Overview & Reviews

The Honda S2000 was a two-seat, rear-wheel-drive roadster produced from 2000-'09. It featured a high-performance, high-winding inline four-cylinder engine along with a superbly balanced chassis. The S2000 was the first sports car to roll out of a Honda factory since the tiny S500, S600 and S800 roadsters of the 1960s, and it ended up having one of the longest production runs of any modern car.

With minimalist cockpit comforts and a racetrack-ready suspension, the Honda S2000 was a pure sports car. More powerful than the less expensive Miata, yet not as pricey or luxurious as a Z4 or SLK, the S2000 occupied a niche within a niche. Quick and communicative steering, an ideal 49/51 weight distribution and an engine that loved to rev coupled with a slick six-speed gearbox promised a lot of fun for the serious driving enthusiast. Today, the S2000's reputation for reliability and reasonable resale values makes it a superb pre-owned choice.

Most Recent Honda S2000

There were two versions of the Honda S2000 roadster for its farewell 2009 model year, the standard version and the racetrack-oriented CR (for Club Racer). Notable hardware on both included a feisty 2.2-liter inline-4 with an 8,200-rpm redline coupled to a short-throw six-speed manual gearbox. Without resorting to forced induction (turbo- or supercharging), this jewel of an engine utilized Honda's variable valve timing and lift system (VTEC) to squeeze 237 horsepower out of just 2.2 liters. No automatic transmission was available in any S2000.

Standard features on later iterations of the S2000 included a power-operated top with a glass rear window (with defroster), lightweight 17-inch wheels, leather seats, keyless entry, air-conditioning, an eight-speaker CD audio system, stability control and HID headlights. A lightweight (44 pounds) aluminum hardtop was optional on the standard car. The special CR version deleted the power top, A/C and stereo to reduce weight and added a removable hardtop, track-oriented suspension settings, a beefed-up structure for higher rigidity and more aerodynamic bodywork.

Debuting in 2000, the Honda S2000 started life with a 2.0-liter inline-4 that redlined at 9,000 rpm. With 240 hp, it put out more horsepower per liter than any other naturally aspirated engine on the planet. Although it provided a thrilling ride when driven aggressively, our editors did find some faults. Among the more notable ones were a lack of low-end torque that made the S2000 a bit flat-footed around town, a sometimes persnickety shifter, a weak audio system and a plastic rear window.

Honda gradually made upgrades to the S2000. For 2002 the company amped up the radio, added a glass rear window with a defogger and smoothed out the short-throw shifter. Some styling changes took place as well, including chrome taillight rings, a new shift knob and a few pieces of well-placed silver trim in the cockpit. A lightweight aluminum hardtop became optional, a blessing (albeit a pricey one) for those in colder climes.

Several key improvements came about in 2004 that made the Honda S2000 a more viable choice as a daily driver. This is when the 2.2-liter engine debuted. Honda also added shorter gearing for the six-speed transmission's lower four gears, thus giving the S2000 more snap at lower engine speeds. Larger 17-inch tires (versus the previous 16s) were fitted, as were minor suspension tweaks designed to make the ultra-reactive S2000 more forgiving of less-than-expert drivers. 2008 was another notable year, as it saw the introduction of the CR version as well as a revised gauge cluster and claimed improvements in high-speed stability.

Any version of the Honda S2000 should speak loudly to the driving enthusiast. With its finely balanced chassis, quick and communicative steering, eager-to-rev engine and snick-snick shifter, the S2000 makes short work of twisty roads. The initial 2.0-liter engine is more thrilling for those who don't mind taking their engines to redline on a regular basis, but the trade-off is an edgy, tail-happy nature that Honda softened with the 2004 refresh. Even with all this performance potential, the S2000 retains strong Honda attributes such as sound ergonomics and comfortable, supportive seats with enough adjustments to accommodate short and tall pilots alike.

User Reviews:

• 

  No torque, no facotry rim options..... - 2003 Honda S2000
  By VsPeC - July 14 - 2:00 am

  This car has no torque, who is willing to rev the car to 7000 rpm everyday just to get the horsepower and torque of a V6? Consistent high revs will lessen the life of the engine. Have no idea why Honda would do this. High horsepower is nice, but torque is nicer.

• 

  Best car I have ever owned - 2005 Honda S2000
  By ITRNBTR - July 11 - 11:50 pm

  After a wonderful 3 year lease, I have sold my red S2000. Buying this car was one of the greatest ideas I ever had. It handles like no other production car out there. It screams around corners and brakes hard enough to loosen your fillings. It looks great and has never had a single mechanical problem. It is faster than its competition, costs less for the most part, gets better fuel economy and has a bigger trunk while weighing less. Amazing.

• 

  The best car I ever owned. - 2004 Honda S2000
  By Howard - July 11 - 2:42 pm

  This is the first car I have ever had that I have had any affection for. It is fun to drive, cheap to operate (although it uses $4.25 premium it gets 24 mpg in town) and a real head turner. I only bought it because the trunk holds my golf club bag and the caddy.

• 

  Bad choice of year - 2000 Honda S2000
  By badchoice - July 10 - 7:09 am

  This car is fun to drive but not when it is sitting in the driveway with a need of major engine repair. The reason, the early years have a bad flow of oil. Not quite sure why but apparently the Europeans caught on to this and fixed the problem early on. This car sucks oil. Honda dealerships need to tell people this when purchasing. Honda also needs to make others aware of this situation. Low oil in any engine is a bad thing. Especially when the oil light never comes on to warn the driver.

• 

  all positive - 2007 Honda S2000
  By Otterman - June 30 - 3:32 pm

  Ive owned "lil red" for 3 months. This is the first sports/performance car Ive owned so I can offer no comparisons, but can say I have no disappointments. Very impressed with the build quality and I see no flaws in performance. This car is equally at home cruising downtown or screaming through the hills, and it never gets finicky, just purrs along ready for anything. Hitting vtec is nice, esp if you have some room to play. 8k rpm = 70 mph in 3rd, and you still have 3 more gears! Steering is very linear, suspension is firm but not punishing. This car makes no mistakes but will certainly point out yours :) if you like sports cars youll probably love it.

• 

  Lovin every minute of it - 2005 Honda S2000
  By RPM Jack - June 26 - 5:56 pm

  This car is a real head turner, its like sitting in real sports car. The manual transmission is a lot smoother then I thought it would be. Im the envy of my friends and neighbours. I looked around at many diiferent vehicles and for the price and quality especially being a Honda, dont look at anything else.

• 

  Major Oversteer Problem - 2007 Honda S2000
  By KW - June 16 - 1:28 pm

  I have lusted over the Honda S2000 ever since it arrived on the scene. I have had a 91 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce and a 96 Mazda Miata. I love my new convertible except on the freeway. Driving above 60 mph scares me and I feel like Im going to lose control of the vehicle around freeway bends. There is major fish-tailing involved and I oftentimes struggle to regain control of the vehicle if I am driving anywhere over 60 mph. In Texas, driving less than 70 mph on the freeway is a death- sentence.

• 

  best convert ever - 2004 Honda S2000
  By desertmonkey982 - June 16 - 2:00 am

  its an awesome well rounded convertable with lots of pep

• 

  Great car, just get seat locks! - 2007 Honda S2000
  By BRIJAN81 - June 5 - 11:40 am

  Had this car for 2 months loved it, its a true roadster convertible. A real Honda enthusiasts car. I miss it. See, some thugs ripped my top and stole the seats out of my car. Took 3 weeks to order them from Japan (they come in pieces) and couldnt drive it for 3 weeks! Worst of all it happened in front of my house. So I had to get rid of it. I regret it. But couldnt deal with the stress of getting up every day and possibly dealing with this happen again. If you get one. Please get seat locks, and a really good factory alarm, it will save you a huge head ache like I wish I had avoided.

• 

  I love this car - 2003 Honda S2000
  By nick7 - June 2 - 2:00 am

  I love this sports car