SimonJackson

I am a bit surprised that no-one hass mentioned the star letter in Autocar last week. After all the poor publicity the magazine gives to our car I didn't expect to see the letter at all.

Well I thought that it was nice of them to print that. It will be interesting to see if it draws a reaction (Is that why they did it?).

Was the editor away on holiday and did the peasants revolt?

Sam.

UKjasonm

Simon,

for my sins I'm an Evo and Top Gear subscriber, can you put the article on here so I can have a look.

Cheers

Jason

Tonky

Simon

Need to see this. I seem to be getting the impression that 'Autocar' said something nice about the S2000

Jason
You STILL subscribe to EVO after THAT Review!!

SimonJackson

I wish I could but I don't have a scanner. If no-one else can help I will happily type it all in.

Regards,
Sam.

UKjasonm

I know but it was an annual subscription from the Mother in law.

They lost the plot when they reviewed the car, it was like going to an offroad center and comparing a land rover with a ferrari. Still they can cruise down the kings road in their TT, meanwhile I'll be off round some twisties with a grin like a cheshire cat and 9000 rip roaring revs singing in my ears.

Simon,

I mean't could you type it in, I presume if its a letter it wouldn't be too long.

Thanks

Jason

UKjasonm

In the review I read they compared it with a 225BHP TT on some poor quality roads somewhere in Norfolk. They said it was difficult to control on the rough road surfaces as the back kept stepping out, whereas the TT being 4WD was more stable and hence could be driven faster.

It wasn't all bad they loved the engine (obviously ), but like I said if your going to test a sportscar then shouldn't be doing it on rough roads full of pot holes and then complain about the crashy ride and lack of grip, take it to the track where it was designed to be.

Our car is just too much for some journalists, the car was designed with strong racing influences and hence its a no compromise machine thats agile, fast and hard, a pure enthusiasts dream, whereas the TT is a golf in drag desgined for every day life and hence a more refined but less exciting machine.

Therein lies the problem, if you want a pure sportscar the S2000 is the car for you, if you want an everyday car that looks good you may want to look elsewhere. Saying that my S2000 is my every day car and I love it, it brings smiles to my face everytime I get in it and never once has the car showed any tendancy to get out of shape.

Enough ramble for now!

ricardo_life

I personnally read all the reviews and take the good with the bad. The Evo review did complement the gear box as being one of the best shfters in production, and said that the engine may be in the top 3 of all engines ever made. They also gave the performance at high revs to be second to none.

NOW
What more can we ask for from a 21 - 26 K sports car. When I test drove the S2000 I was very concern with the ride quality myself.

I think when reviewers are making decisions about Sports cars they play considerable attention to mid band (4000 rpm) power. The honda Vtec engine has different characteristics compared to any other engine on the planet.

I think that this car is a very special car but it is not the best 2 seater sports car currently in production.

awinskill

I find myself in the enjoyable position of having had an Integra-R and access to my wife's Impreza Turbo.

Personally I'd rate the Integra as a more enjoyable car than the Impreza. It was easy to have fun at realistic speeds, handling was fantastic without excess grip. It was however, noisy, crashy and a bitch on motorways. But probably one of the best cars I'll ever own.

The Impreza is a complete torque fest. If you like a serious punch in the back then this baby is for you. It's an awesome motor for blasting cross country, the traction you get out of corners is to be believed. Has almost VTEC behaviour when out of boost and the throttle response isn't brilliant. The downside to the Impreza is it's power and grip. When it lets go, you just know it's going to be a big one. The other downside is that as it's four wheel drive you get understeer.

Now the S2K. When I first got it I've got to admit I was a little disappointed. I tended to fight with my wife for the Impreza. I don't know whether it was because it was the first RWD car I'd had on the road or whether it was because I got it just as the weather turned bad (the twitchiness of the back coupled to my heavy right foot gave me a few moments...). Now I'm getting more confident, the car seems much more settled (just turned 12K miles). I was used to VTEC's and absolutely adore the engine/gearbox in the S2K. I did suffer the humiliation of my dealer (Crown Honda, Watford) telling me that it was the least abused S2k they'd had back for the service and that I really must try harder! (Thanks Alex....)

This longer term love affair with the car seems common with a lot of the motoring press. Top Gear recently sent its S2K back. The driver was also now smitten.

Ride Quality => Want to try an Integra or an Impreza. They'll make your arse sore and you'll be looking out for pot holes!

sgrant

I think it was Autocar who also ran an update on their long-term S2k a couple of weeks ago. An alarming set of problems, including cracks in the windows, but most interesting was that they changed their rears and found the handling improved significantly. maybe the dealer found something when changing the tyres? who knows. it read like the guy who runs the car rather liked it, but there's one reviewer there who absolutely hates it and he obviously sets the tone for the rag. I wrote to them and suggested they stick it on a track and actually compare it to cars in a similar price bracket, rather than complaining that it doesn't have the handling of a Boxster S, but i wouldn't have thought my letter will get beyond the editor's bin.

s

ricardo_life

sgrant
I think on a track with a loot of straight runs the s2k will shine. On a track full of corners the s2k will be in trouble.

But at the same time no car below 26K can complete with this car. You need to hit the 30K bracket.

RP