NO ONE DOES cute and miniature like the Japanese. The new Daihatsu Copen is the bonsai of the car world, perfectly formed and pocket size. It could have been designed with Hong Kong sensibilities in mind, and is the only car I've driven in Mongkok that pulls in coos of admiration from passers-by, and shouts of, 'Wah! Ho dak yi!'
The original Copen was part of the range of cars designed to benefit from Japanese tax laws that favoured small cars with engines of less than 660cc. Known as Kei cars, this programme produced such mini gems as the Suzuki Cappuccino. Sharing a 659cc turbo engine with the Gino, the previous Copens looked cute, but you were never in any danger of breaking the land-speed record. The new Copen has an engine that verges on the insane: 1,298cc, 16 valves and four cylinders on a car that weighs only 860kg. So, I can't resist the combination of cuteness and potential for speed.
From the outside, everything about the Copen conspires to make you smile. The body is curved and there are no challenging angles. The headlights and grille smile and the twin exhaust pipes are pleasingly symmetrical. There's a rear stability bumper that Daihatsu describes as 'emotionally styled'.
The Copen has a fabulous folding electric roof similar to the Mercedes SLK's, which ensures that you avoid the potential embarrassment of being unable to unhook a stiff catch. For people watching the magic take place - and the Copen turns heads - the electric movement is impressive as the roof glides open and folds into the boot, revealing leather seats that are colour co-ordinated to the bodywork. To keep the roof up or drive with it down presents a dilemma. If you're tall, driving with the roof up means that you either have to lie flat or risk a headache from the restricted height. If you take the roof down, you lose all the boot space, which means that you can't carry a passenger and a handbag. As a shopping car, having a Copen will guarantee that you either buy only small items or get everything delivered.
The dashboard is heavily borrowed from the Daihatsu Gino, with the addition of a Momo steering wheel and a chrome-plated gear stick that hints at racing potential. This Hello Kitty has teeth. The CD player has a USB port for gadget fans. As we set off, we listen to Gwen Stefani's tribute to Japanese youth culture, Harajuku Girls, although hearing anything over the traffic noise is virtually impossible, despite the rear aero deflator.
With the roof down, the air conditioning struggles slightly, and the perforated leather of the seats turns into a sticky surface to which I am stuck. Five minutes in a traffic jam, and I'm reduced to fanning myself with my ID card; one of the few things that fitted into the car.