Today marks exactly 4 months since I bought the car. But ok ok, what's it like to drive, you ask?? Let me explain as best I can.
IT'S OVER 9000!!! Yea, the redline is 9k, and it sounds amazing. The car takes a while to warm up, but once you get that turbo spooling, it runs very smoothly and sounds like a little racecar. With only 63hp, I didn't expect it to be as fast as it is. There's a noticeable surge of power when the turbo comes on, but it's very smooth.
The handling and steering feel is what I love about this car the most. The MR2 was one of the best cars I've driven, but the Autozam's connection between driver and road is next-level. It's so light and nimble that you can dive into a corner at almost any speed, and just sort it out as you exit. I'm finding it tends to understeer a bit, but that might be caused by the insanely small tires, or that there isn't any weight up front.
You can't really tell by this photo, but the engine is way far forward. There's almost enough room for another engine behind it! This gives the feeling that most of the weight is around the driver.
The steering is interesting. From all the videos I've seen (from Best Motoring to Matt Farah's test drive) they've all talked about how touchy the steering is. It's not AS touchy as I expected, but very sharp, and there's a special "range" of immediate sharpness. If your steering wheel is straight forward, a turn about 15 degrees in either direction seems to be all you need to take 90% of the turns. That range is so precise and quick, too. Beyond that 15 degree range, it seems like a normal car.
How do you get in? Take one step in with your left leg, sit your butt on the seat, shimmy your left foot under the steering wheel, then lift your right foot over the door sill. It's easier than you'd think. It's a tiny car, but what I didn't expect was how compact all the controls are inside. The steering wheel touches your knees, and the center console surround piece where the shifter is touches the other side of your thigh.
The gas pedal is left of the center of the steering wheel, probably to make room for the right front tire, which means the pedals are very close together. It doesn't have enough room for a "rest pedal" to the left of the clutch, so you have to bring your foot back closer to you, which makes things interesting when you have to shift into 5th gear. I'll take a photo of this, but imagine putting the shift knob completely under your leg, behind your knee. That's 5th gear.
Driving on the highway back from Petone was no problem. It had plenty of power to get up to 100km/h (62mph) and felt very stable in whatever wind there was. I even rolled up the windows (you can reach the passenger-side roller without even leaning over much) and it all became quite peaceful inside. Shift knob under my knee was annoying, but I have some plans to change this soon. Overall, the Autozam AZ1 has exceeded my expectations, and I couldn't be happier. I'll give it a good clean this weekend and post more photos/videos.
Japan!
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