Car Lines
by Larry Mason
2000 Honda S2000

Journalism | New Car Reviews

Gear management. That’s the important thing to remember and utilize properly when driving the new Honda S2000. I say that not because of the six-speed transmission or the two-seat sportscar nature of driving. I say that because - well, let me put it to you this way. How many street cars that you know of have a 9,000 rpm redline?!

The S2000 I had was "arrest me red" (actually Honda calls it new formula red) with black leather interior. They don’t come much sportier than that, so put your hat on ‘cause we’re dropping the top and going for a spin.

Two hundred forty horsepower at 8,300 rpm; a 9,000 rpm redline; and to think, all of this comes out of a measly little two-liter engine. Honda has certainly put back into production what it learns from racing. Considering that they have won the last three Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) championships, it’s no wonder that they’ve come up with such a hot rod. The late great Ayrton Senna also raced a Honda powered Formula One car to incredible success. I remember his qualifying lap at Monte Carlo when he was on his way to another pole position. With Jackie Stewart commentating "The Honda engine screaming as he gets to Rascasse". This Honda engine certainly screams. It’s almost as if you’re riding a motorcycle considering the high-revving nature. I kept thinking I was going to get a ticket for exhibition of speed because I would drive with the engine at around 6,000 rpm. The reason for this is that the engine doesn’t make much power below that. In fact, the power doesn’t really come on till’ about 7K. At that point you only have 2K to work with before you shift to the next gear. Hence the reason I started the story out with those two words. The shear shrill sound of the engine sends chills down your spine and throughout your body. But let me digress – how did we get to this point? First of all, starting the S2000 is a unique experience in itself. Insert the key like any other car and turn on the ignition. Now reach your left thumb or index finger over to the left of the dash and push the button Max. Yes, that red button. Push it. Like a true race car the engine fires to life briskly waiting for you to invoke some serious exercise to it. Also like a current generation race car, the digital dash has the bar graph tach as its primary focus.

The VTEC technology supposedly works to give you the best of both worlds – low-end torque and high-end horsepower. In theory it does, but for all practical purposes, forget it. This engine has no low-end torque. It’s all about horsepower and it doesn’t have any of that either until 7K. The torque peaks at 153 lb-ft at 7,500 rpm. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that it isn’t any fun, it is. But the practicality of driving this on city streets all the time at 7,000 rpm is not very realistic.

The gearbox is another superb piece with extremely concise throws from first to sixth. Reverse has a great detent/lockout, which prevents you from going into "7^th". It took me awhile to realize it but first gear is a real gear, it’s not a throwaway in this car. Most cars have first to get off the line enough to get you into second. With the S2000 you can drive down the freeway in second gear! Not that you’d want to because the Honda engine will be screaming at 9,000 rpm at 65 mph. Shift into third and your turning 6,500. Drop it over in sixth and you're "idling" at 3,500. Get a good launch of this 2,809-pound road rocket and you’ll see zero-to-sixty in 5.2 seconds. Going down through the gears is just as fun as you can easily heel/toe. Sixty-to-zero comes in a throw-out-the-anchor 113 feet. Even with all my high rpm exploits, I still recorded over 24 mpg. The EPA rating is 20/26-city/highway mpg.

Handling prowess is another one of the S2000’s strong points. Great gobs of grip, prodigious brakes, and a pretentious power to weight ratio makes this car perfectly suited for the race track.

Inside the S2000 you’ll find one of the best retractable roofs around. Push a button on each of the two latches and then depress the switch in the center console and the top is down in about the same amount of time it takes you to get to 60 mph from a standing start. This car was meant to be driven topless. I say that because there is a lack of visibility with the top up due to the large C-pillar area and the cheap plastic rear window. The wind noise helps to drown out the pathetic stereo and numbs your mind so you don’t have to think about the lack of interior storage space. It does have two cupholders, but your beverage gets in the way when you try to shift gears. Torsional rigidity is high but I was surprised to find a door rattle and shake over rough roads. Perhaps the door hinges aren't up to the task of the rest of the chassis. The A/C works great and pumps as much cold air as you'll need and all the controls are logically placed and easy to reach. The seats are supportive, but if you're a bit wide in girth, you won't fit. I'm a little guy and my lats and shoulders were snug.

MSRP is $32,000. With floormats and destination charges this one came to $32,477. To me this car is the perfect weekend getaway or track car. After putting in 40 hours or more during the week, there's nothing better to blow out the cobwebs than a 9,000-rpm redline. Shoot, if your weekdays are overwhelming, you just might just need this car all the time! Visit your local Honda dealer and they might make you the next Gil de Ferran!

Hot stuff – the new Honda S2000, a street legal racecar for the public.

Is there a car review, or comparison test you would like to see? Send your suggestions, comments, and questions to:
Larry Mason