Another fact, this is the last car that was personally approved by the Honda founder, Mr. Soichiro Honda before he died. Just like the F40 to Enzo's Ferrari.
Can we just appreciate the sheer fact that Doug was able to review not one, or two, but all three of the ABC's (AZ1, Beat and Capuccino). That's a feat in itself.
I mean Doug is the car reviewer who reviews exotics as well as those weird cars. Personally I love both types of his reviews. His exotic car videos is just as good as his quirky car videos, but also you learn a lot about cars from the late 20th century
@@drippgxd it depends on what type of exotic cars, the upcoming McLaren Artura would be more interesting than that bland Lamborghini V12 track car reviewed
@@Carlito_Brigante93 How is it not cool? The driving experience is probably great. With some upgrades it could be made a very fun road car, possibly even a track car.
MTREC = individual throttle body on each of the 3 cylinders. Honda played around with individual air-fuel ratios and was able to squeeze an extra 16hp out of the engine if you revved it all the way out.
I bought a Honda Beat 2 years ago after falling in love with it from Regularcars vid. This car is so so fun and slow! The false sensation of being fast by being tiny while hearing that engine screaming behind your ears, going through 1st 2nd 3rd 4th gear reving up past 5000 rpm to hit 50 mph traffic is such a blast! To be able to put the car to its fullest just commuting day to day to the store and to work with a 5 speed stick and a screaming engine is leagues more fun than having something like a 700 hp Hellcat Challenger that you can only tickle the gas when commuting on public roads without breaking the speed limit or risking lives and only take the car to its fullest in so few runs on a Drag strip. PS. Wheels in the FRONT are 13 inch and 14 inch in rear not all wheels are 13 inch. The Passenger Dome light is an OPTION. Mine doesn't have it The stock radio is so bloody cool looking and is a shame that it was removed from the car in the video but only gets Japanese radio bandwidth range instead of Europe / America range. Japan is 76-90 Mhz USA/EU is 88 to 108 Mhz Thankfully a prior owner added an AUX IN jack to mine :P Front bumper of the one in the video looked to have been for the Fog Light option but this one doesn't have fog lights so that bumper probably came from a different Beat, then again there is a aftermarket toggle switch I saw in the vid so perhaps there used to be an aftermarket set of fog lights?
Doug also mentioned the Honda S660... "Honda announced it will end production of the S660, a nimble two-seater convertible powered by a mid-mounted engine, in early 2022. It will send off the roadster with a limited-edition model named Modulo X Version Z. Released in April 2015 as a follow-up to the Beat, the S660 was developed primarily for the Japanese market, and it was designed to comply with the kei car regulations that give motorists several tax advantages. Honda has sold over 30,000 units of the S660 during the past six years, and it will make the last example in March 2022. Honda didn't shed light on why it's putting the S660 out to pasture, but the Japanese website Response unsurprisingly blamed the decision on ever-tighter regulations. Government officials in Japan are forcing carmakers towards electrification by enforcing strict fuel economy, emissions, and noise regulations. Adding automatic emergency braking to a car like the S660 is easier said than done, too. It's simpler for Honda to give the roadster the axe. This is a prime example of a phenomenon we've written about in the past: Electrification could mean the end of the kei car tradition." - Autoblog
I have a 1991 Honda Beat in Yellow that I imported from Japan. It took 93 days to get here to the port of Tacoma from Yokohama and the battery was dead. Had it jumped and it ran great for three weeks, then the timing chain jumped and some teeth got bent. It's out of commission now in my garage but those three weeks of driving it here in the Seattle area were the most fun times. The endless questions tho at every gas station and it only takes 20 bucks to fill the tank.
I work at a Honda store near West Palm Beach, FL and we have a red beat in our showroom. Every customer that comes in has questions about the car that most of us cannot answer, so this provided some good info to share to them- Thank you. The real question is- Are we getting an Acty review?👀
I could only imagine what some Americans are willing to pay. These cars where practically worthless prior to being US legal. I could have gotten one for $3-5k fully shipped to Canada before the ridiculous US market spiked anything "it's JDM bro" to the moon.
Awesome! Probably no Acty as these "weird car" videos only do well when they're about enthusiast or special cars like this one -- but I do really love the Acty!
Not many people know this but the S2000 was also designed by Pininfarina. Also the HPX concept that was mentioned is what Honda turned into the NSX. So essentially every RWD Honda (aside from the 60s ones) is designed by Pininfarina.
6:40 that red thing in the footwell is either a fire extinguisher or one of the standard issue flares that come on all JDM cars. Yes, OEM fitted flares and flare holders.
@@efftee + you'd be hard pressed to do a Copen review when you're based in the USA like Doug is. It wasn't sold there and IIRC the original Copen isn't quite 25 years old yet.
I own the successor to the Beat here in Japan: the S660. It's so impractical, and I absolutely love it. I hope Doug reviews it once Lane Motor Museum's own example returns from the EU.
@@notasian7620 supposedly one of the execs in Honda of America was thinking about it too when it was just released back in 2015 (just with a bigger 1.0l engine), and the engineering team of the S660 designed it from the get-go so that said bigger engine could easily be dropped in for a possible international release. Of course, that never happened. I can probably safely assume why too; the interior (and car in general) is just flat-out too small for anyone in the general public taller than 6ft (read: many Americans). Given how SUVs and pickup trucks roam everywhere in US, it probably would've been a PR nightmare for Honda of America to deal with all the sensationalist reports once the first fatal SUV x S660 accident happened. It's a moot point now anyway though, as the S660 is finally discontinued. Production finally ended 4 days ago as of now, in fact.
@@tibitekutan you might be surprised but in the U.S. population, about 14.5% of all men are six feet or over. Also if you think the beat or S660 are small you should look up the Ligier cars.
@@Tony_Airlines Oh hey! I hope Mr. R gets to review it as well haha. Also there are limited quantity special edition versions of the S660 released at least, such as the Mugen RA and Concept Edition. Maybe they can be brought over via Show & Display.
I LOVE my Honda Beat! I was very lucky to have found #183 still in excellent condition and with just about every special option that Honda offered including the 20th Anniversary Gathers Sound System, optional map lights, center subwoofer and frunk storage case. These cars have a very strong following in Japan to this day! You are absolutely right Doug this does turn heads! Even at Cars and Coffee surrounded by millions of dollars of Ferraris and Lambos this baby NSX can still draw in a crowd! Thanks for doing this review and bringing the Beat to the US!
Gotta sell the car on his website. Also no mention of the giant hole under the AC controls, doubt it would happen if it wasn't a car up for sale on CnBs
Beats are great. Depending on if the tops are on or down/stored, they're either the most or second-most practical of the ABCC group as far as storage goes. You can almost get a fridge pack of soda in the tiny trunk (unless you had the CD changer option which took up some of your space). I usually prefer to unlatch the roof before unzipping the window to reduce tension on the zipper and make it easier to zip. Overlooked here are the facts that the front wheels are an inch smaller than the rears (because that's "sporty") and that the fuel filler lid is opened by pulling a knob inside the driver's door sill. Most engine maintenance other than air filters and oil changes involve removing a large panel behind the passenger seat. Being Hondas they're pretty reliable but they do have some common issues, mostly the distributor bearing failing (common to other '80s and '90s Hondas) and cam belt breakage (both usually due to age and/or neglect). ECU capacitor leakage is also a mid-'90s Honda issue that the Beats tend to suffer from, so be sure to check for it before it gets bad. The OE radiators also tend to degrade and should be inspected and/or replaced but there are good aftermarket aluminum ones that you may want to upgrade to anyway. The model displayed here looks pretty rough: its optional fog lights have been removed, the passenger area light looks broken, the Beat-specific radio is gone, the rear bumper's missing some inner trim, the driver's seat is missing the seatbelt guide, and I'm sure there's other stuff. Unless there's a service history with receipts I'd probably factor in at least $3k in mandatory service (including timing belt). But hey at least it has the alloy wheels. If you're in the States you can wait another couple years and instead get a version F or version Z model (the special variants of the Beat, including special paint and other features such as LSD).
What “I-am-gonna-talk-about-it-without-researching-it Doug” missed is that MTREC means the Beat has individual throttle bodies for each cylinder. It was Honda’s solution to not turbocharging it. In any event,Kei regulations meant it could not make more than 63 hp.
I knew a guy in the neighborhood (EU) who had a yellow one and crammed a turbo in it. making over 100 hp. Then blew up the engine, last thing I head (+5 years ago, and then I moved) he was trying to but a CBR engine in it, from a 600RR I think. So yeah absolute mental.
I imagine basically every viewer here knows the Beat. After all, it's part of the famous ABC: Autozam AZ-1, Honda Beat, Suzuki Cappucino. A car dealer I know has a Suzuki Cappucino in his showroom. Not to sell, but just because he likes it so much. Mind you, this is in the Netherlands, where everyone is very tall. Apparently most customers who saw the Cappucino over the years thought it was actually one of those pedal powered kids cars, not an actual vehicle :D
One of those little things I absolutely love is that he always gives the equivalent measurement in the metric system As a European I thank you doug demuro
19:12 Ayo Doug, we haven’t forgotten about it and we’re still waiting for the Renault Sport Clio V6 review that you filmed last year, when the hell is it coming??? We got the C6, Multipla and XL1 reviews that you filmed at the same time in that museum, so where’s the little murder hatchback???
That's why he started Cars & Bids. He figured he might as well make some money selling the cars in the vids. Many of these vids now are just ads for used cars.
@@Mamo878 The reason he started Cars & Bids was so that he would have a revenue stream that is separate from his UA-cam channel. Like any other UA-camr, there is just no guarantee that he will be able to monetize these videos in 5, 10, or 15 years. He realized after starting it that it might give him a unique opportunity to review some interesting cars, and so if he can make it work he will do that on occasion. It certainly doesn't hurt the seller to have their car reviewed by Doug DeMuro himself.
@@megachonk9440 "The reason", is many things including whag both of you said. It's very smart. Review quirky desired cars and sell cars. It's a good way to get a lot of views on a car that's not necessarily desired by a large portion of even car people.
Saw one of these for sale for 9k with 52k miles. I would definitely slap a turbo on that thing, and upgrade the engine and transmission as much as possible. Get it at 250 or 300 hp psh that's perfect for that little thing.
6:30 The glove box will be that size because there'll be something behind the fascia next to it, probably part of the ventilation system. That's a map light, that'll double as illumination for the glove box, surprised if there wasn't also a light on the windscreen frame though.
As a Beat owner I recognize Doug is just trying to get the basic knowledge out there that this car exists and its cool. I don’t expect him to have time to research every single fact about it like an owner or enthusiast would. Good overall review. I will say the Beat is basically a baby NSX and not a baby 2000. Mid engine, rear wheel drive two seater. Nuff said. Lol. 👍
its totally the mr-2 spyder's gramps. no storage? check. low power? check. convertible? check. lightweight? check. small? check. staggered tire sizes? check. few people bought them after the first couple years? check.
This is exactly why I bought one. I dreamed of a 91+ NSX since childhood. Great commuter. I want to swap the engine eventually. I think even single cam D series would provide good enough power for highway use.
Congratulations on becoming a dad, Doug! But I'm disappointed you missed a dad joke moment at 2:33 where you should've called the door opener a "fingerele" instead of a "handle". And thanks for reviewing this cute little car. Hopefully I'll get to test-drive the ABC kei-sportscars and the Daihatsu Copen someday. And you should've included the engine note-check part as well! 😭
I am amazed yet again that Doug has folded himself into a car, that can fit in some Cereal Boxes. Doug - do you have a body-sized trim tool remover, that you use to get yourself in and out of these things?? 🤣
With cars that sit low (sports cars, supercars) or don't look like there's enough space for a person of above average height, your ass goes first into the car. Then your legs, then everything else.
Doug really kind of missed one of the best features of the Beat: you can wind the engine out to 9000 RPM. I do it all the time with my Beat. Yeah the redline is 8,500 (!) but the limiter does not cut in until after 9000. It sounds like a little Formula 1 engine screaming right behind your head.
Growing up in Japan, my dad wanted this so bad that we went to take a look at the dealer and he would study the catalogue for days. It wasnt ideal for a family so he didnt buy it but its somewhat my childhood car
@@eddiejr3934 name it after your dad I bought my dream car and named it after my best friend because he had recently passed. We used to drool over Nissan GTRs when we were younger, but family life and obligations got in the way. Or, if he's still with us, buy him one! They're pretty affordable.
LOVE all the recent videos featuring weird / older cars. Stuff like this is what I care about the most on this channel so please keep doing the classics and quirky cars of yesteryear!
@@drippgxd I never made the assumption you were. Neither am I. I just love cars in general. As I said previously, I agree that most Americans won't know what this car is. But a lot of car people will. Hands my original statement still stands.
Great to have original wheels, but judging from the condition of the tires at 14:06, it almost looks like those are original too! I'm surprised that tires so deteriorated have so much tread on them. In fact, I wonder how much that affects Doug's subjective opinion of the handling characteristics versus the A and C.
@@jamesengland7461yeah a funnier reference would be the Chevy 305 or the 302 small block fords in the 70s and 80s, engines with almost 4.5 liters more displacement but only 40 more hp
I’ve one here in the UK. Had it around 12 years. It’s fantastic! Not a sprinter for sure but cornering is amazing. I’ve 2 other Hondas and unaware of any Beat steering issues. The Beat’s wheels as standard have 1 inch smaller ones at the front. There was an option of a storage container fitting inside its spare wheel plus a rack on the boot. (trunk) Stereos could be upgraded adding 6 dash speakers and a CD auto changer in the boot. (I have these) Japanese radio frequencies are different to others so won’t function correctly without an extender. You could add a sub woofer option in the centre storage thing. Did you find its fuel filler release? I saw it in the vid. Speed is km/hr, dials etc in English and warning labels in Japanese. If I provided all the keys for friends etc to take, pretty sure the Beat would be the most popular.
These types of cars are better than modern performance cars becuase they give you that sensation of speed without actually having to go 150mph+. It essentially means that you can feel like your speeding without actually having to speed and worry about getting pulled over and receiving get a huge ticket
That little Honda looks like something you would buy at Walmart for your kids to drive around in the front yard looks like it would be a blast on the curves my little '87 Mr2 would look like a land yacht right next to that one 😅
I work at Honda building the accords,TLX,ILX,CR-V. I would love to own this thing. Hahahaha. Thing is hilariously odd and funky. Idk if I would really want to modify it to try and make it go quick. Or leave it alone just because of the oddity and cool factor of it. Hahahaha. Amazing.
It's silly of me to give a critique of someone with so many followers and fans but , something has happened doug in the last few videos. He seems reinvigorated.Great video. Well done.
I looked at one of these when I was in the market 2 years ago. I ended up getting the Cappuccino. I found it to be just a better overall roadster/sportscar.
ABC. Wonderful that Doug found that quirk. I love tiny cars like this, but you have to rev the engine a lot to keep up with traffic, or to drive at highway speeds. Electric cars don't have that disadvantage. I hope tiny cars like this will make a comeback in electric version.
Since he didn't get into it, MTREC is their system for the individual throttle bodies (ITBs). It has ITBs, and the MTREC system changes the air/fuel ratio per cylinder throughout the rev range to make it run smoothly, since 3 cyl engines do not want to run smoothly.
When I was 19 or so back in the 90s I knew this massive Iranian that spent his life doing only 4 things; working out, selling pills, chasing skanks, and cruising around in his Honda Beat. It was fucking hilarious.
I imagine a future where we get back to these kinds of amazing unique designs, but with electric motors and none of the limitations of designing around engines and their exhaust/drive trains.
Except we now have the extra burdens of safety regulations which require airbags, crumple zones, rollover protection (hence the smaller windows in modern cars), rear camera, ABS, and so on. Not to mention the battery pack for the electric motors is going to add at least 1,000 lbs to the weight of the car, making it 66% heavier.
@@noseboop4354 it’ll only get lighter more compact as technology progresses. I wouldn’t discount a compact battery pack in the near future with the same yield as the big cells we have now
I guess another quirk of this car is the mismatched wheel/tire sizes. Rear wheels are 165/65R14, front are 155/65R13 This also means only half of the wheels are 13 inches.
I will forever be indebted to you 😇 i was able to build a big income stream investing with Mrs Natalia Watson , you've changed my whole life, Thanks so much.
I have traded with a lot of individuals but I have never come across anyone as good as Mrs Natalia Watson, just by applying her strategies I now trade independently. she is the best I'd advise any novice in investing to trade with her.
Amazing I also just started trading with Mrs Natalia Watson, she is the best at what she does with an initial investment of $1400 i made up to $5230 in just a week of trading with her, her strategies are mind blowing
Another fact, this is the last car that was personally approved by the Honda founder, Mr. Soichiro Honda before he died. Just like the F40 to Enzo's Ferrari.
Wow...thanks for that fun fact. I always thought that the NSX was the last model that Mr. Honda personally approved.
If two of these race would you call it a beat off?
@@BabyJesus66 😂🤣
@@BabyJesus66 🤣🤣🤣
@@BabyJesus66 you beat me to it mang
Can we just appreciate the sheer fact that Doug was able to review not one, or two, but all three of the ABC's (AZ1, Beat and Capuccino). That's a feat in itself.
I was thinking the same thing when I saw this video uploaded.
@@erorufurakku6378 What makes the Copen interesting is that it was sold here in the U.K. with a 1.3 litre engine.
Copen and Alto Works are great K-cars imo.
@@MrDuncl in Germany as well!
can we?
The cars Doug's been reviewing recently are so much more interesting than brand new supercars and hypercars.
He knows that
I mean Doug is the car reviewer who reviews exotics as well as those weird cars. Personally I love both types of his reviews. His exotic car videos is just as good as his quirky car videos, but also you learn a lot about cars from the late 20th century
@@drippgxd it depends on what type of exotic cars, the upcoming McLaren Artura would be more interesting than that bland Lamborghini V12 track car reviewed
Hypercars/supercars are overrated
@@DonBienveRosario15 you can’t get too excited about something you’ll never own
We have a Honda Beat here in Japan. Very fun car to drive, like a big go cart
Honda beat is from Japan just that people are trying to import them outside Japan now since the import rules have changed but expensive to do these
Don’t you have a Ryan Cooper to beat somewhere, Ryo?
I have a yellow Beat here in the US. It's awesome with the ITB's. Feels quick even with such little power.
Legend
@@PDXCustomPCS what size are the tires on that thing?
It’s pretty much a street legal go kart. I neeeeeeed
You could probably make yourself one by fitting body panels to an actual Go-kart
@@amg863 i agree
I neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed
Anyone who's played a Gran Turismo game knows what the Honda Beat is. Such a cool and iconic car!
tokyo Xtreme racer Zero also lol
Gran Turismo since the beginning (I was 7) and I saw the Honda Beat. Already love the car.
Hell yeah
Yes we know, definitely not cool though 😂
@@Carlito_Brigante93
How is it not cool? The driving experience is probably great. With some upgrades it could be made a very fun road car, possibly even a track car.
MTREC = individual throttle body on each of the 3 cylinders. Honda played around with individual air-fuel ratios and was able to squeeze an extra 16hp out of the engine if you revved it all the way out.
oh what? that's awesome it has little itb's.
Sounds like a motorcycle engine.
MTREC is to Honda what TVIS was to Toyota. Although I say that and Honda had other variable intake runner systems in other engines..
Lol all these kids with "knowledge" trying to prove something
@@smalldenergy5139 It was an interesting information for me. He clarified, rather than proved something. Your post is unnecessary criticising
I bought a Honda Beat 2 years ago after falling in love with it from Regularcars vid.
This car is so so fun and slow! The false sensation of being fast by being tiny while hearing that engine screaming behind your ears, going through 1st 2nd 3rd 4th gear reving up past 5000 rpm to hit 50 mph traffic is such a blast!
To be able to put the car to its fullest just commuting day to day to the store and to work with a 5 speed stick and a screaming engine is leagues more fun than having something like a 700 hp Hellcat Challenger that you can only tickle the gas when commuting on public roads without breaking the speed limit or risking lives and only take the car to its fullest in so few runs on a Drag strip.
PS. Wheels in the FRONT are 13 inch and 14 inch in rear not all wheels are 13 inch.
The Passenger Dome light is an OPTION. Mine doesn't have it
The stock radio is so bloody cool looking and is a shame that it was removed from the car in the video but only gets Japanese radio bandwidth range instead of Europe / America range. Japan is 76-90 Mhz USA/EU is 88 to 108 Mhz Thankfully a prior owner added an AUX IN jack to mine :P
Front bumper of the one in the video looked to have been for the Fog Light option but this one doesn't have fog lights so that bumper probably came from a different Beat, then again there is a aftermarket toggle switch I saw in the vid so perhaps there used to be an aftermarket set of fog lights?
I bet going 60mph in it felt like going 120mph!
I wish you had also owned a Suzuki Cappucinno so that we could compare the two....
Thanks for sharing your most embarrassing story
Some might feel inclined to roast you, but this is actually really sweet! Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm with us. 😁✨
@@rexthesheep feeling the thrill of putting a slow car to its fullest is part of the reason Miata's are so popular lol
As a Japanese fan I'm happy that Doug has completed the reviews of the legendary ABC trio. Probably the first non-Japanese UA-camr to do so
Regular Car Reviews did all three some time back. It is what motivated me to buy my Beat.
@@chadm1346how's the experience so far?
Doug also mentioned the Honda S660...
"Honda announced it will end production of the S660, a nimble two-seater convertible powered by a mid-mounted engine, in early 2022. It will send off the roadster with a limited-edition model named Modulo X Version Z. Released in April 2015 as a follow-up to the Beat, the S660 was developed primarily for the Japanese market, and it was designed to comply with the kei car regulations that give motorists several tax advantages. Honda has sold over 30,000 units of the S660 during the past six years, and it will make the last example in March 2022.
Honda didn't shed light on why it's putting the S660 out to pasture, but the Japanese website Response unsurprisingly blamed the decision on ever-tighter regulations. Government officials in Japan are forcing carmakers towards electrification by enforcing strict fuel economy, emissions, and noise regulations. Adding automatic emergency braking to a car like the S660 is easier said than done, too. It's simpler for Honda to give the roadster the axe. This is a prime example of a phenomenon we've written about in the past: Electrification could mean the end of the kei car tradition." - Autoblog
I have a 1991 Honda Beat in Yellow that I imported from Japan. It took 93 days to get here to the port of Tacoma from Yokohama and the battery was dead. Had it jumped and it ran great for three weeks, then the timing chain jumped and some teeth got bent. It's out of commission now in my garage but those three weeks of driving it here in the Seattle area were the most fun times. The endless questions tho at every gas station and it only takes 20 bucks to fill the tank.
Amazing story. Is it possible to have it repaired?
Could be a good candidate to swap the engine for a more powerful motorcycle engine! If you ever decide to sell it let me know please
Same. I love collecting, driving, and working on WIERD vehicles. Pm me if you ever wanna sell.
$30 now ;-)
Has a belt
I work at a Honda store near West Palm Beach, FL and we have a red beat in our showroom. Every customer that comes in has questions about the car that most of us cannot answer, so this provided some good info to share to them- Thank you. The real question is- Are we getting an Acty review?👀
i’m in the area i’d love to see it in person, which location?
I could only imagine what some Americans are willing to pay. These cars where practically worthless prior to being US legal. I could have gotten one for $3-5k fully shipped to Canada before the ridiculous US market spiked anything "it's JDM bro" to the moon.
@@coreygalore Ed Morse
as long as you don't acty up, Papa Quirk might give you a review allowance.
Awesome! Probably no Acty as these "weird car" videos only do well when they're about enthusiast or special cars like this one -- but I do really love the Acty!
Not many people know this but the S2000 was also designed by Pininfarina. Also the HPX concept that was mentioned is what Honda turned into the NSX. So essentially every RWD Honda (aside from the 60s ones) is designed by Pininfarina.
Who designed the Honda Del Sol? That was my first car
Fun fact: the S660 , successor of the Beat, has even less trunk space.
No shit?
@@SudeennnSam It ain't obvious. You expect that a newer car will be better basically everywhere compared to an older car
6:40 that red thing in the footwell is either a fire extinguisher or one of the standard issue flares that come on all JDM cars. Yes, OEM fitted flares and flare holders.
Doug has finally reviewed the ABC of kei cars, congrats, a truly amazing feat
The question is will he review the Pike Cars of Nissan
He's yet to do the daihatsu copen or honda s660
@@efftee A-z1 B-eat C-appuccino A-B-C
@@efftee + you'd be hard pressed to do a Copen review when you're based in the USA like Doug is. It wasn't sold there and IIRC the original Copen isn't quite 25 years old yet.
@@1985toyotacamry three more to go lmao
I own the successor to the Beat here in Japan: the S660. It's so impractical, and I absolutely love it. I hope Doug reviews it once Lane Motor Museum's own example returns from the EU.
The s660 is beautiful wish we could get them in the states
@@notasian7620 supposedly one of the execs in Honda of America was thinking about it too when it was just released back in 2015 (just with a bigger 1.0l engine), and the engineering team of the S660 designed it from the get-go so that said bigger engine could easily be dropped in for a possible international release.
Of course, that never happened. I can probably safely assume why too; the interior (and car in general) is just flat-out too small for anyone in the general public taller than 6ft (read: many Americans). Given how SUVs and pickup trucks roam everywhere in US, it probably would've been a PR nightmare for Honda of America to deal with all the sensationalist reports once the first fatal SUV x S660 accident happened.
It's a moot point now anyway though, as the S660 is finally discontinued. Production finally ended 4 days ago as of now, in fact.
@@tibitekutan you might be surprised but in the U.S. population, about 14.5% of all men are six feet or over.
Also if you think the beat or S660 are small you should look up the Ligier cars.
We won't get them here in the U.S until the year 2040 😭
@@Tony_Airlines Oh hey! I hope Mr. R gets to review it as well haha.
Also there are limited quantity special edition versions of the S660 released at least, such as the Mugen RA and Concept Edition. Maybe they can be brought over via Show & Display.
I LOVE my Honda Beat! I was very lucky to have found #183 still in excellent condition and with just about every special option that Honda offered including the 20th Anniversary Gathers Sound System, optional map lights, center subwoofer and frunk storage case.
These cars have a very strong following in Japan to this day!
You are absolutely right Doug this does turn heads! Even at Cars and Coffee surrounded by millions of dollars of Ferraris and Lambos this baby NSX can still draw in a crowd! Thanks for doing this review and bringing the Beat to the US!
Doug DeMuro, the kind of guy who has "always wanted to drive one of these!" since he was a newborn, for every car he's ever seen.
One of these came through the drive through when I worked at McDonalds. They're so cool, had a great little chat with the owner while he waited!
7:15 Doug is slick at mentioning the inoperable AC 👍
Can't image how much Hp would have been sapped out of the engine when engaged.
Gotta sell the car on his website. Also no mention of the giant hole under the AC controls, doubt it would happen if it wasn't a car up for sale on CnBs
Or the “13 inch wheels” that are clearly
14”ers if you watch the video closely @14:30 or so.
@@ReidTHVx looks like the radio got californiaed
Doug also missed the fact the wheels are factory staggered: 13” front but 14” rear.
You can see it when you really look at it. I didnt pay attention till i seen your comment and it's noticeable.
Insert meme of Leonardo DiCaprio holding a beer can and pointing at the TV.
The contribution of Japan to automotive advancements is insanely huge, even when it comes to quirky cars xD
Especially when it comes to quirky cars
Doug's *"Nissan S-Cargo* _(a pun on french word Escargot for snail)"_ entered the chat :)
As someone once said about the Japanese: "The best damn Germans ever invented".
Not very much
Beats are great. Depending on if the tops are on or down/stored, they're either the most or second-most practical of the ABCC group as far as storage goes. You can almost get a fridge pack of soda in the tiny trunk (unless you had the CD changer option which took up some of your space). I usually prefer to unlatch the roof before unzipping the window to reduce tension on the zipper and make it easier to zip. Overlooked here are the facts that the front wheels are an inch smaller than the rears (because that's "sporty") and that the fuel filler lid is opened by pulling a knob inside the driver's door sill. Most engine maintenance other than air filters and oil changes involve removing a large panel behind the passenger seat.
Being Hondas they're pretty reliable but they do have some common issues, mostly the distributor bearing failing (common to other '80s and '90s Hondas) and cam belt breakage (both usually due to age and/or neglect). ECU capacitor leakage is also a mid-'90s Honda issue that the Beats tend to suffer from, so be sure to check for it before it gets bad. The OE radiators also tend to degrade and should be inspected and/or replaced but there are good aftermarket aluminum ones that you may want to upgrade to anyway.
The model displayed here looks pretty rough: its optional fog lights have been removed, the passenger area light looks broken, the Beat-specific radio is gone, the rear bumper's missing some inner trim, the driver's seat is missing the seatbelt guide, and I'm sure there's other stuff. Unless there's a service history with receipts I'd probably factor in at least $3k in mandatory service (including timing belt). But hey at least it has the alloy wheels. If you're in the States you can wait another couple years and instead get a version F or version Z model (the special variants of the Beat, including special paint and other features such as LSD).
Doug is still the quirkiest thing in the video and i love it.
Doug doesnt skip a beat with amazing reviews.
The finger thing was crazy
Doug’s reviews are definitely a 11/10
Ba-Duh-bump...
He needs to do the Chevy Beat next 😂
0:01 intro
1:00 quirks and features
3:39 Interior
9:26 boot and engine
14:04 exterior
17:17 driving
21:48 conclusion
Ty
You forgot cars and bids.
@@felicia4382 go away
@@xxxsuperxxx6938 Bye, Felicia! 😆
14:00 13inch when tire says 165/65 R14
The beat is the very last car designed/approved by Soichiro Honda, the founder of Honda, before his death
That’s a cool quirk
RIP
Top Dead Centre just bought one of these to mod. Looks amazing and I now want one.
Fun Fact: We also have Honda Beat in Indonesia, but it's not a Car. It's a scooter matic by Honda.
I love these unique car videos!! Keep doing these type of cars!
That is what Doug is known for so he won't stop anytime soon thankfully.
@Ben 🅥 boi that’s amsr birds boi what is you doin!!!
MTREC is their marketing jargon for the system of individual throttle bodies
What “I-am-gonna-talk-about-it-without-researching-it Doug” missed is that MTREC means the Beat has individual throttle bodies for each cylinder. It was Honda’s solution to not turbocharging it. In any event,Kei regulations meant it could not make more than 63 hp.
I didn't look it up or know prior, but just based off the acronym I could guess that it meant ITBs
he’s such a dummy. this is my favorite car of all time
@@bradshephard2177 exactly
I knew a guy in the neighborhood (EU) who had a yellow one and crammed a turbo in it. making over 100 hp.
Then blew up the engine, last thing I head (+5 years ago, and then I moved) he was trying to but a CBR engine in it, from a 600RR I think.
So yeah absolute mental.
I wonder if you could drop a turbo in this car now.... and what type of performance it would get....
Based on the naming, I imagine the MTREC system refers to individual throttle bodies, which does make an engine more responsive.
There is a Honda beat that comes to our local cars and coffee in oklahoma. Cool little car!
I imagine basically every viewer here knows the Beat. After all, it's part of the famous ABC: Autozam AZ-1, Honda Beat, Suzuki Cappucino.
A car dealer I know has a Suzuki Cappucino in his showroom. Not to sell, but just because he likes it so much. Mind you, this is in the Netherlands, where everyone is very tall. Apparently most customers who saw the Cappucino over the years thought it was actually one of those pedal powered kids cars, not an actual vehicle :D
wish I had one as a kid lol
SWEEET! Next I want to see a Honda City turbo but you have to review and drive the moped too. 😂
Yes, that would be awesome! Coffee-spitting awesome!
@@jamesengland7461 does the moped get a separate Doug score? 🤔😂
It’s only a matter of time before Doug reviews a Peel P50
We've GOT to get this man a Sinclair C5.
This car reminds me of Gran Turismo 4, it is so cute and really fun to race with it!
One of those little things I absolutely love is that he always gives the equivalent measurement in the metric system
As a European I thank you doug demuro
19:12 Ayo Doug, we haven’t forgotten about it and we’re still waiting for the Renault Sport Clio V6 review that you filmed last year, when the hell is it coming???
We got the C6, Multipla and XL1 reviews that you filmed at the same time in that museum, so where’s the little murder hatchback???
Let’s be honest, we all knew this thing was gonna be up for sale as soon as Doug mentioned it
That's why he started Cars & Bids. He figured he might as well make some money selling the cars in the vids. Many of these vids now are just ads for used cars.
@@Mamo878 The reason he started Cars & Bids was so that he would have a revenue stream that is separate from his UA-cam channel. Like any other UA-camr, there is just no guarantee that he will be able to monetize these videos in 5, 10, or 15 years. He realized after starting it that it might give him a unique opportunity to review some interesting cars, and so if he can make it work he will do that on occasion. It certainly doesn't hurt the seller to have their car reviewed by Doug DeMuro himself.
@@megachonk9440
"The reason", is many things including whag both of you said. It's very smart. Review quirky desired cars and sell cars. It's a good way to get a lot of views on a car that's not necessarily desired by a large portion of even car people.
@@Sheridantank Which I approve of because I love the quirky cars
He reviewed that car on the same day as that Suzuki
Doug I wish you still have your Hummer. I would've loved to see a side by side comparison of a full size American SUV and a kei car
Check out his Hummer vs original Mini video. The original Mini was very close to a Kei car (actually shorter) but had a bigger 4 cylinder engine.
Saw one of these for sale for 9k with 52k miles. I would definitely slap a turbo on that thing, and upgrade the engine and transmission as much as possible. Get it at 250 or 300 hp psh that's perfect for that little thing.
That thing would be a beautiful death trap… and I’m totally about it😂. That would be so sick. 300hp in this little thing would be such a thrill!
6:30 The glove box will be that size because there'll be something behind the fascia next to it, probably part of the ventilation system. That's a map light, that'll double as illumination for the glove box, surprised if there wasn't also a light on the windscreen frame though.
As a Beat owner I recognize Doug is just trying to get the basic knowledge out there that this car exists and its cool. I don’t expect him to have time to research every single fact about it like an owner or enthusiast would. Good overall review. I will say the Beat is basically a baby NSX and not a baby 2000. Mid engine, rear wheel drive two seater. Nuff said. Lol. 👍
Its more of an nsx with fetal alcohol syndrome
@@kaner12341 I’m dying. 🤣🤣🤣
its totally the mr-2 spyder's gramps. no storage? check.
low power? check.
convertible? check.
lightweight? check.
small? check.
staggered tire sizes? check.
few people bought them after the first couple years? check.
This is exactly why I bought one. I dreamed of a 91+ NSX since childhood. Great commuter. I want to swap the engine eventually. I think even single cam D series would provide good enough power for highway use.
literally half the engine too
I've always loved these, wish i could have bought one. Playing with them in gran Turismo 4 was a treat
That's sick. Can't wait for the Miura review!
Me toooo
@@mr.pootis2472 Me three.
@@brianlee9233 me four
Congratulations on becoming a dad, Doug! But I'm disappointed you missed a dad joke moment at 2:33 where you should've called the door opener a "fingerele" instead of a "handle". And thanks for reviewing this cute little car. Hopefully I'll get to test-drive the ABC kei-sportscars and the Daihatsu Copen someday. And you should've included the engine note-check part as well! 😭
I am amazed yet again that Doug has folded himself into a car, that can fit in some Cereal Boxes.
Doug - do you have a body-sized trim tool remover, that you use to get yourself in and out of these things?? 🤣
With cars that sit low (sports cars, supercars) or don't look like there's enough space for a person of above average height, your ass goes first into the car. Then your legs, then everything else.
It was amusing seeing most of Doug stood behind it. With some of the American pickups and SUVs all you can see is a small head in the distance.
Would love to try one on some of my favorite narrow, twisty roads were maximum speed doesn't matter!
Doug the type of guy who play his UA-cam videos at his wedding。
Great video, Doug, as always. "Gilmore Girls" fan? It's cool, most car guys are LOL I rock the Luke's Diner shirt too. 👍
Doug has never changed..... His every video starts with "this" with a perfect hand gesture.... His a True legend
I imagine "Deja Vu" playing all the time when you drive this thing to it's limits in normal traffic :-D
Doug really kind of missed one of the best features of the Beat: you can wind the engine out to 9000 RPM. I do it all the time with my Beat. Yeah the redline is 8,500 (!) but the limiter does not cut in until after 9000. It sounds like a little Formula 1 engine screaming right behind your head.
Growing up in Japan, my dad wanted this so bad that we went to take a look at the dealer and he would study the catalogue for days. It wasnt ideal for a family so he didnt buy it but its somewhat my childhood car
You should get this car in memory of your dad 😭
@@eddiejr3934 name it after your dad
I bought my dream car and named it after my best friend because he had recently passed.
We used to drool over Nissan GTRs when we were younger, but family life and obligations got in the way.
Or, if he's still with us, buy him one! They're pretty affordable.
@@eddiejr3934 he’s very much alive 🤣🤣
LOVE all the recent videos featuring weird / older cars. Stuff like this is what I care about the most on this channel so please keep doing the classics and quirky cars of yesteryear!
Tying reviews with the auction site is a stroke of genius. Doug gonna be rich AF! Deservedly.
Doug, please review the smart roadster, its a 790kg 62hp - 101hp lightweigt turbo 3 with unique styling and great handling
63hp for that size of an engine is pretty impressive, it only 10hp shy of my old 1.4 4 cylinder ford fiesta which was my first car
Every car person when they see Doug claiming we didn't know about an odd car: "Yes, I do. Don't insult me."
I mean most Americans don’t know what that car is unless you’re a JDM fanboy 😬 ☠️
@@drippgxd I'll meet you half way on your statement. Most Americans? Sure. Only JDM fan boys? Nope.
@@JRacerActual I’m not a jdm fanboy (god forbid) but I know what that car is
@@drippgxd I never made the assumption you were. Neither am I. I just love cars in general. As I said previously, I agree that most Americans won't know what this car is. But a lot of car people will. Hands my original statement still stands.
2:30 "you can put one or two fingers and open the door"
HAHAHAHAHAHA
Oh Doug, when you will post your review on the Clio V6!? Can't wait haha that must be a fun experience to review such brutal car
He said that it will come out around this summer.
Doug! Your videos have been so good lately, I’m really liking the latest choice of vehicles 🙂
Would love to see Doug review a Honda CRX. Possibly an si. Probably next to impossible to find one still road worthy.
There is one which gets parked less than half a mile from here on the way to the shops. One of 186 roadworthy ones left in the U.K. !
Now we want him to review that honda accord from 90's
My grandfather has a 92 with a stick.
Be sure to open the door with a "come here" motion. 2:39
That Mtrec System is A Triple individual Throttle body system Pretty Cool For a car like This 👍
Great to have original wheels, but judging from the condition of the tires at 14:06, it almost looks like those are original too! I'm surprised that tires so deteriorated have so much tread on them.
In fact, I wonder how much that affects Doug's subjective opinion of the handling characteristics versus the A and C.
I might be wrong, but the DOT serial at 15:06 look like YYY0906 to me, which would mean the tire was manufactured in early March 2006
@@hashico Still plenty of time for the tyres to dry-rot, which they have
Honestly 60 odd hp is really impressive for an engine that tiny, the Chevy chevette couldn’t make that much with a much bigger motor
Exactly N/A too but the honda motorcycles of that same era were changing the world people just forget honda makes the greatest engines of all time imo
Chevette? Odd reference. Chevette didn't even try. Anything.
@@jamesengland7461yeah a funnier reference would be the Chevy 305 or the 302 small block fords in the 70s and 80s, engines with almost 4.5 liters more displacement but only 40 more hp
Does this mean the honda beat uses a Door Fingle instead of a Door Handle?
This is my dream car right here.
I’ve one here in the UK. Had it around 12 years. It’s fantastic! Not a sprinter for sure but cornering is amazing. I’ve 2 other Hondas and unaware of any Beat steering issues. The Beat’s wheels as standard have 1 inch smaller ones at the front. There was an option of a storage container fitting inside its spare wheel plus a rack on the boot. (trunk) Stereos could be upgraded adding 6 dash speakers and a CD auto changer in the boot. (I have these) Japanese radio frequencies are different to others so won’t function correctly without an extender. You could add a sub woofer option in the centre storage thing. Did you find its fuel filler release? I saw it in the vid. Speed is km/hr, dials etc in English and warning labels in Japanese. If I provided all the keys for friends etc to take, pretty sure the Beat would be the most popular.
Hilarious to see 7’2” giant Doug driving a tiny car.
I think he is 6'3" or 6'4".
@@bazinga5342 6'2 if the clouds are aligned
Nah. Doug is 10'10"
I was going to mention this but you beat me to it 😎
@@RockyFoxxowo People don't suddenly change height depending on the weather, season or anything.
I swear UA-cam comments are full of stupid people.
These types of cars are better than modern performance cars becuase they give you that sensation of speed without actually having to go 150mph+. It essentially means that you can feel like your speeding without actually having to speed and worry about getting pulled over and receiving get a huge ticket
That little Honda looks like something you would buy at Walmart for your kids to drive around in the front yard looks like it would be a blast on the curves my little '87 Mr2 would look like a land yacht right next to that one 😅
I'm dreaming of this car with a kswap or even better, the GR Yaris engine and trans.
I work at Honda building the accords,TLX,ILX,CR-V. I would love to own this thing. Hahahaha. Thing is hilariously odd and funky. Idk if I would really want to modify it to try and make it go quick. Or leave it alone just because of the oddity and cool factor of it. Hahahaha. Amazing.
It's silly of me to give a critique of someone with so many followers and fans but , something has happened doug in the last few videos. He seems reinvigorated.Great video. Well done.
would be interesting to see it next to a Miata or something like that for size comparison.
hey Doug, why was the s2000 placed lower than the beat while having a higher score?
love your videos
It's heavier. 😉
I looked at one of these when I was in the market 2 years ago. I ended up getting the Cappuccino. I found it to be just a better overall roadster/sportscar.
Not a real car guy, but Doug's enthusiasm and info on these cars keep me coming back
"Like a sporty...sporty...sports-car"
Doug, your way with words is phenomenal!
I'd pay good money to watch Shaq drive this xD
ABC. Wonderful that Doug found that quirk.
I love tiny cars like this, but you have to rev the engine a lot to keep up with traffic, or to drive at highway speeds. Electric cars don't have that disadvantage. I hope tiny cars like this will make a comeback in electric version.
Lotta electric cars available in '91?
Can we just take a moment to appreciate what Doug is doing. One week he hits 100+ in a Tesla, the next he hits 35+ in a K car.
"Kei car". K cars are something else entirely.
100+ what?
@@jonbartosch1903 watts
Since he didn't get into it, MTREC is their system for the individual throttle bodies (ITBs). It has ITBs, and the MTREC system changes the air/fuel ratio per cylinder throughout the rev range to make it run smoothly, since 3 cyl engines do not want to run smoothly.
Doug is the type of guy who'd smuggle the Copen and S660 to shoot his review.
My friend got one of these in 2015 for just $2k. He paid more to have it shipped from Japan than the car actually cost lol
How many miles?
@@KermitOfWar I think it was around 60k, not too bad
I want to see the honda beat next to a Ford F650
That's genius
That will look edited lol
I park my Copen next to Escalades, Mustangs, other large vehicles when I can. Beetles look big in comparison.
When I was 19 or so back in the 90s I knew this massive Iranian that spent his life doing only 4 things; working out, selling pills, chasing skanks, and cruising around in his Honda Beat. It was fucking hilarious.
LOL!
awww Doug, I was a little disappointed you didnt call it a fingerdle
Doug is the kind of guy to un-ironically say "You stick it in, and your rear compartment stays open".
I imagine a future where we get back to these kinds of amazing unique designs, but with electric motors and none of the limitations of designing around engines and their exhaust/drive trains.
Except we now have the extra burdens of safety regulations which require airbags, crumple zones, rollover protection (hence the smaller windows in modern cars), rear camera, ABS, and so on. Not to mention the battery pack for the electric motors is going to add at least 1,000 lbs to the weight of the car, making it 66% heavier.
@@noseboop4354 it’ll only get lighter more compact as technology progresses. I wouldn’t discount a compact battery pack in the near future with the same yield as the big cells we have now
I guess another quirk of this car is the mismatched wheel/tire sizes.
Rear wheels are 165/65R14, front are 155/65R13
This also means only half of the wheels are 13 inches.
"It's slow"
Come on doug, we can see thats not a ferrari. What do you expect?
Just what I’ve been waiting for!! Great review Doug
Yet another cool quirky car review Doug - thank you so much for doing these style of videos!
I will forever be indebted to you 😇 i was able to build a big income stream investing with Mrs Natalia Watson , you've changed my whole life, Thanks so much.
1: Wow, amazing to see others who trade with Mrs Natalia Watson, I'm currently on my 5th trade with her and my portfolio has grown tremendously.
I have traded with a lot of individuals but I have never come across anyone as good as Mrs Natalia Watson, just by applying her strategies I now trade independently. she is the best I'd advise any novice in investing to trade with her.
Amazing I also just started trading with Mrs Natalia Watson, she is the best at what she does with an initial investment of $1400 i made up to $5230 in just a week of trading with her, her strategies are mind blowing