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2006 Honda S2000 Sports Car
'Improvements' make S2000 more usable, less desirable
New Car Review of the 2006 Honda S2000 Sports Car
Base MSRP Base: $34,050
Base Invoice Base: $30,633
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MSRP As Tested: $34,600
Versions: 6-speed manual.
Vehicle Category: Sports Car
Engine Location: Front Engine
Drive Wheels: Rear-Wheel Drive.
Standard Engine: 2.2-liter, Dual Overhead Cam, 16-valves, I-4,237 – horsepower at 7800 rpm and 162 lb-ft torque at 6800 rpm.
Transmission: 5-speed manual.
Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 20/25
Standard Safety Features: Dual front airbags, Antilock 4-wheel disc brakes, Brake assist, Antiskid system, Roll bars, Emergency inside trunk-lid release, Daytime running lights.
Competition: BMW Z4, Mazda MX-5, Nissan 350Z, Pontiac Solstice, Porsche Boxster and Cayman, Saturn Sky.
When you drive a different car each week, people often ask you which is your favorite.
I've always had the same answer: the Honda S2000.
This little two-seat roadster, at $34,000, is far from the most expensive car I've driven. It's not the fastest, either, and certainly not the most comfortable.
But after driving one a few years ago -- with an engine that revved to 9,000 RPM and a rock-hard suspension designed more for the racetrack than public roads -- I absolutely fell in love with it. It was like Honda had designed a car exactly to my specifications and said, "Forget about the rest of the world. Let's build a car just to make Mr. Price happy."
Admittedly, most people would have hated the S2000 when it was introduced. Its little 2.0-liter engine made virtually no power at the bottom end, so if you didn't want to stall at red lights you'd have to rev it up to 5,000 RPM before you let the clutch out, making you look like a teenage idiot who just got finished watching "The Fast and the Furious."
What's more, the suspension seemed like it was made of concrete, so the car stayed perfectly flat in corners, but your spine felt like it had been run through a Cuisinart blender. The engine was so loud my wife refused to ride in it.
Oh, how I loved that car.
But Honda couldn't keep good enough alone. Today's S2000 is still an incredible machine -- and remains atop the list of my favorite cars -- despite Honda taking the edge off and creating a kinder, gentler roadster.
