Honda S660 review

Words and Photography: Ouseph Chacko

Before you get excited, let me tell you that Honda currently has no plans to bring this car to India. That’s quite sad because this puny roadster is quite the bundle of joy. All of 3.4 metres long, this pip-squeak is the coolest Kei-car (Japan’s code for small cars) I’ve ever seen and if Honda did bring it to India, we’d finally have a subfour metre car that’s really fun; one that’s designed for people like us. The S660 is powered by a tiny 660cc (hence the name), three-cylinder, DOHC, 12-valve turbocharged engine that makes 63bhp and 104Nm of torque. Yes that doesn’t sound like much – doesn’t sound like anything at all! – until you see the other figures. It tips the scales at 840kg which gives it a reasonably peppy 75bhp per tonne. And, I must mention, this is a mid-engine, rearwheel drive car.

I have two tiny laps on a cone marked track at the Twin Ring Motegi’s North Short Course (an extremely poor cousin of the Nurburgring’s North Loop), so I quickly slide into its low, snug seats. It is low – your bottom feels like it is above two inches off the deck and the driving position is spot on. The car feels shrink wrapped around you and there’s an interesting screen on the dash that displays g-forces, though I couldn’t be sure because it was all in Japanese. Also, this may be a Kei-car, but the quality on the inside is more Honda Accord than Amaze.

The engine idles with a three cylinder thrum that reminds me of the Maruti 800. Slot into first on the ‘flick-of-the-wrist’ action six-speed manual and let the light clutch out. There isn’t much go initially but full boost comes on once the engine is thrumming around 2500rpm. From there to the 7700rpm redline, there’s good shove accompanied by a sigh from the turbo wastegate at every upshift. And, when the engine is rushing to its redline, it makes this metallic rasp that belies its tiny displacement. The S660 is not a terribly fast car, but it definitely made me grin and for some reason, it reminds me of a terrier.

A few key things point at how Honda has gone all sporty on the S660. It has independent suspension all around mounted on an aluminium and steel chassis that Honda says is stiffer than the S2000’s! The steering box is mounted low and on a very rigid subframe to make the steering as feelsome as possible, the car runs on sticky Yokohama Advan tyres – 165/55 R15 in front, 195/45 R16 at the rear – and the weight distribution front to rear stands at 45/55.

Now, despite that tail happy weight distribution and drive configuration, it’s next to impossible to get the tail out. There’s just too much grip and too little power to do that. What the car does though is exhibit beautifully neutral handling and sharp, go-kart like responses to the steering. It gets me thinking that it will be a great beginners car, one that might even turn out to be a cult car for the next generation of enthusiasts, much like the original City VTEC is for me. So come on Honda, please bring the S660 to India. It looks cool, it is cool and will make you look young again.