Driving a Kei Car After a Porsche

The other day, my husband had the chance to drive a kei car shortly after driving our Porsche. Since it’s not every day you get to drive a kei car right after a Porsche, I asked him what stood out.

The car he drove was a 2014 Daihatsu Move. His first impression was:

“The moment I got in, I thought, ‘Wow, this is spacious!’” It had been a long time since I’d driven a kei car, but with this much room inside, it’s easy to see why they’re so popular. There’s plenty of legroom in the back, and the generous headroom goes without saying.

But he found it tricky to get comfortable behind the wheel:

“If I adjusted the seat for my legs, the steering wheel felt too far away. If I moved closer to the wheel, my legs felt cramped. I prefer sitting fairly upright rather than reclining, but the seat didn’t have the continuously adjustable manual dial you find in European cars, so I couldn’t find the right backrest angle. After a lot of trial and error, I reclined the seat a little and grabbed the wheel—but my elbows were much more open than the ideal 90-degree angle.”

That makes sense. I wonder if it would be different in a sportier kei car, like the Honda S660. My husband added:

“I wish they’d put more thought into safety here and design the cabin so you can get into a proper driving position. If a car or pedestrian suddenly appears, or you need to swerve to avoid something, I’m not sure you could react quickly enough to get out of danger.”

What a Kei Car Is Like on the Road

I asked him how the Move felt once he was on the road:

“It pulled away lightly and quickly reached city speeds, which made it easy to drive. On roads with lots of traffic lights and constant stop-and-go, it was almost effortless.”

After passing through town, he headed onto a main road to get to the highway. That’s when he noticed an unsettling lack of response as he tried to accelerate and keep up with traffic.

“The engine was revving, but the car wasn’t picking up speed at all. It seemed to have a CVT, but it didn’t feel quite right to me. I’d press the accelerator, the engine would get louder, but the car wouldn’t go any faster in proportion. It made me want to press the pedal even more—and I could imagine that hurting fuel economy.”

Then, as he approached the interchange to join the expressway…

“Honestly, I was nervous going through the curved ramp onto the expressway. The tires didn’t feel very planted, so it was hard to tell which way they were pointing, and the car had serious understeer. But after driving for a while, I got used to it and it stopped feeling strange.”

He joined the expressway and cruised in the left-hand lane. Here’s how that went:

“It was more comfortable than I expected, and the cabin wasn’t especially noisy. I thought I’d try moving into the passing lane, but acceleration was too slow to match the speed of the surrounding traffic, and it felt dangerous, so I stayed in the left-hand lane.
I tried S mode, and the response did improve, but the car became a little jerky. I imagine it holds a lower gear ratio, but with such a light accelerator pedal, it was hard to make fine adjustments.
Another thing I noticed was that it was difficult to maintain a steady speed. In a car like a Porsche, the organ-style accelerator pedal has a reassuring amount of resistance, which makes it easier to hold the pedal at a constant position. The Move has a suspended accelerator pedal that’s very light. And because the seat is high, your foot rests on the pedal from above. If you’re not careful, your foot’s own weight can press it slightly. Until I got used to it, maintaining a steady speed took concentration.”

That makes sense.

Now I’m Curious About the S660

Many kei cars offer excellent fuel economy(the current Daihatsu Move is rated at over 25 km/L), and their tight turning circles make them easy to drive. I can see why they’d be handy for mostly urban driving.

I wonder what the Honda S660 or Daihatsu Copen feels like to drive. My husband once told me, “I think an S660 would be great for you, Mina-chan.” I’ve been thinking lately that I’d really like to take one for a test drive.