Intro & First Impressions
04-19-2008, 07:14 PM
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Intro & First Impressions
Hi S2Kers...with the arrival of warmer weather in DC I've been hankering for a roadster. I was leaning towards the S2K after considering a slightly used Boxster S, a used M3, a new Z4 or a new Solstice GXP. A test drive and Honda's advertised $349 36 month lease offer sealed the decision last night on a Chicane Silver on Black S2K.
By way of background, since 1999 the following spent time in my garage in Florida before I moved to DC 4 months ago: a '97 C5 with 500hp stroker motor & other mods that totaled 60% of the price of the S2K, a '99 996 C2 MN6, an '05 Lotus Elise, an '03 Maser Coupe with cambiocorsa, a Beck Speedster, a '74 Maser Merak, an '04 MN6 GTO, an SRT8 300C, an '04 Boxster S and an '06 997S.
My most recent daily driver has been an '04 Jag XJR. It's great for long highway trips and soaks up pock marked roads in the city, but I missed having something smaller and more agile to escape to curvy backroads west of DC in MD and West VA. I was looking for excellent driving dynamics, light weight and an entertaining motor. In addition, I did not want to spend megabucks as I had on a few of the cars listed above since I might be keeping the XJR.
Until an hour ago my rear end was glued to the drivers seat of the S2K throughout the day, racking up over 320 miles. After running a few errands in the morning, I headed to the eastern shore for lunch with a friend. After dropping off the friend back in DC, I scooted west to find some curvy roads in the countryside. The verdict follows:
1. Looks: I always thought the S2K had clean lines, and still do. It's a modern interpretation of the classic raodster that looks agreeable but is not groundbreaking (like the Elise or Solstice). However, after looking more closely at the S2K, the front is more curvacious than I had ever noticed and looks particularly appealing from the cockpit. Inside the cabin, the LCD instruments and controlls surrounding the gauge cluster make the interior look very Japanese...not necessarily a bad thing, just different. The center stack and right side of the dash look very clean with the hideaway radio and lack of other doodads.
2. Comfort & Ergonomics: I'm 6'0" & weigh 200lbs. I was concerned with the non-adjustable steering wheel and limited movement of the seat, but these worked out fine. The rev meter and other instrumentation are clearly visible. The padded leather on the door and center console work well for my elbows. The pedals are well placed for heel and toeing, and nicely finished (as is the matching deadpedal). I've had back problems and was able to spend the entire day behind the wheel comfortably. The steering wheel is shaped perfecty and the smooth leather is nice (makes you realize what a joke Porsche's $900 sport steering wheel pricing is on the 911's...for that price Porsche gives you thicker contours at 10 and 2 o'clock and smooth leather).
3. Shifter: Reach to the shifter is also perfect, and what a shifter it is! The gears snick precisely and it is difficult to miss a shift.
4. Top Down Motoring: The soft top's raising and lowering is as fast as the car's 0-60 mph times, in other words very quick to open or close. Conversations are easy to carry out at highway speeds (and windows up) without resorting to shouting. Clarity of conversations seems is better than the Boxster and Elise (in part becuase the motor is up front on the S2K). The stereo is intelligible at highway speeds, and the headrest speakers contribute to sound clarity. The top-down setting for the A/C (or heater) seems to actually work, a feature not available on the Elise and Boxster. BTW one of the reasons I sold the Elise was simply because the AC failed to work well in the dead of summer in Miami...after 3 attempts to fix it the mechanics dismissed it as a design flaw.
5. Driving Dynamics: The S2K truly shines in terms of driving dynamics. Road feel is solid, it corners like few cars. Over bumpy roads the car remains composed. Thankfully nothing rattles. The brakes offer good feel and grip. The motor revs freely mimicking a motorcycle engine and emits a sharp, aggressive exhaust brap that is just loud enough for my taste without being overbearing.
With so many superlatives, what are the negatives? There are few and these are nitpicking downsides to be expected given the car's nature:
1. Limited Storage Space: The Boxster has acres of space by comparison, both internally and with the front and rear "trunks". The Z4 also has more. The S2K and Elise have little by comparison, but this is in keeping with their more flingable lightweight sportscar mission.
2) Limited Torque: Also in keeping with the car's essence (as it is in the Elise), and guaranteed to keep you involved as a driver if you want to keep it on the boil.
3) XM Radio Option Pricing: Almost $600 to add the factory XM option to the "XM Ready" radio is outrageous when so many cars include this from the factory.
CONCLUSION: This is a car for drivers looking for a high quality scalpel to carve roads with precision. It will put a smile on any tarmac surgeon.
Steve
By way of background, since 1999 the following spent time in my garage in Florida before I moved to DC 4 months ago: a '97 C5 with 500hp stroker motor & other mods that totaled 60% of the price of the S2K, a '99 996 C2 MN6, an '05 Lotus Elise, an '03 Maser Coupe with cambiocorsa, a Beck Speedster, a '74 Maser Merak, an '04 MN6 GTO, an SRT8 300C, an '04 Boxster S and an '06 997S.
My most recent daily driver has been an '04 Jag XJR. It's great for long highway trips and soaks up pock marked roads in the city, but I missed having something smaller and more agile to escape to curvy backroads west of DC in MD and West VA. I was looking for excellent driving dynamics, light weight and an entertaining motor. In addition, I did not want to spend megabucks as I had on a few of the cars listed above since I might be keeping the XJR.
Until an hour ago my rear end was glued to the drivers seat of the S2K throughout the day, racking up over 320 miles. After running a few errands in the morning, I headed to the eastern shore for lunch with a friend. After dropping off the friend back in DC, I scooted west to find some curvy roads in the countryside. The verdict follows:
1. Looks: I always thought the S2K had clean lines, and still do. It's a modern interpretation of the classic raodster that looks agreeable but is not groundbreaking (like the Elise or Solstice). However, after looking more closely at the S2K, the front is more curvacious than I had ever noticed and looks particularly appealing from the cockpit. Inside the cabin, the LCD instruments and controlls surrounding the gauge cluster make the interior look very Japanese...not necessarily a bad thing, just different. The center stack and right side of the dash look very clean with the hideaway radio and lack of other doodads.
2. Comfort & Ergonomics: I'm 6'0" & weigh 200lbs. I was concerned with the non-adjustable steering wheel and limited movement of the seat, but these worked out fine. The rev meter and other instrumentation are clearly visible. The padded leather on the door and center console work well for my elbows. The pedals are well placed for heel and toeing, and nicely finished (as is the matching deadpedal). I've had back problems and was able to spend the entire day behind the wheel comfortably. The steering wheel is shaped perfecty and the smooth leather is nice (makes you realize what a joke Porsche's $900 sport steering wheel pricing is on the 911's...for that price Porsche gives you thicker contours at 10 and 2 o'clock and smooth leather).
3. Shifter: Reach to the shifter is also perfect, and what a shifter it is! The gears snick precisely and it is difficult to miss a shift.
4. Top Down Motoring: The soft top's raising and lowering is as fast as the car's 0-60 mph times, in other words very quick to open or close. Conversations are easy to carry out at highway speeds (and windows up) without resorting to shouting. Clarity of conversations seems is better than the Boxster and Elise (in part becuase the motor is up front on the S2K). The stereo is intelligible at highway speeds, and the headrest speakers contribute to sound clarity. The top-down setting for the A/C (or heater) seems to actually work, a feature not available on the Elise and Boxster. BTW one of the reasons I sold the Elise was simply because the AC failed to work well in the dead of summer in Miami...after 3 attempts to fix it the mechanics dismissed it as a design flaw.
5. Driving Dynamics: The S2K truly shines in terms of driving dynamics. Road feel is solid, it corners like few cars. Over bumpy roads the car remains composed. Thankfully nothing rattles. The brakes offer good feel and grip. The motor revs freely mimicking a motorcycle engine and emits a sharp, aggressive exhaust brap that is just loud enough for my taste without being overbearing.
With so many superlatives, what are the negatives? There are few and these are nitpicking downsides to be expected given the car's nature:
1. Limited Storage Space: The Boxster has acres of space by comparison, both internally and with the front and rear "trunks". The Z4 also has more. The S2K and Elise have little by comparison, but this is in keeping with their more flingable lightweight sportscar mission.
2) Limited Torque: Also in keeping with the car's essence (as it is in the Elise), and guaranteed to keep you involved as a driver if you want to keep it on the boil.
3) XM Radio Option Pricing: Almost $600 to add the factory XM option to the "XM Ready" radio is outrageous when so many cars include this from the factory.
CONCLUSION: This is a car for drivers looking for a high quality scalpel to carve roads with precision. It will put a smile on any tarmac surgeon.
Steve
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