Any one had any fun with one of these?

I did at the weekend. We reached stupid speeds on the M11 (looking back it was very silly).

My god they are quick, nothing in it, I was expecting up to top end 3rd it would be close but in 4th I would take the lead, not the case at all. Through 4th into 5th we were even!

 

Autocar tested one at 14 'ish to 100mph which is roughly the same as an S2K so your post doesn't surprise me.

I am looking at one with a view to trading my Scooby. I never saw me looking at Vauxhall Astra's until this came along - I can't quite put my finger on it but it definitely appeals. It's either a VXR or a 3/4 year old C32 AMG ......

 

I expect them to be faster than the S on straights. They just float around corners though

 

yes i do like the astra vxr, take it to regal and boost up the power to a nice 305bhp easliy

 

They've plenty of power they just can't get it down.
Lad at works got one. Was a bit upset when I blitzed him down the dual carriageway on the way into work. could brake a lot harder into the roundabout than him and then could get the power down far earlier than he could on the way out.

Just left him for dead

 

I suppose a lot of that will be your comfort/familiarity with the car, if his is new. But yes, in both circumstances you describe (braking and cornering) I'd expect the S2K to be better. But in a straight line or long and lazy a-road I think the VXR could actually win.

I think Honda making the engine the star and not the car has been a mistake. It's meant that they haven't been able to keep a step ahead of the hot hatches in ways that other manufacturers have managed.

 

its still an astra :/

 

No suprises from the on-the-move performance.

It's never going to be great off the line due to the 237bhp through the front wheels and crazy torque steer. On the move it will be easy to drive fast.

I can imagine that its also easy to break traction coming out of corners if you get the power down too quickly, which is the same in the CTR.

IIRC the Astra weighs similar to the S too.

I still think the VXR is a bit nasty, and there are other much more accomplished hot hatches out there e.g.

- Clio 197
- Golf GTI
- Mini Cooper S Works
- Megane 225 Trophy

 

I disagree BB. I think its [the engine] the most endearing feature of the s2000 and contributes to its overall character. For me the car just wouldn't be the same if it had a heavier 3.0 with more mid-range torque up front. It's supposed to be a zingy rev-happy car by nature and the rest of its set up compliments that style. I don't think Honda are trying to keep ahead of the hot-hatch power game because doing so would probably mean the demise of the S2000 as we know it!

Realistically to nose ahead of the new superhatches the s2000 is going to need 300bhp or more. A turbo totally changes the character of the car and is especially out of keeping with Honda's VTEC vision. To get that sort of power reliably from N/A they'd need to increase displacemenet and thereby size/weight (usually) and this would probably result in the design of a whole new engine from the bottom up. The only semi-realistic option would be to supercharge the engine or to leave it as it is and accept that other manufacturers can continue with their FWD straight-line rocket wars on their own.

The S2000 is the most complete car I've ever driven. Every component seems to work in harmony and make sense, contributing to a very enjoyable overall character. My only grip is that they never made a Type-R version with shorter gears, 250(ish)bhp and circa 1180kg