RAVE REVIEWS
COURTESY OF dlq04
Car and Driver“
...what cars could compete? ... Mazda MX-5 creeps close .. but the Honda would eat it for lunch and not even bother to spit out the bones. BMW Z3.. doesn’t have the snort to tangle with this new tiger from Tochig.” “Its fabulous engine aside, ... it may very well be the stiffest roadster chassis on earth.” “A purist’s sports car, and an extraordinary performance buy.”
European Car“
In the end I can tell how much fun a car is by how it makes me drive. In the S2000, I’m a raging asshole. I want to hit 9000 RPM at every shift, every stop sign requires threshold braking and every corner is a power slide. Owning an S2000 would wreak havoc on my driving record, but that extra $20,000 will pay a lot of legal bills - advantage Honda” [Face-to-face comparison with Porsche Boxster S]
Hot Compacts & Imports“
...because the S2000 is a Honda, you can expect it to perform with race car intensity every day for years. Heck, with proper maintenance it might live longer than you.”
Edmunds
first drive review “VETC kicks in, activating a different set of camshaft profiles. The S2000 magically transforms from vanilla roadster to kamikaze attack plane. Scenery in the windshield whizzes by like somebody suddenly hit the VCR fast-forward button. By the noise, you swear you’re going to blow it up. Time to shift. ... As the engine continues to warp upwards towards 9,000, the snarling and exhaust plumb into your gut and buzz up to your brain. Take the sound of an Integra GS-R engine, add some Honda CBR 900RR motorcycle and a dash of Jordan/Mugen Formula One race car, and you have something close to the sound of the S2000. It’s a feeling that you’re getting away with something truly special.” “As a streetable race car, the Honda S2000 excels.”
Los Angeles Times
“Go figure your chances of walking into your nearest dealer and beating the elbow-shoving to get dibs on an S2000, probably the spunkiest, most satisfying mainstream sports car since the 1962 Porsche 356B.” “Many manufacturers brag of race-inspired engineering. Most of it is race-inspired hype and hyperbole involving old mechanicals barely brushed by racing. Not Honda. When its engineers, even its advertising department, talk of the race-bred technology of the S2000, the reference is to.. Honda-powered ..victories..”
Newsday
“In all, the S2000 is exactly what Honda intended it to be: A true sports car in the traditional vein for a special few drivers..” Porsche (via R&T) “. . . I dialed up Porsche for a test Boxster ... Only to be told, Sorry, but no. No? I couldn’t believe my ears. ... which could be due to only one thing: the Honda S2000's becoming available to the press. Porsche decided it was not in its interest to facilitate comparisons . . .”
Ward’s Auto World
“You’re convinced you are a hideously overpaid Formula One pilot/god.”
Washington Post
“The S2000 is everything a sports car ought to be – fun, powerful, nimble, and magical in its ability to transport both soul and body to a better place.”
Kansas City Star
“... its 240 horsepower screams like a caged cat. This may be a small package but it packs a good-sized punch. If it surprises you to find Honda and sports car in the same sentence, consider this: Honda racing engines have repeatedly been champions..”
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“The open-top roadster from the ‘60s is back with a vengeance in the all-new Honda S2000.” “...this Honda roadster brings back the best of the open-top sports cars of the ‘60s but with some ‘90s comforts that don’t spoil the package. Power and road-handling are superb, styling is eye-catching, and driving the S2000 is a dream.”
Road & Track
“The S2000's 64.0 mph romp through the slalom is among the best we’ve ever seen.”
Road & Track Road Test Annual 2001
“No question, Honda has bragging rights, having produced the first 2.0-liter production-car capable of 9000 RPM-and producing an astonishing 120 bhp/liter in the process, with piston speeds that exceed those in Formula 1 racing.” “The S2000 was able to dance through corners the fastest and with the least amount of effort,..” [Beating the lap times of the Boxster S ($54,300), BMW M ($43,700), and Audi TT ($43,000)].
Automobile
“...the perfect roadster.”
Top Gear
“... if the Boxster wins hearts in the showroom, it's the Honda that will win souls on the road.” The road tester, Vicki Butler Henderson, went on to buy one an S2000.
Money
Best Cars 2001 “Even a true sports car like this one can’t reverse middle age, but it sure can get the adrenaline pumping.”
About Cars Test Drive
“Driving the 2001 Honda S2000 is the closest I’ll ever come to being in the pilot’s seat of a vintage Formula One car.”
Automotive-Review.com
..I’m just blown away by the way the thing feels from the driver’s office. . . this is not another half-sporting, half-luxury poseur convertible. This is a serious driving machine.”
Automotive-Review.com
“This is it! If you’ve ever dreamed of a race car for the street this is it. Perhaps not in terms of outright acceleration or equipment details but in every other respect it is; brakes, suspension, transmission and 9000 RPM redline.” “The brakes and the transmission shifter are unequivocally the best I have ever used.” “Did I mention this is the most fun car I’ve ever driven!”
Road & Track.com
“If early impressions count, the S2000-priced at around $32,000-may well be the cause of some sleepless nights in Germany.”
The Car Connection.com
“For starters, if you’re driving this car with the top up, the storm outside better have a name.”
Edmund’s Review.com
“It’s all about the little red button...labeled engine start, the button reflects the racing heritage found in the S2000 roadster.”
Edmund’s 2000 Roadster Comparison Test
“First Place. Who’da thunk a Honda could inspire such passion,... Well, we did, it does, and this was a test of roadsters with more than 200 horsepower costing less than $50,000,..”
Car & Driver Best List
“the S2000 is wasted on summer evening jaunts to the local A&W. The S2000 is a unique and seductive tool for speed .....to produce tenacious and tolerant handling that makes even ham-handed and -footed drivers feel like F1 ace Michael Schumacher.”
Detroit Free Press
“You could observe that the Mazda Miata still offers satisfying performance for a lot less money -- about $10,000 less. Which is true, as far as it goes. But from a performance point of view, it's the equivalent of comparing an Olympic sprinter with the hero of the high school track team.”
The Auto Channel
“(S2000) ..is one of the most important cars of the present day. Why? This little technological tour- de-force points to the future. And the future as indicated by the S2000 is a very good place.”
Cars and Bikes (Tokyo)
“I've tested the Nissan GTR racing type car and though it's in the same class of performance as the S-2000, it lacked the "fits-like-a-glove" interior, open top and just wasn't the fun this Honda was - at two million yen more in price. The only Japanese car that comes close is another Honda, the NSX racing type, but with its price tag of around ten million yen it's out of reach for most of us.”
Honda Tuning
“There are some cars that seem perfect straight from the factory. The Porsche 911 Turbo..Ferrari, McLarens, Aston Martins... The Honda S2000 is arguably one of these vehicles.”
Forbes
“... and its all-too-willing 240 horsepower engine cranks out more juice per cylinder than a $169,000 Ferrari 360 Modena.”
Cars.com
“Once it reaches 5,000 RPM or so, the S2000 lunges forward like a virtual rocket, its engine screaming passionately through each step of the close-ratio six-speed gearbox. As if acceleration prowess weren’t enough, razor-sharp steering, disciplined handling talents and athletic cornering ability blend with excellent braking capacity to produce a driving experience that approaches racing car level. It’s really no surprise since the S2000 looks as if it’s ready to whip onto a racetrack somewhere.”
New Car Net
“S2000 –– a two-seater that redefines the essence of sports car motoring.”
USA Today
“The highly tuned engine, ... slides into a different dimension as it closes on the 9,000-RPM danger point. Deeper than primal, it feels as if the buzz, the excitement, is coming not from the car, but from within your skull, perhaps your soul.”
The New York Times
“If roadsters can cure a midlife crises, this may be a good time to have one. Take it out once and you’ll drive it in your dreams.”
Sport Compact Car
“The S2000 feels like nothing less than a Formula Ford with bodywork.” “If you’ve driven an Elan (Lotus), you’ve got a good idea what to expect here. Paring knife reflexes, peaky power band, toggle switch shifting. Chapman’s dream is all present in the new Honda. The only thing missing are the leaks and the breakage.”
Car (UK)
“This is one of the great engines. Definitely top 10, probably top 3.”
Nashville Scene
“I will boldly defy any genuine aficionado – particularly one with road racing experience – not to fall head-over-heels in forbidden, Lolita-lust love with this champing, snorting filly of a classic roadster.”
Motorweek
“On its performance merits alone, the Honda S2000 stacks up well against the likes of the Porsche Boxster and BMW Z3. But consider also its $32,415 base price, and the S2000 becomes a screaming performance car bargain.”
Auto Week
"Some around here call the S2000 the best Honda ever. Whether you agree or not, most at least believe the little roadster has already carved out a chapter for itself in the annals of future classic car-dom. And its done that in less than three years on the market.” “... the S2000--because it existed at all--is legendary already."
Automobile
“... European rivals such as Porsche, BMW, and Audi charge thousands more for this level of performance, although they also provide a far more comprehensive complement of amenities as part of the basic package. You want aesthetics? Buy a TT. Pure performance at a reasonable price? The S2000 tops the charts.”
Consumers Reports
"Our top-rated roadster, the Honda S2000, slightly outscored the Corvette and Boxster in our tests and has excellent reliability.”
Auto Extremist
“...., the S2000 is sensational ”
Philadelphia Inquirer
“What you can call it is what it obviously is: a mobile museum of Honda’s virtuosity in product engineering.”
Autopilot (Russia)
“Visualize that you have saddled a storm...”
Kansas City Star
“.. diehard performance drivers will relish its cat-quick reflexes and giant-killer engine.”
Edmunds(road test follow up - 2002)
“And as long as Honda continues to build the S2000, we’ll be sure to save a spot for Honda right next to the prancing horse (Ferrari) and checkered flags (Corvette) next time we’re out for a midday cruise down PCH (Pacific Coast Highway).”
Straight - SIX
“You say you're into sports cars? You say you are truly hardcore? Put your money where your mouth is and step up to S2000 ownership. The rarified 9000-RPM redline of the 2.0 liter naturally aspirated screamer is truly addictive, and the twitchy rear end will test your oversteering reflexes to the max. The finest four-cylinder engine in the world.” [rated the car a 6 point on a 6 point scale]
Drive.com(Aust)
"VERDICT: If the S2000 doesn't win every car award this year, the judges should pack up and go home."
Motor Trend
“Imagine if Formula One engineers built a sports car. Well, they did.”
Auto Revista(Dallas - Ft. Worth)
“It's not as comfortable as the Z3, as ritzy as the Mercedes-Benz SLK230 or as distinguished as the Porsche Boxster, but it does accomplish its goal: affordable performance with a heap of race-inspired technology packed in. The heat of the roadster competition has gotten smokin' hot and Honda's petite S2000 is a chili pepper that will make the competition's eyes water.”
Car & Driver, August 2003 “
... the Honda S2000, the most intense open two-seater you can buy south of Ferrari prices.” “A four-wheeler with crotch-rocket DNA.” [ finished first in the comparison article, beating the Nissan 350Z, Audi TT, Porsche Boxster, BMW Z4]
CAR (UK)
“It’s chiseled, unadorned and understated. The fireworks, friends, are on the inside.” “Best 4 pot engine in the world plus a lovely gearbox and unbustable build quality.”
TopGear (UK)
"the long bonnet gives the impression of having been stretched taut over the engine and front wheels, like a sheet of rubber. The engine revs to a million rpm and it sounds like a racing car. Get past the point when the VETC systems switches to "manic" and all hell is let loose. These are all good things in a two seater.”
Auto Express (UK)
“even we were shocked at how intoxicating the S2000 experience is.”
International Engine of the Year Awards
"The S2000 engine has been picked as the best engine in the 1.8 to 2.0 liter for five years in a row – some comments from the judges: “An immortal; there is nothing under 2-liters that can match it. Power and tractability are absolutely awesome”; “People will still be raving about this engine in decades to come – an absolute legend”.
AutoExtremist
"This car is one of the sweetest driving machines that you'll ever get your hands on. I defy you to experience a car with better "feel" than the S2000. On top of that, it delivers excellent fuel economy and as many Grins Per Miles as the Mini, the top goes down - and it's plenty quick too. An inspired choice for any enthusiast."
Car&Driver
(December 2016) “The best naturally aspirated engine of all time!” Beating out cars like McLaren, BMW, Ferrari, and Porsche.