robhoy

Yes, and there are a lot of people out there who prefer to drive "slow" cars (with "slow" meaning different things to different people) because for MANY people this "cliche" is true. Just because it's not true for you doesn't mean it's BS. For example, my dad (a veteran car guy) has told me many times that the most fun car he ever owned was an early 70s MG that was slow as hell, but that you could get in a 4-wheel drift at 20mph!

Personally I keep going back to CRXs from time to time - they're slow in terms of top speed and 0-60 (even with your typical swaps), but with coilovers they're an absolute blast. Much more fun at their limit (say X mph on a given road) than the S at X on the same road. Though of course, the S can -safely- go much faster on the same road without reaching it's limit, and at some speed Y (well above X) it's the more fun car, you actually have to DRIVE it at Y for it to be more fun... and that is often illegal.

What makes the S such a great car is that it is fast, but not so fast that you have to take it to the track to have fun with it.

S2020

I have a paddle shift car. It wasn't fun at first but now it's loads of fun. I agree with Hasan that it'd be even funner if it had a manual - alas, most manufacturers these days don't feel that way.

SpudRacer

No it's not. The S2000 is a 5.5 - 6.0 sec 0-60 car. That's family sedan territory these days. And the chassis is a 15 year old design at this point. Again, a FWD Ford Focus ST can outrun it. I suppose if you're coming from a Corolla the S2000 may seem fast. The S2000 just feels fast because it's small, light(ish), and noisy as hell with the top up or down.

For me the appeal of the S2000 was never speed. It was a fun little car that was very reliable and very well put together. It was cheap to own. It was hard to get into trouble with 163 lb/ft of peak torque. It was a great little back road toy for a few years. But fast.....nah, fast isn't one of the accomplishments on the S2000's resume'.

berny2435

Let's also note, depending on what tires you are running on the S2000, you gotta rev the piss out of it off the line to launch it properly as well. Not many people like 5,500 - 6,000rpm launches.. .

Going from a S2000 as my Daily to a E36 M3, I without hesitation say that the M3 is more fun around town.
1.) use lower revs and gears in all situations which makes driving it easier through all gears. Although the E36 has only 5 gears, the E46 6th is just a cruising gear, even on the non-M ZHP model. 96-99 M3s run 3500rpm in the 75mph-80mph range and it pulls real nice in 5th gear with a tune.

2.) wanna roast the tires and have some fun? M3 all the way. M3 can spin the tires from a 5-10mph roll if you drop the clutch around 4,000rpm.. . Can't do that with a S2000 running RE11A or Hankook RS3 street tires.

so with a relatively low HP car, yes, I can say having more power is more fun, more of the time.

With a manual car, I think the brain gets a sense of accomplishment from simple things like shifting up and down smoothly. Hard to get that with a Auto, which is probably why multiple companies have put a lot of effort in tuning the exhaust notes and paddle shifter feel which will help give make some stimulation.

I get Mcosmospower's comment on adding an exhaust and tune. liven up the gear shifts and exhaust note and you'll be using the revs more often and switching gears more often to hear the exhaust note.

Not a day goes by in my car that I don't purposely roll down the window and listen to the exhaust note when I mash the gas here and there

NuncoStr8

fix't.

Let's face it - manufacturers make cars that people buy. Every time someone drives off a lot with an auto, the manufacturer hears about it. If new and used autos/paddle shifters were languishing on dealer lots we'd see more manuals. Most cars sold by dealers are pushed by the manufacturer, not ordered by a customer. If you want more manual transmission cars on dealer lots you need to vote with your money.

rob-2

Hey hey now, the facts
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...t-intro-review
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...take-road-test

Ford focus ST 5.7 0-60
S2000 5.5 0-60

1/4
Focus ST 14.7
S2000 14.1

15 years later...

I think the reason you don't think it's fast might be because you've never been to the track with it. I feel plenty fast around 110-115mph or pulling over a g in a turn. Most sedans are not 5.5s, just a select group, whom you can regularly pass on the track.

Quoting 0-60 and 1/4 mile times doesn't sum up a car, things like brakes and suspension matter too. A lot of the bigger motor domestics favor those stats and put on tinny brakes. A v8 that cannot stop is not fun.

Why harp on the 15 year old design? Chassis and tranny still are the benchmark, and motor only topped by Ferrari. If I went back not to far I could name a few Ferrari's I didn't like.

bahula03

black_EM1

Hmm. I drive a friend's E92 pretty regularly, and I love the car. It does feel it's weight when compared to something like an S2000, but what car wouldn't. His is the 6-speed manual, though. So much more fun with the "POWER" button on.

NuncoStr8

I was thinking something similar LOL.

NuncoStr8

There are cars that are fun to drive hard even though they aren't fast. That's a whole different thing than saying "it's more fun to drive a slow car fast."