I turned in my 05 lease a few weeks early and bought an 08 laguna blue S2K last night. There are some very striking differences between the two years as others have noted, and some changes specific to the 08 itself.

As far as DBW, I do notice that the throttle action seems to have a finer touch. This is consistent with my expectations going from a mechanical cable/linkage with friction and slop to a DBW pedal. It will be interesting to see how this observation holds up as the car ages, but the throttle on the 08 definitely feels a bit more "precise" than the 05.

The 08 seems to have more grunt in the 3000-5000rpm range I use on a regular basis in daily driving. This could easily be a result of the ECU/throttle map in the 06+ models. One of purported benefits of DBW is more efficient throttle actuation given a particular user input. In most cases, DBW is setup to ignore extra/useless throttle and save gas (for instance, if somebody mashes the pedal in a situation where dumping more gas into the engine won't really help much, the DBW doesn't change the throttle). But there is a flip side to this that can be implemented to provide better engine response by taking the user pedal input, the rpm, speed, etc and picking the best throttle position for power. Maybe that's what I am feeling. Then again, it could be a red herring simply because the DBW pedal on the 06+ models is a little softer than the 05 and earlier models with a mechanical linkage.

I definitely noticed an effect of the AC on the DBW throttle behavior which was not present in my 05. Whereas AC just provided a drag on the engine in the 05, and made the throttle action a bit laggy, it seems to be "managed" by DBW in the 08. It's not perfect though. A couple times, I felt a flat spot when the AC kicked in. In the 05, it would have been a uniform lag.

The 08 definitely has more of a drone from the exhaust than my 05 did. I noticed that right away. I remember reading, somewhere along the line in 06-07, the muffler resonator shape was changed, so maybe that accounts for it. I actually prefer the 05 sound better, as I heard more engine and less exhaust, and this is one sweet engine of course. But it all sounds good, so no big deal.

Seats: I like the look of the 05 and earlier seats, with the cutout in the headrest. But in the case of the 08 laguna blue (maybe other colors as well), the black seats have red stitching and it looks great. It's a very subtle touch. I don't like that the headrests poke above the roll hoops by about an inch in the 08. Seems like an oversight to me. In terms of comfort, the 08 seats feel a little more plush than what was in my 05 (the passenger seat in my 05 was practically unused so I base the comparison to that, just in case the 05 driver's seat was packed out a bit). Interestingly, I know people with 06 and 07 models, in which the leather looks grainy. For 08, they seem to have gone back to the same smooth texture that was in 05 and earlier models. Time will tell how they hold up, but I have to say my 05 seats still looked great after 29000 miles.

As you probably know, the 08 changed the way the gas and temperature gauges were arranged -- they now continue along the arc of the tach. Originally, I though this was a dumb idea, as that style tach is supposed to mimic a horsepower graph display, and tacking on two extra and unrelated gauges kind of detracts from the theme. But from a user interface standpoint, it does tidy up the look of the cluster and make it easier on the eyes without taking any information away.

Perhaps the biggest change I noticed from the driver's seat was the suspension. Honda tweaked the suspension for the 08 model, and I have seen it described as being stiffer. But on the road, the end result is more comfort. Earlier AP2 models were definitely a little soft at the beginning of suspension travel, resulting in harder/harsher damping and rebound at the end of travel. The 08 suspension seems firmer at first, which gets rid of the subsequent wham at the end. The overall result is that the car feels more comfortable and smooth, which can only be a bonus give the lousy roads I commute on every day. As far as handling and cornering, my initial impression is that the 08 is a bit less edgy, but I will reserve judgement until after I clean the dealer's shiny goo off the tires and inflate them to my preferred spec. For now, I can say that the 08 rides a lot more comfortably and will be easier on the kidneys.

My 05 was silverstone, which I found to be an easygoing and forgiving color. But it also gives the S2K body a different look, somewhat along the lines of a monochrome theme. A lot of the silver/chrome bits blend in to the silverstone. The 08 laguna blue, on the other hand, really makes the various shiny parts stand out and changes the look of the S2K to my eye. I can't describe it well, but I see the rear fender/decklid flare a lot more strongly now, perhaps because the wheels pop more. The blue color seems to give the car a more distinctive look, though I will miss the pewter-esque, timeless charm of the silverstone.

Speaking of the wheels, I am a sucker for a good 5-spoke, and these look great. Plus, they will be a lot easier to clean than the multi-spokers on my 05. But now the stock brake hardware really stands out, and it looks, well, stock. Like the brakes I would expect to find on a K-car or something. I am not a fan of flashy calipers, but this car would sure look better with some nice looking calipers (maybe black powdercoat).

I think that's it for now. I will post more as it comes to mind.

 

Interesting review, thanks. The 08 leather seems to be even softer than my AP1 leather, I really like the red stitching on the new ones.

You can paint the calipers with hi-temp satin black BBQ spray paint. I did mine several years ago and it has held up great.

 

Great write up, thanks for that!
I have a my05 and was always curious as to how DBW affected pedal feel

 

Thanx for your input. My '05 lease is up in a few months and I also have a decision to make. Your views have been helpful.

 

Well I got out there this morning after coffee and checked the tire pressure. It was indeed a few psi low, and the fronts differed by 3 psi side to side (which ought to account for a teeny pull I was noticing on the highway). I evened everything out to 33 psi at 80F, which ought to keep me >= 32psi on cool mornings and not get much higher than 34psi during the afternoon heat around here.

I forgot to mention another big difference, and it's the shifting. The shifter on the 08 feels lighter and has notably less resistance. The 05 shifter felt a little more mechanical and direct to me, and more substantial, which I liked. The 08 feels daintier, but still has that "best shifter ever" feel that the S2K is known for. Interestingly, my 05 always had a little reluctance to make the 1-2 shift when cold, but it went away after a few minutes when the gear oil warmed up. The 08 has none of that. It will be interesting to see how the shifter feels after I put more miles on the car.

 

I disagree.

I also had an 05 and the throttle response was quicker. 07 with dbw does initially have lag, imo

 

So far I have zero complaint about the DBW throttle but I need to drive an older one back-to-back. I also thought my '08 exhaust was just a little louder (in the cockpit).

As I've started pushing mine around a few 90-degree turns really hard just to see what happens I'm noticing more of a stick-slip 'judder' from the front than I did in my '01. Not much squeal from the tires either. With no throttle or brake at turn-in it feels neutral-to-understeering. It could be just the tires or the road surface where I'm trying it (wide open area in case I have to gather it up) but I imagine the stiffer front end is doing it. I haven't spotted the VSA light to see if that is contributing.

 

Recently we had a group meet/drive. With air box lids off, hobbit revved his CR and I revved my MY06, and everyone (4+ owners) from behind the car concluded that the MY06 was just slightly louder. I was very shocked.

And not owning a previous S, I have no complaints with the DBW system. However, I don't have a baseline to compare the subtle differences to.

 

Thanks for the write up

Sometimes I do wish I have the VSA and DBW for daily driving. The mechanical linkage does make the AC diff more noticeable, and having the VSA just reduces the chances slightly for dumb mistakes.

I moved from an 2005 AP2 to an 2004 AP1 (w/everything revised except for engine and tranny) not too long ago. Perhaps I should share my thoughts when I get a moment too!

 

Nice comparison by skier219. I could have used this a few months ago.

I set out to buy a used MY 05-07 with low miles just as a friend had done with a MY 02 a few years ago. Back in the Dec-Feb time frame, there were lot's of nice cars being sold at prices that made the used route look attractive.

Well, I waited too long and when I started seriously looking for a car to purchase in May, prices had jumped $2K+ for used examples and it seemed used S2000's in great shape were moving quickly.

Then Honda began promoting the car with the $349, 36 month lease. When comparing a used car for $26K vs a $349 lease, the used car was much less compelling. Especially when you can specify the color combination on a new one rather than taking whatever deal becomes available.

Anyway, part of what kept me on the fence so long was trying to determine what changes had occurred between 05 and 08 and whether any of it really mattered. I think if I had read your summary of DBW, VSA, Shifter, ECU, Seats, Wheels, Suspension, I would have gone for the 08 immediately. The changes don't sound all that impressive when you see them listed on paper, but hearing the impressions of someone who's lived with both makes it apparent that the changes add up to more than the sum of their parts. It sounds like the 08 is just a nicer car in lots of subtle ways.

I bought (leased) my MY08 Chicane silver with red leather about four weeks ago. 1,400 miles later, I've got a big smile on my face. It's not the most powerful car I've owned but, I think it is by far the most fun.