Caterham 170S Review | The last great petrol sportscar?
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- čas přidán 25. 06. 2024
- The Caterham 170 is tiny, it really cannot be stressed enough. This tiny 450kg machine is the smallest car Caterham has ever made, and Caterham is a company known for making small cars.
This one has an even tinier 660cc Suzuki engine producing just 84PS and a minute 116Nm of torque, but since it weighs so little it can still reach 62mph in around seven seconds.
So is power really not that necessary? And is the smallest car that Caterham has ever made the best car that Caterham has ever made?
You can watch all of Goodwood car reviews first by joining the GRRC Community. For more information visit: www.goodwood.com/motorsport/g...
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:59 Size and power
04:18 Driving and handling
06:52 Downsides
08:12 Handling and performance
00:42 Verdict
#gwfirst #Caterham170 #Caterhamreview
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Would you take the 170 or do you need more power?
My commute to work is less then a 15 minute drive. I absolutely want one!
I don't know about something that small. But my dream car is the 620r. I've wanted one since I was a kid, and I'm in my 50s now. Got to have the wide body, just for comfort. Yes, the car is madness on crack. No, I don't care. I've spent a ton of money building cars that couldn't come close to the performance, and the price seems reasonable.
It has the Same weight with two people as my 485 alone. OK, 240ps is really much more as needed but around 150ps a caterham should have. But the narrow tyres give same fun at loser speed.
I would buy one without thinking twice, because I'm a fan of lightweight cars, but I wouldn't use it for daily use, that is, I would use it on weekends, which would make it my second car in the garage.
i'd take the 170..
"Old MGB" looked a lot like a morgan to me !!!
That’s because it was.
Confused me too!
@@jordancoughlan5820 Schoolboy Error
Yeah, funny that.
Yup tell the posers in just minutes huh.....sad .
Talks about an MG B, shows footage of a Morgan…
Perfect solution for an economical, fuel efficient, environmentally friendly fun little car!
The more cars I drive the more I realise I want less out of them. Less size, less weight, less HP... And this looks perfect to me, I just lack the coin to get one unfortunately!
Just get something old. Old cars have all thw qualities you're looking for, at the right price.
@@starfox_wr-45e93 I've got a few! 98 MX5, 88 Civic, 88 Supra (which doesn't fit the small and light part 😆)
@@crisprapper Supercharge the MX5.
Supercharged my eunos V special and making 237bhp now. It's a laugh a minute!
You might enjoy a kei truck or van. I plan on getting one some day.
Oh, cool: I didn't realize Caterham was using a kei car engine in these. Great idea.
They already did for some years with the predecessor 165
I drove the same car on Caterhams Open Day 3 weeks ago, what a great ride!!
MG-B ! no Morgan it is,
Leaf Spring ! no coil springs it is
440 kg ! no this is for the R version without heater, windscreen, doors and hood.
The smallest Caterham ever produced...No the 160 was the exact same size.
22.000£...No a lot more for this one : Complete custom paint, LED headlights, logo's on the seats, custom beige leather, leather dash, leather rollbar, quick release steering wheel and factory built ...total is....28.000£
But all that does not mather...the car is just PERFECT ! a dream for all petrolheads... I love it !
It is smaller than the 160
What a happy video. You’ve really made me want this car. Currently looking at a 420 but there’s a real appeal to this. What a truly fantastic brand.
How a Nice little sports car !!!
Caterham FOREVER !!!!
Great video sir we need more cars with the K car philosophy thank you 😊
Haha, I did my Caterham 320R Review on these very roads!
Top job Ben. Great review. 👌
Terrible review, most of his info are completely incorrect.
I'd definitely have one! Downsized to a 1.0 tsi fabia a few years back. Plenty enough poke and fun for me while being very economical when I need it to be.
Great review!
I have had a couple of Caterhams over the years. 30 years ago a Cosworth BDR tweaked to within an inch of it's life. About as fast as you could get back then from the Caterham company. Maybe a bit twitchy, unreliable, difficult to keep in tune and a pig to todrive in traffic thanks to a racing clutch. Boy was it fun on the back lanes of Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire. I now have a more sedate ageing 1700 crossflow with 135bhp. Just about enough grunt for road use but only just. If you buy a 170 you will love it for a years but wish you had another 40 or 50 horses very soon. If it is price that attracts you buy a used Sigma engined one and you will thank me in a couple of years.
The range of flavors of Lotus 7 type cars available now is almost mind blowing, a tribute to Chapman's original design. Whether it's fun, almost bike like touring, or pure track car racing, this simple design does both very very well! Make sure you fit though. I'm not that big a guy, and I barely fit in my Westfield 7 and it's a wide body. They're the most fun you can have on four wheels, IMHO. Cheers!
Honestly, I’d take the 170 along with my Yaris!
Small, light, simple. How did we lose that recipe?
What a great car! As I am in the market for a weekend "best of petrol" car which I intend to grow old with, I am highly interested in this.
I recently drove a 160s, the previous model but virtually the same. It was much better than you'd expect from a 80bhp caterham but my dad has got an older car, a 2002 K-series supersport and I'd still take a used one of those over the 160s.
More character, more noise, more power but still sweet road power. His is 135bhp but a standard 120bhp would still be great fun.
There was nothing wrong with the 160 at all but it wasn't QUITE enough.
@@Ben-sc7gf
Thank you!
Caterhams are so much fun . I drove some in UK but sadly they don't sell these in US 😒.
@@zerofecks819 yeah they are seriously so much fun to drive .
There are ways to get them here. My neighbor has one but the larger versions with about 230 hp ecotech 2 liter engine, 1100#, 235 tyres, etc. It is a screamer. The previous owner replaced the front nose and fenders with carbon fiber versions. It is seriously fast although at high speed it has the aero of a brick so fast tracks are not its thing. I am 6'1" and 155#. It is a very tight fit.....I would have to have some Piloti or similar narrow driving shoes to not feel feet are cramped.
@@RobertKarlBerta it was fine for me because I am 5'10 😁.
@@RobertKarlBerta That's just it: we can't get the 170. I don't want some screaming beast with 230 hp, just a fun car to nip around in. The 170 would be perfect in my opinion.
I've got a supercharged busa (bike) .
Engine would be perfect in one of those
I LOVE IT!!!
Very cool. For comparison my 1964 Vw beetle has 40 hp and weighs 1 ton and it’s fun to drive even if it slow . This would be amazing for me !
Excellent . A back to basics " LOTUS 7 " Caterham . That car is TOTALLY comparable to the original Lotus made car .
I sure wish we could get these in the States. Not everyone wants hulking vehicles.
Same, same. I'd love to buy one of these 170s here in the US.
155 and 165 are not the tyre profile, they are the cross section.
Exactly.
This guy has no idea what he is talking about.
So many bits of this film are utter nonsense and not factual.
I had an opportunity to experience a genuine Lotus 7 fitted with a 2 liter Cosworth 16 valve, dry sump race tune engine, and 10" wide Goodyear G19 slicks. It was the 2nd most grin generating ride of my life, bested only by a Lola T332 Formula 5000 car... which was not exactly something you could get away with on the road.
Nice
If I could afford a second car, this would be it.
Dreaming of how much I'd love to be able to buy one here in the US. 😭
I really like the Idea of a light and less powerfull small car. It's simply enough for public roads and nobody uses the motorway in a caterham unless there is no other way.
Considering this, maybe the should have elongated the suspension travel and put on AT Tires. It would not hurt the driveability and would fit the small lane charakter even better.
They should make one with a center seat, so you can take your arms with you and just make it the ultimate car for the sunday drive.
Short of completely re-engineering the whole car, if you have a look a 9:17, you’ll see that a centre seat would require it to be eight inches or more higher. So really the more viable option would be to just leave your arms at home.
@@williamp6800 It would be very uncomfortable astride the drivetrain.
Nice car! UK🤝JP
I wonder if Caterham would propose a brake bias adjuster this model?
Great car
Just out of interest, where do you think can go beyond the 620R?
I think that is a fantastic car just what you want modern cars are far to big my car a 1971 lotus elan, do have a modern mazda3 as well
2:20
170hp per tonne
That's why it's called the Caterham 170
I would take a 170 happily, except I live in Australia and government says no
>:(
Hi Sam, now we can import Caterham now here in Aus!
Lets see if they get it EU conform, then I´ll have one. Untill then I´ll stick with my M3W, tnx.
Is it the same engine as a Suzuki celerio?
I know you didn't mean to say MGB.....
The 170 is doubtless great fun and I would love one, but if you can only afford one car it's kinda hard to justify a big boys toy :)
Try it and see how you get along. It's a common misconception that caterhams are just toys. Suspension is softer than most cars. It's got a "boot". No radio though. Just think of it as a bike, a comfy one.
@@predragbalorda Well I do have a bike, a Buell. And compared to a Buell, even a bike is comfy! :D
Seriously, I do like the 170 a LOT.
@@Ralph2 I know exactly what you mean, rode an xb9s..didn't drive the 170 but an old k-series 1.4 and 1.8, this is better
Am I wrong in thinking there are kei sports cars that rev to 9 grand making the same power with a turbo. One of those motors would’ve been amazing
SALUTI🇮🇹
less power is more? I've heard that before. Where's the wiper test then?
the price just changed to 28.990 without extras or delivery. Sorry for the sad news.
That mg was a Morgan numpty
Shame this engine combination it is not available in the US.
How tall is he
lol thats a weird MGB
I'd take the 2.0 Duratec
The Fireblade was 70 kilos lighter.
The Fireblade was’t a Caterham factory build, so from the factory this is the lightest.
How does it fare in a crash?
You better not want one for safety
How much are they???
£22,000 as noted towards the end.
0.18 That's a Morgan...
180-200 hp is the sweet spot for a Caterham.
Agree completely. But then again I’m biased as I own a vhpd powered 7 that’s been breathed on.
Topping at 100mph it might save your licence !!
0:17 Sorry but errr that's a Morgan, not as you put it "even something like an old MGB"
The MGB was a Morgan. You’re welcome.
Watching this video is a sad requiem to motoring from a U.S. perspective. In all but a couple states, this car would require a "special construction vehicle" title... which means you can only drive it to/from a registered event (car show, etc.) and renders PROPER cars like this, all but useless to own.
It's pretty ridiculous that I can go out and buy a v8 powered 6,000+ pound truck but states restrict small fuel efficient, 1,500 pound kei cars. You'd think with all the environmental stuff going on, smaller more fuel efficient vehicles would be more encouraged here like they were in the 70's during the fuel crisis.
@@miniaturemachinist6098 - it was never about emissions. Only major manufacturers can afford the R&D to certify emissions. Also, if they cared anything about emissions, they wouldn't require safety provisions that add at least 1,000lbs to every automobile off the line. If they cared about safety, every car would pull .95g on the skidpad, come with AWD, performance brakes, no cup holders, no "infotainment system", and no touch screens.
Governments don't care about safety or emissions. Governments care about keeping money flowing from the places that make the most of it.
I have an original license plate on my MG Midget and I drive it all the time. Just look around a bit, there's a car event nearly every day from spring to fall. Plus, the police are not going to bother checking to see if that's where you are going, and the Sec. of state certainly is not.
Rogeaaaaaa
Am I tripping I feel like it's commentary for a horse race?.🤣
Not available Down Under :(
It's not ADR compliant, and would have been over AU$50,000 if sold here. An EV version with a 100km range would have made a perfect commuter car - charge it overnight at home for the run to work and back,..
Those tyres are about the same size as the Renault 16TS had from the dealerships, though at 1275 kilos, the 16 had more mass holding them down.
And 84PS or pferdestarke, isn’t 84 horsepower. It’s close but it’s 82.85 bhp. Do some basic research before spouting off.
Does it make sense for 1 person to drive a 4000+ pound car.
Over here, it's common for one person to drive a 6-8,000 pound truck.
MGB?
37 likes and the video hasn’t even been released yet…… really!
What can we say, we're people pleasers.
@@GoodwoodRR yeah
I'll stick to my Supersport thanks. I don't believe that'll sell.
Alpine is pronounced alpeen. If it were Alpine-ay it would have an acute accent over the last E like Alpiné, and it doesn’t
How can a motorcycle with obviously 2 narrower tyres have more contact with the road than this Caterham with 4 tyres?
May we introduce you to hyperbole
If you want to do hyperbole then that’s fine by me but please at least try and get your facts right.
I think you’ll find this 170 “tiny space” car in fact uses the same S3 main chassis as the rest of the Caterham range (Caterham do also make an S5 “wide body chassis if you need one), the main difference in this car being the use of narrower wheels, cycle wings, rear axle etc.
BTW that black knob down by your right knee was in fact the heater controller (the 170S comes with a heater as standard) not a bonnet release,.
@@mrnosey152 I bet your fun at parties
Sorry, I can't take this seriously.
The old MGB comment ruined it all.
Okey
OK for short people I suppose.
Depends on what you mean by short. I’m 5”11 and fit in mine ok. I know someone who was 6”2 and had one. They did cast themselves a custom seat like the f1 teams do but that was more about fit than size.
Well I’m totally amazed! It didn’t look like anyone over 5’4” would fit in it.I’m 6’7” so not an option for me!☹️
Can you drop the vid early?
made for the japo market and they are tiny
this is like listening to James may bore you to death on dave with a 20 year old top gear episode.
And you lose ALL credibility by calling a Morgan an MGB.
Long live Caterham
MGB?..I think you’ll find that’s a Morgan! Were you trying to be funny or do you genuinely not know the difference between a Morgan and an MGB? It’s hard to tell. Maybe leave the comedy to the comedians!
@@EleanorPeterson It’s not being bitchy it’s being genuinely astounded that a motoring journalist doesn’t know the difference between these two legendary classic cars! As for my spelling, that was just a spellchecker mistake. I know the difference between were and where!
Go back and learn your Cars before you start making you tube videos or maybe Morgan produced the MGB? 🤔🤦♂️
MGB and shows a Morgan.
Stopped watching.
No point watching a car show that can't even identify cars.
Cool cars but the styling is horrid. Looks like a kid drawing bought to life.
Take it up with Lotus in 1957 lol