Hi All,

Everytime that I've picked up a car magazine lately, it appears that all the other car manufacturers are increasing BHP, except for Honda. I really enjoyed having 240 bhp but it appears that almost everyone is catching up or has overtaken that figure!!

Alfa Romeo 146 GTA - 250 BHP
Golf R32 - 237 BHP
Ford Focus - 212 BHP
Mazda RX8 - 237 BHP
New Audi TT - 250 BHP

Come on Honda, give us more power - Otherwise I may have to start looking elsewhere!!! (says James, scanning through a M3 brouchure!)

 

But isn't this a "keeping up with the Jones's" thing rather than an appreciation of what the car is and how it actually performs on the road in practice?

Personally I wouldn't swap any of the cars you've mentioned for my S2000.

Pete

 

Pete, shouldn't that be "I wouldn't swap my S2000 for any of the cars you've mentioned" ??????

Its not difficult to confuse me this early in the day

 

dont forget that the new TT has more power than the current 225 bhp - but it now has a heavier engine so i can't see what improvement and extra 25 bhp can give with the added weight........

Also........Golf, Focus & Mazda are not roadsters

 

You know how I like to add a little spice to a thread.....

Italian rust bucket - Alfa Romeo 146 GTA - 250 BHP
Golfs are ok, but they`re still Golfs for heavens sake - Golf R32 - 237 BHP
Its a Ford for gods sake.....DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER IT - AVOID - Ford Focus - 212 BHP
Now, I`ll give you this one....nice car - Mazda RX8 - 237 BHP
Oh pullllllleeeeaase, little resultant power gain from old version - New Audi TT - 250 BHP


S, unique, individual, drivers car, built for the drive; all the others, apart from the rust bucket, not unique.

 

Fair comment I think. There's a bhp war going on isn't there which was politically verboten only a few short years ago? The problem, I suspect is that in meeting the challenge, Honda doesn't have a wealth of available alternative engines to just drop into the S. (I don't think anyone seriously expects it to get the NSX engine) The obvious choice is the 2.2 litre iVTEC engine which will give more low/mid range torque, but I'm not sure it will substantially up the ante for overall performance.

Honda have to meet the challenge I think, or lose sales, as rightly or wrongly many people will make their choice on bhp foremost. They'll have to be very careful though to not substantially alter the handling of the S which is a well balanced package in it's present form.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by PWE 896
[B]But isn't this a "keeping up with the Jones's" thing rather than an appreciation of what the car is and how it actually performs on the road in practice?

Personally I wouldn't swap any of the cars you've mentioned for my S2000.

 

I don't think it's necessarily all about power in absolute terms - the cars listed above will all be, in varying degrees, different driving experiences to that of the S.

Let's face it - the S is never going to be a mass-market car. And none of us would ever want it to be. I really can't see it losing many sales to the above - not least since four of the five listed are tin-tops.

As I've said before, if I had to get rid of the S and buy something more "sensible" with a roof and four seats, I'd quite happily stump up for the 147 GTA or the RX8, and perhaps the RS Focus at a push. I've never been much of a fan of the Golf, even though I gather that the R32 drives very nicely. But until a change of circumstances was forced on me, I wouldn't change my decision to buy the S, even with these Johnny-Come-Latelys now having hit the market.

The question which James raises only arises at all because Honda was ahead of the game in producing a 240bhp roadster back in '99. The other manufacturers are only just catching up.

That said, if Honda ARE keen to differentiate the S from the pack, it strikes me that that is a cast iron justification for an S2000 Type R. Here's hoping......

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Mark Turner
[B]The question which James raises only arises at all because Honda was ahead of the game in producing a 240bhp roadster back in '99. The other manufacturers are only just catching up.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Jenny
[B]