When Honda created the S2000, its goal was to create an unadulterated roadster reminiscent of the S600, created a generation earlier. While the S had a minimalist design, it wasn’t without certain high-end and creature comforts like HID lights, a (weak) stereo with CD player, cruise control, and power top.
Thinking back to when you got your S2000, and what comes on new cars today, what is one thing you wish the S2000 came with from the factory? Heated seats? A powered hard top? A real stereo with iPod integration? Have you bought anything for your S2000 to address that wish?
Images courtesy of Drifteropoulos, Shopman and TheChazz
Original write up by Saki GT
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on Nov 19th, 2010 at 10:39 am
I would vote for the heated seats or a turbo motor right out of the dealership. i LOVE the way the f22 sounds and performs turbo’ed. Even the weaker greddy turbo gives it a nice kick. Also, I LOVE the heated seats picture. Anyone know where I could get those added to my S? with the buttons in the location as the picture above, thanks.
Sunny
on Nov 19th, 2010 at 10:45 am
More windshield wiper speeds. High, low, and intermittent aren’t exactly the best options for daily driver use. Oh, and something to keep the rain from beading off the top into the drivers seat when you open the door during a storm.
on Nov 19th, 2010 at 10:45 am
Heated seats…that is the main option I wish it had.
on Nov 19th, 2010 at 10:46 am
I’d use air conditioned seats much more than heated seats. But really, I’d like 100 more horsepower and torks, and 2 more inches of shoulder room, please.
On the realistic side, an auto mirror with built in HomeLink would be awesome and I’m thinking of adding it myself.
on Nov 19th, 2010 at 10:48 am
I wish the s2000 came with alcantara seats and an oil temperature gauge.
on Nov 19th, 2010 at 10:53 am
Air Conditioned seats!!
on Nov 19th, 2010 at 11:00 am
A powered hard top and heated seats!
on Nov 19th, 2010 at 11:04 am
I wish it came with Tire Pressure Monitor sensor, Hood dampers(to give it the classy look when hood open), a better stereo, & Oil Temp gauge…thats all i can think of right.
Other than that i think its just perfect.
on Nov 19th, 2010 at 11:11 am
Grippier cloth seats a la S2000 CR. Other than that, the S2000 is perfect in stock form. Personally I don’t listen to music so I could not care about the audio. A retractable hard top would be sweet though although that may affect the cars balance.
on Nov 19th, 2010 at 11:43 am
Variable windshield wiper intermission timing.
If you DD the car you will agree.
on Nov 19th, 2010 at 11:52 am
Better stereo (one with USB/IPhone integration) + non-defective soft-top..Everything is perfect as it is.
on Nov 19th, 2010 at 12:38 pm
Less noise in AP2 soft top and a much higher powered better fidelity stock stereo.
I have phantom click noises that I can never pin point in the soft top.
on Nov 19th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
I have to strongly disagree with TPMS! One of my favorite things about the 04 is that it does NOT have this annoyance
If heat or AC was option for the seats I would go with AC but I don’t really care either way.
I do wish my 04 had the in dash thermometer like my newer S had. I have looked for the temp at least 100 times so far. I would love an iPod plug in because the iTrip/FM Transmitter is a PITA at times. I love the photo of the Limo! When I win mega lotto I plan to build one
on Nov 19th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
I agree with the home link mirror because my garage opener is ugly.
I agree with Tadashi……when I put my Volks on I get a TPMS light on the dash. If I wanted this to go away then I’d have to swap over the TPMS sensors from the stock wheels. If you I buy another set or sensors and install those then I’d have to pay a dealer to have them flash it so it will read. What a hassle……
on Nov 19th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
You can’t make perfection better…
on Nov 19th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
lol my s2000 doesnt even have a clock, whats wrong with that?!
they had an aim making the cars, i guarantee the ability to do any one of the mods listed above was available but was ruled out. its made to be a simple car. drive a different car for your luxury..now im not saying there is anything wrong with upgrading it, or DIY’s because clearly there are some masters of creation on our forums here, but from the factory, they would have declined the options you all listed, possibly excluding the oil temp. that may have made it if they had a location other than the pillar to place it…all in all, good write up and helpful critizism on the car
on Nov 19th, 2010 at 3:24 pm
a ten sack
on Nov 19th, 2010 at 5:38 pm
that limo is sick… somebody needs to make on lol
on Nov 19th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
I wish my S2000 had a full set of gauges. I’d like to have an oil pressure gauge, a volt meter (or ammeter) and a real water temperature gauge. I like having gauges. I think gauges are something every world class sports car should have.
I also wish (this isn’t a factory option) that I had more time to enjoy my S2000.
on Nov 19th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
I wish the car came with more chick magnet power!!
Chicks don’t dig the S2k at all
on Nov 19th, 2010 at 7:54 pm
I upgraded the stereo, but that is something I would have done no matter how the stock system was.
What I really want is to be able to swing the sun visor to the side.
on Nov 20th, 2010 at 3:07 am
Clock would be nice – other than that my ’00 is perfect! As much fun as you can have with your trousers on!
on Nov 20th, 2010 at 7:46 am
[quote]Chicks don’t dig the S2k at all[/quote]
Are your serious? lol Either your not driving with the top down, or your driving with the top down and its not the car they arent digging.
One thing I would have liked from the factory is motion headlights, ya know when you turn or go up/down hills they move slightly to give you better vision. Dont get me wrong iv yet to see better headlights than the S2000 but i wish they moved is all.
on Nov 20th, 2010 at 11:51 am
If it is possible to shave more weight from the S then thats my vote, but tougher now due to safety regulations than 15 years ago when cars of this size might be lighter.
Otherwise, Oil Press and Oil Temp guages would be nice considering how high the engine revs. heh heh…
An integrated iPod connection or USB would be nice too.
on Nov 20th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
What I really want is to be able to swing the sun visor to the side.
and eletric unlock door button
hood dampers
on Nov 21st, 2010 at 5:49 pm
Automatic Windows for both the driver and passenger side.
on Nov 22nd, 2010 at 6:30 am
I would vote for a powered hard boot for the soft top. Preferably one that could be raised and lowered at low speed, >30mph. And wouldn’t add any weight
The outside temp gauge would be nice . Thing is the computer is already measuring out side temp so adding that feature would mean adding a display(maybe a toggle on clock display) and some programming.
on Nov 22nd, 2010 at 6:53 am
Guys, the focus of the S2000 is aimed at the driver who wants to feel like a racing driver. A racing car does not offer practicality and comforts, and the S2000 makes it a point that it does not offer too much frills. It is aimed at the racing driver who loves making a compromise on comforts because that is the true race car feel and that is what makes the driver feel special…think about the firm ride, slick & quick gearshift, high rev engine a la F1, power oversteer, quick steering rack, harp handling, and a front end that looks menacing in any rearview mirror.
If you wanted practicality you shoud have bought an Audi TT; if you wanted comforts you should have bought the Z4 and if you wanted to pose then you should have gone for the porsche boxter.
Even more crucial is the fact that Honda gave us a car that outperforms any of the above three (except for creature comforts) at a much smaller price tag, for us to enjoy.
on Nov 22nd, 2010 at 7:35 am
4 or 5 point harness…or at least the hookups to add them. I like the seats in the S2K, and I don’t want to rip them out, but I would really have liked some proper seat belts. Also, slightly taller rollover hoops would be good. I’ve never really worried about it, but it’s a little disconcerting that I’m taller than them.
on Nov 22nd, 2010 at 9:38 am
I’m from the “less is more” school. Rather than add anything, I would have liked to have seen an optional version with things left out….a de-contented CS (ClubSport) version that went WAY beyond the CR in terms of weight reduction and removal of unnecessary gadgets. I don’t need/want: VSC, power mirrors, power windows, cruise control, power top, multiple (substandard) speakers, spare tire (a can of sealant would be fine, thanks). I specifically bought an 07 rather than an 08 to avoid TPMS…and in retrospect I actually liked my 01 better than my current 07 because it was more minimalist.
on Nov 22nd, 2010 at 3:43 pm
I wish it had all the gauges possible like engine temp, transmission temp, oil pressure, boost, clock, in a digital format like the Nissan GTR, put it right in the middle of the dash (above the factory stereo) angled toward the driver.
on Nov 23rd, 2010 at 8:52 am
Navigation, a lower seat and a better stereo. I love my S2k but I need a lower seat.
on Nov 23rd, 2010 at 9:33 am
I agree with George Curnew, less is more. This is a sport car and less weight is a plus to the S2000. I just wish that the USDM CR get the F20c with the Ap2 gearing, with out any fancy gadgets and can get the weight down less than 2500lbs. I will be the first one all over the CR, well for now I just dreaming.
on Nov 23rd, 2010 at 7:22 pm
The s2000 is great pretty much bcoz it is simple. if we have everything, it would just like a BMW Z4… I want an extra power outlet btw.
on Nov 30th, 2010 at 9:36 am
How about an auto up on the window button.
on Dec 2nd, 2010 at 6:00 am
Schumi’s spot on…altho’ I would like heated seats on cool evenings when the top is down.
on Dec 18th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
My only complaints:
A more solid idle on my 2001 S2K. When the RPMs drop it often falls below idle for a second as though it is going die. After searching S2KI it sounds like that is just the way it is.
A bit less transmission noise when the rag-top is up or the hard-top is on.
The stereo was weak but that was ok since no factory deck is very exciting, but thank you Honda for making is so easy to replace!
Space in the cabin to fit a small sub-woofer. I put a custom sub-box against the firewall on the passenger side. No good for tall passengers, however.
On the might-be-nice list:
A couple more gauges and a clock, as long as the clock didn’t blink.
Hinged visior would be nice.
A little more cabin storage.
Glass rear window in rag-top, which they later added. I mostly use the hard-top. A retractable hard-top would be nice but that seems like too much for the small and nimble S2K.
It looks like I will have the car a long time since new cars in this class are all going to automatics with pad shifters.
on Mar 15th, 2011 at 4:30 pm
It would have been Nice to have just a tad more low end power TQ
on Mar 21st, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Definitely, a little more power, hinged visors, and for a digital gauge cluster, it should really have a couple extra gauges like oil water volt etc. or atleast a cycled read out button that could display those sequentially on the clock lcd or something. also do something about the panels in the softtop well that vibrate like a cheap hyundai if you have a sub in the trunk.
on Apr 15th, 2011 at 1:17 pm
gauges would be nice but i wish it had heated seats. for the early or late season when i still want to roll with the top down but dont feel like dressing up too much.
on Oct 22nd, 2011 at 1:10 pm
The s2000′s beauty is it’s simplicity. That said it would be nice if my ’08 had:
1. All gray-titanium trim instead of the variety of chromes and satin silvers
2. Better, more powerful stereo. And rearrange the buttons to allow a knob to cycle through the channels. A place to plug in an mp3 or thumb drive. Also, integrated antenna (eg. in the windshield)
3. Continuously-variable, intermittent wipers
4. Heated seats (cooled good to but not as necessary)
5. Faster 0-60 (more torque or add a turbo or 6 cylinder)
6. Deeper, more stable cup holders
7. Tire pressure readouts for all 4 rather than just a warning
8. Subtle, small buttons for the cruise instead of the “jumbo” version
9. Redesign the trunk to make flat, even if a little less deep
10. Auto dimming mirror with compass
That’s it, otherwise the s2000 is perfect! If they came out with it again, did these things, and made a few styling changes to catch up with the times. I wouldn’t be surprised if they sold quite a few. Certainly it was a great car to have in the Honda stable and told everyone in the showroom that there were some serious engineers involved with the company. I’ve enjoyed every minute of my s2000!
on Oct 28th, 2011 at 12:39 pm
My opinion is that the trunk design is genius. I do not know many sports cars that facilitate a flat tire which is what I assumed the deeper trunk area was intended to do!