Instead of having a hundred different threads about your impressions of the '04, let's all put them in one place for easy reference. Those of you who already posted, I will add your impressions to the thread. Those who haven't, go out and drive it!!

 

Back-cracker's drive and impressions:



Impressions:

My good buddy Matt Piercey "Pierceman" on s2ki.com rang my phone last night stating that he had recieved My04. Immediately, I ran to the dealership this morning, to see 2 Silverstones. As a buyer, not of silverstone but of red, Matt decided to give me a test drive. With wrappers still on the car, windows that can't be seen, we took it out for a 1/2 mile drive.

Like: Headlights and tailights are VERY futuristic looking. I like them.
The center console is to die for. Press of a button and it automatically slides, with a knob inside so the drinks won't slip and slid.
The tailpipes are HUGE!! It makes the car look very hot, and proportional.
The lines of the car, makes this car look aggressive
The torque is improved, 3K to 6K, can feel the difference.
Speakers (tweeters) Looks nice!

Dislike: Since I am a owner of My01, I personally like the shift knob on mine better. Over time that leather Know will become dull and smelly.
I did not like the steering wheel. The stitches in the steering wheel makes it look cheap.
8K RPM, but I can live with it.
The instument cluster looks SHORT with the 8RPM. I like ours better.
Clutch is still loose (spongy)

I wished:

I had a chance to Redline the car.
I had the chance to tell you guys where VTEC kicks in.
Turn the corners aggressively

I hope that helps you all. My04 is not due here until the end of november. Seems like the silver/sebrings are rolling in fast, and the reds and whites are limited.

Back-cracker

 

Vector's impressions:

I've narrowed my car search to two cars: the S2000 and the 350Z. Last week I had two test drives in the 2003 S2000 and today I just returned from a drive with the 2004 model. I am aware of the "improvements" made in torque, room, wheels etc. for 2004 but my impressions were not always in line with what I expected.

Acceleration: The 2003 knocked my socks off!!! I found the VTEC engagement at 6000 rpm enthralling. The 2004 had no abrupt VTEC surge. The power was more uniform over a range of rpm. Acceleration from the line seemed only slightly improved in the 2004. Flooring the gas pedal in 5th gear on the 2003 produced sluggish acceleration until 6000. The 2004 was better, but not dramatically different. A lot of the visceral excitement that comes with the expectation of VTEC engagement is gone in 2004.

Sound: Marginally quieter in the 2004 model.

Suspension: The 2004 was definitely better over bumps and ruts. I liked that!

Handling: 2003 had razor sharp steering. Surprisingly, the 2004 was not as tight. Maybe this was a problem specific to the car I drove.

Interior: After driving the 2004 I went back into the 2003 car. I liked the 2003 MUCH better. Interior cockpit of the 2003 seemed like a snug, perfect fit. The 2004 was not as racey. I prefer the speckled leather 2003 steering wheel to the smooth 2004.

Seats: Both models have the same seat. Most people find the seat very comfortable. Not me. I am a wiry 5'7" and although the front visibility is perfect, I could not comfortably rest my head back on the headrest. The headrest is too far backward, even with seat rotated forward as far as possible. Anyone else experience this???? I tried hard to relax my body into the seat while driving without success.

At this point I will probably purchase a 350Z primarily due to the driver's seat. The leather Z seat fits like a glove. The Z's cockpit and overall style is very "muscle hot" and contemporary. I was also impressed with the Z's acceleration and cornering. Here in Westchester, the Z has a significantly lower insurance premium. BUT, there are serious downsides to the Z:
1. Unlike the Honda, the Z has some serious reliability issues. Front tires can feather or cup after as little as 3000 miles.The car can pull to the right even after alignment. Some people have replaced transmissions three times the first year of ownership! Overall reliability for Nissan models is significantly lower than Honda.
2. Owners report the Z to be TERRIBLE in snow, even with snow tires. However, the money I would save on insurance (vs. the Honda) could offset the insurance on a beater car for the winter.
3. The Z lurched forward when shifting in low gears during my test drive. I assume this is due to the high torque. Living with this in N.Y.C. traffic could be very frustrating. With practice, I might learn to control the shifts.

Bottom line: I REALLY wanted the Honda (reliability and unequaled excitement with the 2003) but will probably be happy buying the Z due to those great seats, excellent performance and sharp looks.

 

Basscase's impressions:

Had a chance to take a spin in the first '04 in my hood. I was apparently the first one off the lot with it, a Berlina with 6 miles on the odo.

I'm coming from a stock MY00, which I got to drive back to back with the '04. I have to say that the change in the overall feel of the car is more than subtle.

1. First and foremost, the suspension on the '04 is significantly softer and less harsh than that of my '00 (I haven't driven enough '02-'03's to know how they would compare). The '04 glides along rough surfaces, surfaces that make my '00 feel like a stagecoach. The comfort factor goes hands down to the '04.

2. The engine sounds a good deal quieter and less raucous, and its vibration has been noticeably dampened (if not eliminated). I took the car to about 7K, thinking I would back off the gas when I felt the first hint of VTEC. But it never came.

The 2.2 just doesn't have the 2.0's abrupt transition to VTEC-- I couldn't even tell when it kicked in. It revs very smooth, smoother even than my old RSX-S. I guess this is going to be totally subjective, but to me it feels less exciting than the F20C-- but certainly more practical. Also, I found that the famed VTEC howl we know and love has apprarently been compromised. But perhaps I just didn't rev high enough.

4. Overall performance is hard to judge, as I didn't want to drive a new car too hard out of respect for its eventual owner. Also, I was in a dense urban area that didn't lend itself to evaluating lift-throttle oversteer.

5. I had a hard time understanding how they could improve on the feel of the shifter, because despite the occasional 1-2 grind, my '00 tranny is like butta. The '04 tranny feels slightly different, but I wouldn't call it an outright improvement. Shifting required, if anything, somewhat more effort than in my '00, especially in the higher gears (but only marginally so). This might have related to the newness of the vehicle, though.

6. The cupholder-revealing mechanism on the console rocks. One touch, and shoop!-- the faux-aluminum panel slides back. The steering wheel and shifter don't look as sporty (lacking perforation), but they feel fine. If there's more space in the car, I sure couldn't tell.

7. Exterior details: ho-hum. To me it seems they took the elegant original design and tried to sex it up with some discount electroplated jewelry. Look at the bezels on the taillights-- this stuff will look so dated in five years. The wheels are nice.

8. Oddly enough, when we tried to put the top up, it the driver's side release did not line up with the hook on the windshield. I had to wrestle it into locking down. That minor defect aside, the car is a good deal quieter inside with the top up, compared with my '00.

Overall, I think the car seems like a very solid package. I use my S as a daily driver, and I think the '04 would be a good deal easier to live with when commuting. Nevertheless, so far I can't repress the nagging feeling that a portion of the car's soul has been sold. Whether that compromise might be outweighed by the vehicle's notable improvements will remain a personal decision-- a decision I am in no hurry to make.

Congrats to all new '04 owners. The evolution continues, and the S2000 remains a spectacular car.

 

200kgg's impressions:

Hey there, I hate to give my opinions on the new car as I'm not much of an authority but here goes...

First, I have an 02 S2000 and love it! I took it to Gingerman Raceway last weekend, a group drive this weekend on Saturday, and to an autocross the following day, which was yesterday. So I feel somewhat capable of giving MY opinions on the new one.

I really like the styling... blah..blah... but all of the detail stuff has been discuss on other threads...here's what it was like to drive.

The very first thing I noticed was the steering. On paper it's marginally slower, but I can tell you it was painfully slow in comparison to the 00-03s. Of course this was done mostly, for high speed stability, you no longer have to worry about changing lanes when you sneeze.. Although I am aware honda claims it was to compensate for the faster reaction of the lowpro tires. if that was the case the two cars should feel relatively similar.

Next is the suspension. If you put a lot of miles on your S, but don't track it much, you will LOVE the new suspension. The ride was way better than ours. I did however notice a considerable increase in body roll, however.

But enough of that, you all want to know about the engine I'm sure. Well before I say anything, know that this car had 26miles on it, so it wasn't close to being broken in. That said, it does pull a bit stronger from idle to about 3500rpm. Also it pulls a little harder in the higher gears at low engine speeds. But both of these increases were minimal, I was expecting quite a bit more. However once the engine picked up, it has definetely lost a good deal a pull at high engine speeds, that lack of revs is much more significant than it seems on paper. Not surprising since the VTEC range is shorter.

My final thought is about the wheels, they look great, but a could really feel the difference in rotating mass under breaking, but not acceleration, b/c of shorter gearing+a bit more torque.

Bottom line, this car will make a lot of people very happy, ride is improved, it pulls better on the highway and was more comfortable all around, much less noise. My favorite thing about this car was the rigidity, it feels much stiffer. If you put a lot of miles on your car especially commuting this car will fit you much better. But for someone like me, this is my second car, and I don't mind making some noise to make it go, I'll be keeping my 02.

Again, these are just my opinions, what do I know?

 

Two days with my new 04, and two nights on uneven, paved, isolated country roads.

The more time I spend with this car, the more humorous I find the defensive comments about the 04 by people who own earlier versions. Complaining about the vtec change being more subtle or the steering being less immediate really miss the point.

This car pulls all the way to 8,000. You can hear the switch over, but it doesn't feel like a sudden rush of power like the earlier cars. The power starts immediately. No more waiting and waiting and waiting for the car to start to pull.

This car isn't twitchy and is much more controllable at the limit. The extra rubber and other changes make a world of difference. Nothing unsettles this car in the corners. The ride is no longer harsh over the rough stuff, but I can still feel the road quite well.

The 04 is faster, handles better, and is more refined. The car's not perfect. It could be improved. It could be lighter, more powerful, and have tilt adjustment for the seat bottoms. But it's a big improvement over the 03.

This is not a cushy, soft, vehicle for the masses. I think before criticizing the new 04, it's necessary to spend some real time driving the car. I've done that. I can find very little to criticize. The reasons given for prefering the earlier years, more immediate steering (oversteer) and dramatic vtec change (lack of low end power), don't persuade.

 

Let me start by saying I was really looking forward to the '04 and thought it would be a big improvement over the '00-'03s (i.e. I am not biased towards either). Having driven them back-to-back, I would take an '03 over an '04 if given a choice. The creature comforts of the '04 are great (as are the headlights and taillights), but I really did not like the new steering setup. My car is a daily-driver (an '01), but I still love the razor sharp steering. The '04s steering was painfully slow (as 200kgg put it). Also, the 8k redline comes up very fast once you are in VTEC, I think the engagement point should have been lowered. It seems like you have to shift immediatly once in VTEC. Also, it was rather obvious to me when VTEC kicked in, unlike what some others have posted.

Like I said before, I was really looking forward to the '04 (I didn't even care about the 8k redline) but now I am disappointed. If the steering was left alone, the '04 would get my vote every time.

 

My questions are:

How long did you drive the 04?
How fast did you drive it?
On what road conditions did you drive it?

The steering does not feel slow at 75 mph on a curving road. It feels slow at low speeds.

 

~20 min, city and highway, top up. You are right, the steering tightens up at higher speeds - but it is still slow compared to the previous model.

 

I can sum up all reviews.

Any current owner that test drives it out of curiosity will say that the '04 is softer and tamed and sucks compared to theirs.
Anyone who doesn't own the old one or really wants to get a newer S2K and really wants to buy one will say it is better than the old one.