I'm bothered by some of the statement's in the January issue of Road & Track. "At speeds more than 55 mph the littel Honda's cabin becomes a cacophony of engine, wind and road noise, all of which starts resembling a Limp Bizkit concert with Metallica and Kid Rock jamming in the background. ...After about half an hour, you will be longing to pull their amplifier plugs."

I suppose there's nothing here we haven't read in past reviews, but this one seems especially intense. Never mind that it seems to be in stark contrast with ealier reviews in the same magazine. For example: "delivers a supple ride on the open highway" (R&T, August '99); "a fairly hard suspension (which by sports car standards is by no means uncomfortable)" and "quite happy to be driven liesurely" and "will provide a high level of driver satisfaction" (R&T, January, '99). Car & Driver noted "there's zero engine vibration felt in the cabin" and "the ride is firm but not harsh" (August '99). And Motor Trend said that "with the top down, there's minimal wind noise and buffeting" (Sept. '99).

I have only driven a couple of demo S2000s (my car is on order and won't arrive til next spring), so I'm not really able to judge the accuracy of any of these assessments. Tell me R&T is exaggerating. PLeeeease.

 

Here's the deal. First off the reviewer obviously has his own preferences. That being said, the truth is the S2000 is a full on sportscar. To qoute someone else, it makes no appolgies for that. In that sense you can't simply switch it off. It's in your face all the time. The issue of torque is a different matter.

The noise is there. Is there wind noise? Of course! it's a convertible. Is the engine loud? Yes and what a sweet melody it is! I've tried many time to record the beautiful sound but it never quite meets up to the reality of hearing it live. I rarely use the stereo because the symphony under the hood is the sweetest sound I can imagine. That's exactly what I wanted from a sportscar. The only thing sweeter is the sound of a Ferrari V12 IMO. I never get tired of it. If you are the kind of guy that wants the characteristics of a sportscar with the luxury of a sedan, you are in the wrong place. The S2000 is 100% pure sportscar and makes no bones about it.

The issue of torque also is part of this mix. The S2000 has six gears and uses them all. There is no overdrive, no automatic. They put the best shifter in the world in the car for the simple reason that you need it. If you are crusing along in fourth at 40MPH and you stomp on the gas you will be very disappointed. The lack of torque mentioned means that you will not accelerate too quickly. Instead you have to shift to 2nd first and then POW off you go. Now admittedly other cars with larger displacement engines you could possibly get away with this. The reward for making that shift however is a rush like no other! As the engine screams past 7K and keeps going and going your heart rate will peek! If the sounds like a problem for you, again you are in the wrong place. The grin induced by this car for a sportscar enthusiast is unreal. It's the same kind of rush roller coaster nuts get.

So bottom line is the S2000 is an orgasm waiting to happen for a sportscar nut, a loud and bothersome problem for those that aren't. Which are you?

 

Well said

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by E30M3:
[B] For just cruising, the noise, ride and need to downshift to go quickly can be concerns. R&T also mentioned rear end twitchiness (especially in wet conditions) and the torque.

 

Well said Cthree!

 

Okay, guys. What kind of driver will feel compatible with the S2000? What kind of driver am I?

Until a major accident in June of '99 (blind left-turning driver who put her front right fender in the path of my ST1100 with .05 seconds' notice, resulting in various broken bones and other sobering repercussions, physical and psychological) over the preceding 15 years I'd owned and ridden a variety of motorcycles all over North America -- touring bikes ('83 Suzuki GS1100, '84 Gold Wing), sport-touring bikes ('87 BMW K100RT, Honda PC800; '91 Honda ST1100) and bullet sport bikes ('85 Suzuki GS1150; '89 Yamaha FJ1200; '89 Kawa Ninja ZX10). Overlapping the last few years of that experience were a '91 AWD turbo Talon, followed by a '95, a '97 and finally a '99 Miata -- the latter of which has just been traded-in as a downpayment on a 2001 S2000.

The Miatas were great, but they're small for my 6'1" frame, and, of course, they lack many ...uh...performance features of the S2K. Features I want. Badly.

On the other hand, I like long distance "touring". albeit always via the twistiest, squidliest backroads I can find, preferably up and down the length of the Appalachians.

So, like, I'm "used to" turbulence, noise, vibration and even harshness and discomfort. But, I'm 50-freakin-3 years old and I'd prefer my al fresco performance to be tolerable for a spirited two-week ..."tour", y'know whatta mean?

So you tell me: will I be as happy with the Stook as I dearly hope to be? Huh?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by RoadSurfer:
[B]So you tell me: will I be as happy with the Stook as I dearly hope to be?

 

I've unintentionally had the car step out in the wet a couple of times, and it was because with the S2K i've gotten used to driving (too) fast in corners and round-abouts. But since i have driven RWD-only my whole life i corrected those slides before i even knew it, quite without any drama. The car is better than anything i have driven before. You need those RWD reflexes though.

 

R&T, as usual is full of s**t. This is not a intolerably noisy car at 55 or 60 (unless you're a pampered wimp, which the R&T reviewer probably is), especially if you cruise in a lower gear.

I drove to Phildelphia yesterday, about 1:45 each way, the longest trip I've made so far.

It was fantastic. Yes, the car is noisier than a luxo cruiser, but it also it just unbelievable on the Interstate. I cruised between 85 and 90 MPH most of the way, usually in 6th gear (which makes the car reasonably quiet at 85 MPH). When I came upon slower moving traffic and had to slow down, I just slipped into 5th or 4th, then punched it when the way cleared and just pulled away.

Had a brief encounter with a Z3 past Wilmington and the guy just gave up after a few miles. He just couldn't keep pace, especially when we pulled away from clusters of slower moving cars (I don't think he was a very skilled driver).

Some guy in a Mustang wanted to play games, but I just ignored him: traffic was way too heavy for that kind of thing.

I agree with C3. The sound of the engine is so sweet, I just shut off the stereo and enjoyed it.

BTW, just about every Honda on the highway wanted to keep up, look it over, and follow along. But most of them dropped off when it was clear the pace was very intense.

Who should have this car? A serious, skilled driver who want to be fully in touch with a fine machine.

 

This is a car for the "Purist Driver". One for whom dropping down two gears is a joy, not a chore. It does not suffer fools gladly. You need to be smooth to fully appreciate this car. The "Ham Handed" will report that it is "twitchy" but those that appreciate the finer points of vehicle dynamics and weight transfer will find this car a Road Scalpel. Smooth applications of throttle will reward you with a perfectly set suspension through the turns. Abrubt jerky inputs will spin you off into the weeds.

That being said if you have the image of romantic jaunts with your significant other and a wicker picnic basket off to view the foliage you would be equally served with a Miata. If on the other hand you are the type to cinch your seat belts tight and put on your driving gloves to wring it out to 9000 RPMs through the twisties then no other car will do. It is as close to a race car for the street as anything I would wish to own. Like a race car it has instant response to steering, brakes and throttle. Like a race car you need to shift it to keep it in it's powerband. I almost think that because it is the best shifting transmission in the world that is why Honda made the engine's power characteristics the way it is. It is ENTERTAINING to really drive this car. I wouldn't change a thing. If you liked the Brit roadsters of the past just imagine all the things you loved about them with none of the things you hated and then add 150 HP and Honda build quality to the picture.

I have never driven anything I liked as much as this machine. It rewards you for driving it right.