Caterham CSR review

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Caterham shepherds the CSR out of the door after 20 years with a pricy UK only special edition

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The Caterham Seven CSR represented a new dawn for the Kent firm when it first appeared 20 years ago. Wider than a standard Caterham Seven and with independent suspension all-around, by pushrods at the front, it was a bigger, smoother-riding, more capable and plusher Caterham. Faster, and yet at the same time, more relaxed.

Ultimately British Caterham buyers preferred their Sevens in the more traditional and basic ‘Series 3’ form, without the posher insides and aerodynamic wings, and thus it was dropped from the range here. But while you could have mostly forgotten about its existence it has continued to be available in mainland Europe, where it passes regulations that the trad car never could.

After two decades, though, its time is finally up, and to mark its demise Caterham is building a 20-off ‘CSR Twenty’ edition, for sale in the UK only.

Is it still a more grown-up and rounded Caterham? Well, the perfect time and place to try a Seven is not usually the first week of December in one of the wetter and colder parts of this island, but here we go.

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DESIGN & STYLING

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Caterham Seven CSR Twenty review 2024 07

A standard Caterham Seven, by which I mean one from the regular range, not the kei-car compliant Seven 170 which is even narrower, is 3180mm long by 1470mm wide. You can optionally large-chassis a regular Seven for more room, which takes it out to the size of this CSR, which is 3360mm long by 1700mm wide, whereupon it looks like a slightly odder Seven. And it’s those CSR details that make one do a triple-take.

There are enough replicas of Caterhams out there that if you’re not a Seven nerd you’d be forgiven for thinking the CSR could be one. It’s Caterham-esque but somehow also not quite so: it’s wider than a standard-bodied Seven, has those more aerodynamic (these things are relative) front wings and there are more holes in it to let air in and out. And where are the front springs?

They’re inboard, driven by pushrods, and the front wings, finished in carbonfibre on this test car, are profiled to reduce lift. There are aerodynamically-profiled front wishbones too. Trying to enhance the aero of a Seven is like fitting secondary glazing to one wing of Blenheim Palace and hoping it’ll reduce the heating bills, but I suppose it all helps a little.

The big thing mechanically about the CSR is that instead of semi-independent de Dion rear suspension it has fully independent double wishbones back there. Not that you can see them, but the advantages they gave in ride quality were marked, and they helped improve grip and traction, too - not that even they’ll be able to do much about Wales in December, given the CSR is on Toyo Proxes R888R tyres, not renowned for their performance in such conditions.

When the CSR first arrived power came from a 260bhp 2.3-litre Ford engine breathed on by Cosworth. Owing to more limited engine availability today it houses a 210bhp and 150lb ft 2.0-litre Ford Duratec unit, which drives through a five-speed Mazda MX-5 gearbox. A limited-slip differential is optional but not fitted to our test car because it tends to whine a bit and Caterham sees this is a (slightly) more rounded proposition, it went with the quieter option.

The CSR comes factory-built only, by the way – with no self-build option. The CSR was always one of the more expensive Sevens but these final edition CSRs cost – wait for it – from £79,995, more than twice the CSR’s price when it was first launched. But it’s a bit of history, I suppose?

INTERIOR

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Caterham Seven CSR Twenty review 2024 02

Caterham makes some noises about the plushness of the CSR Twenty’s interior – it has some new materials, more artfully applied, but like the aerodynamics these things are relative. This is still a Seven interior, which means it’s relatively snug and basic.

The seats are pleasingly softly finished, there are carpets and the centre console has a cushiony soft leather finish, with Alcantara highlights around and a numbered plaque. There’s a satin carbon dashboard, too.

I find it easy to get comfortable in any Seven but this big-bodied version exists to accommodate the larger driver. If you’re tall or wide, it’s the variant for you. In fact, there’s so much room in the pedal box that with my size eight feet and small trainers the pedals were too far apart for easy heel and toeing.

It’s a functional interior, with a small non-adjustable steering leather Momo steering wheel, perhaps the shortest gearshift throw in production and simple dials and toggle switches. There’s a heater and a 12V socket, and despite the suspension design there’s still a boot, mohair lined.

I don’t think anybody will think that the hood itself is plush. Magazines were complaining about the popper fastenings when I was a kid and the Seven still uses them now.

Today a Seven’s hood pulls tighter than ones of old and stays mercifully dry too, but it’s a bind to put up and down. Lotus showed how to do a hood with the Elise. Still, there’s a heated windscreen to keep misting at bay, you can reach all of the other windows with a cloth to demist those, too, so it’s not unpleasant to drive even on a rainy winter’s evening.

Note that the mirrors are attached to the doors and you can’t adjust them when you’re inside the car, though. Four-point harnesses are standard, with all the security but phaffing they entail too.

And because you sit so low, you’ll swear that anything taller than a Nissan Qashqai has its main beams up given how dazzling headlights are in the mirrors. Maybe you’d fit tinted film over them.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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Caterham Seven CSR Twenty review 2024 17

This 2.0-litre engine tune is the same as from the Caterham Seven 420 model, and is a combo that hasn’t been offered in the CSR chassis before. Continental CSRs were previously running with the ‘485’ model’s higher-revving 225bhp engine.

But if you think that having only 210bhp (at 7600rpm) or 150lb ft (at 6300rpm), is a downgrade, remember this is a car that still only weighs 620kg and it has one of the slickest, sharpest manual gearshifts in production. Caterham claims a 0-62mph time of 3.9sec and a top speed of 136mph. Those power and torque figures arrive at relatively high revs so get up it, work the gears, and it’s extremely urgent.

At low revs it’s still responsive and linear but at one point I did leave it in fourth gear for an overtake of an truck, and about three seconds later decided third gear might have been more advisable. But in conditions like our test it doesn’t pay to be too liberal with the throttle band, because the Seven can and will break traction despite the softer suspension that wants to keep the wheels attached to asphalt more consistently than a regular Seven. But we’ll come on to that.

The gearbox is a thing of wonder in this age, too. The standard MX-5’s shift is already great because Mazda engineers have documents the size of novels that dictate how quick and easy a gearchange ought to be. A Caterham wouldn’t pass Mazda’s guidelines, you suspect, because it’s too heavy, given the lever is much shorter, but you can bet your life there are Japanese engineers who spend their weekend mornings driving around mountain passes enjoying the short, heavy and wonderfully precise throw of their own Sevens.

If there is an issue, it’s that there’s some backlash in the driveline as you throttle-off or -on at low speeds, and for all that it had an apparently quieter open differential, it still whined a bit.

Pedal weights are all terrific, medium-heavy and consistent, with brake pressure that’s simple to lean against. If your feet don’t miss the throttle on downshifts, like my relatively small plates do.

RIDE & HANDLING

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Caterham Seven CSR Twenty review 2024 01

We were extremely complimentary about the ride of the CSR when it first arrived in the mid-2000s and age hasn’t wearied it. It still rolls with an absorbance denied other Sevens, though I think the gap is closer than it used to be as the standard car has been developed.

But by gum the steering is extremely heavy at low speeds. You’d expect a bit of that given it’s less than two turns between locks and the steering wheel is small, but still, it’s much heavier than I remember from a standard Seven. It eases up as speeds rise, though, and turns out to be stable in a straight line at speed, as well as brilliantly communicative and accurate once off centre.

The compliance doesn’t bring with it a paucity of body control. The CSR is bigger than a regular Seven but the sprung masses are still light, so easily controlled. And while it’s bigger and arguably less pure than the smaller Sevens (the 360 is probably the sweet spot for a road car, with an honourable mention to a 170 being as light as you can make one), the Caterham character is still very much intact. We’re talking nths of degrees: if you’d never driven a Seven, you’d be blown away by the lightness and immediacy of a CSR. With familiarity, you’d know what a difference shaving even more kilos can do.

There’s no ABS nor traction control. Does it slide well? I regret to report, on this zero-degree on-road occasion: no idea, mate.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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Caterham Seven CSR Twenty review 2024 06

Caterhams do traditionally hold their value superbly. The mechanicals are simple, and because a lot of Sevens are raced even replacement parts are plentiful and affordable. Insurance on a specialist policy is usually cheap by insurance standards, too.

The CSR has a 30-litre fuel tank and I returned 35mpg over two days of mixed driving.

VERDICT

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Caterham Seven CSR Twenty review 2024 22

At £80,000 the CSR is fearsomely expensive by Seven standards, and given that it’s a small production run I do wonder if it’s Caterham testing the water of what it can do with the range. Over the past few years it hasn’t been a given that the company makes profits and, given you can get a 170 from £29,490 (self-build), perhaps it has been thinking some of the range is too affordable.

But it does feel a better class inside than trad Sevens, and although it carries a few additional kilos over a standard-sized car, it rides with more absorbance and still retains most of the critical Caterham characteristics. As a tourer, it’s the best car the company makes. As an out-and-out lightweight sports car, it’s expensive and less pure than our favourite variants. But even a second-class Caterham is still better than the first-class flavour of most cars.

Matt Prior

Matt Prior
Title: Editor-at-large

Matt is Autocar’s lead features writer and presenter, is the main face of Autocar’s YouTube channel, presents the My Week In Cars podcast and has written his weekly column, Tester’s Notes, since 2013.

Matt is an automotive engineer who has been writing and talking about cars since 1997. He joined Autocar in 2005 as deputy road test editor, prior to which he was road test editor and world rally editor for Channel 4’s automotive website, 4Car. 

Into all things engineering and automotive from any era, Matt is as comfortable regularly contributing to sibling titles Move Electric and Classic & Sports Car as he is writing for Autocar. He has a racing licence, and some malfunctioning classic cars and motorbikes.