who has driven a kei car?

[DaiOni]

just curious to see if your experiences are anything like mine.

As far as I can remember, I've driven 3:

1. Suzuki Wagon R (fairly new one) - drove perfectly normal - absolutely nothing special, but perfectly putt-able around town. Pedal handbrake was a bit wierd though. In hindsight, I think the fact that it was an auto made a big difference (maybe)

2. Honda Beat (about 91 I think) - pretty horrible in 1st gear, not much better in second. Had a typical honda rev-ability. Power is a relative concept, but I really was disappointed (and I wasn't expecting a lot). Only drove it for a couple of minutes - but I could sense that it would be a fun cornering car.

3. Last night's effort... this:

early 90s mitsu toppo.

Oh my god!

Redefined "light clutch" - almost wasn't there. Nearly put my foot through the floor every gearchange. Absolutely unbelievable (not in a good way) gearing - I was doing 35-40km/h and needed to shift into 5th :bahaha:

what is your opinion on the world of kei?

[Evo_Lee]

I have and I have also driven that same toppo too

The toppo I drove was in bright purple paint, was my alarm installers work car and had every alarm brand sticker across the rear window...only time I felt like a ricer. It was an auto and they seem to have good power IMO. Near the workshop (Shin-Osaka) there are alot of hills, I managed to get a good 20-30cm air over the crest hehehe...they are so dam light and chuckable.

Was the one you tested a turbo version, not that it makes much of a difference?

I have also driven two kei trucks from Honda

oh and a kei work van...Sambar something.

[japtaxi]

I have a suzi cappuccino as one of the day cars.. quite sensitive on the bumps with standard suspensions, not that great with straight line speed. Absolute fun when it comes to corners, it'll hug the corners at silly speed as long as the road isn't bumpy. Oversteer situation can be quite hairy for such short wheelbased thing...

just need some more powah!

[MYS013]

Ive driven a Suzuki Cap too... quite fun with a few mods I was really suprised! the turbo boosted instantly!

[Demon Dave]

The first school I worked at here had several branches throughout Yamanashi. To get to these branches the school provided what I would loosely call "company cars". More like junk heaps with wheels. Take 6 kei cars, old ones, abuse the hell out of them, wash them but once a year, fill them with garbage (mainly McDonalds paper cups and bags) and you kinda get the idea.

Then there was the Toyota corsa that to everyones amazement ran for over 6 months with the oil light on permanently and never died! When I finally convinced the management it needed some fresh oil, the mechanic at the service station noticed there was not a single drop of oil in it...but I digress.

Yeah - their compliment of cars included:

A *cough* pink *cough* Honda Today Pochette Auto. Need I say more.

2 white Daihatsu Mira's (one with a door frame that was falling off - so much so that when one staff member accidently locked the keys in the car, all I had to do was bend it a little and reach in!

The other had a fcuked starter motor and a permanently flat battery. That wasn't too much of an issue for one of my colleagues though - he just left the thing running in the carpark during classes - sometimes for upto 3 or 4 hours! It also maxed out at 60 in 4th...

1 white honda minivan - looked like it had been retrieved from a wreckers yard - all rev and no go but great for Gomi Hunting runs...

And a white Mits Minicar manual - with a featherwight clutch. Half the electrics didn't work and they was loud clunking sound coming from the rear end under "acceleration". Top speed about 60 in 4th. Any more and and it sounded like it'll rip itself to pieces!

[Parag0n]

The closest I have been to driving a Kei Car was a Mazda 121

[Informer]

I have a suzi cappuccino as one of the day cars.. quite sensitive on the bumps with standard suspensions, not that great with straight line speed.  Absolute fun when it comes to corners, it'll hug the corners at silly speed as long as the road isn't bumpy.  Oversteer situation can be quite hairy for such short wheelbased thing...  

just need some more powah!

I have one :-)

Despite running a 780cc engine, it sounded bigger than it really was, and the turbo is a lot of fun. Revs like hell too, but it is a slow car especially if you're trying to do the 1/4 in it. Oversteer is crazy, car would need wider wheels and lowered then I think it should be ok. I think it would own on an autoX course.

Heard a few modded Caps that could give a lot of 5 second cars a good run.

Interior is tight, I'm not that tall and I just fit. Its a convertible as well so was a lot of fun driving during summer.

Great car.

[4150]

I've driven quite a few, mostly loaner cars.

One loaner Suzuki Alto from Autobacs died on me in another Autobacs parking lot, got a free ride in the managers LanEvo III out of it. All the others I didn't have a problem with at all.

For the most part they suprisingly had a lot of pep, they were all little death traps though and I was scared sh!tless to take them above 100. I'd still love to have one as a daily driver though, awsome gas milage and I would love to drive something I don't have to care about and can park anywhere without fear of someone screwing up the paintwork.

[DCD]

I did a 3 car test about 2 years ago. Mitsubishi EK-Sport, Nissan Moco and Daihatsu Copen. All fun little cars to drive, Nissan the better built of the 3 but the less sporty. The EX-Sport was actually pretty damn fast!! Cornered very well for a toaster on wheels. Copen was also pretty cool but I looked like a right idiot driving it. Imagine a 190cm 95kg gaijin driving round in a Copen and you get the idea:D

[Demon Dave]

Imagine a 190cm 95kg gaijin driving round in a Copen and you get the idea:D

:D

now a few pics of you driving that would be funny!

[DCD]

They have been trashed long ago:D

[yukz2daizzo]

i drove a toppo before, it was a loaner for our insurance company, once i started driving i couldnt stop laughing just because it looks weird to me.

[GTR-80Y]

I was a backseat passenger in one racing round the C1 in tokyo all night. Crazy stuff, got beaten by some full sized batmobile van but i think we chopped the honda beat.

[Maxx]

Been in a Move, manual, the easiest car even driven, u don't need to release nicely to drive it nice!

Also driven a mate's Beat in melbourne, i open the roof when i stop at the red light, and the girl in the car next to me seems very excited and wave at me . Fun to drive as it CAN rev but don't expect any power.

had a ride in my friend's Gino, funny "Mini" looking and the rice BLOWOFF sound!

[Adam_RSX]

Not quite a Kei but I owned one of the twenty complied Charade GTti's in Australia for a while last year.

Standard 993cc CB70 running standard boost with an exhaust, did 185 easily while driving Brisbane-Adelaide, did a 16.7@85mph at AIR when driven off the line granny style. T'was fun