Kei Cars in Depth - Vol. Three : Suzuki #blogpost

I’m back with another Kei Cars in Depth, and this week’s topic is Suzuki. Suzuki is well known in the kei car world. Although Suzuki makes one of the most boring cars in the world, a few back-to-basic hot hatches, Suzuki is well known for making cool hot kei cars in Japan. Not just performance ones, but also 4x4s and a few weird designs, even though I’m not going to discuss a few of those here. So let’s get starting.

1. Suzuki Cappuccino EA11R

Much like the AZ-1 and Beat, the cappuccino needs no introduction. Its tiny dimensions and cute design has been seen not just in Japan, but also in Europe, and no to mention the whole internet. Sharing a engines with the AZ-1, the Cappuccino runs on Suzuki’s F6A 660cc 3 pot engine, with a turbo punching 63hp. But unlike the AZ-1, the Cappuccino has a front engine, rear wheel drive layout. Like kei cars that time, the Cappuccino weighs 725kg, which means the cars takes around a respectable 10-second mark to 60mph, which is fine considering the power and price.

Thanks to its layout, the cappuccino is the only car among the 90’s kei-sports trinity that had a 50:50 weight distribution, making it a nicely balanced car. Much like the Miata, the Cappuccino is a true classic british sports car. Lightweight, simplicity, and an open top, the Cappuccino ticks all the boxes, plus reliability of a Japanese manufacturer. And that what makes tha Cappuccino famous, even though not many people can actually own one.

Today, the Cappuccino is a future classic, with prices that isn’t actually cheap compared to the Miata in the UK. Well I have no doubt, I mean it’s a brilliant car. It was affordable, reliable, simple, and fun. The only thing it’s missing is a successor. Suzuki is too sensible to realize that a cheap lightweight 2 seater roadster would be great not just for Japan, but also to the world. If there’s a kei car that needs a successor, it’s gotta be the Cappuccino.

2. Suzuki Alto Works HA36S

There are many generation of the Alto Works, and this is the latest. Based on the current, the 4 door hot kei car is actually one of the lightest available today. Powered by Suzuki’s latest 3 pot turbocharged R07A, the Alto Works makes 63hp and 100Nm, which is decent. But the main killer of the latest Alto isn’t the power, but rather weight. I’m not just talking 800kg-ish light like the S660 and Copen, the Alto goes way beyond those car when it comes to lightness. The Alto weighs 720kg, and that’s with 4WD. Remove the rear axle, and you get a 2016 car that sits 4, has all modern safety equiptment, but somehow still weighs 670kg.

As a result, you get a kei car that goes from 0 to 100 km/h in the 9 second mark, and that’s with no 4WD traction to help the launch. But unlike the S660, the Alto isn’t purposely built to be a hot kei car. The 5-speed gearbox isn’t really purposely built, it doesn’t have LSD for a better handling, just a new suspension setup. But that doesn’t matter, because it’s still a brilliant hot kei car. And also remember that the car is actually 700.000 yen cheaper than the S660, that’s like 30%+ compared to the S660, and you get something that sits 4 and goes to 100 km/h faster, what a bargain.

3. Suzuki Jimny

Jimny, well it’s known worldwide as a tough mini 4x4. But meanwhile in most countries the Jimny has a 1.3, in Japan, you can get a kei car version. The difference? Well it starts with less fender flares to fit the kei car category, from a 360cc to a 660cc turbo engine depending on which generation, and yellow license plates. First introduced in 1970, the Jimny only had 3 generations, and the latest model has been around for 18 years. But you won’t really notice the age from the outside. The design is still reasonably modern, thanks to what Suzuki calls “Long Life Design”.

The first generation Jimny, which came out like 46 years ago, had a 2 cylinder 359cc engine punching 25hp, which doesn’t sound really exciting. But the Jimny is actually the world’s ( or Japan’s ) first 4x4 kei car. Thanks to a low gear ratio to make up the torque on offroading, the Jimny reaches a top speed of 75 km/h. By the end of the 360cc era, the Jimny had 26hp and a top speed of 93, km/h that is.
The first generation generation Jimny made to 2 eras of kei cars. In the 550cc era, the Jimny still has 26hp, but torque increases from 37 Nm to 52 Nm, which is good.

Going to the second generation, the Jimny gets a revised 550cc 28hp engine, with a bit more torque than the previous one. The recipe remains the same, 4WD, kei car chassis, low gearing for better torque multiplication. In 1986, Suzuki ditched the old 2-stroke engine for a 4 stroke, making 42hp and 58 Nm. There’s even a turbocharged version making 52hp. Like the first generation, the Jimny faced 2 eras of kei cars. Coming to the 90s, the Jimny ditched the 550cc, and got the engine from the Cappuccino, Suzuki’s F6A, wih power ranging from 55 to 64hp due to the new power limit. The car also got a bit fatter and weight increased by 50kg.

Meanwhile on the other car class in Japan, Suzuki Introduced the Samurai, a Jimny with a 1.3 liter engine, a 5 speed manual gearbox, and better brakes. This brings out the Jimny not just to Japanese market, but also the the whole world, as it’s more sensible to buy outside of Japan. The Samurai even reached North America and Europe. And it brought success there. The Samurai wasn’t just affordable like the Jimny, but it’s also more sensible to buy. It’s even more nimble compared to other rivals when is comes to offroading, thanks to a short wheelbase.

The third generation Jimny has been around for about 18 years, and to be honest, I never really thought it has been around that long. The design doesn’t look too old, well until you start to get inside. Like all Jimnys, it’s just all back to basic. But weirdly, the new Jimny, up until this point, still uses an old engine, the same engine from 1998, a 3 pot 660c turbo, with the K6A code. While it may be small and old, the Jimny still rules when it comes to offroading at a budget.

4. Suzuki Alto Works RS-R CC72

The Alto RS-R is probably one of the maddest kei cars out there. Not only that it’s powerful, but it did it in a way no kei car can ever do it again. Powered by a tiny DOHC 12 valve 550cc engine with a turbo, the RS-R punched 63hp, even though torque isn’t much and max power comes at 7500. Sure, that’s about the same as modern kei cars, but back then, kei cars were not restricted in power, and back then manufacturers were boosting their cars up to 11, and one of the results is one of the hottest ones. Surely 63hp doesn’t sound much, but the Alto weighs 650kg, and has a 4WD chassis to support the car. And remember, back then a sports car like the AE86 only had 112. Hell, the Alto might just kill an AE86.

The RS-R set a new benchmark to the kei car world, even know not many manufacturers passed it. The RS-R went to 60 in less than 10 seconds, faster than the Copen, S660, Cappucino, Beat, and most modern kei cars you can name. It goes to 155 km/h even though the speedo says 120. And once you went to a full 9500, you’ll sense that the Alto is all about the joy of driving, at a small price ( and size ). That all thanks to Suzuki’s mad times, and also no restrictions ( all hail freedom ).

Being a car with no gimmicks whatsoever, the Alto offers a direct driving, enough power to on twisty roads, and a rewarding car to drive. It’s fun to drive being a 550cc era kei car, and thanks to a very lightweight body.

5. Suzuki Fronte Coupe LC10W

Suzuki Fronte, also known as the Whizzkid outside of Japan. It looks like a normal car from the distance. But if you’ve seen Alex’s video on the Whizzkid, you know this is no ordinary car. The Fronte is a rear engined, rear wheel drive, 2+2 seater coupe. Powering the whizzkid is a 2 cylinder petrol, like most kei cars that time. The car makes about 26hp, which isn’t much, and later models get up to 37hp, which is better. With its lightweight body, the Fronte comes with about 104 hp/tonne ratio, which is quite a lot. But that doesn’t really mean that it’s fast. It takes 23 seconds to 60mph, and the car goes no more than 78.

The Fronte isn’t a car pleasures you with its character, but it thrills. With an utterly small dimensions, going 40mph will seem like you’re doing 140, with terrible steering it feels like you’re gonna die in about 10 seconds or less. But that is what makes it exciting. It has the rough characteristics which modern manufacturers refuse to make, and also because it isn’t safe. Nevertheless the Fronte will give you the thrills, probably just as much as a hypercar, just in its own way

That’s all from me mates. I really hope this will be a good read, because I enjoyed writing it. Some contents are actually quite new for me, some which I never even thought before. Next stop mates, Daihatsu. I really enjoy writing these stuff, and I really hope I can do it a bit more often

Just in case you missed, here’s the part 2 of Kei Cars in Depth.