Faults:
The only fault has been a leaking hood, which the dealer said they had never seen before. It took a couple of attempts to cure, but both the dealer and Honda tech support were excellent.
The car was subject to a recall to improve lubrication to the cylinder head which was carried out with no fuss and Honda have extended the warranty on the engine.
The car does use quite a lot of oil, particularly if driven hard it will use about 1L per 1,000 miles.
General Comments:
I used to drive a Saab 900 convertible , which had great performance in a straight line, but was scary round bends!
I drove an Intergra R and was immediately hooked on the stunning performance.
The S2000 is even better than the R, below 6,000 revs the engine is docile and around town the car is easy to drive. Get out of town and wind it up and the performance is electric, almost turbo like in delivery.
I have read a lot of comments about the handling, but I have had no problem. Yes it commands respect in the wet, as with any powerful RWD car (especially without nanny electronics!). In the dry the handling is simply awesome. I have been lucky enough to do regular track days where the majority of the other cars have been Porkers, mostly 911's and with the exception of one or two indecently powerful cars the S2000 laps in similar or quicker times in the dry and quicker in the wet.
A very wet Castle Coombe did see me go for an excursion across the grass, but mine was pointing the right way for more of the time than the several Elise's present on the day!
On the road it is better equipped than an Elise, and less tiring over a long distance (although it would not be my car of choice for regular long motorway trips due to the gearing).
My only criticisms are the rear screen (plastic) and poor stereo, both of which have been addressed in the new model.
1st Mar 2005, 10:30
I sold my S2000 because I got totally sick of it in the wet. Granted I'm not Michael Schumacher, but I have owned a TVR Chimaera 4.5 and a Caterham 7 JPE so tail happy RWD cars aren't exactly a mystery to me.
The Honda's biggest weakness in my opinion is the engine. Sure it sounds fantastic and gives excellent performance, but when you're on the limit you need consistent throttle response and power to balance the car, not a 100 bhp bonus ball when the revs cross a certain point. To me it felt like it has 100 bhp or over 200 bhp, with nothing in between. Exciting in a straight line or in the bone dry, but on real British roads in real British weather, not exactly a recipe for driveability.
The Honda's chassis is excellent, but throttle control is everything when driving a RWD car hard, and you just cannot achieve that with an engine that gains over 100 bhp instantaneously when you pass a given point in the rev range.
If Honda fitted a slightly bigger engine with more consistent midrange delivery it would transform the car.