 2002 Honda S2000; photo by Laurance Yap. Click image to enlarge |
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Honda S2000, 2000-2007
You might have called it Honda’s mid-life crisis: where some 50-year-olds go out and buy a sports car, Honda celebrated its 50th by building one.
A sporty Honda isn’t tough to wrap your head around, but for a company whose most overtly sporty car to that point was a Civic with 160 horsepower, the S2000 was Honda’s “and-now-for something-completely-different,” with a screaming 9,000 rpm four-cylinder good for 240 horses.
At the time, the S2000’s engine boasted the highest specific power per volume of any production motor. That is to say, it produced more power per litre of displacement than any other engine in a car available in a showroom. The motor was mated to a standard six-speed manual transmission (the only one available) and a Torsen limited slip differential.
 2005 Honda S2000; photo by Paul Williams. Click image to enlarge |
In 2004, Honda made some cosmetic and mechanical tweaks to the S2000. Most significantly, these included bumping the engine’s displacement to 2.2 litres by way of a longer piston stroke; horsepower remained the same, but torque increased to 162 lb-ft at 6,200 from the previous peak of 153 lb-ft at 7,500 rpm. The longer stroke resulted in a lower redline of 8,000 rpm.
In addition to the larger motor, the transmission got shorter ratios for gears one through four and taller ratios for fifth and sixth.
In 2006, Honda added a drive-by-wire throttle and Vehicle Stability Assist.
For a full list of differences between 2000-2003 and 2004-2007 cars, check this thread.
| Verdict |
| Highs: Tons of fun and strong reliability |
| Lows: Pricey for a single-purpose car |
In typical Honda fashion, fuel consumption is decidedly palatable for a sports car, with EnerGuide ratings of 11.8 L/100 km (city) and 8.4 L/100 km (highway). Premium fuel is a requirement, though.
Reliability – another Honda strong point – has been solid, too. Consumer Reports notes a couple of trouble spots, though: transmission issues in 2000 and 2003 models (I suspect the car’s low sales volume has affected statistics some), fuel system troubles in 2004 and a few assorted body and trim-related niggles here and there.
 2005 Honda S2000; photo by Paul Williams. Click image to enlarge |
Naturally, CR doesn’t list specifics, but a browse of the forums at S2KI.com uncovered a list of DIY fixes, including how to remedy a sticky/rough/squeaky clutch pedal; and there’s a fix for a “ringing” shifter.
Check this thread for a DIY fix for hesitation, and check this one for reasons why an S2000 might pull to one side under acceleration.
Here’s a fix for water leaking into the trunk. If you do your own maintenance and fluid changes, be careful to put the right kind of lube in the S2000’s differential.
Neither the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) nor the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has crash tested the S2000. However, the European New Car Assessment Programme (EuroNCAP) crash tested one in 2002 and gave it four stars (out of five) for occupant protection.
 2005 Honda S2000; photo by Paul Williams. Click image to enlarge |
From a performance point of view, the S2000 is a heck of a lot more desirable than anything else Honda makes, hence its high resale values. A 2000 model that sold new for $48,000 (though you have to know that some early examples sold for more than MSRP) is still worth $19,300, while a 2007 is worth $37,600 against its $50,600 MSRP. German car lovers might argue otherwise, but it’s not terribly surprising that a Honda designed to compete performance-wise with the Boxster and Z3/Z4 has held onto its value almost as well as those cars.
What’s particularly impressive on Honda’s part is that they’ve kept building the S2000 for this long; many companies would have relegated such a specialized, low-volume model to the sweet-memories pile after three or four years’ worth. Honda hasn’t said much about the S2000’s fate after the 2008 model year, but there are rumours circulating that it will be replaced with another high-performance model, perhaps as early as 2009.