Caterham Seven 620S Review: It's A Supercharged Squirrel!
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- Опубліковано 27 сер 2024
- Hello guys, and welcome back to Car Obsession. Apologies that there haven't been many uploads of late, there has been a lot of change in my life (new property, new job, new pet, and soon, a new car as well!).
Anyway, on to the matter in hand; my review of the simply bonkers Caterham Seven 620S. This may not be the R model that everyone raves about, but this has the same amount of power thanks to a supercharged 2.0 litre Ford Duratec engine, but with a few more creature comforts.
Speaking of power, the 620S produces 310bhp with 219Nm of torque (165 lb ft), which is mated to the rear wheels via a 5-speed manual gearbox and a limited slip differential. 0-60 is dealt with in 3.4 seconds, and the top speed is 145mph. I'm sure you'll agree that is plenty for a car that weighs just 610kg!
Big thanks to Petrol Ped for the additional footage, be sure to check out his channel: / greavsie6672
Full written review can be found here: carobsession.co...
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Music Credit:
Music by Ryan Little - Greatest of Ease - thmatc.co/?l=6...
Music by Singto Conley - Oceans - thmatc.co/?l=9...
I already have a 360R and I love it! Whilst I would like to upgrade to a 620 I’m not sure it would offer me much more than I’ve got. The 360 has already got me into if enough trouble, so doubt I need any more speed. Any Caterham is a lot of fun, all are compromised and some much cheaper than others 😏 My only advice would be to make sure you get a good test drive in the car you’re actually are planning to buy as they’re so variable. Also make sure you’re prepared for the compromise/experience. Believe me it’s very easy to realise they’re not quite what you first thought.... I nearly sold mine soon after I got it, but two years later and I can’t see me ever selling it ❤️
Andrew Roberts I’m 13 and my dad has a 420R, he’s thinking of getting a 620r as well. I’ve been in many rides and me and my dad are huge car fans and go to a lot of events. It’s really fun getting involved and I want one when I get older, hope u enjoy yours!
Hi Sam, good to hear you’re enjoying the 420R. I have a six year old son who I’m slowly turning into a petrolhead too; my 13 year old daughter has gone off the Caterham as it mess up her hair; my wife’s just as bad! Girls hey...... 😏
Too much for the road in my opinion. Fantastic for the track if you have the money and the balls.
Love the paint colour on this car. Couldn't see myself in an acid green or bright orange one. This one looks just right.
Yeah, I quite liked the spec on this car. Thanks for watching Nick
Excellent vid :) I always had enormous respect for The Original Sports Car since I was a little kid in the 1960s and a bloke in our town had one with Lotus twin cam power. Last year I test drove a 360 with the larger SV chassis as I love the extra room and personally prefer the SV appearance. I very quickly realised this was the best sports car I've ever driven. I've owned TVR, Cobras, Mustang. I ordered a 420R SV last year and have almost 600 miles of running in covered now. The Ford engine whether supercharged or naturally aspirated is amazing; so flexible and very potent. Great suspension and incredible steering. Very well made car, and much more refined than you might imagine. Expensive maybe but they hold value. Very strong model range, whatever your personal preference. A legend in its own lifetime.
Hi Paul, thanks for watching, and thanks for sharing your experience. You're a lucky bloke, I wish I could own a Caterham! As it so happens, I've actually spent today filming with the new 170R 👍
@@CarObsession Look forward to that :) Love the vids, a terrific help to all who wish to buy, hire or do a track day etc. Well done :)
@@paulgardner9763 Thanks a lot Paul 👍🏽
Brilliant review and well edited! 0:29 defo sums up a Caterham!
Thanks Sam - thanks for watching and thanks for the feedback.
Great review 👍
Thank you!
I don’t understand why some people say it’s to much as any car/ vehicle only goes as fast as much as you press the accelerator
Great commentary, I smiled the whole way. Love to toss back a few pints with you, someday.
Hi Aldo, thank you very much for your kind feedback! Thank you for watching, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Very nice video.
I have a Caterham 485 R (euro-only model) so less power but similar car, and I must say that, once you "get" it, it's not that impractical. First, it's comfy and handles longs trips better than you would imagine with ear plugs and a helmet - no windshield !. Also, boot space is not that ridiculous.
With the properly sized bags, you can fit some stuff, and if you are alone, don't forget the passenger seat, although I like to keep it usable to take the occasional lucky hitch-hiker.
And if you really need space, you can fit a lot by strapping bags on the roll bar. Some go camping for 1 week with a tent with no problem.
Anyway, once you're in, you keep telling yourself that it was all worth the little sacrifices here and there, it's the best car in the world.
Hi there, thanks for watching. Yeah I actually saw a 485R at Caterham's showroom. They actually have one on their press fleet, which is odd considering you can't buy it on the UK market. 🤔
How comfy is it when compared to a regular car?
It's difficult to compare. Of course, getting in and out is a pain, it's too hot below 50kph, it's vibrating and tiresome above 100kph, but ...
Seat padding can be increased with a cushion, seats fit my body better than any other car, you have a lot of leg room, driving position is excellent keping your back straight and arms well rested.
Compared to a Renault Clio, ride is softer, the absence of roll will give you less car sickness as a passenger, the fact that you actually have feedback on what's on the road means that your brain has less contradictory sensations to deal with, making it more comfortable. 13" alloys (the sportier ones) and race suspensions are incredily more resilient to poor road surface than any normal car I know so it doesn't shake you but gives you sensations at the exactly right strength.
At 80kph on a bad mountain road, it's probably better than any normal car. At 130kph on the highway or stuck in traffic, it's hell on earth.
@@jmclabexperience Thanks for the feedback! I expected it to be more comfortable on the highway (better surface) than on regular roads, but I'm glad to know that isn't true. :)
There is no Caterham like any other. If you want a windscreen on a 620R. Just buy it and install it. You need just 4 screws.
Another great review as usual. I would love to have a go in one of these but sadly I could never afford one. I have my little Mazda mx5 which will have to do for now!
Hi Peter, thanks for watching and thanks for the kind feedback. There's nothing wrong with an MX-5 😉
Turbocharge it 😁😁😁
Nicely done Sir! Definitely not a car for the faint hearted ...
Cheers pal!
This is the car I'm looking to have along with the Jimny
That would quite a quirky (and interesting) 2 car garage!
@@CarObsession and a 2cv
I'm a stickler for details. While I commend your video, I must bring up the errors you made regarding torque and power to weight. You stated 219 NM and then must have converted to ftlb yourself. It's 219lb-ft or 297NM. You also mentioned quoted power at 310bhp and weight at 610kg but then proceeded to give a power to weight of 375bhp/tonne which is less than a 918 Spyder. The 620S actually has has 508bhp/tonne. Ahhhhh. That's better. I've corrected a stranger on the interwebs. Keep up the good work.
Hi there, thanks for commenting. I was wracking my brains when I read this, wondering where I had got this wrong as I try to be as thorough and correct as I can, and I've just worked it out. I don't want to sound like I'm passing the buck here, but the spec sheet I was given for the car appears to be incorrect.
This is some of the information I've just copied and pasted from the attachment sent to me:
Caterham Seven 620S - OEZ 737
Vehicle Technical Specification
Engine Ford Duratec 1999cc, four cylinder, supercharged
Transmission 5-speed manual gearbox
Chassis Standard Chassis
Max Power (bhp / rpm) 310 bhp @ 7,700 rpm
Max Torque (nm / rpm) 219 nm @ 7,350 rpm
Weight 610 kg
0-60 MPH 3.44 seconds
Power-To-Weight 375 bhp-per-tonne
Top Speed 145 mph
Thanks for watching, and thanks for the feedback.
508bhp/tonne dude. The consensus on the 918 seems to be 522/tonne
Hi mate, I got the figures from AutoSnout - thanks for watching.
@@CarObsession no probs, it wasn't a criticism, merely an observation. I always like to work out power to weight myself just to be sure. It's very easy to do, simply 1 metric tonne (1000kg) over the weight of the vehicle in kgs, multiplied by the bhp of the vehicle. So in this case, 1000/610 x 310 = 508bhp/tonne. This is for the UK, in some countries they use different measurements of course. Keep up the good work dude!
Excellent review.
However, I don't think that this car's expensive at all (given what it can do). It's a bargain, really. You compared its power-to-weight ratio to that of a Porsche 918 Spyder, and the 918 is far more expensive.
The lack of entertainment system can probably be easily solved by buying and fitting some generic head unit and some speakers. It's not going to be anywhere near a great sound system, but does it really matter in a car like this?
Regarding passenger space: I decided to check out their configurator after watching this review, and one of the options is a "Large Chassis" (which I assume slightly increases passenger room, judging by the picture they use).
With all of that being said, water coming through the floor itself is something they should totally fix (especially given its price tag).
The entertainment system IS the car.
@@jmclabexperience True, but to me music is a must. :)
Then take it without a windshield: I have a bluetooth intercom in my helmets to talk with the passenger and I can stream music from my mobile into it.
The mobile phone is strapped to the steering wheel, making it a great dashboard with maps and the music player.
^^^^^ What he said 👍
@@jmclabexperience That sounds like an excellent setup, but I think that wearing a helmet while driving a car is illegal in my country (I'm not 100% sure about that, though).
How is the drive?....Stiff or comfortable ?
Hi Sharif, this is covered about the 4:00 minute mark 👍🏽
This is actually a very good video, in terms of production; just tone down the 🧀 jokes a little bit! 😭
Cheesy jokes? I don't know what you mean 😉Joking aside, you should know by now I'm prone to a few cheesy jokes 😅Mind you, I didn't think they were too bad in this video, if I don't say so myself. As always, thanks for watching, and thanks for the feedback 👍
🖐😎👍🏎💥
Fantastic car. I had one of them (different model) a few years ago. But the question: "is that car road legal?" is the one of the stupidest british question ever...
Catherham 620 is a gokart
What’s with the serial killer gloves? 🤪
My hands get quite clammy when I'm driving so the driving gloves give me better control, which is what you need in a car as rapid as this! Thanks for watching.
Your maths is way off mate..it's not 375 per ton...it's 508 per ton....not sure if you worked that out yourself..but check it again.
Hi David, thanks for watching and thanks for the comment. This has been mentioned previously in the comments section; I got the figure from a stats website.
If you are worried about money, don't drive .
?
Saw one slide into a ditch once. No ABS, no thanks!
You're missing out Derek 😉Thanks for watching.
Just drive carefully and that won't be an issue. A Caterham isn't supposed to be a mainstream car. :)
No ABS, but also no power brakes so it's a breeze to find the optimal braking pressure. Anyway when you drive this thing, you are 100% dedicated to driving, so you don't put yourself in dangerous situations to begin with.
Driver error, not the cars fault.
If you need all the modern driver aids then don't buy a seven or alternatively go and do some advanced driving courses because you probably need to.
ITS NOT ROAD LEGAL OUTSIDE GB ! 👎
I had bought a 620 R and got told from Caterham it can be made legal in Germany through the importer
(Had bought it brandnew at Caterham South,GB) Sold it again and lost lots of money after I had tried for 8 month to make it legal with no success ! Caterham was no help as they are only interested in sales,after I had it bought there was no more help from their side,even they had told me its no problem to license it.👎
I went to the 300 hp WESTFIELD now (CCK in Kempten Germany),friendly people,good service,much cheaper as the Caterham! and all road legal 👍👌🏼FORGET CATERHAM👎
Hi Hubertus, thanks for watching, and thanks for the comment. Sorry to hear about your experience; surprising to hear that Caterham weren't very helpful - they've always been extremely helpful when I've dealt with them.
I know this is a two year old comment, but.. You were talking absolute nonsense regarding the legality of Caterham on the continent. Yes, some alterations are required, which is normal for any exported car . Check out all the used caterhams available across Europe. YOU just had a bad experience, which doesn't automatically mean everyone else will have a similar experience. How friendly were you with Caterham for example? We'll never know. There are usually three sides to every story.. yours, theirs and the cold hard truth.
Great car.... but for the price, drive a Westfield for 1/5 of the price and similar experience. PM me to review mine and meet the North London club if your interested
Love my Westfield. All sevens are an experience not to be forgotten though. The rawness with it's thought processor steering and go kart like handling that gives that pure driving pleasure is something that very few other cars will do. Certainly not for the price.
Yes they have their flaws, and you have to have an absolute love of driving to own one, but there is nothing quite like it.
what do you mean by 1/5 of the price?
Not sure I would say 1/5th but certainly you can get into a Westfield for considerably less that the Caterham and there really isn't that much between them when it comes to the experience
deadmoldable a 620 is circa £50k mine was £10k
Here in Oz, a Caterham is about A$130,000. My Westfield is about A$55 000 for a very nice road car. So about half of the cost of a Caterham.
The Caterhams are beautifully built though and would have to be considered the ultimate seven, but at half the price, and a very similar driving thrill, my Westfield will do me just fine.