Advertisement
BBC TopGear
BBC TopGear
Advertisement feature
WELCOME TO HYUNDAI’S HAPPINESS MACHINE
View the latest news
TG's guide to Japan

The Honda N One RS is the tiny manual hot hatch we crave

Honda updates its cute 'n' cuddly kei hatchback, and makes it stick-shift

Published: 14 Sep 2020

Every single kei car is cute, but some are lucky enough to hit every branch of the cute tree on their plummet to the streets of Tokyo. Kei cars like the Honda N One.

This is it in mildly updated form, but Honda has sensibly left its adorable face pretty much alone. It’s all typical facelift fare: newly LED head and tail lights, minor tweaks for the grille and bumpers, and… nowt else. We want to cuddle it just as much as we did before.

Advertisement - Page continues below

The biggest news sits betwixt driver and passenger. Go for the top-spec N One RS and you’ll have the option of a six-speed manual gearbox to replace the standard CVT auto.

Being a car that slots into tight kei regulations – governing exterior dimensions not much larger than a roller skate, and engines to 660cc and 63bhp maximums – it’s not going to behave like a shrunken Civic Type R.

But if Honda’s dinky kei roadster – the similarly cuddly S660 – is anything to go by, it’ll be a delightful and engaging manual. Inside a truly delightful little vehicle…

Advertisement - Page continues below

Top Gear
Newsletter

Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox.

More from Top Gear

Loading
See more on Honda

Subscribe to the Top Gear Newsletter

Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, you agree to receive news, promotions and offers by email from Top Gear and BBC Studios. Your information will be used in accordance with our privacy policy.

BBC TopGear

Try BBC Top Gear Magazine

subscribe