Ok, just come back from a spin in a mates EVO 8. Its an MR (280) but now with 360+ bhp from a filter, fuel pump, exhaust and remap. Also had 18" Ultralites and uprated Bilsteins.

Nice.



Steering is quite a bit lighter than the S and a bit less responsive. Its difficult comparing much to the S in the steering dept, as I find it to be perfect - very sharp. The EVO was fine, and much better than any scoob I have been in.

Gear change - well nowt compares to the S on that front. The EVO change is fine, quite nice, longer throw and a bit more notchy though. Due to the power of the car it reminded me of a Ferarri Testarossa I once went in. You accelerate, dip clutch change gear and bang you are off again. The S can be changed much more smoothly and quickly - almost so you cant hear it. The EVO had an odd sort of delay while you did the business. I put some of this down to my not being used to it. Not a prob, just different.

Ride, prob as stiff as the S, but a bit less harsh. By that I mean it doesnt skip or jump, as you would expect form a rally bred car.

Handling / grip - if you haven't been in one its hard to describe You can go round corners much much faster than you can in the S. The S is better at tighter bends. We went over a couple of jumps and it likes them It has 3 diff setting and you can have almost full RWD mode

Power - Again you need to have been on one to appreciate it. Not quite as explosive as my STi, its smoother delivery but still fierce, but clearly quicker. Overtaking stuff is point and click! You get a lot of respect driving it - people pull over to get out the way which is good

Brakes, spot on really!

Image - 10x better than a Subaru IMO. I in no way find it chav, there are so few of them and given its age, most youngsters can no way afford one. The S still holds its own here though.

Fun factor. This is the big one, and was my main worry. Enjoyment from the EVO comes in going very fast round bends - which you are not always doing. Fun from driving the S is pretty much all the time, even in the wet. I got back in it and found it sluggish at first, then got on the open road and started smiling once again. Playing with the back end, loads of heel toe, VTEC etc. It really is a joy to drive.

I dont know what to think. I love the look and idea of the EVO, and its so easy to drive around. My main complaint with the S is lack of overtaking power. Yes you can use the box but you simply cant overtake when I would like to. My drive to work is a mix of fast traffic, then open forest roads etc, so overtaking power is a nice thing.

If I had a turbo S I think it would be my perfect car!

MB

 

PS - in short, nothing is keeping up with that on a country back road

MB

 

you know you want a turbo on your s. TBH looked at a evo for 14k the wkend nice cars but servicing cost would be a killer.

 

Its not that bad at all if you look into non main dealer servicing!

MB

 

Didn

 

It didnt excite me that much to drive around in, no. Where it excites is its ability to punish stuff and go round bends rather quickly. It hasn't quite got the character of a scoob either. Its perfect at what its meant to do though!

Id like to try a 6, but its small fuel tank really does put me off esp as it would be a daily driver. I think the front and side profile looks great too.

Not overly keen on the image of the 6 either.

I dont think many scoob / evo drivers understand when you describe what fun it is to drive the S2000...

MB

 

I keep reaching the same conclusion although I'd rather s/c to keep the character.

I think the fun in the EVO is the effectiveness - the rush of knowing what you just did was seriously stupid and surely impossible. You know that feeling when you are walking away from a car replaying some corners in your head and you find yourself shaking your head and smiling

 

Thats it Kenny.

The appeal of the S is just being in it, changing gear all the time, the feel of the steering, the rwd thing - it feels like a racing car.

It just isnt fast enough. The EVO will keep up with most Supercars with that BHP!

EVO's and Scoobs scare me like the S cannot.

There are many pro's and con's and im sitting on the fence right now

MB

 

I wonder if the solution is to get a cheaper EVO (say a early 7) with mods to 360bhp (easy/cheap) and an old/cheap MX-5 (supposidly similar in character to the S2000) - best of both worlds



what am I saying.......MX5's are gay




EVO 8 with 400bhp all the way

 

Im not sure Kenny! Its not an MX5 for me, thats for sure. Less power and no VTEC

If the S2000 was 300bhp from the factory I dont think I would look anywhere else Maybe one of those J's racing engines....

I think 400 would be pushing the limit of being useable in reality. The power this thing had was extreme, and way way more than one could usefully use round corners The speedo needle goes up rather quickly.

A standard MR wouldnt get away from an S imo. There's a good video of that somewhere...

MB