Road test: Caterham Seven 275

If you’ve hankered after a Caterham Seven but couldn’t face the endless hassles of importing one, then your wish has been granted. Caterham Cars has hooked up with Al-­Futtaim Motors in Dubai, which is now ­distributing the iconic car throughout the Emirates.

The good news gets better. Caterham has developed the Seven 275 specifically for the UAE market – and it’s an absolute blinder. It delivers a concentrated, immersive driving experience that, at the price, no other car comes close to matching.

The export-only 275 is a key model in Caterham’s all-new model line-up, powered by a gutsy, Caterham-tuned 1,596cc Ford Sigma four-pot with trick variable-valve timing that dishes up 135hp at 6,800rpm and 165Nm at 4,100rpm. It drives the rear wheels through a wristy five-speed manual gearbox.

We know what you’re thinking – 135hp sounds pathetic when there are hot-hatches pumping out 350hp. The thing is, the naturally aspirated 275 weighs just 540kg, which means it will bullet its way to 100kph in five seconds, on to a 196kph top speed.

The 275 will be available with the choice of two key equipment packs – the hardcore R and the more laid-back S. Highlights of the R pack include a limited slip diff, uprated brakes and suspension, engines with lightweight flywheels, race seats, race harness and 15-inch alloys. Opt for the S and you get a more compliant, softer suspension set-up and niceties such as carpets, heater and leather seats. Oh, and a windscreen, roof and doors. This is a Caterham, don’t forget.

You can tweak your car with other options, including a six-speed close-ratio gearbox, smaller and lighter 13-inch wheels, as well as the choice of the snug S3 chassis or the bigger SV chassis for larger and taller drivers. I drove both S and R versions of the 275 back-to-back over the same roads, and despite effectively sharing the same underpinnings, the two dish up remarkably different driving experiences.

First the S. This is the perfect introduction to Caterham driving – it marries laugh-out-loud pace with the kind of agility and responsiveness of a nitro-fuelled kart. With so little weight to push, the vocal Ford engine zings the 275 along with real verve, howling past its 6,800rpm power peak with contagious enthusiasm, crackling and popping on the overrun like a fireworks factory with an iffy health-and-safety record.

The stubby gear lever snicks through its five-speed gate with the lightest of touches, and brushing the brake pedal feels like deploying a parachute. Throttle and steering responses are scalpel sharp – before you even think about accelerating or adjusting your cornering line with the tiny Moto-Lita steering wheel, the 275 will rocket ahead and peel into the corner with pin-sharp accuracy.

Despite its ability to drive rings around most supercars, the 275S rides with disarming civility. Body control is excellent and the compliant suspension – race-­inspired wishbones up front and a De Dion axle out back – absorbs and sponges away all but the worst ruts and bumps.

If the 275S is a friendly and happy-go-lucky Labrador, then the R is a hungry Doberman with an evil glint in its eye. It’s a proper driving tool that will leave you wide-eyed and dry-mouthed, transforming every journey into a scintillating “let’s-do-it-again” blast. With its lightweight flywheel and recalibrated electronics, the engine rips around to its redline with voracious hunger, spearing the Caterham ahead with rocket-sled pace. The uprated sports suspension tightens up body control even further, keying you into the road as surely as if you had your hands running over the black stuff.

Grip levels are jaw-­slackening. Where the noses of bigger and heavier cars start to wash in corners when pushed hard, the 275’s front end simply goes where you point it. It just doesn’t do understeer. It will flick out its back end, but with such incredibly direct and quick steering, catching and drifting the Seven is a driver’s delight.

Every control – pedals, steering wheel and gear lever – feels like it’s hard-wired into your brain, and everything happens at a synapse-snapping pace. There’s no delay, no slop, just instant responses to even the tiniest ­inputs. It makes you feel like a supremely gifted driver, flattering your every move, and building your confidence to push harder. The test car was running smaller 13-inch wheels – an option box well worth ticking as they dramatically sharpen up steering response and turn-in.

It may pack only a tiny 1.6L ­engine beneath its aluminium bonnet, but the 275’s agility, pace and dynamic balance means it punches hard and fast above its anorexic weight. Its availability in the Emirates means if you’ve never driven a Caterham before, you now have no excuse. Only a handful of buyers will be driving the Emirates’ coolest new car this winter, but beware – once you’ve driven the 275, nothing will come close to matching it.

motoring@thenational.ae

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