The fact that we continue to use the S2000 as the benchmark for many modern sports car after nearly 25 years, tells you everything you need to know about it. S2000s come from a different era of Honda motoring, where naturally aspirated/high revving engines were the norm. In stock form, they never were torque monsters by any stretch of imagination. Most American drivers are used to low-end torque and straight line driving, that's why Honda increased engine size in the second generation (AP2). To get the best experience out of these engines you have to drive them in anger, keeping the engine "in cam" above 5,000 RPMs and all the way to redline. Drive it like it only has four gears and you will be rewarded. Keep 5th and 6th gear for the highway. AP1 owner for the last 11 years.
I owned an ‘05 AP2 and your criticism about the lack of power is valid. But it was a blast to drive on the tight twisty backroads in my area. Keeping it the power band is like riding a middle weight Japanese sportbike.
On the vast majority of UK roads, these make way more sense than pretty much any Ferrari and the majority of Porsches (not older Caymans/Boxers), fantastic cars as they are.
Car belongs in a canyon, with lots of curves. Driving this thing at high revs its incredibly fun, not really a fast car in a straight line. Its easy to make a high hp car, just put a turbo or supercharger, but not that easy to make a car that connects so well with the driver like the s2000. Its a very special machine.
Mind you, that the s2k was produced in 2000, and it held most horsepower per displacement for 10 years until Ferrari finally were able to surpass it with the 458. There are many amazing aspects about this legendary car that you are not quite aware of besides what I just mentioned in the latter. Comparing it with a Miata is a big no, no. Getting a clean low mile s2k at $40k is a bargain because these legendary cars are only going to keep going up guaranteed. The most expensive one sold for $200k. It’s not surprising that they hit $70k-$150k on other ones as well. Ferrari learned from Honda as they always do, and still Ferrari can’t seem to get it perfect as Honda always does. There’s a lot to be known about this masterpiece of a vehicle.
Loved the review of the s2000 Dan. Well done. The car is what it is. A sporty track worthy toy. It's versatile nimble and just a hint of danger going around corners. Liked it along. Again....great honest review.
I agree the lack of torque makes the acceleration underwhelming. It's not a straight line drag racing car though. You see how good it is in the corners and like you said, it's amazing on the twisty back roads. Glad you finally drove it Dan!
Dan, in the past I owned a 2007 Miata with 160hp. I really enjoyed that car, but I sure did wish for more power. A 300-325hp lite weight aluminum V6 would have been about perfect, especially if Mazda would have used a transaxle setup for equal weight distribution.
So I own a few cars. 2022 BMW M340 for everyday, 2020 Civic Type R and 2005 S2000 for track. M340 is my daily and dont have any plans to mod for tracking or anything for that matter. Maybe some new wheels. Type R is fully modded for the Track and making 370whp. S2000 I bought to also track, mostly stock except for springs and upgraded brakes for track. You're right about the power on the s2k, it lacks power but the handling and the feel of the car is where it shines. I've tracked both cars same day at Road America once, I found myself feeling more rewarding with the s2000 than the Type R. S2000 2:57 Best Lap of the day, Type R 2:58 Best lap of the day. Insane! You're spot on with your review! Best way to drive these is like you stole it! Thanks for the review!
Several years ago, 3 friends at my job had the AP2 version. One day they parked together then the owner of the company drives and parks his F430 next to them. My co-workers lost their minds, the owner has his own parking space but for that day he joined them.
It's a momentum car. Perfecting trail breaking with smooth inputs entering a corner and exiting out is what makes the car special. High torque and horsepower cars are a dime in a dozen today especially in American muscle or EV cars. Seeing someone going fast in a straight line is way more common and less impressive compared to seeing someone that can attack a corner at high speed. Having a reliable lightweight sports car with analogue technology with only ABS and EPS makes driving the car more rewarding. The S2000 is pretty comfortable in long drives too, so you don't end up feeling beaten up with too harsh of a ride like in a Lotus Elise. The AP1 you drove does not have traction control, so it's very rewarding and fun. However, it is not a safe car for newbie drivers (young and old) that lack driving experience in rear-wheel-drive cars because they end up crashing and totaling the car. Thier natural fear reaction is applying the breaks when the rear wheels start to swing out when it loses traction which makes the situation 1000 times worse.
I hid a n20 kit on a buddys years ago and it made 312 at the tire the car still runs today same shortblock no issues "rarely sprayed" These are mini corvettes Dan. looks at wheel base engine placement ...the f20/22 is great! "yes great first sports car and better than the Miata.
Great video, Dan. Yep, Honda MT are among the best shifters. I would look for a 2006 or later S2K so I could use the Hondata reflash to lower the VTEC point. I had their reflash on my 2005 TSX - brought the VTEC point down to 5K RPM. Nice.
You got it right…it’s super-fun when you wind it out. Above 6K rpm, S2000 is a different car. I have owned two (current owner). Nothing better than a perfect 1st-2nd-3rd gear highway acceleration with this shifter and 8-9k rpm. I own faster cars, but enjoying a car that won’t result in felony speeding convictions is key. Not to mention, cost of maintenance is so cheap. Glad you experienced it.
In the late 80's and early 90's with the development and rollout of the original NSX , the world 's elite car manufacturers were shocked into reality that they needed to wake up, improve, or go away. They had been barely surviving, just scraping by as they lost money offering fragile, unreliable offering from the previous decades. Honda bitch slapped them awake like a WWF wrestler hitting Geraldo. It was clearly apparent a supercar could be built offering everything the customer wanted without the grief. The S2000 wasn't the NSX by any means, but the two seat inexpensive convertible sports car was also revolutionized. Goodbye Alfa Romeo, Fiat,MG, and Triumph. Hello MX5 Miata and S2000. Pure driving experience without adding oil to your carbs, fixing electrical problems or filling the cracks in your driveway with rust flakes from a deteriorating bodywork. It's often overlooked when seeing a Civic or Accord at a stop light, just how big an impact Honda has made in the car world. Not the same in performance, but the MX5 Miata from Mazda has made more 10 best lists since it's creation than any Ferrari, Lambo or McLaren. If the S2000 could have been priced a few thousand cheaper it would still be around today instead of the Mazda.
Down play it all you want, but we saw you smiling while rowing those gears. :-). I owned one of the early production 2000 S2000's when they came out, to this day I regret selling it. Got a mere $20k for it with just 23k miles on it back in 2005.
I still have my AP2, the 987 is starting to take over as daily driver because i can't leave the Honda parked anywhere anymore. I concur with your sentiments on performance and fun. Nothing put a smile on my face like this car does until i drove a 991 GT3. Gotta shift the s2000 at least 5.5k even driving normally and it will feel a lot better, but it's very happy to be driven up there just like a GT3.
One of the greatest cars that’s affordable!!! Hondas run forever!! Hit a curb, doesn’t phase them. 309-400,000 mikes. No problem. I live in my 3009 Accord with a 4 cylinder with 274,000 miles. Runs like a champ!!! Everything still works, no squeaky parts, no leaks, sunroof doesn’t leak. And 2009 was supposedly their bad year. I beg to differ. My 01 Mustang GT convertible 4.6 manual died at 147,000.
Overall power is not great, but the biggest complaints I've seen come from people who want low end torque and are shifting around the 4k-6k RPM range. Like you said, it doesn't even wake up until 6000 and you're supposed to wind it out to that redline. The natural fun of an S2000 is top down whipping it around twisty roads, especially a nice cool canyon if you have one. I've driven much more powerful cars, but you can beat on an S2000 on public roads without hitting 100+ accidentally, which you just can't do with a powerful car.
Small underpowered sports cars can be a lot of fun. My 2000 Toyota MR2 is terrible buzzy transportation on the interstate, but it is about ideal at 50 mph on a twisty two lane road; being incredibly light and nimble. Plus, it's a Toyota that gets a lot of miles on just gas and oil.
You're forgetting the s2000 came out in 1999!!! It's ALMOST 25 years old! Review it for it's era! Relatively, a Mustang in 1999 and many other cars were also slow relative to today. At the time, the s2000 was faster than it's rivals the Boxter and Z3 which means it beat it's rivals and did it's job. Then, you proceed to drive it and accelerate in a straight line when it CLEARLY only has 240 HP and is designed for a twisty back road where you can take advantage of the smooth short gears and front mid-engine balance. Would you take your Ferrari on a gravel road and then give it a bad review because it didn't have grip or ride clearance? Fail review.
I'll take superb handling, shifting, and cornering not to mention ultra-reliability over more power. I've driven my AP1 for 14 years and wouldn't think of driving anything else.
You started to get it when you spoke of the twisties. Touge is the context. Rev speed 0 to 9k is irrelevant when it is designed to stay above 5k in the twisties. Actual speed is secondary to sensation of speed/connection with the vehicle in the context of touge.
AP2s (different engine)fetch more money and while you concede some of the redline I think it would cure most of your complaints….that and these need to be driven at the upper limits, it can take awhile to get used to that. I’d be interested to see your take on a lower mileage AP2.
@@normalguysupercarAn ‘01 with 36k miles (clean car fax) sold for $27k last week. Super low mileage, final model year, special trims, etc. go for more, but easy to find a great driver for under $30k.
Hey Dan. My sincerest apology about the other night when I asked where a certain person is. With my cancer issues I missed a few of your uploads the last year or so. I just try and catch up here and there. I really didn't know that there is some issue between you and you know who. Once again I do apologize
If the engine is good my opinion would be to supercharge it, I've owned my S2000 for nearly 10yrs & that was one of the first mods I did, transformed the car, Rj in Oz
I would strongly recommend you try some track days in something other than just a Ferrari. Once you gain some more automotive experience and knowledge you will hopefully learn that horsepower is not everything. That’s what most kids think about cars. But as you gain more experience with a wider variety of cars (outside of only Ferraris) you’ll see that there is much more to driving than just straight line horsepower. Anyone can drive a Ferrari in a straight line: it takes a lot more skill to pilot an NSX or S2000 around a track!
Back in the day I saw an interesting car review these. They did 0-60 shifting at redline and it came up in 4.5 sec or something like that. Then they decided to drive it and shift at what would be redline for most any other performance engine so they chose 6500 rpm… over 9 seconds to 60! LOL! So, yeah, you have to rev the piss out of that thing to have any fun at all!
@@normalguysupercar Dan, I’m at the end of my life I feel. Being a touring drummer for decades has destroyed my body. Add on cancer, heart valve replacement, and constant, unimaginable pain, yeah, probably anything short of something sexual. That’s why I admire you so much. I made a very good living and lived a great life, but didn’t plan ahead. Typical musician story. Just keep making great videos, and I’ll always enjoy them. God bless❤️
I drive an AP2 S2000 and I do not think it’s Meh. Like you said . It’s actually more reliable than those high maintenance high priced Ferraris . I was considering a Ferrari but after seeing what a pain in the A$$ they are I prefer my S2000 any day. Look at F1 who is dominating yep you guessed it Honda.
Driving an s2000 in a straight line expecting to have you hair blown back is your first mistake. The point and purpose of the car is "balance" and speed when the road gets twisty. There are videos of stock s2000 with capable drivers keeping up with Porsche and Ferraris on technical tracks. Cars that cost $200k + getting caught but of course on the long straights, the bigger HP pulls away just to get swallowed up when the twisties starts again. Balance.
I guess you can call it mediocre but it wasnt when it came out.. slap a turbo or supercharger on it with a small amount of boost and it will smoke a lot of cars on the road that come
My point is that lack of performance is something that should never be mentioned when we are talking about s2000. It is pointless in every aspect. Firstly because Honda could manage that with a turbo like Evo or Impreza And secondly because that was never the aim of s2000.
Comparing a naturally aspirated 2 L S2K with the typical highly boosted 4-cylinder engine of today is a mismatch and of course the performance will suffer in comparison. However, the S2k cranks out more HP per its NA 2L than everything but one of the newer Ferrari NA 4-cylinder engines. Not bad for an old car.
I wonder if all the shortcomings you mentioned you're not a fan of is why I've seen so many modified ones too. Because they all sound like the reasons for some modifications I've seen.
In order to have that excillerating 9000rpm redline, the rest of the rev range drives like a 1.6 D series motor. Absolutely nothing down low. Its also a little on the chunky side for whatever reason. Over 2800 lbs! No wonder modern day brz/gr86 are faster. Still one of the all time greats, but it is a tad overhyped imo.
They are neat, fun cars. But even as durable as Hondas are, I look at the typical previous owners, like the kid down my block who owns one, and I think about how many times a typical S2000 has had the engine bounced against the 9000 RPM rev limiter or it’s been drifted. Much hipper than a Miata, but all in all I’d go with a Boxster if nothing else based on average age and maturity of previous owners.
From a dig dump the clutch at 3,500, speed shift @ 9,000 when shifting. Do not let rpm go below 7,500. Typical non-s2000 driver who doesn’t know how to drive a S2000.
It is disappointing to witness a RU-vid video when the driver does not know how to drive the vehicle and does not know how to operate the convertible roof 😢VTEC requires that you drive the vehicle revving it up to 6 to 7k RPM otherwise you are not driving the S2000...change gears only when you have reached the revs. plenty power and acceleration if you know how to drive it.....
There is a tuner in California who puts the Civic S turbo 2L motor in these with a six speed. I am certain it is not cheap but it is quite fast. S2000 R AP2
The same people who could buy the S2000 back then are the same buying the Miata/MX5 today... Gery haired blokes who drive 20 miles per hour under the sun with their wife on sundays... They don't care about how sporty it drives, they just enjoy clogging traffic... 😆
I’ve been saying the S2000 is overrated for years. Yes they are fun to drive but power is so far up the rev range. Compare this to a ND2 Miata which is about the same money and it’s night and day. Much more useable power band in the Miata and about 15 years newer.
