Anybody owned or driven a Honda Beat?
Discussion
I have had one for a couple of months, so I am sure there are more informed opinions around. Nevertheless, if you are using it as a town car it is perfect - the 3 cylinder rumble, razor sharp throttle response (that will be the individual throttle bodies), typical Honda gear change and lack of sound proofing make you feel like a racing car driver even if acceleration, especially above 40mph, is on the tardy side (in fact excruciatingly so at times). Motorways should be avoided if you value your hearing, with 5th sitting at about 5500rpm at 60mph (redline is 8500 rpm). Heel-and-toe/throttle blipping, however, is strongly encouraged.
Like most kei cars it is not built with a lot of finesse or for longevity, but its relatively simple nature may be refreshing compared to moden cars, crashworthiness aside. Parts may be an issue given the newest ones are more than 15 years old. Fuel economy is very good, as you would expect, but range is appalling due to the tiny fuel tank. It may not be as big an issue in UK with its tradition of small sports cars but here in Australia, where most cars are "full size", people on the street may point and laugh at you given its diminutive stature.
I may sound like I don't like it much but in fact its many idiosyncracies give it a distinctive character, which can't be said for most cars, new or old. I would certainly rather drive it than some boring hot hatch, so long as passenger and boot space are not a priority (it has virtually none). In fact I am embarassed to say that some days I enjoy driving it more than my NSX.
Like most kei cars it is not built with a lot of finesse or for longevity, but its relatively simple nature may be refreshing compared to moden cars, crashworthiness aside. Parts may be an issue given the newest ones are more than 15 years old. Fuel economy is very good, as you would expect, but range is appalling due to the tiny fuel tank. It may not be as big an issue in UK with its tradition of small sports cars but here in Australia, where most cars are "full size", people on the street may point and laugh at you given its diminutive stature.
I may sound like I don't like it much but in fact its many idiosyncracies give it a distinctive character, which can't be said for most cars, new or old. I would certainly rather drive it than some boring hot hatch, so long as passenger and boot space are not a priority (it has virtually none). In fact I am embarassed to say that some days I enjoy driving it more than my NSX.
Similarly to the poster above, I've owned a Beat for about 3 months although I haven't driven it in the last two due to being at uni. But his description is spot on. It's so loud on the motorways that you can't hear yourself think and the footrest for your left foot isn't great (I tend to keep it elsewhere which did on one occasion cause me to stamp on the brake instead of the clutch, fortunately without incident) so certainly not great for touring. As a town car, it's excellent with the only niggles being a throttle travel which seems to jump from 5%-20% instantly and t
ts who seem to think you can see through the front of their SUV (and Orange Seat Leons).
Can't really speak for reliability having owned it for such a short time but my impression is that apart from burning oil (mine is something of a chain smoker) they're pretty mechanically sound. The stereo system is also pretty damn good considering the car is actually older than me (it has a CD player, that's enough to keep me happy). Overall, it's been fairly good with my only major lamentation is the lack of opportunities to drive it (which isn't helped by the lack of boot space and rear seats).
ts who seem to think you can see through the front of their SUV (and Orange Seat Leons).Can't really speak for reliability having owned it for such a short time but my impression is that apart from burning oil (mine is something of a chain smoker) they're pretty mechanically sound. The stereo system is also pretty damn good considering the car is actually older than me (it has a CD player, that's enough to keep me happy). Overall, it's been fairly good with my only major lamentation is the lack of opportunities to drive it (which isn't helped by the lack of boot space and rear seats).
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