Test drive: 2007 Honda S2000
Wednesday December 6, 2006
Has the Honda S2000 really been with us for eight years? Holy crow. Honda's high-revving roadster hasn't changed much since it was introduced; it received various and sundry updates in 2002, a bigger engine in 2004, and an electronic stability control system and drive-by-wire throttle last year. Yet lots of new competitors have shown up -- most notably the Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Sky, as well as new versions of the Mazda Miata and Porsche Boxster. So how's the ol' S2000 holding up after all these years? Check out Jason Fogelson's S2000 test drive to get his opinion, and feel free to click the "comments" link and chime in with your own. -- Aaron Gold
Photo © Jason Fogelson
Jason clearly understands cars.
Jason: This is not a review; It is a virtual advertisement for Honda. Have you no critical standard for sports cars? Are you not up to speed on what the market is currently offering? Your article is plain pound cake without any spice or bite. The S2000 may indeed be a fine car but it is certainly long in the tooth, seriously underpowered, and as tight fitting as a condom. Can a 6 plus footer fit? I think not! Try to pass or accelerate without having to vigorously stir up the gear box and nothing will happen. Under 6K rpm there is no torque available. I suggest you become more questioning and a bit more critical. Maybe you are too young to have a working knowledge and understanding of serious cars
Hey Howee — I’ll let Jason answer this himself (though we probably won’t hear from him for a couple of days). I can say that a 6-footer will definitely fit — I think Jason mentioned in the article that he’s 6′2″. (I’m the short one, at 5′6″.)
The torque is an intersting issue. Some say it’s a problem that the S2000’s engine develops its best pulling power at high RPMs. Others (myself included) think revving the S2000 like a sports bike, always keeping the engine near the redline, is part of the fun. (I do know that Honda developed the engine specifically to stand up to such treatment.) I’d love to hear from other readers — what’s your opinion of the Honda’s high-revving antics, good or bad?
– Aaron
hi guys,stop your bickering, cause your both right. yes aaron, it is fun to ride around with the revs up, kinda pretending your a race car driver, but that gets old kinda quick…i’ve been selling honda 2000’s for several of those years and have enjoyed driving them…when that v-tech kicks in wow! but what i need before i plunck down $34k is 225ft/lbs of torque. otherwise i’d rather go with something cheaper.don
Yawn! Like ordering vanilla at Baskin Robbins.
Howee, drive the car.
I’m 6′1″ and at 210 lbs, fit well. You do need to rev the car and that’s all part of the fun. Those who don’t like to work their cars won’t enjoy it. As the road gets curvy, you’ll be pulling way ahead of many more powerful cars. The gearbox is something to be experienced as well. I’m on my second S2000 and love my commute.
There is nothing wrong with torque mind you. My wife drives a Magnum SRT8 (it has room for 3 car seats.) That car has torque and is a blast in it’s own right…but the driving experience is very different. I prefer my S2000 on a day to day basis and really enjoy the Magnum when I want a change.
I can’t believe that after 8 years this car has changed so little, but after 8 years is still such a great car. The only other roadster I can think of with such a long shelf life is the Boxster – in each case the car is fantastic and very well engineered.
The S2000 in my opinion is a shell of the sports car. All looks and no go. You would think for the price you would get something that is actually fast. Granted, I have driven a 2005 not a 2007 model, but numbers wise, not much has changed. Get ready to get pushed around at every stop light. Mustang and Camaro owners use the S2000 as the joke of jokes. Honestly, it may be warranted considering $33,000 in 2004 would net you a Cobra with 390HP.
Ben Martin:
Ford did not build a Cobra in 2004.
Paste this link into your browser and look from the dashboard of a 06 Z06 Vette and see
what fast actually looks like. The S2000 will be that red car that keeps disapprearing out front.
http://wurthwines.com/WMS/Vid/Laguna_Seca-1-2003_Chasing_JZR.wmv
Joe:
Great vid. That said, the vette shown in the video is a C5 (not a C6), and likely not a Z06. I have a 2004 C5 z06 as well as a 2005 s2000, and believe me – the c5 z06 creams the s2000 in every category (acceleration, braking, transitions, lateral Gs). And yes, I’ve tracked the cars. Either that vette pictured was a base c5, or the s2000 was FI’ed (with a great driver too, from the looks of it).
With that said, I have a *lot* more fun driving the s2000 than the z06. It’s more connected, while being easier to drive at the same time. The steering on my c5 z06 is numb, overboosted, and not weighted at all – feels like I’m driving a really fast camry!
Oops, Joe, I stand corrected. Looks like the vid you linked shows a 2001 Z06 corvette, and the s2000 seems stock aside from the link.
Very cool to see.
Oh, and btw, ford did build a cobra in 2004.