One clarification, the horsepower limit wasn't a legal requirement like all the rest are. It was simply a gentleman's agreement between manufacturers like they did with their sports cars around the same time
@@timothymclean It's a fine grocery runner! As long as we're talking about a singular grocery. Plural groceries is where it starts to run into problems.
If your car is light enough, 63hp feels like a lot more. And yeah, I am over 6.5 (2m), and I don't even fit in a current gen Mazda MX-5. Which is a lot bigger than this. Thanks for taking the pain to show us, Robert.
Yeah I love smaller cars like that. They feel so fun to drive without enough power to get you in trouble, as opposed to modern beasts where you hit over 100 by not paying attention for a few seconds on the freeway lol My dream project car would be an older miata or trying to trick out a geo metro 🤣
Toyota Aygo is a great example of a European Kei car, it's wider (useful) but has a similar length and enough height to make it useful, tiny boot lightweight body and only has a 67Hp 3 cylinder. It tops out at 98mph and will take a whole 14.6 seconds to hit 60. But man is it fun, It's basically as close to a road legal go-kart as you can get, whilst still being somewhat practical (I've had a mattress and a 50 inch TV in it before, albeit not at the same time) plus you can get like 60Mpg whilst driving at 80Mph all day
I guess the tall height allowance on _kei_ cars makes sense, since unlike length and width, if your car isn't as tall as the other vehicles around it, that doesn't free up space that anything else could be using. It does make for some pretty wacky-looking vehicles, though.
Living in Japan I haven't seen any kei cars that are actually that tall, but a lot of kei trucks with tall covers mounted in the bed for moving stuff like fridges and furniture around without them getting wet in the rain, so I wonder if the allowance is more for that.
@@KarlBaron Yeah, I probably should have said "vehicles" rather than "cars", because I had those in mind too, as well as tiny delivery vans and whatnot. I assume they're all under the same regulations.
If these cars were less hideously expensive and rare, I would totally have one. For now I'll just settle for my Geo Metro Convertible, though. The relationship analogy made me laugh! As always you have a real comedic talent for these things
I used to own a red 92 LSI car rusted out before the engine died in it the engine is still working to this day installed in an ultralight airplane Man i wish we got more of those inline 3s they were as indestructible as nissan hardbodies
I'd love to have one as well. It looks really good, has gull wing doors and is probably a lot of fun to drive. And I'd probably even fit in it quite well!
I have a Metro Convertible myself, and really hope to have some sort of Kei box in the fleet in the future. The Metro is deceptively roomy though (6’2 and 240 here), and every Kei I have been in is microscopic by comparison.
Jay Leno did an episode on one of these a few years back. The very knowledgeable owner is an automotive engineer who worked for a while in Japan and drove (and raced!) it there, then imported it here once it turned 25 and could be legally imported. Well worth watching.
I was waiting for 63 horses to appear during the introduction. Will you and Technology Connections go on a long road trip together in the AZ-1? It's actually a beautiful car.
Fitting 63 full-sized horses into a 148×340×200 cm box would be a more impressive feat of engineering than any keijidosha on the market. Especially if they survived.
Benefits of being short: A mate imported one from Japan, I had the chance to give it a go. It's tons of fun and despite being pretty heavy, I fit perfectly.
@@BokBarber There's videos around RU-vid of various people of various heights fitting in to the ABC cars (Autozam, Beat, Cappuccino) - plenty of people over 6ft fit ok so should be fine
@@BokBarber am 5'5 (am around 1.68m) and i fit almost perfectly well in a honda beat (a bit big for me), sadly they are rare here in europe so yeah i think you could fit very well in one begin 1.75
When I saw the title I assumed Autozam was an obscure Eastern Bloc manufacturer I'd never heard of. Instead it's an obscure Japanese manufacturer I'd never heard of!
How you fit completely depends on the proportions of your body. I'm 6'4" and own an AZ-1. I purchased it in Japan where it was my only car for over a year. I've since moved back to the US and brought it with me, and while it's not my primary vehicle, I still absolutely love driving it whenever I get the chance.
I'm also 6'2'' and I have a Honda Beat. I fit pretty tight but a quick release steering wheel made it way nicer to get in and out of. Visablity is great too, I have a hard top and no issues with head room. You should try to get your hands on one to take for a drive.
I think that this is the perfect car. For someone shorter and smaller of course, but yeah, there's never enough cheap insurable two-door sports cars that look cool.
I've dreamed of owning an AZ-1 ever since Gran Turismo 5's release, it was just so _cool_ in that game. Very bad, but _so cool._ I wouldn't have trouble fitting in one, but they are just way too expensive, so I'll probably never realize my dream, but at least I can still drive it in GT5.
AT 6'4, I have the same issue with leg fitment. Honda's always built for the home market, then buffed it out but 6'4 cuts a great deal of small cars out of the realm of enjoyability. Now I did have a 72 Toyota once that fit me just fine. Some of the older Toyota's, especially the 70's are some seriously nice cars for the era.
Yes, thank you Jacob for the loaner and allows us to THOROUGHLY enjoy another great video full of humor and quip from Robert! Fun times all around! More quotes than any iconic 80s movie! :)
I had a Daihatsu Cuore (Mira), which is also a Kei car. I am 1,89 m tall. It was perfectly comfortable and I even could sit in the back. Very well thought out car.
Cool little car (emphasis on the "little")! I wouldn't even try to get inside the AZ-1, as I cannot fit into a Miata (6'4"). As always, your sense of humor shines through. More videos, please!
I saw an old model MX-5 for the first time in the flesh recently and was amazed at how small and low it is. Actually looks good parked up, though it doesn't look as good driving around.
Pleaseeeee bring these back! Fell in love with your channel when this content was more “regular” I understand it’s limited and such so I appreciate the effort of these! Love it, can’t wait to see the bus too!
I feel your (leg) pain! I'm 6ft 6 and have owned several stupidly cramped cars including 2 Reliant Robins, a Toyota MR2, mk2 Fiesta and 1964 Wolseley 1500! I actually had to wedge a piece of foam between my right knee and the Reliant door release and had to release the handbrake on the MR2 before trying to get in as it would impale my left leg! It takes a certain skill to fold into a car built for people considerably smaller and press the correct pedals at the correct time. 🤣 Another great review!
I guess that's one benefit to being short, I never have legroom issues in smaller cars and fit on the backseats of most cramped cars because the back of my knees usually hug the seats I would love one of these if I could find one, there are plenty of imported JDM cars in europe but I haven't seen one of these (of course they are hideously rare so I doubt the price would be in my price range anyway)
I recently discovered this channel through the algorithm and instantly subscribed. I'm having a great time going through all the videos now, what a nice early Christmas gift! Cheers!
There's something so wonderfully appealing about tiny cars that look like a few guys could pick it up and throw it over a fence. Even though I'm sure it's too heavy for that it's still an adorably tiny car.
If anything, I'd go for the Suzuki Cappuccino. That modular convertible top plus the fact that you could probably fit better in it with the top on and being front engine RWD, makes it a traditional sports car.
I used to drive a Autozam Carol in Japan. It was a cute, almost beetle-esque car. My company leased out Daihatsu Mira's to most, but they had a few Carols. It was a pretty cute car, and the steering was definitely not assisted. Thanks for bringing back some memories. I hope, one day, you can get your hands on a Copen.
Thanks for the great video Robert!!!....I love those little cars and I probably wouldn't fit in that one either ( I'm 6'2 also ) ...as always, looking forward to more !
He doesn't get into the car, he puts it on like a piece of clothing. 🤣 I am about the maximum legal height for a Key car, and I felt the same as you did there when I tried to get into the passenger seat of a friend's Celica. 😅
Personally I'm more of a Suzuki Cappuccino or Honda Beat fan, but I will admit that the AZ-1 is an awesome looking little car! Also the fact that I'm 5' 8" makes it nice to know that if I ever get the chance to drive one, I know I'll fit!
If you slightly over-inflate the tires, does it exceed the dimensional limits? Neat little quirky car, as a daily commuter it would be fun. I can say that since I'm "only" about 5-foot 10-inches tall. And my hair brushed the headliner of a DeLorean DMC-12 when I got to sit in one at an auto show (pre _Back To The Future_ ).
Mine came with NA MX5 seats and then when we did the rebuild/modifications to it, Bride seats and a momo steering wheel from an open wheel race car. I’m 6’1 and fit. Just. But it’s not uncomfortable. You also need narrow shoes to comfortably drive it.
This reminds me that in the 1970's in Australia one could buy a tiny Mini-engined (transverse rear-engined) Gull-winged door sports car called a "Pellandini" My mate owned one, and offered me a drive, but at 6'4" I could NOT shut the door ! Always regretted that !
Thank you so much for covering this car. It's my dream car and I don't have enough information about whether or not I should get one. Also, I'm tiny. So it's perfect.
My dream car to have. Have been wanting to buy one ever since I used one to race in Gran Turismo as a child. But getting one in our to Europe is expensive.
Fun fact the spare tire was moved to the the shelf in the back from the space in front due to cabin intrusion in front end collisions so you don't even get the shelf
I’ve just bought a Honda CRX Del Sol two day’s ago and its a similar problem to get in because its compact and very very low! (1250mm to be precise which makes it exactly half a meter smaller than me) To be fair i wear a prosthetic leg which is also stiff so yeahhh doesn’t make it any easier… I’m currently thinking about a detachable steering wheel or just removing my foot every time I have to get in. But in return you get a really nice driving experience and due to its lack of weight, pretty good performance! Can’t wait for Wednesday when we pick it up!
This reminds me of the little sports car Smart made for the European market. Love these little Kei cars, wish they could sell some of them here. That would be a great weekend driver.
That's an absolutely ADORABLE shoe... I mean teeny-tiny car. I always wanted a gokart! And this makes all the right sounds. I wish kei cars were a thing in Europe...
That's a cool car! I like the way the outside mirrors look like a crab's eyes when the doors are up. I don't like the offset scoop in the front, though. I have a hangup about symmetry. Been called "quirky" more than a few times.
I'm 6'3", and my old 99 Camry (daughter's car now) hurt my right ankle and my legs on sustained driving. After switching to my RX300, I rarely have the ankle pain that I did with the Camry. It's especially noticeable when I drive her car now. I never realized how too big I was for it.
2:57-3:00 seeing Robert stand behind this car makes it look like one of those cars sold for kids at your local Walmart. But boy does it look fun to drive. If you can fit inside.
I remember visiting Kyoto and saw a regular Audi navigating one of the side streets and the thing was nearly scraping the opposite buildings with its width.
