K6A-engined model. As far as I'm aware EPAS was not offered as an option on other models. LSD was fitted to high-spec models; the BA, BA2 and BA3. I have read a claim that LSD was available as a factory fit option on (some?) other models but have no real evidence. If you are really really lucky, you'll find a Cappuccino with Suzuki Sport wheels (actually by Sendai).

[@wirdy1]

Always wanted one, or a Honda beat. Great video.

[@richardtaylor2622]

Bold claim - I agree. I had one in the UK. Motorway driving was limited to 85mph, (the engine slowed automatically to 80mph)but it also went uphill at that speed. 3 people could fit in it (long story) because the foot wells extended under the engine. The petrol tank was limited to 200 mile range, but it was a pleasure to fill up. I once parked in Oxford so close to other cars that when I got back the car was surrounded by Japanese tourists taking pictures of the narrow gap I parked in. It did 40mpg - good, but not compared to today. Would I have one again - Yes, just looking forward to my retirement. Best thing? the engine turbo kicking in sounded like a Spitfire plane to me.

[@RWBHere]

A friend used to have a Suzuki Kei car in the mid-1980's. I don't know the model, but it was great fun to be in. Top speed was somewhere above the motorway speed limit (a claimed 80+ mph). Very economical to run, but it went through gearboxes like nobody's business. It was starting to rust after a very few years, so he sold it quickly.

[@AJT296]

One of my all time favourite kei cars. Never seen one in yellow but it really suits the car

[@SocksWithSandals]

That slow internet in Australia was a blessing in disguise because now during lockdown you have have more content to edit.

[@darrenjones5885]

I’ve always liked the Cappuccino. My youngest brother had a Beat for a few years. It was tremendous fun. You could thrash it without worrying about losing your licence. And the boot, with CD changer, had enough room to store a folding umbrella and some sheets of A4 paper. The problem with the Beat was the engine was mostly inaccessible. A problem the Cappuccino doesn’t share.

[@millomweb]

"The boot's big enough to store some sheets of A4 paper." - What a superb comment !

[@nogginozzy6710]

I honestly thought those Suzy’s were just a gimmick and I never held them in any regard whatsoever! (Kind of like how I felt about the Miata (MX-5) until I sat in one! 😁) This video, hubnut, was a REAL eye opener! I had just as much fun watching that as you had driving it!! Great little wonder of a car! By the looks of it, even with a lack of boot space, you can still get a full weeks worth of groceries from the supermarket and have it all in the passenger footwell and seat without crowding your space while you drive home! You should get one, buddy!..... I can easily see how smitten you are with it!!😁

[@rydermike33]

Never has there been so much fun in a couple of cans of 'fizzy drink'! What a wonderful little gem. Very enjoyable.

[@RichieRouge206]

What an absolute hoot of a car! The noises, the sounds and buzz. I adore it. The 100bhp is easily believable being that the Daihatsu Charade GTti which I believe was the first production car to make 100bhp per litre? Fabulous car and great drive Ian, could tell how much you were enjoying it.

[@DTRproductions]

In the age of who has the highest number in regards to horsepower which we live in today, there is much to be said for the unimpressive, for the right amount of power for the chassis, tyre limitations and road conditions in which it's driven, so it really is time many look at older cars to see how modern sports cars have gotten it so wrong. What is the good in having silly horsepower which will lose you your license and with tyres that give way suddenly leaving you in a ditch looking like a baffoon, the pure enjoyment of the correct amount of power for the speed limits, the right tyres that communicate with you etc When did going backwards count as progress? The car industry baffles me sometimes, it truly does. Great job HubNut

[@zugbug1986]

It turns out Ian does like a coffee after all, so long as it has a Suzuki badge and four wheels. Nice one Ian, great little car.

[@davidbarnes7]

Just been watching your video on the Morris traveler, love it. I had a Minor 2 door saloy for many years. Ended up rebuilding it with Style Jag IRS, Rover V8 etc. Great fun! Kind regards Dave.

[@stevehallam0850]

"At least I can use this for captions" 😁 Lots of fun!

[@millomweb]

There's nearly always a positive side to things if you can find them ! It's all HubNut charm.

[@Zadster]

The spirit of these lives on in 1.0 3 cylinder Fiestas! A bit bigger, but the same great sound, good torque and not too much power. If only the UK had a Kei equivalent, I think our urban roads and tiny garages need something like this. I know exactly what fun under 30 is like, from being a passenger in mates Minis as a teenager. Modern soundproofed stuff just isn't the same.

[@johannes.f.r.]

Always love seeing people have dun in their small sports cars. Quite a few Barchettas and MX5s around where I live and even a few Copens. Being happy with what you have is a great thing.

[@neilsheppard6673]

Fantastic little car! I'd deffo have one, ideal for the daily commute, cheap to run and above all else, FUN to drive!

[@another3997]

Great video! I most definitely agree with your sentiment that less is more. Three cylinder engines are great. I actually enjoy driving my 69hp Suzuki Alto, with its little 1 litre triple, far more so than the 1.6 litre, 136hp Suzuki Swift Sport I used to have. It was a very competent, well equipped warm hatch, but it didn't make me smile. If I get the chance, I'd buy another Caterham 7, but probably the little 3 cylinder for exactly the same reasons you liked the Cappuccino. 😀

[@MrPlasticMaggot]

The ‘less is more’ doctrine is one I share for motorcycles. It is much more fun to ride fast on a slow bike than ride slow on a fast bike. Thus I’ve descended from a 100hp Triumph Triumph to vintage British twins in the 30-50hp range. More fun and involving.

[@chrispenn715]

Yes it is the best sports car ever! I had one in the early nineties as my everyday car (also had a Rolls Royce with a 6.75 litre engine at the time!). The Suzuki was fab - seemed like you were flying even when keeping to speed limits. I think 3000 were imported in total - about 80% were Red (like mine). I replaced it with an Audi TT - but in hindsight, it's the Cappuccino that I wish I'd kept. Very reliable, but prone to rust as they weren't undersealed for the UK. There is still a club for them I believe called 'SCORE' in the UK

[@Pfirtzer]

Audi is overrated and when something breaks you are to be shaved big time. Suzuki is reliable.

[@chrispenn715]

@@Pfirtzer yes agreed. It was a long time ago. Luckily the TT was under warranty. :-)

[@Hertog_von_Berkshire]

Yes the club is called SCORE.

[@chrispenn715]

@@Hertog_von_Berkshire Yes - used to be a member many years ago. Good crowd. Glad to see it's still going.

[@moco2802]

Superb car and now extremely rare in the uk. I lusted after one of these some years ago. I nearly bought one back in 2002 and I’ve kicked myself ever since for not buying it! It was only £650 as well , back then it was practically unaffordable to me!

[@johnmiller9024]

The Cappuccino is just like it's namesakes drink: an absolute giggle. I had one when I lived in London

[@grahampeters6609]

It's not the rain that kills your older cars but the salt!

[@grayfool]

Oh Yes! You are so right, these are brilliant. I worked for a Suzuki dealer when these were on sale, we had great fun with the bosse's son's car which was the demonstrator. They are certainly in the top five best sports cars ever. I would put the Midget at No:1 but I am old enough to remember them being in dealers too. Excellent.

[@iangrice329]

Fantastic car, we need cars like this instead of huge 4x4s

[@grahamcullimore6660]

Brings back great memories, my wife had one brand new in 1994 M657JNP. Great fun and the day we had it we had a guy come around in the evening to demonstrate and try to sell us a Linn hi-fi system. All he was interested in was going out for a spin around the local lanes! Ended up buying a Mission hi-fi! Sold it after 2 years because practicalities at the time (a 4x4 was called for), but a fantastic little car - shame they forgot to underseal them properly. Still have the sales 'brochure' somewhere.

[@phil8437]

Hello, I agree this is the best sports car in the world. I live in the UK and am very fortunate to own one of these little beasts.

[@pablojones5613]

Another fantastic video, Ian. I bet you're totally missing Australia after putting this video together.

[@davehammond3718]

Just watched the Suzuki test drive and have to agree with you that you don't need excess power to have fun in a sports car. I have owned many cars over the year's (some very "Hub-Nut" types) but the ones that stick in the mind are cars like an original mini though basic would always put a smile on my face and back then cheap to buy! In January I bought my 1st 2 seater sports car, a 1996 Honda Del-Sol, totally original, not messed with like a lot were and love it. If the Suzuki is the best sports car then this must be runner up! Have you driven one Ian? By the way that mk2 Cavalier SRI you tested was identical to the one my wife and I owned 30 years ago, wish we had it now. Keep up the the good work!

[@timhancock6626]

I think I agree. We once had the MG Midget, but that was allowed to wither. This shows what could be done in miniature, and it's superb.

[@adrianquinn5473]

I drove a Smart Roadster for 9 years for precisely that sense of sheer uncomplicated joy every time I climbed behind the wheel! Like a go kart! An absolute hoot!

[@TheChill001]

I usually compare Cars like the cappucino to stuff like the Morgan Three-wheelers: they're so light that the meager engine output you got, in reality feels like double that amount and in the end that's what matters. It's more fun to have a car that is exciting at every speed than a car that only comes alive at illegal speeds.

[@mikebrown7194]

Absolutely agree Ian. This kind of drive would have been boring as hell in a really fast car. It's all about the driving experience. Love the little 3 Pot scream. Suzuki engines generally like to rev!!!!! ,(Forgiven for the poor choice of camera mount)

[@bustersgarage]

That's a tidy Cappo! Being a NZ-shipped car probably kept it from being "unloved." AND A/C is a pretty rare option on those, the UK ones didn't often come with A/C (for obvious lack-of-heat reasons). I think these are the Japanese improvement on the 1970s Lotus Elan. Those are cars that beg to be driven and Japan knew that making a drivers car you can put hundreds of thousands of kms on and enjoy every drop + reliable is win. I've a cappo with 230,000kms here in Ireland and it's only failing is rust... lots of rust... like it's rust - holding hands. haha

[@lukeg2827]

The engine reminds me of the quirky but boring mk1 Suzuki ignis i owned. Its 1.3 4 cylinder engine with 86hp was great fun to rev hard, although the handling was no existent it was a fun novelty of driving a tiny car fast.

[@MrFlazz99]

I had a 2000 Swift 1.3 for several years - really smooth motor, but desperately tinny construction: the 'CHUNG!' sound when closing the drivers door will haunt me for ever! Always coveted the 1-litre three-pot version for its engine noise, but I don't know if it would have been very durable - even my 1.3 suffered a disintegrating gearbox by 85k miles and I never thrashed it. Extremely flimsy. Also great-looking seats ('Sky' version with well-bolstered sports seats), but the driving position was murder on my left knee over any distance due to how low the seats were mounted and the seat cushion was more like a board (not kind to a bony backside). Happy days! Now drive a really comfortable 2007 Renault Clio with a fantastic turbodiesel and what do I wish for? The low-riding aerodynamic efficiency of that Swift! Put the Clio's motor in the Swift and you'd have a genuine Q-car.

[@alanfunt4013]

The ladies would throw themselves at ANY man in one of these!!

[@HubNut]

But apparently not me. Didn't have to sweep up any ladies.

[@Your.Uncle.AngMoh]

Not too sure about New South Wales, but in Queensland, you can only do a U-turn at traffic lights where it's signposted. A delightful little car. I don't think I could get almost two metres and 120 Kg of me in one of them, though.

[@jasonbirmingham3287]

Yes, you're right.. No u turns allowed at traffic lights in NSW.. But hey, he got away with it! I too love a 3pot engine note.. I never tire of my Sirion

[@HubNut]

A rule I definitely didn't know! Love Sirions...

[@Your.Uncle.AngMoh]

@@jasonbirmingham3287 It's only illegal if you get caught!

[@AUmarcus]

@@HubNut We'll let you off this time 🤣

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

Love these wee things, I was going to say had never seen a yellow one in the UK before but you explained that we only had red or silver. Lives up the tagline less is more!

[@jacklee2856]

Ian I had one new back in 1993 bought it from new in red what great little car it was had it for two years sold it still miss it to this day big thumbs up for channel 🤗

[@waynetetley584]

You know its serious when the rev counter is in the middle and is the largest instrument. A great ride. Thanks.

[@garrytalbot3456]

This is the perfect Hubnut midlife crisis car ! A neighbour of mine used to have one. He tracked his regularly and loved it.

[@coogeeman]

That took me back to 1991-2 when a friend invited me to an open day at the dealership where he worked. I was lucky enough to drive a brand new Cappuccino and remember the Turbo light on the dash very well, and yes it was an absolute hoot to drive! During the day I won an auto-test in an Asia Roctsa, remember those?? Sadly they only gave me a T-shirt. Happy days.

[@heikkiremes5661]

I love my 1995 Micra for the same reason. You wring the 1 litre engine's neck and it's so much fun because it weighs less than 800 kilos. I have to admit I let the boy racer in me take over a bit. I installed 15 inch alloys, a very subtle lowering kit and a 6.5 inch sub-woofer.

[@nogginozzy6710]

Another thing I forgot to mention, hubnut, you a right on the cash when you say that the cappuccino has definitely a HUGE heart! It certainly has mine..... now!

[@Cyberdyne-kg8ku]

That's why I love my SEAT Mii FR. 3 cylinders and 74bhp of fizzy fun!

[@EdFrankes]

I had an '85 Suzuki Alto many years ago. It didn't had much life left in it so i bought it just to have fun with. It had a 3 cilinder engine and a pretty much worn out clutch and slightly crusty. But i did have fun with that little car, though. Hearing that 3 cilinder scream was a joy in it self. It was propper fun at low speed indeed. Not a sportscar ofcourse, but fun non the less. When the clutch nearly gave up i wanted to get it replaced (not being able myself back then) and i almost fainted from the price the shop wanted for that job. Instant total loss. So i drove it to the scrapper, got some money for it and said farewell. It did hurt, though, i had so much fun with that little thing, i wanted to give it a second chance in life. Oh wel...

[@petergoose8164]

Like others here some of my best memories of drives are of Frogeyes and Midgets (not to mention their owners as these cars were favorites of the gentler members of our species ). I think you are spot on with your evaluation of the useable power. I have always had a huge respect for the engineering of this type of car, almost always Japanese. I love the Honda s600 and well remember walking down a street in Melbourne in the 70's past a guy who was working on one and had all the parts (millions) on the footpath (pavement for others). Well done

[@brianfd622]

Another great video Ian and that’s saying something bearing in mind the camera angle. Keep em coming.

[@benjaminmarriott1746]

The turbo triple.. What an dinky lump it is too, nearly as wide as it is long. I go mad every time I see one as I know of it's fortune, it's scaled down fun that you demonstrate here. Just as you said, the midget of the 90s. Only one other tiny convertible makes me grin when I see it and it doesn't sound as good... And that's the almost equally cute copen. So much fun! Great road test Mr. S!

[@dhbc1908]

It's kind of why I love Daisy, my 796cc 3 cylinder Daewoo Matiz. It is a bit down on hp (51) compare to the Cap (63), fwd and a 4 door saloon, but it's fun to drive and being so light has that power to weight ratio that holds its own for the first few seconds at least of the traffic lights Grand Prix.

[@paulkirby5479]

As soon as i saw it , i thought frogeye sprite. I have been fortunate to have been given a 3 cylinder petrol van at work for assessment, to compare against diesel. They are night and day apart for everything. The diesel is hard work. The engine is heavy, unresponsive. Gearbox is stiff, like stirring cement. The petrol is a delight. You have to be careful on gravel, as even at 1000rpm it spins the wheels. At the end of a shift you don't feel knackered. But because it drinks a bit, the company bought another batch of diesels. The van in question, Peugeot partner.

[@imnotamechanic3491]

Completely agree with you about enjoying all of the power, I have a (much less fun) Suzuki Celerio, the other day, having not been out of the house for nearly 3 months the police knocked at the door to tell us we were parked over a manhole that Openreach needed to access. I figured I might as well give the car a good run just to make sure it was working OK, so though I would test all of the revs, several times, on the currently deserted roads. Stick it in second, foot to the floor and you wont have reached the speed limit by the end of the motorway on ramp, change up at the redline and still enough power to give decent acceleration from 60-70 and merge into traffic, you don't look like a hooligan but totally feel like one! Compared with my more powerful and refined Avantime (which by todays standards is almost slow), you put your foot down and without any drama at all you're already going too fast and you missed it! I have always fancied a Smart Roadster which was supposed to be the Midget of the early 2000's, they're currently dead cheap, shame about the gearbox but I conclude that if Gordon Murray thinks it's good enough to drive (at least at the time), then it can't be bad.

[@iantaf5559]

So, Ian, I might have missed it but can I take it that you find the Cappuccino hilarious?!! 😆 Seriously, that was a great little car. I think we can expect to see one of those added to your fleet soon. When you do, you'll need to get a chin-cam!!! 👍🏼

[@taxus750]

"Best sports car ever." Just you wait till the MX-5/ Miata crowd arrive... 2:17 "...many more wanted one but [Suzuki] struggled to meet changing emissions regulations in 1995." 25 years later, you can't buy another very popular car Up Over for the same reasons - the Jimny, made by (guess who?) Suzuki. In both cases it's a real shame because what we really need these days are small, light cars that are capable and fun and economical. [edit] 3-pots are fab - they're half a 911 after all. See also 107/ Aygo, H1/ H2 Kawasaki, Fiesta, Triumph Trident/ 955/ 595/ Speed triple... [/edit]

[@andrewgardner9615]

Don't forget Daewoo Matiz!

[@rustywreck6631]

Yes mx5 😍

[@Pfirtzer]

AND reliable, Suzuki has god reliable cars, value for money! I own a Suzuki Baleno Estate, since 2009 yesterday it turned 19 years old, still drives great, a 1.8 engine, I built in a 2DIN android Nav entertainment system, cruise control and some other stuff in. Love it, rust can be a problem, here and there. But overall very very reliable car!.

[@richardhemingway6084]

Lovely sound from that 3 cyl engine. The inside does look very MX5 of the same era. My wife had an MX5 and loved it. I always considered the MX5 to be the best sports car. The Japanese had a knack of building the concept of the British sports car, but built how they should have been.

[@simonhaycocks]

Richard Hemingway I always say Mazda totally nailed it when they decided to bring the lotus elan back. Lotus themselves had a go and completely missed the mark.

[@richardhemingway6084]

@@simonhaycocks Spot on.

[@leighhogben1423]

Wow ! What a fab little sports car! Looks more useable fun than say an S2000. One i must love to own one day. Thank you for a great roadtest. What a hoot! 👍👍👍👍👍

[@raymondo162]

another great video (!) I am very drawn towards kei cars. possibly a mistake i'm 6'3"...…… but you sold me on this one. I want a Cappuccino

[@Mrcento]

These are brilliant little things, but when they're introduced to the UK and are used for about a year..... the rust....my god the rust. They make an old Discovery, Lancia or Montego look like the greatest rust proofed cars of all time. I've known a few people who've taken these on as projects, only 1 ever saw the road. The other ones all started getting welded back up and it was quickly found that once they dug into it a bit deeper, there was nothing left to weld to.

[@darrenwilson8042]

I am now completely au fait with the minor details of a Suzuki Cappuccino sun visor - such a Hub Nut way of spending a dark grim rainy Sunday morning

[@HENKOMAT]

looks lovely! and anyone who needs more power could fit a HUGE turbo or two into that cavenous engine compartment.

[@antonioercolino6087]

My friend has a cappacino and he owned one before that, sadly the first one died from terminal rust. I've driven it and it's a real fun car to drive. It does get annoying with kids pointing and laughing at it. !!

[@andrewstones2921]

Always loved these, though in your comparisons you should include the Daihatsu Copen, now I know the Copen does polarise opinions but it’s a remarkable little car.

[@paulbennell3313]

Slow car fast is more fun than fast car fast. I want one of these even more than when I discovered them on Playstation Gran Turismo!

[@philh1462]

The 'view' bit is pure Hubnut gold! 😂 👏

[@MGBetts1]

I knew it would be fun - but Kei-cars and micro-cars always are it seems! 👍🏻

[@CreRay]

I’m relieved that these were RHD only. Otherwise I’d be scanning the ads now! Seems so much fun! Could do with a 6 speed gearbox I’d say.

[@tridaks]

Really enjoyed that, you can't beat a fun car.

[@Baerchenization]

Sports cars have come a long way since the 60s, you really should arrange to try one some day ;) Wish I could see one in the UK though :)

[@mubd1234]

I translated the Japanese text on the personalised plate - it says 'Japanese Domestic Market'. You can also buy an alternate plate style which says 'Japan' on the top line next to 'NSW' and 'car' to the left of the registration number. A cool $400 plate fee for the NSW Government...and the standard yellow NSW plates look almost the same on a kei car as the $400 plates!

[@steven-vn9ui]

I like. Definitely remember seeing a few of these in the UK in years gone by. The Japanese always win hands down at making things small and cute yet still usable.

[@archieolmstead6688]

Suzuki left America due to low sales I guess. I had one of the first Suzuki Sidekicks..a two door in white. The back seat cost extra so I never got one. LOL. I love the fact that it had 4 wheel drive which got me interested in off-roading.

[@dannyhtheretrogamingmaster9548]

The higher revs remind me of Myrtle. Cappuccino's are such cool little cars, I'd love to have one. I think this and the Pajero mini turbo are the 2 best kei cars around. They are expensive to buy now in Britain but you can import them from Japan as TradeCarView are willing to export them with shipping, insurance and pre inspection for less than £5k.

[@daviemaclean61]

Excellent sun visor review! ;-) Such is life when there's nowhere to mount your camera! A bit off topic, but a friend had an MX5 and gave a rather taller friend a lift to work. He arrived, windswept and interesting and his forehead absolutely covered in dead insects ;-)

[@meirionevans5137]

Cheers Ian, made my Sunday! Less IS more.

[@SooperSkoots]

Brilliant what more can i say i loved every minute Ian thank you...

[@edgarbeat275]

Never forget Mrs Mack on Take the High Road had one with her cleaning gear sticking out. 😀 mid 90s.

[@KarlAdamsAudio]

As someone who used a Honda Beat as daily transportation for more than 10 years, I wholeheartedly approve. Also, a little jealous of that boot space...