Suzuki Cappuccino
Suzuki Cappuccino review site with a full review and road test of the Suzuki Cappuccino sports car, pictures of the Cappuccino, specifications, Suzuki Cappuccino performance tuning and more.
Suzuki Cappuccino
On the one hand, the Suzuki Cappuccino is a tiny 660cc two-seater eco-car, capable of returning a frugal 39/56mpg. On the other, the Cappuccino is a turbo-charged, rear wheel drive sports car that in the right circumstances can leave many more capable cars for dust.
With a front-mounted, mid-engine layout, (the crankcase sits just behind the front wheels), the Suzuki Cappuccino is said to have a perfect 50-50 weight distribution between the front and rear when both seats are occupied.
Despite its diminutive size, the Cappuccino has plenty of legroom and headroom for drivers up to about 6'3". The seats are comfortable and supportive, and the steering wheel is adjustable for rake and reach on UK spec models.
Once inside, the Cappuccino feels snug, but not small. The long legroom and low windscreen make you feel like you're in a larger sports car, and you soon forget how small it looked from the outside. Suzuki have made a good job of miniturising the Cappuccino.
On the road is where the Cappuccino really makes sense. It is quite possibly the best car there is to drive. Its lightweight body and double wishbone suspension give it superb cornering ability, and the lively engine and quick gearbox deliver much more power than you would expect.
The Suzuki Cappuccino has a neat hard top roof. The three centre roof panels can be removed individually, and stored in the boot, and the roll hoop and rear windscreen fold down into a gap behind the rear seats. This means that the Suzuki Cappuccino roof can be configured as a hard top, a T-bar, a targa or a full convertible. The only slight downside with the Suzuki Cappuccino's roof is that it takes several minutes to raise it or lower it.
Ok, so there’s no luggage space in the Cappuccino. You can either carry two
people, or one person and some shopping. The boot contains a space saver
wheel, and whilst it does have enough room for the centre roof panels, it is not
very deep for typical luggage. Inside, there is a luggage shelf behind the
rear seats, but it is high up and when you brake, anything that was on it comes
flying off. The only practical place for luggage is the passenger
footwell, which thankfully, is quite long.
How Rare is a Suzuki Cappuccino?
Originally, there were only 1,110 Cappuccinos imported to the UK by Suzuki GB. Since then, some more would have been imported from Japan, but from looking through Suzuki Cappuccino classified adverts, it seems that the majority on offer are UK spec models.
If you are wondering how many Suzuki Cappuccinos are on the road today, then the best source of information is probably the VOSA MOT list from 2007 which shows that in 2007, there were 509 MOT test passes for Suzuki Cappuccinos. It would be fair to assume that in 2007 there were about 500 Suzuki Cappuccinos on the road, and probably many less today.
What the Papers Said
The Suzuki Cappuccino was very well received by the press at the time of launch, here's a small selection of their quotes:
Jeremy Clarkson
"If ever the perfect car was built for summer in the city, it's the Suzuki Cappuccino.
This is an open-topped car which is set to turn the sports car market on its head with its tiny design and even smaller price tag. In many ways the Cappuccino takes off where the MG Midget left, but of course, it bares a Japanese badge not a British one. The diminutive convertible looks great from every angle - the shape, the size, the styling, everything about it is perfect.
...It is everything a car should be. It's great around town, especially in heavy traffic, it offers some practicality in terms of mobility - there'll never be a time you can't park it - and economy, it's a beautiful design, and it makes a good soft top and hard top. I love it."
Which Car?
"Say the MG Midget hadn't been killed off, and had been allowed to evolve instead, it's nice to think that we might have ended up with something like the Suzuki Cappuccino. A cheeky looking, beautifully balanced, rear wheel drive, affordable, open-topped two-seater sports car. Floor the accelarator, and a sharp shove between the shoulder blades tells you that your dealing with a true sports car, and a rear-wheel drive one at that. The little engine is beefy enough to allow you to hold your own in the cut and thrust of big city traffic, and to really fly once you're clear of the suburbs.' Logic suggests a 657cc power pack should scream it's little head off, but it doesn't.
Above all, the Cappuccino is huge fun.' Remember fun?"
Performance Car
"HONEY I SHRUNK THE TVR!
Subjectively, it feels as if it'll have no trouble keeping up with a well driven hot hatch. But what makes the Cappuccino as hilarious as a break-dancing Cyril Smith is the style with which it does it. Fun is what the Cappuccino delivers, and it does so by the truckful.
Even sitting still, the Cappuccino is an experience. Not only is it a surer crowd puller than anything on wheels this side of a Lambo but, like the best classic sports cars, it engenders a good-natured breed of envy."
Auto Express
"...Suzuki has re-discovered the MG Midget. But the Cappuccino is no simple sports car... it's a thoroughbred crammed with Nineties technology.
The Cappuccino is tremendous fun to drive quickly, with very entertaining handling. It grips like a leech in corners... For open-top motoring, the cappuccino's hood design is one of the best in the business - easy to operate and incredibly versatile. The roof side-panels come off to reveal a T-bar which can then be removed to create a Targa top. Finally, you can fold the rear window right down for the full wind in hte hair treatment."
Suzuki Cappuccino Tuning
Performance tuning a Suzuki Cappuccino is relatively inexpensive, and can give significantly power gains. The UK-spec Cappuccino engine, the K6A, has a forged crank, forged con rods and an iron block, making it a good base for tuning to high power outputs.
In standard form, the Cappuccino is restricted to meet Japanese Kei Class regulations, which mean power is limited to 63bhp and top speed is a maximum of 87mph. Consequently, Suzuki have tuned the Cappuccino for higher torque at low rpm, whilst still keeping the power output below the Kei Class limit. Also, Suzuki seem to have interpreted the rules in their favour a little bit with regards to the power limit - a standard Cappuccino delivers 63bhp at the rear wheels, whereas at the crank the figure is more like 75bhp, which is good enough in a car that only weighs 700kg.
For about £400, a superchips ECU upgrade will take the Cappuccino up to about 80-85bhp. This is achieved mainly by increasing the turbo boost pressure from the standard 0.88 bar to 1.0 bar.
If you're willing to spend a bit more, then look to replace the standard injectors and tiny intercooler with bigger versions, and maybe put in a larger hitachi turbo. With these sort of goodies installed, the boost pressure can be raised further, and the Cappuccino can achieve 120-150bhp, which would make a very fast Cappuccino indeed.
A lot of people's first reaction to the Cappuccino is: 'can you put a bigger engine in it'. They're thinking mainly of a bike-engined cappuccino, with a 1000cc or larger motorbike engine like the Suzuki Hayabusa engine in a Cappuccino. There are some people who've tried this, but it costs a fortune, and there are lots problems to overcome. It's best to stick with the original engine and just tune the nuts out of it.
Buying a Suzuki Cappuccino
Cappuccinos can represent a real bargain if you find the right one. They are few and far between, and don't be tempted to buy the first one you see.
Cappuccinos are quite old now, the UK models were sold between 1993 and 1995. They didn't come with any underbody protection other than the paint, so the biggest problem is rust. The tell tale area to look for is inside the rear wheel arches, but take care to look right underneath the car for any corroded chassis members. Get the car on ramps if you can. Look for rust and any signs of welding. A well maintained example should have a good coat of underseal and very little rust.
With a complex roof in many sections, a Suzuki Cappuccino is likely to have a leaky roof. Due to the rarity of the Cappuccino, some replacement parts like rubber roof seals can be rather expensive. Have a good look at them and make sure they are in good condition.
Suzuki Cappuccinos for sale
There are several places where you can find a suzuki cappuccino for sale on the internet, have a look at all the adverts and go to see as many as you can. (You might have to travel a bit!) Start by looking at the cappuccinos for sale on Auto Trader and Pistonheads classifieds and on Ebay. You might find a Suzuki Cappuccino for sale on the owners club forum.
Suzuki Cappuccino Performance Figures
There are some misconceptions about the Suzuki Cappuccino's performance. Most petrolheads look at the 0-60 times, horsepower and top speed figures of a car they're researching to quickly ascertain it's capabilities. With the Cappuccino however, you have to take some other factors into acocunt. First let's look at the basic performance figures:
| 0-60 mph | 8.2 seconds |
|---|---|
| Top Speed | 87 mph (restricted) |
Suzuki Cappuccino Videos
There aren't many Suzuki Cappuccino videos on the internet, as it is quite a rare car. Most Suzuki Cappuccino videos are from Japan. Here are a few favourites:
Suzuki Cappuccino drifting round a small circuit in Japan:
Suzuki Cappuccino on the race track
One very quick Suzuki Cappuccino overtaking everything on the Tsukuba circuit in Japan. This video starts with a warm-up lap, so it's a bit slow to begin with. Wind it on to about half way if you're impatient and watch the Cappuccino catch up with and overtake everything, including a much more powerful Nissan Skyline:
Below is a Hayabusa powered Suzuki Cappuccino at Donnington Park on a trackday. Watch it fly past Caterhams, a Porsche and a Radical!
Here is the same Hayabusa engined Cappuccino, this time out-dragging a dragster on a 1/4 mile strip:
I'm still hoping to a video of a Suzuki Cappuccino lapping the Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit, but so far all I've found are videos of Cappuccinos on a certain racing game on a certain games console. You know the one I mean. It hampers searching for videos of real Suzuki Cappuccinos on real racing tracks.
It would also be nice to find a video of an old Top Gear or Fifth Gear review of the Suzuki Cappuccino, but again, no luck so far. If I find either of these videos in the future I will post them on this site.
Replica Cars based on the Suzuki Cappuccino
Cobra Cappuccino
There is a company in Japan that will make you a 'baby cobra' based on a Suzuki Cappuccino. Instead of the Cobra's gas guzzling 427 cubic inch V8, this baby Cobra is pushed around by the Cappuccino's 40.27 cubic inch (660cc) turbo charged engine, which can still propel the lightweight car to 60mph in around 7 seconds. Not bad for an engine less than 1/10th the size.
Elan Cappuccino
The Lotus Elan nose and headlights suit the Suzuki Cappuccino rather well.
NSX Cappuccino
Here is a Suzuki Cappuccino disguised as a Honda NSX.
Porsche Cappuccino
Here are two different Porsche 911 Cappuccinos. The white one is a 996 model and the black one looks like a 993. The roofline, glass and pillars of the Cappuccino are well suited to being converted to a Porsche lookalike. The roll hoop and rear window of the Cappuccino in particular are reminiscent of the 911 Targa of the 1970s and '80s.
GTR Cappuccino
Somebody had to do it, so here it is: a not-so-mean-looking Nissan GTR R35 bodied Suzuki Cappuccino.
Suzuki Cappuccino on the web
Club Cappo is the leading forum for Cappuccino owners. It is a very active forum, especially for such a rare car, and it contains lots of information and numerous build threads, including an RX7 13B rotary engined Cappuccino and one or two Hyabusa powered Suzuki Cappuccinos.
SCORE, the Suzuki Cappuccino Owners Register for Enthusiasts, is an owners club that has good value membership and provides a wealth of information about the Suzuki Cappuccino. Non-members are able to browse and search the bulletin board which contains extensive information about maintaining the Suzuki Cappuccino and finding spares parts. Registered members are also able to browse the online service manuals for the Suzuki Cappuccino. Well worth the affordable membership fee if you own a Suzuki Cappuccino.
The Suzuki Cappuccino Wiki page has some useful basic information.
Here's a scanned in review of the Suzuki Cappuccino.
The Suzuki Cappuccino Wheels page on Which Wheels has some useful information about wheel weights, stud pattern, pcd, offset and tyres for the Suzuki Cappuccino as well as for other cars.
Here's a link to a Suzuki Cappuccino styling configurator. It allows you to add various body parts and change the colours of a virtual Cappuccino to try out different designs.
For parts, try this suzuki parts page.
GT5 Suzuki Cappuccino EA21R RM - Race Modifiable
I didn't really want to mention the GT5 Cappuccino on this website as the site is mainly about the real suzuki cappuccino, but I started getting hits for it anyway so I figured if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Plus I really like Gran Turismo and I think they've done a pretty good job of recreating the Suzuki Cappuccino.
Best starting car in GT5 is the Suzuki Cappuccino EA21R
If you're looking for the best starting car in gran turismo 5, (ie the best car to buy at the start of GT5), then the best choice is the GT5 Suzuki Cappuccino EA21R. Rather than buying a secondhand car at the start, and getting something run of the mill like an MX-5, buying a Suzuki Cappuccino EA21R at the start will help you with the first races in the early stages of Gran Turismo.
In GT5, you are better off getting an EA21R Cappuccino rather than an EA11R Cappuccino. The EA21R has more power and torque than an EA11R. In Gran Turismo it is also capable of being tuned to higher levels of power. I think the EA21R Cappuccino RM can be tuned up to about 134bhp in GT5 if my memory serves me correctly.
How to drive a Suzuki Cappuccino EA21R in GT5
The Gran Turismo developers have done a pretty good job of the Suzuki Cappuccino, and in particular, they've got the handling spot on. The Cappuccino is a great handling car, much better than a Mazda MX-5. As such it can corner at much higher speeds than other cars. You will find that the cornering speed of a Cappuccino is usually about 10mph quicker than other cars, and on top of that, the Cappuccino can brake far later, and can accelarate much earlier than almost all other road cars.
Although the Cappuccino is simply brilliant at cornering, it does only have a 660cc engine, and whilst Suzuki have got some amazing performance from such a small, (and lightweight), engine, at the end of the day the Cappuccino does not have so much power on the straights. You will find that you can overtake other cars quite easily on the entrance to bends, going around the corners, and on the exit of bends, but once you get back on the straight, the other more powerful cars will catch you up and try to overtake.
The best way to drive the Cappuccino on the race track is to keep your momentum up, and carry as much speed through the corners as possible. If you are coming into a corner and there are cars in your way, hold back a little bit until you can see a clear way through them, which will hopefully still be mid-corner or on the exit of the corner. Once you can see the gap, accelarate through it while they are still trying to haul their heavyweight cars round the bend. On the straights in GT5, if you are in a Cappuccino you might want to consider blocking your opponents - this is Gran Turismo after all. If you can hold them off along the straights, and laugh at them around the corners, then you can even win on tracks like Circuit de la Sarthe and Nurburgring.
Making Racing Modifications GT5 Suzuki Cappuccino EA21R RM in Gran Turismo 5
Ok, so here's the facts. The Suzuki Cappuccino RM, as you've probably gathered, is race modifiable. It is one of only a handful of the 1,000 GT5 cars that can be modified to racing spec. To get the racing modifications for a Suzuki Cappuccino EA21R RM, you need to select the car from the garage, and then go to GT Auto. Once in GT Auto, go all the way to the right and you'll see race modifications. Once you have selected race modifications, your Cappuccino will go into the garage to have the racing modifications made.
As mentioned earlier, this website is mainly about the real-life Suzuki Cappuccino, which can be bought today for about £2,000 - £3,000 here in the UK, for a car with around 50,000 miles. Cappuccinos can be tuned up in real life almost as cheaply as they can in Gran Turismo, and best of all, they handle almost as well in real life as they do in Gran Turismo.
Once you've experienced the Suzuki Cappuccino in GT5, and realised just how good a car it is, come back to this website, or others like it, do some research, and get yourself a real life Suzuki Cappuccino. It saves on petrol too.