... Giving the car a little rev, I notice just how very respondent this car is; with a little press of the accelerator the revometer needle shoots from the left side and over to the right quicker than you can say "Honda"! The salesman gives me a nervous glance and I can tell that he is regretting ... Read review
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A review by firstgirl on Honda S2000 September 19th, 2002
Author's product rating:
Safety
Good
Comfort
Excellent
Road Handling
Excellent
Looks
Excellent
Features
Excellent
Advantages:
sexy and chic
Disadvantages:
none
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
I had been meaning to test this car out for ages as I have been seriously thinking about buying one (it may be a while before I actually get round to affording one, but that is besides the point). It has always been an ambition since these cars were released into the big wide world that I would one day own one. However, it was not until yesterday that I got a chance to drive one. Now get comfortable, strap in and hold tight as I take you on a little journey...
The first thing that struck me about this car was it's gorgeous looks; although this is a small looking car- it only has two seats- it looked like a right beast! It has a very long bonnet and huge wheels which can hold up to 18 inch alloys. It's sharp and appealing edges are what makes this car look so classy and so different compared to a lot of other cars on the road. That was what first made me want one!
But then I didn't know anything about this motor, only that it looked a treat, so I would have to find out if it's personality really lived up to it's looks. I decided to look it up on the internet to see if this was really the car for me, but I am sad to say that some of what I found wasn't to my liking; someone like me did not have much of a chance getting a test drive in one of these, let alone the credit- and the insurance (but we'll come to that later). So, for months- years- I dreamed of just having a go in one, but admitted that I would have to wait until I was at least 25 before I could be let loose behind the wheel!
But that's where I was wrong! While talking to a friend who works in a garage, I noticed an S2000 just casually sitting pretty outside the showroom. I told my friend of my story, saying that I'd never be able to test drive the thing. To cut a long story short, the garage- you guessed it- were going to let me drive the car after seeing my license and insurance details!
Anyway, onto the point, the car. The first thing I noticed when I exitedly got into the drivers seat was the colour-coded leather interior. Being a sleek black beauty on the outside, it was a cool and attractive rich red on the inside; the two colours contrasted with each other perfectly making this look like a real stunner!
The dash board was simple but sassy; there wasn't much going on there, but I felt that this added to the major style statement that this car seems to make. Anyway, it still had enough features (the revometer goes upto 9000 revs) and it had a digital display.
The car doesn't start on the key. Instead, it has an 'engine start' button which was something differrent in itself. So, with one press of a button, the engine came to life with a roar. Giving the car a little rev, I notice just how very respondent this car is; with a little press of the accelerator the revometer needle shoots from the left side and over to the right quicker than you can say "Honda"! The salesman gives me a nervous glance and I can tell that he is regretting letting me take this for a spin! Oh well- too late now...
...driving the S2000 is every adenaline junkie's dream; it goes like a bullet from a gun and it's handling is superb. Although the ride can feel a little scary at times, that is the whole point! This is a fun car- it wasn't built with practicality in mind; it was meant to be thrashed around demanding s-bends and raced along an open road (and doesn't have much boot space either) But for the sake of the faint-hearted, this is not actually a dangerous car; it has plenty of grip so you will have to be a pretty wild but stupid driver if you manage to turn this on it's side or plough into a hedge! It also has two airbags just in case you get too carried away and forget to stop at the traffic lights...
...but back to the drive. As I was saying, the handling is great which makes this an exhilerating car to take around those winding country lanes; you'll be able to take these corners at a high speed and still feel safe enough to do it again and again. The car is also ideal to take to the wide open roads with; going from 0-60 mph in just 6.2 seconds, you can see why! This is also a very powerful car which can produce a massive 237 bhp at 9000 rpm! So with it's combined power and feather-like weight, it's not surprising that this little beast can top 150 miles per hour on a good day!
Another thing to say about this car is that it only runs on a 2.0 litre engine (1997 cc to be precise) so it can also be reasonably economical when you drive it in a normal manner! I was told that this car did one mile for every 50 pence (actually, that is rather expensive) but I found on an internet site that it does 28 miles per gallon, so it really is about average in that department, but quite good for it's class.
Another thing I liked about his car was the fact that it has six gears. The pulling power of each of these gears is fantastic, with it going along at 70 mph in fourth gear and still pulling hungrily.
Around the town driving is not what the S2000 was built for; this car does not WANT to go slow and is forever sneaking above 30 mph so have to make a real effort- sometimes even fight to keep it slow! But it is something that gets easy with practise!
The suspension is good- it is relatively soft and a smooth ride; some may say that this spoils the excitement of sports driving and that they would prefer their cars a bit more rough n' ready, but to me this just added to the car's appeal. It is a smooth looker and is a smooth driver to match.
After the drive was over, I did not want o let the car go! I felt like it was already mine and I could really see myself cruising around in this- it was just my cup of tea!
I couldn't be dragged away that easily so I went inside to talk business. The salesman told me what I had been dreading- this car would probably cost someone like me more to insure than to buy (under 25, driving for just 2 years, no no claims as I've been under my dad's name al this time etc. etc.) This car would cost anyone a considerable amount to insure as it is right up there in the clouds with the Ferraris and Lambos in group 20. It seems crazy though, I mean, you can pay well over £100k for a beast of a car that can do 0-60 in 3 seconds with a six litre engine and over 500 bhp and it will be in the same insurance group as something like this- a REAL world car at an affordable £25,995 standard or £26,995 for GT version. C'est fou, non?
Oh well, one can dream...
FACT BREAKDOWN
Engine sizes: 1997cc, 16v Power: 237bhp Performance: 0-60mph in 6.2 secs Max speed- 150mph Cost new- £25,995 or £26,995 for GT version Cost second hand- between £16,000 and £25,000 Insurance group- 20 Miles per gallon- 28.5 Pence per mile- 51 Rear wheel drive Extras-Electric windows Alarm Immobiliser Airbags and Remote locking
BUYING INFORMATION
3 year warranty with all new Hondas Brochure hotline- 0800 2008000 Website- www.honda.co.uk 200 dealers in UK
Advantages: speed, cornering, price, looks Disadvantages: lack of cabin room, no gadgets,
Now, my review is going to be slightly different, as i have taken this car onto the track and seen what this baby can REALLY do:
I was in the pitlane, about to come out onto the track, The marshal waves me in, and i step on the accelrator hard.
The RPM's rise like crazy and the Vtec kicks in at 6000rpm for the full 240 BHP roaring under the bonnet, flicked it into 2nd gear, gear shift was shrap and short, still in the Vtec range roaring like crazy ... ...hard, abs doens;t kick in till right at the last minute. turn in, no understeer no over steer. And power hard out of the corner. A fantastic car on the track, on the straights i got up to 130 mph before braking for a S turn. Perfomance wise, 0-60 in 6 seconds is perfectly fast in normaly road,s but on the track, the Vtec kicks in hard and the perfomance is unleashed, it isn;t enough to keep up with the contenders of the Porche Gt3 or the BMW M3, ...
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Advantages: handling; looks Disadvantages: exurbant price. no, its not 32k
...The new addition to the Honda line up competes with all of these vehicles, and is priced somewhere in between the Mazda and the German cars.
S2K is not as distinctive as the Z3 or the Mercedes. It looks a whole lot more generic, but it still manages to come across as elegant. I personally don't like the 'shark' look of the Z3 (and forget about that ugly hatchback version!) and although I like the Mercedes, I think Honda is a better looking car. ... ...and this is where the Honda delivers the most. Through some clever body design, Honda has managed to distribute the weight 50/50 all around the car. This means a perfectly balanced vehicle that won't suffer from oversteering or understeering. Zipping through the curves is a child's play with the S2K, mainly due to the superb fully independent suspension.
But anyway, don't buy this car. Shocked? Yeah, so was I. The 32k MRSP is a joke, and let me ...
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Advantages: Marvellous engine Disadvantages: limited front space
Car: Honda S2000
For: Marvellous engine
Against: Limited space
Value: Bargain basement. This thing is faster than a Porsche Boxter and a heck of a lot cheaper!
Costs: Depreciation on these is low as they are in high demand so you are not likely to loose out. However servicing costs are quite high but not astronomical. Surprisingly, even with all the grunt that this car offers, the fuel economy is not bad at all with about 28mpg possible.
Reliability: ... ...and the suspension along limited slip diff on the back all add together to give a superbly balanced car. Great grip too despite a real wheel drive set up. The versatile VTEC engine allows for town cruising, motorway work and all out thrashing on the track.
Performance: A very high rev limit in conjunction with a six speed gearbox means that this car goes like a rocket and should see you to 60mph in under 6 seconds!
Comfort and Practicality: This ...
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Advantages: Looks stunning, goes even better Disadvantages: high running costs, awkward sun visors
I have to admit, I only had the car for a weekend, I could never afford to buy and then run one myself, but what a weekend!! The first impression you get is simply 'wow' - stunning looks, sexy alloys, and even though it has been around for about 3 years, it is very rarely seen on the roads, making it even more impressive.
When i got in, the first thing I noticed was the big red button on the right hand side of the steering wheel, emblazoned with ... ...the next thing was to take the roof down, by simply unclipping two clips and pushing another button. And this is how the S2000 has to be driven, with the roof down. The side windows can be put up, so you don't get blown about quite so much.
And this is how the S2000 experience continues - everything you do gives you a tingly feeling! The noise the engine makes when you start; the even better noise when you accelerate hard away in first gear; the ...
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Advantages: Better than Boxster or Z3 Disadvantages: Its a Honda and therfore hasn't the Cudos
This is one hell of a car. All the Motoring reports I've read say that you have to rev this engine to get the best from it. Thats not true. For everyday driving you can just drive normally. If you rev the engine like it will go then you need to be on a superb driving road or preferably on a race track because when you rev this engine to the red line it can make a hooligan of you. The great thing about the car is it has the chassis to match the engine, ... ...just going to find my favourite driving road just to get the thrill of this car. It may not have the folding hard-top of some competitors but this is the best soft-top I have ever seen. Undo two catches, press the button and it goes up or down very quickly. Buy one of these instead of a Boxster, SLK or Z4. Its a lot cheaper and lots more fun. Holds its price well too. Theres far less around. I like the red button to start the engine too. ...
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: Supercar Speeds. Exotic Looks. Very Driver Focused. Disadvantages: Group 20 Insurance. Small rear seats. Regular 3kmile Services Needed.
...reading, 8 Bar being a brand new rebuilt engine figure while 6 being a decent engine. Go much lower such as a high 5 (5.7 etc) and you should just walk away as the car may not last long. A 4 Bar reading would make you wonder if the car starts or not.
- Secondly a coolant pressure test - again a simple test that all garages should be able to do and all you are looking for here is that the coolant should be able to hold a good pressure.
If you've come this far looking to buy a car you've probably looked at the competition: Toyota Supra Twin Turbo, Mitsubishi GTO, HondaS2000 to name a few.
Why choose the RX7 over all these?
- Supra Twin Turbos are a very big and heavy rear wheel drive car, I havent had the chance to play with one but I understand they do not handle as well as the RX7 but they're supposed to be as fast?
- Mitsubishi GTO 280...
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Advantages: Low price, good looks and a punchy engine. Disadvantages: Cheap interior, soft suspension and depreciates fast.
...15 years ago Hyundai was considered a bit of a joke. Their reputation was in the toilet and it grouped together with brands like "Yugo"! Then, the CEO, Chung Mong-Koo, ordered his managers to make quality and reliability their number one focus when building cars.
Today, Hyundai is winning awards for its reliability and is affectionately known as a "poor man's Toyota". They have announced plans to expand and become one of the 5 biggest car makers in the world. If they achieve this target, then, this will put them in the league of Ford, General Motors and Toyota. So Hyundai are aiming high! So Hyundai need some good cars on the market to achieve this ambition.
The Hyundai Coupe is a sports coupe. It's in a market segement which is full of choice. Its main competitors are the HondaS-2000 and the Porsche Boxster. The Hyundai Coupe...
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Advantages: Style, solidity, grip, pace, safety, lights Disadvantages: Need to drive VERY fast to have real fun in it
...stereo upgrade is good, but not really necessary. You'll damage your hearing before the Bose distorts, but the standard stereo is fine. If you like cruising with the windows down and annoying passers-by, then get the Bose :-)
PPS To answer comments below:
- Service intervals are determined by driving style - the car lets you know via the dashboard when it needs a service. Mine didn't need one until 18,000 miles, 70% of which was motorway driving.
- Insurance is, IIRC, group 17. High, but not ridiculous (c.f. HondaS2000, group 20, despite similar performance. Yes, S2000 is .75s quicker 0-60, but the TT needs to change to 3rd to hit 60 - in gear performance is similar). It was included with me as it was a company car, so afraid no idea on quotes.
- Servicing isn't extortionate at Audi dealers and they do a thorough job...
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It was the summer of '96, and I was a '90s girl. I was happy with my life (and Mitsubishi Lancer GLX) and thought it was complete.. that was until I laid eyes on her...
I'm talking about the beautiful piece of machinery parked on the corner car lot,... more
27.08.2007
22.12.2007
