For The Roadsport 175 SV is the most powerful of the standard Sevens, and comes with the wider SV bodyshell so there's a little more room inside. It's genuinely fast, and will humble far more expensive cars when it comes to performance and handling. You get basics like a windscreen and weather equipment.
Against This Seven is neither a relaxed road cruiser, nor a stripped-out racer, and you're spending a lot of money for a fairly basic car. It doesn't offer much over the less powerful Roadsport models, yet is noticeably more expensive. You can still spend a fortune on desirable options, too. Paint is an optional extra.
What Car? says
A very competent Seven, but a little overpriced compared to other models. The 2.0-litre engine is only producing 175bhp, compared to 263bhp in more powerful models, so it's not used to it's best. The bigger engine will also raise running costs.
What Car? readers say
5
View the whole Caterham Seven Roadsport Open range
Buyer's notes
Target Price team says:
The entry-level cars are a little too basic, so it's better to look at the mid-range models. You can select from a wide range of options to personalise your car, but don't go mad, or you'll end up spending a fortune.
The fire-breathing high performance models are road legal, but are ideally suited to smooth race tracks - so aren't at their best on some of the UK's poor-quality roads.
A garage for storage is essential, as a Caterham exposed to the elements will look tatty quickly. You can elect to build the car yourself, however this will take time and you'll need the facilities, tools and skill to do the job properly.
Reader test team says:
Caterham Seven Roadsport Open 1.8 XPower 160 SV 2dr
First things first, I'm an enormous petrolhead. To me, this car is simply magnificent. True, you have to drive it with the utmost respect or it's…
5
out of 5 stars
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