Honda S2000
Honda's S2000 May Now Appear A Little Less Extreme But Its A More Polished Performer Than Ever. Andy Enright Explains Why
The styling is a little more mature, the steering is now slower, the rear suspension is softer and Honda have even attempted to improve the refinement levels. Has the S2000 roadster gone all soft on us? Not a bit of it. At first we were a little worried that wed get the lazier 2.2-litre engine thats now destined for the US market, but Honda recognised that the banshee 2.
0-litre unit was the key selling point of the S2000 and have wisely stuck by it. The rest of the changes have addressed a few of the issues that prevented the S2000 being mentioned in the same breath as cars like the
Porsche Boxster and the
BMW Z4.
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Although the S2000 did things that no other car could do, it also did a few that werent always desirable. A colleague of mine bought one as his first track day car only to trolley it into the tyre wall at Brands Hatch on its first outing. Tail happy would be an apt description of the original S2000 and even in the hands of experienced pilots, the combination of aggressive rear suspension, spiky power delivery and a rather peppy electric steering system always kept you on your toes. In the wet it crossed the line from challenging to occasionally frightening.
Honda realised that the S2000 was becoming a fixture on www.wreckedexotics.com and vowed to take remedial action. The latest car benefits from a number of changes that have gone a significant way to taming the handling.
The rear suspension is made a good deal more pliant with softer springs and dampers and a less rigid anti roll bar. This reduces the amount of bump steer - the effect when the wheels steer themselves without input from the steering wheel - and results in a more benign back end with greater stability and roadholding. As well as a set of redesigned alloy wheels, the S2000 benefits from bigger Bridgestone Potenza tyres and a change in tread pattern from the S-02 to the RE050 design gives a better balance between wet and dry performance, crucial in a country where its usually raining. The electric power steering is also seven per cent slower to give a more intuitive feel, the chassis is more rigid than ever to allow the suspension to work optimally and the software of the ABS system has been improved so that it deals more intelligently with situations where levels of surface grip differ between one wheel and another - i.
e. its not so prone to spinning under braking.
"The latest S2000 benefits from a number of changes that have gone a significant way to taming its handling"
These changes may have massively improved the S2000 for those who plan to drive it hard, but even when youre not beating the engine off the 9,000rpm redline and/or cornering on the doorhandles, theres a number of improvements that most will be able to appreciate. The headlights are now of the fashionable High Intensity Discharge (HID) variety and the triple lens tail lamps are a good deal more distinctive than before. Chromed oval tailpipes nestle up to a revised rear bumper and theres also an LED tail light. The interior benefits from re-sculpted doors to offer more elbow room, and deeper door pockets for added practicality.
Whoever thought that putting a metal gearknob in a convertible car was a good idea probably needs a good clout, as in this example, it used to get boiling hot in summer and agonisingly cold in winter: thankfully sense has prevailed and Honda have fitted a leather knob to the latest S2000. Theres also hide on the gear lever gaiter plus silver trim on the headrests, audio panel and centre console. The quantity of cup holders doubles to two and the digital display has been rendered easier to read. A digital clock has been added, as have heated door mirrors and a microwave alarm system.
Theres even the option of a pair of 30-watt speakers built into the headrests. A wider choice of body colours includes a richer Indy Yellow pearlescent. Theres an optional hard-top for the winter, but most will probably get it as part of the extra-cost GT package that Honda offers for an extra £1,000. Other than that however, the recipe remains as intoxicating as ever.
At full chat, the sound of this car is intoxicating. Mind you, own an S2000 and you're going to be driving at full chat rather a lot. Not only because everything about it induces you to do so - though it does. No, more because you have to thrash the thing to within an inch of its life before anything really happens down below. Only from 7,000rpm onwards does the acceleration really begin to swell.
Yes, you read that right - 7,000rpm onwards. Most ordinary cars don't even function at this level. Not that the majority of their owners would ever know. For these people, the twilight zone above 6,000rpm is akin to Timbuktu, Levenshulme or the Planet Twix: some place they've heard about but never plan to visit. These people will not enjoy this car. Turn the key - and nothing happens. Not until you realise that someone with a charming sense of eccentricity in the Honda design department has decreed that this car should have a push-button starter.
You'll find it to the right of the steering wheel, inscribed with the legend 'ENGINE START'. Press it and the fun begins. The first thing you notice is the F1-style instrument display, with its digital speedo in the middle and a LED rev counter arching over it like a rainbow. The graphics suggest that you can light it up all the way to 9,000rpm - and for once they don't lie. This is the highest revving production engine you can buy, a four-cylinder, 2.0-litre unit that puts out an astonishing 237bhp without the aid of a turbocharger. This is the highest output per litre of any production car engine in the world, a unit which makes most other powerplants look like something out of the Ark.
To put it into perspective, most normally aspirated 2.0-litre engines struggle to put out 150bhp. Torque is still risible. The S2000 may be less raw now but its undeniably a better car.
Not many manufacturers have the humility to admit that they got something a little bit wrong but Honda wont let pride come before building a decent product. Now we can all enjoy the S2000s bark without worrying about its bite.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Honda S2000
PRICES: £26,730-£27,730 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 19
CO2 EMISSIONS: 237g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 150mph / 0-60mph 6.2s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (urban) 20.6mpg / (extra urban) 35.3mpg / (combined) 28.5mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Driver and passenger airbags, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height 4135/1860/1285mm
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