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Honda S2000

Price $33,090

Honda S2000

SPECIFICATIONS:

Engine type: DOHC Super VTEC 16 valves inline-4
Displacement: 2.0L (1997cc)
Power: 240 bhp
Torque: 162 lb.-ft.
Redline: 8000rpm
Transmission: 6 speed manual

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PERFORMANCE:

 0-60: 5.4 sec
 0-100: 15.0 sec
 0-150: n/a
 1/4 mile: 14.1sec @ 97 mph
 Top Speed: 149 mph

    To understand what Honda's latest high performance roadster is all about, you have to know two things: it produces 240 bhp from a 1997cc engine and it has a redline of 9000 rpm. This car was meant to compete against Porsche's Boxster, BWM's Z3 Roadster, Mercede's SLK, and maybe Mazda's Miata. And if Honda keeps the price in the range of $30,000 to $35,000 then it will be the best choice (that's my opinion of course). If at this point you still prefer a Boxster, may I suggest a test-drive in the S2000 (when it becomes available) and see for yourself what I'm trying to say. Of course, when Porsche releases its idea of the Boxster S, then there will be some real competition, but for now, I'll stick to this one. Road manners are supreme (no surprise). And remember that Honda has a good reputation with handling, so there's no doubt that this car will handle well, given its weight distribution of 50% on the rear and you know the rest on the front. So as I said before, until there is no Boxster S, this will be my winner.

UPDATES: Ok, now that we all had a preview of the Boxster S, I can tell you one thing. I still prefer the S2000. Why? Well, when I wrote that thing above, I didn't think of one thing: Price. The Boxster alone is already about $5,000 above the price of the S2000's. And the the Boxster S goes even higher to about $15,000. So, there's no comparison at all. I'd say that the competition for the Boxser S is the Corvette convertible, the Mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4 Spyder, and the likes.

UPDATES: The S2000 will recieve a slight bump in engine size to 2.2 liters. This bump means about 10 more horsepower. However, don't expect the S2000 to be any faster than the current one, since the bigger size is aimed at delivering more torque down low in the rev range. It's still a question whether the name will be changed to S2200.

UPDATES: So the bump in horsepower has been done to the S2000. It grows to 2.2 liters, but the bump was directed toward more torque rather than more power. Torque is now 162 lb.ft @ 6500 rpm (9 lb.ft more than the 2.0 liter at 1000 lower revs). There's also a change in suspension, which includes wider tires: 245/40R-17. The front has been changed a little and looks more aggresive. Also, due to the higher torque and equal horsepower, the 9000 rpm redline is gone, now it revs to a still high 8000 rpm with a rev cutoff set at 8200 rpm. Despite the growth to 2.2 liters, the car retains the name "S2000". You can still get this S2000 at a price lower than even the BMW Z4 2.5i, which has a base price of $33,200 and goes up to $39,220. Impressive.