Modern Thrills: Caterham 170S

Caterham has labelled the 170S the lightest Seven ever, a claim that is sure to make a lot of ears prick up. 

After all, just how light can it go? Clearly the immortal Colin Chapman mantra of ‘add lightness’ still rings around the factory, despite splitting from Hethel decades ago.

Officially, the 170 weighs in at 440kg. That’s lighter than a Renault Twizy, and 50kg lighter than the 160 from which the 170 takes over.

There is method to this mad lightness, because it completes a very special package that on paper should underwhelm. Under the flimsy bonnets is a three-cylinder Suzuki engine that with a turbocharger ekes out 84bhp (four more than the 160). A small figure even in city car terms, though as the name suggests it’s 170bhp per tonne (10 more than the 160, if you hadn’t joined those dots).

Yet with so little heft to drag around the 170 is utterly brilliant. The noise might not get many spines tingling, and it’s only with a lift of the throttle that the hiss of the turbine really helps in that regard, but the experience is in no way dulled.

On small wheels and skinny tyres there is hardly a more playful-yet-docile car on the road. The steering is not as direct as the more focused Caterhams but it is still a joy, light enough for near-imperceptible adjustments to keep it tracking round any bend.

The highly strung engine means the throttle pedal does much of the work anyway, with the merest lift tucking the car in or deftest prod pushing the car towards the exit. And being so slim there's a lot of road to make the most of. The tyres will quietly chirp as they threaten to slip, in an addictively controlled way, and the lack of limited-slip diff will soon become apparent. 

It is not a track machine, but it can still be a blast on an empty, short and twisty circuit.

The 170S is very much a road-going toy. Comfortable leather seats, standard seatbelts in lieu of optional race-like harnesses and an upright windscreen protecting its driver from the worst of the low-flying wildlife; it’s comparatively plush.

This is one of those rare cars that even before inelegantly clambering out you’re dreaming up reasons to post yourself back into the little cabin.

And little really is the word. The pedalbox is narrow enough for the thinnest shoes only, almost dictating heeling and toeing, and the padded transmission tunnel is one of the stop-offs on the way into the seat. The small Moto-Lita steering wheel demands a racing driver’s elbows-on-hips pose or splayed elbows, but it all adds to the drama. There’s no wide chassis available here, either, so it conforms to ‘kei’ car rules in Japan.

On a straight piece of the road the average hatchback will probably creep away as the Suzuki engine sits higher in the rev range than is entirely comfortable, but for a B-road run there is hardly a car to touch it. The gearbox throw is wonderfully short and punchy, clunking through the gate, and the ride is good – certainly compliant enough to make it a very tempting commuter on the right roads and with no need for any meaningful storage.

Caterham quite rightly labels the 170 as the entry-level model, and it is some introduction.

Build it at home and decline every available option and it can get onto the road for less than £25k, too. Easier said than done, though, and it’s more likely that the configurator will spit you out on the wrong side of £30k if you ask for it to be delivered ready to go.

That £2600 to have it built at the factory could be money well spent: you get to enjoy the 170S from the moment it arrives.