Hondas As Far As the Eye Can See at the 2018 L.A. Auto Show
While there was no sign of an S2000 successor in Los Angeles, Honda still had plenty to offer for enthusiasts and consumers alike.
The 2018 edition of the Los Angeles Auto Show had nearly everything an S2000 fan could want, aside from, of course, a successor to our favorite rear-drive Honda roadster. While there’s always next year, there are some things we found we’d like to share with you.
Honda may not have had an S2000 or S660 on display on the floor of the L.A. Auto Show, there were quite a few models that could fill the hole in your heart, as well as some that can be used to help build and/or tow your S2000 project.
Let’s face it: you’re not going to take your S2000 mountain climbing (hill climbing is another matter, of course), which is why the all-new Honda Passport should be your go-to for both a weekend in the woods and a weekend on the track. The nameplate returns from a years-long absence in 2019, ready to throw down as a mid-size SUV upon the likes of Chevy, Ford, Hyundai, and Nissan.
Need more room and versatility? The Ridgeline and Pilot might be what you need in your life. The Ridgeline can hold your S2000’s engine and a few extra parts in the bed while hauling you and your crew in total comfort, and the completely refreshed Pilot will keep the kids entertained with a new rear entertainment system and 4G LTE Wi-Fi.
For the times when you need to put in the hours at the office so you can continue building your S2000, the Accord Sport’s optional 2.0-liter turbo-four is the based on the one used in the Civic Type R, and can be had with a six-speed manual. The Accord Hybrid, meanwhile, will save you money at the pump, which, of course, can then be spent on your S2000 project.
Speaking of the Civic Type R, there’s a hotter version now available: the Civic Type R TCR. This version is a pure race car whose 2.0-liter turbo-four pumps 330 horses and 310 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels through a paddle-shifted six-speed transaxle. If you were nervous about turning your S2000 into a race car, get one of these instead.
For those looking for a milder but still sporty Civic, the Civic Si fits the bill. Its looks are tame compared to the Type R or Type R TCR, but it’s got plenty of turbocharged goodness and a six-speed manual. Of course, those who want a race car for the street should definitely bring home a Type R. The legendary hot hatch set the record for the fastest front-wheel drive production vehicle on the Nurburgring with a lap time of 7:43.8.
Taking things down to size, the compact CR-V and subcompact HR-V crossovers are the right size for making trips to the parts store while passing by the gas station. The Fit, meanwhile, is the right fit for city driving, taking up the torch passed to it by the Civic.
Last but not least, two different paths to performance. On one side, there’s the Honda SPD IndyCar campaigned by Chip Ganassi Racing and driver Scott Dixon, which netted the New Zealander his fifth championship in 2018, and the manufacturer’s cup for Honda in the same year.
The other side is fuel efficiency, found in the Clarity. Three different versions (electric, plug-in hybrid, fuel cell) give the Clarity tons of green cred, along with the thousands of dollars in rebates and other perks its drivers receive for their conscientious to the environment. In other words, the right car for Los Angeles.
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