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Jaggy Cars - November 2009
Honda S2000
Pit Bull or Poodle?
I know it’s entirely unfair, but since I drove the Honda S2000 sports car, I can’t get the images of a bull terrier out of my head.
It’s not the prettiest of sports cars, although it’s a big improvement on the original 1999 introductory model, but it still looks a bit blunt around the nose with big powerful and wide shoulders.
But it wasn’t so much a physical similarity, I was thinking more of its reactions than its looks.
Imagine for a moment having a bull terrier on a leash by your side. Then parade a good looking powdered and pampered poodle, straight out of the ‘hair and nails’ poodle parlour, up and down in front of it. And just the when the dog starts thinking mucky thoughts and slevver over the poodle, give it a swift kick up the goolies.
This is when it is most like the Honda. The dog kind of looks at you, wide eyed and astonished, thinking: “Did you really just do what I think you did?” And then when the pain suddenly kicks in, it reacts. But considering its squat and muscular nature, it’s not as quick as a whippet.
So it’s a bit like the Honda, nothing really happens until 6000 rpm, and then it reacts. Yup, it’s a good going car up till that point, but the pain barrier is reached at 6. Then it bellows into life and erupts into action – just like a swiftly kicked hefty big dug.
Neither is it nimble and deft like a whippet, or an MX5 for that matter, but with 2 litres of combustible fumes and air whistling around inside the four cylinders which are gyrating at 9000 rpm, you know this thing is alive. Acceleration is impressive if not tyre screechingly quick, although there is an impressive surge of power when the power band is breached.
But where it really scores is in its handling. This is quite an impressive ground limpet now that Honda has sorted the original car out. Three years back Honda fiddled with the dampers and springs, fitted a stiffer anti-roll bar and added stability control. Ride quality is still on the harsh side of comfort, but when covering ground at stupid speeds, you’re too busy hanging on and giggling to notice the milk shake turning into pink cheese in the drinks holder.
With a 50/50 split front to rear it clings quite well to its chosen line. It’s so good that after the first roundabout you tackle at speed you just feel you have to go back and try it again to make sure that it made it all the way round in one piece without chucking itself off the road or chucking your stomach out the side window.
The rear wheel drive configuration is likeable and with an LSD at the back end it copes with the 237 bhp that the front end is sending to the back. And it’s a good thing there is an LSD. If you switch off the ESP, because it tends to dampen the engine’s enthusiasm, the back end gets a bit more lively.
The down side is that the steering is not quite as quick as the car and the steering column is not adjustable and although the driver’s seat is fairly good and leg-room adequate, scuffing knuckles on your knees becomes an additional hazard when tucking into corners.
If you are interested you’ll need to be quick to a buy a new one, Honda ceased production of the car in June, which is a pity because despite my misgivings, it is still a likeable, quick ground coverer.
Would I buy one? Nope, but that’s not to say I didn’t like it.
It wails like a banshee on full revs and the ragtop does little to dampen the noise which makes it a bit wearing on longer trips. And there’s no point in driving it sensibly, otherwise you’d just buy a Civic. So if you do want to get the best out of it, you have to put in the effort. And I’m not 19 any more!
In Short:
Price: £27,402
Engine: 1997 cc, 4 cyl. with 237 bhp
Performance: 0 - 62 mph in 6.2 seconds, flat out at 150 mph
Economy: 28.2 mpg combined
CO2 emissions: 236 g/km
Insurance Group: 20
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