The rumored/confirmed changes for 2002 makes it looks like Honda is tilting in to the luxury end of the luxury/performance spectrum. I know I'll get a lot of diagreements about this but the cheap carpet and the lousy stereo gave the Stook some character. The proposed/confirmed changes probably will tilt the car towards all the other high end roadsters out there. This is the current criticism of Porsches and the current line of M cars. I would much prefer if Honda came out with a "performance" and a luxury version of the Stook -- like in the lines of the Porsche Turbo and the upcoming GT2.

Maybe my views would be different if the Stook was a daily driver.

 

It looks that way on the surface, but the improvements really don't affect performance in any way. The only real weight being added is the glass rear window, and the benefits outweight the costs on that one.

The rest of the luxury upgrades come from the vinyl/leather center console cover, the aluminum dead pedal, restyled shift knob, chrome trim on door handles and new tweeters.

I agree, though, that the interior looks a lot more SLK like than ever before. Why someone would choose the Merc over the S2000 especially now with the interior enhancements is anyone's guess.

 

A bunch of people on this board have already made those additions to their cars or are planning on it, so that would be your answer.

 

Let's hope that there will be improvments in the areas of drive line, bumper/ paint, and other areas that you folks have experienced problems with. Just because the car looks the same doesn't mean there aren't a lot of upgraded spec. parts on the inside. I hope!

 

The chrome trim on the inside really doesn't go with the character of the car, IMO.

 

I posted this in the other (grass) thread, but they might fit better here...
I think Honda would've been better off creating a tan interior rather than that blue one! Unlike the blue, a tan (with black dash -- like the red) one would go with, at a minimum, all three blue exteriors, the red exterior, and the black exterior. I also think a tan top would've been a better decision too. But I guess this is an American point of view!

I must mention that the tweeter position in those pictures seems less than optimal. I'm actually glad my MY2000 doesn't have them! And I agree with Jay Li about the chrome, and I wonder if that will really make it into production for the US market.

 

IMO, a tan top only looks good on dark color cars, to bring out the contrast. On silver or the white, it would look odd. Just look at the Miata lineup. The tan top(which is the luxury version with leather interior) looks real sharp on the black and the emerald green colors. The same tan top looks odd on the silver. The silver requires a black top to look it's best. Just my humble opinion.

 

IMHO...the true test of the "improvements" will be how much more the S2K will cost because of them.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by STL
[B]I think Honda would've been better off creating a tan interior....

 

Well, I, err, "grew up" with the '00 and '01 stooks. I like 'em. A lot. The pictures of the supposed '02s don't hold any attraction for me. I don't think they're a bad thing - I already have my car, after all, but I see no reason to upgrade to a newer model. (In fact, I think I'd prefer my simple dash over the new one.) And if I happened to be looking for a new stook later this year - I'd most likely look for a still new '01 model than an '02.

Hopefully in a few years there'll be a Type R model with more power, less weight, and none of that silly luxury stuff. That I would like to upgrade to.