Surprised how fast!
 

I have had the s2000 for 5 weeks now (two on hols) and it's taken me that long to use it's potential, it seems quicker everytime I use it. Its a year old so it's fully run in! For instance last week I discovered first gear !!! You make think this is funny but I have been going up to about 3 thousand revs then changing to second and flooring it, I still think this is quick but hey presto we are talking bl**dy quick when flooring in first up to 8-9 thousand revs then second etc! That's the first thing. If I have an issue with the s2000 and believe me it's the only one, it's that I find it hard to drive slow in it, crawling round London last night you can tell it just want to be opened up and what with my snooper flashing like a Piccadilly Bill board it's not a good idea :LOL:

On the way home I thought I may as well give it a blast , I don't know why but at night I always feel like the car is a lot faster, either that or cleaning it yesterday made it more streamline!!!:D

Onto the very wide 3 lane road (private road of course I wouldn't dream of speeding!) , past me comes a massive Jaguar thing, never seen one before but thought what the hell I will see if he wants to play, into 3rd and straight past, fourth, 3 figures mph and no joy he just sat back .
In front of me I can spot a Silver Porsche, getting closer now and its an 02 Targa, very nice and very quick I bet! Anyway pull up beside it and drop down into fourth I go past it, then it goes past me, just plodding along at 100 at this time. It pulls over I pull up beside it drop into fourth and floor it, going throught the gears, it goes 100,110,120,130 I hit 140 leaving it at least four cars back in the slow lane. It pulls behind me, at this point I am thinking ' ok 140, that's; enough, everyone has their limit and that's mine, today anyway! . I touch my brake slighty to flash my brake lights they come by, then pull into the slow lane and winding the window done I notice its a girl, blonde and very nice!!! Must be her old mans I reckon and when I out accelerated her she obviously didn't know how to drive it or I would have lost ! We both slowed done to 80 and just before her turn off she pulled next to me waved bye and give me the hazard lights, obviously enjoying our little tussle!!

The way I reached 140 from 100 was awesome and I have to say I was well surprised how quick the s actually is, so much so that on the way home on a single road after coming off the 3 lane road (private again of course!) 3 cars in front of me where all having a littlr race, the way they swung round the round abouts was comical , anyway next round about came up into second and vtec past all three. And so on to home and a very enjoyable journey ...

:LOL:


Its a damn quick car and I am learning to use it's potential everyday, when it's safe of course, this episode was 2 a.m so not much about.

:drive:

I've never had a car quite like it, any excuse to get out will do. I just get this stupid grin whenever I vtec.

The car's real strength lies above 60mph.

I was chased by some hooligan in a Beemer yesterday - I was concentrating on what was in front to be sure what it was - but it was able to stay reasonably close out of roundabouts. There was too much traffic about to use the full width of the road, so any cornering advantage was compromised.

However, once into third it was absolutely gone. :LOL:

I rarely go for traffic light Grand Prix. If the opposition isn't easy meat, it often only results in someone tailgating till the next set - not my idea of fun.

:)

Yep, this car can shift all right. In my dream last night on my way home from the academy day , I got behind a Honda accord who was tonning it (I like to do this as if anyone gonna get caught off a speed gun its gonna be the car in front). 100 got to 130 without trying (he obviously was). I went past him with a little wave. (with the top down as well)

We were in a convoy of a merc, me, the Accord most of the way home. About a few miles before my m/way turn off there is some roadworks, was 50mph. This guy pulls to my left and starts gunning it when the roadworks end. I just dropped into 3rd (could have gone for 2nd but wanted some fun), we were level for about 50m (looked left and he had one almighty grim), and then the s just left him for dead.

he follows me all the way to the M56, where he pulls alongside me and asks me "how many bhp has that got":)

This car is just great fun

The S is definately quick in a straight line but still not as sure if it was as quick as my old Revo'd Leon Cupra R (285 Bhp and 290 ft/lb) but it has some many fantastic charecteristics that the SEAT never had and it's all these charecteristics that people forget.

1) Traction with the LSD is superb (even with ESP, the SEAT couldn't put the power down very well in 1st and 2nd).

2) The 0 - 60 is very quick 5.5 - Quicker then a crappy Porsche Boxster I do believe. 0 - 100 is not to shabby either around 14.5.

3) The gear shift - What can you say, short and sweet.

4) Fantastic handling. The amount of corners that you can really abuse which you wouldn't even dream about doing in a different car. The S makes you feel like a hero. I don't know how car magazine could accuse it of being a hedge hopper as the handling is spot on. Mind you this is the magazine that says that the S needs some sort of traction control (Der, what did they think LSD was ! ).

All in all, the S is a hell of a car for the money and embarasses a lot more expensive machinery such as the TT and Boxster and IMO looks better then both and is not a common hairdressers car !

Slating of competition over (I test drove both so have grounds for comparison)

Have to agree with all the above.

The single most surprising feature for me (apart from obviously the engine - which I guess wasn't really a 'surprise') is the handling.
This thing can turn on a sixpence and, if you do it right, can give you the best sideways action ever!!

I was saying to my dad yesterday that this car has been one of the single best value purchases I have ever made.

Wow - a 285 bhp Leon - that must have been good fun. How much did the conversion cost, where did you get it done?

You guys who say the handling is amazing - try to follow a well driven Elise on the B roads and then you will see what handling is.

I came from an Elise and still go driving with my friends who still have a Lotus and although the S does better than I thought it ever would it still can not match the Elise.

a Mondeo ST24 took a bit of a liberty over the weekend, anyway not really up for a dual so just sat behind him as he accelerated away....not quite sure what was going on but all of a sudden a load of 'crap' came out of the exhaust...like a mixture of steam, unburnt fuel, oil? goodness knows

I figure he must have dropped a cog to lose me (well he was in an ST24.....yawn) and over stressed the engine?

Does anyone know what all the stuff that came out of his exhaust and what might have caused it?

Possibly a combination of oil & coolant if he blew a gasket.