October 12, 2006

Test Drive: 2006 Honda S2000

2006 Honda S2000. Click image to enlarge

Review and photos by Peter Bleakney

When I floated the idea of spending a day cruising around Ontario's Mennonite country in a Honda S2000, my wife got quite excited. Ahhh, she thought, a relaxing day of top-down motoring, visiting the markets, checking out some antiques and buying a couple of pies. Poor dear.

What I failed to mention was it is forbidden to place "Honda S2000" and "relaxing" in the same sentence. I believe this rule is somewhere in the AJAC (Automobile Journalists Association of Canada) handbook. You can use "uncompromising", "jarring", "reflexes of a caffeinated stoat" and "strung tighter than the G-string on a three-dollar fiddle". But not "relaxing".

So it wasn't long into our journey that my wife's curiosity got the better of her and she started asking pointed questions about Honda's little rear-drive roadster.

"Did they forget to install a suspension in this thing or what?"

"Yes, it does ride quite harshly," I countered, "but that helps give it its incredibly quick turn in and neutral, flat cornering."

"Well, you'd better shift into top gear because the tach says 3600 rpm and we're only going 110 km/h."

"I am in top gear."

"Why is there a big lump in my foot well?"

"Dunno."

"Where's the cup holder?"

"Dunno."

"Why would anybody pay $50,000 for this?"

So Claire and the S2000 didn't exactly hit it off.

2006 Honda S2000. Click image to enlarge

Truth be told, this roadster is a narrowly focused sports car that'll rev to the high heavens and serve up a scintillating conversation between driver and tarmac, but those in the passenger seat miss out on most of the fun and suffer the most abuse.

She also wasn't thrilled with the dated, plasticy and plain interior, which, admittedly, wouldn't cut it in an entry level Korean car these days. As a driver's work-station, however, it is close to perfection.

The perforated leather sports seats firmly gripped my six-foot frame in all the right places and proved immensely comfortable throughout the day. The chunky steering wheel, shifter and pedals are ideally placed, and the view down the road over the low cowl and hood is exemplary.

2006 Honda S2000. Click image to enlarge

The Honda S2000 is all about economy of motion. The stubby six-speed shifter snicks with rifle-bolt precision, clutch take-up is quick, and the smallest of steering inputs produce dramatic results. Unlike the Mazda MX-5 or BMW Z4 (M Roadster excepted), which can feel darty and unsettled, the S2000 is always planted and secure. Dynamically, there are few mysteries here.

Hit a twisty road and the car tucks itself around you, becoming an extension of your will. The overused go-kart comparison seems wholly appropriate here. With a little coaxing, the back end will break free in a progressive and easily caught power slide. Great fun.

Although on this outing I did my best to behave myself, as the missus is not big on excessive lateral g-forces, quick transitions and other such things that might upset her delicate stomach.

2006 Honda S2000. Click image to enlarge

But I had to educate her in the Jekyll and Hyde personality of the S2000's 2157 cc DOHC 16-valve VTEC four-cylinder engine that makes 240 hp at a dizzying 7800 rpm.

"Below 6000 rpm, this engine isn't much, as the modest 162 lb-ft of torque doesn't arrive until 6500 rpm - but between six and eight grand when the VTEC's more aggressive cam profile kicks in, all hell breaks loose," I informed her.

"Uh huh. Is that an antique store over there?"

Can't say I didn't warn her. As the big, arcing digital tach swept past 6000 rpm, the gravely exhaust note changed to a metallic shriek, and the little roadster launched. The 8000 rpm redline came up in a flash,

Shifting up to third gear, the closely stacked six-speed transmission dropped the revs back to 6000 rpm, and we did it again, And again, relishing in the very narrow but hair-raising netherworld of the S2000's power band.

Okay. Only I was relishing.

"Whooaa! Slow down! I feel like I'm on a roller coaster ride. You're just doing this to piss me off, aren't you?"

Busted. Next stop: St. Jacobs and all the antique stores.

While Claire perused the knick-knacks, I got to reflect on this unique offering from Honda.

2006 Honda S2000. Click image to enlarge

Introduced as a 2000 model, the S2000 is starting to show its age. Structurally, it's quite solid, but not as rigid as BMW Z4, Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky or Porsche Boxster. As mentioned earlier, the interior is bland, and if you want the car to look tidy with the roof down, a fussy vinyl tonneau cover that takes up precious trunk space must be installed.

The powered roof isn't lined, but it does retract in a quick five seconds once the two header latches are released.

2006 Honda S2000. Click image to enlarge

The S2000 still looks sexy, especially with these new-for-2006 ten-spoke 17-inch alloys. Our car was getting all kinds of stares, even in this somewhat unexciting metallic grey hue. Also new for 2006 is VSA (vehicle stability assist), integrated headrest speakers, drive by wire throttle and outside temperature display.

After six years on the market, the S2000 is still a pretty rare sight on our roads. Honda Canada sold only 212 in 2005 - the $50,300 price tag likely having something to do with this.

It's priced well beyond MX-5 Miata/Solstice territory, and the same money will get you in a BMW Z4 3.0i. The S2000 is a sharper driving tool than the Z4, but the Bimmer would be much easier to live with on a day-to-day basis.

2006 Honda S2000. Click image to enlarge

This is truly a niche car, and you've got to really want the S2000 experience to spend this kind of cash. Life above 6000 rpm is fun, but not easily attainable in every day driving.

Our next stop was Artefacts Antiques in St. Jacobs - a fascinating jumble of architectural salvage ranging from vintage doorknobs to three-metre high church windows. The S2000's 152-litre trunk came in handy here. Handy in that it prevented us from buying anything more than a few antique tin ceiling panels.

Just west of town, we ventured down a long corn-lined dirt road to a Mennonite farm, where we purchased some fresh picked produce and a heavenly strawberry/rhubarb pie.

I parked the Honda S2000 next to a corral of cows. Being Mennonite bovine, they obviously weren't into frivolous machinery, because they just went on eating and didn't give two moos for our swoopy roadster.

Pricing

• Base price: $50,300
• Options: None
• Freight: $1,455
• A/C tax: $100
• Price as tested: $51,855 Click here for options, dealer invoice prices and factory incentives

Specifications

• Click here for complete specifications

Related stories on CanadianDriver

• Test Drive: 2005 Honda S2000

Competitors

• Buyer's Guide: 2006 BMW Z4
• Buyer's Guide: 2006 Nissan 350Z roadster
• First-Drive: 2005 Lotus Elise
• First-Drive: 2004 Nissan 350Z Roadster

Crash test results

• www.safercar.gov, www.hwysafety.org

Manufacturer's web site

• Honda Canada

Peter Bleakney is a freelance automotive writer based in Toronto.