Caterham Seven 160: What They're Saying
We loved the new back-to-basics Seven, but what did others make of it?
Grim autumnal weather made it hard to separate the invited pressers from their morning mochachinos, but our Dan was made of sterner stuff. He was the first to knock off some snaps of his own, the first to file a report, and the only one to bang out a quick vid when he should have been tucking into a nice Italian lunch.
So, a good old-fashioned scoop for Dan, who found the 160 a 'delicate and poised' car, albeit one with a slightly dodgy drivetrain. But did the others agree?
Auto Express: Five-star car
Despite the 'racket' at high rpm, he thought the Suzuki engine was 'still a fine choice', pulling 'surprisingly hard' through the midrange. Unlike our Dan, he found the stubby gearstick 'snicked around its gate with ease'.
The big issue with this car of course is the handling on those bicycle-sized tyres. Tom's statement that 'these aren't the grippiest' is tough to contradict, but the corollary for him was that it made the car 'great fun on a twisty road, even at modest speeds'.
Autocar: 'Deliciously lucid' steering
And those tyres? 'The £40-a-corner Avon ZT5s make the 160 feel like a great friend who goes home just when you want him to stay out until the pubs close'.
Should you buy a 160? 'Sure. Just make sure you won't crave more power on a circuit.'
Evo: A 'genuinely quick little car'
But what about those tyres, Jethro? The ones 'that would pass for space-savers on an average family hatch'? He admitted that 'the chassis keeps you rather busy... the 160 wanders around on its sidewalls and for the first few miles the engine feels too much for the chassis.
'However, after you've settled in, all that's left is a warm glow of satisfaction and a sense of real achievement. Whether you're doing 30mph in third or 60mph in fourth you will be thinking about every little input that you make and driving close to or beyond the limit.'
Adding all the desirable options that 'could be deemed essential', Jethro came up with a £21,255 price for the optimum usable Seven 160 - 'not a cheap car by any stretch of the imagination... a barely used Seven Superlight might set your mind wandering'.
TG: 'Massive fun'
For Jason, the rubber thing was all good. 'Those four tiny contact patches mean that you have to think about what you're doing rather than lazily relying on electronic chassis wizardry and fat tyres to bail you out'. He liked its amazing ride quality despite a rear suspension set-up 'that Methuselah would have rejected as a bit old hat'. Nor did he have a problem with the 'surprisingly sweet' triple-cylinder engine, though, like Dan, he wasn't that enamoured of the gearbox - 'dropping it into second is neither a particularly tactile pleasure or an aural one'.
But he still regarded it as 'massive fun', and a 'gem' that relegated Toyota's GT86 (TG's reigning car of the year) to the comparative status of an 'over-wrought lard-bucket'.
PHers said:
This is the first Seven that I've read about that I would really like to build myself... In terms of V for M, this is a much more appealing story than the poor old Dacia Duster that has been obsessing many parts of the auto press. TWPC
I'm very much looking forward to feeling that steering talk to me, the way those long, narrow contact patches change shape as they squirm under the cornering loads. Nothing feels as good as well designed manual steering on a light, modestly-shod car. Lowtimer
HOW MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!! £14,995 for the kit that is awesome value. I'm booking a test drive. McWigglebum4th
Those steelies look brilliant! Laura'sOtherHalf
Those wheels are hideous. Sid123
Love it! Truly a Seven in its most pure form, turbo notwithstanding. Loudlashadjuster
I like the concept. The description of the power delivery is a little worrying but hopefully that's a case of the engines needing a few more miles and the driver adapting to it. Well done to Caterham for expanding the range at the top AND bottom of the pricing structure. ewenm
Well done Caterham. The price is just right and it looks fantastic. £14999 is excellent for the kit price. framerateuk
People seem to forget so easily that only the most recent and fastest hot hatches beat this car's quoted 0-60 of 6.5 secs. There is plenty of performance to enjoy from this car, especially on the skinny tyres. Braddo
With three cars in the household already it could be used exclusively for what it's meant for... having fun.
People please tell me I'm wrong and there's more fun cars out there for the money! At some point I'll sell my urq and I know I'll need another car to have fun in!
However, I'd love one of these..... My Dad built an Austin Seven Special back in the 50's that so looked like a 160 on its skinny tyres its uncanny. I've been looking out for it over past few years & no luck so far. However one of these might just make up for it.
So I'd love to build & own one, basic & simples please I even have a nice big empty garage & all the tools I'll ever need. If anyone at Caterham wants to do a sponsored build diary blog I'm your man! Might even tempt my dad to give me a hand.
A useful round up Pistonheads - these articles are a very useful addition to the site. I'd only read the autocar article and wondered whether the glowing praise would be reflected elsewhere (I somehow missed the PH one - mut have assumed it was 'just another 7".
And in that time....the cost of ownership was minimal. Despite being subject to 3 seasons of abuse on track, jumping kerbs, flat shifting the 'box, hitting the limiter, the occasional bump, I never had a single mechanical failure. I was perhaps slightly lucky with the gearbox (some people average 1 a season), but everything bar the fiberglass was original. I changed the discs twice, pads about 6 times and a good few tyres, but there aren't many cars out there, least of all a Robin Hood or similar, that would stand up as well.
You can do a lot worse than spend £16k on a Caterham.
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