rai

[QUOTE=faster,Jan 22 2006, 06:40 PM] The competition is heating up and Honda will need to respond. Let's face it Honda really has'nt done anything dramatic since the car was introduced in 99' which only speaks to how great the car was from the very beginning

Bboy AJ

Sure.

bjohnston

I don't think Honda "need[s]" to step up. I really don't think Honda is committed to the sports car market. Look at its history. FWD sports coupes have been its game, for the most part, in the sporty car market. I believe the S2K was built for a limited purpose, i.e. as a technical showcase for Honda's 50th. I also read somewhere that the engineers responsible for the NSX just really wanted to do a 2.0 roadster. All that being said, I doubt we'll see a replacement for the S2K. I don't think that with the S2K Honda made the decision to permanently maintain a RWD roadster in its lineup. As I said, I think it was built for a limited purpose, and when it stops selling, it will be killed. I think Honda is going to focus more energy on its core lineup and light trucks. Obviously, this is pure speculation on my part, but I am open to wagers...

Of course the GXP is going to be strong competition for the S2K. It is absolutely assinine to contend otherwise. It will certainly post better objective #s in most all performance categories. It may, however, not feel as right as the S2K or be as much fun to drive. Nonetheless, it will be serious competition. Face it, the S2K is now in its SEVENTH model year. That is an eternity in the modern automotive world. Time has moved on, and so have many cars. But, considering how old the car is, the S2K is still remarkably competitive. A true testament to how good the original design is.

MULDER

Did anyone catch the Detroit Auto Show coverage on one of the alphabet channels today? When the specs for the GXP popped up, it was listed at 260HP .

But...................

....they also had the Saleen S7 listed at 250HP !

Green Tea

Yes, it will be competition for the S. Where are people getting the $30k price range? Its already stated to be around $4-5k more than the base solstice, so the GXP will come in around $25k. Its going to have more HP/Tor than the s2k and the weight of the car is going to be about the same as the s2k. It's also mentioned that the factory turbo can run up to 20psi (easily) and it'll come to you from the factory at around 15 psi. It will run faster than the s2k without a doubt and if you flash/chip it to increase the boost, it'll more than certainly smoke the s2k.

Green Tea

Glad i'm not the only one that believes honda isn't dedicated to the sports car market. I'm surprised they have yet to pull a Toyota and leave the sport/sport compact car market all together. Look at their track record with their previous cars, they don't do shit to their cars once they produce it, they just become lazy and let it be and add a few minor things every few years. Look at the NSX

steven975

when they say $5K more I think they mean $5K more than a comparably equipped base car.

a base car with a respectable list of equipment is already at $23K, so I don't think that the GXP will be $2K more. I think the GXP will start around $28K.

And when they say the Saturn was tuned by Lotus, exactly how much did Lotus do. I think that they called Lotus just to say they did for marketing myself.

Green Tea

I believe the word on solstice forums and other sources was that the base GXP will come in at around $25k and will cost more with options. Maybe they had Lotus work on the suspension set up because I heard a lot of talk about Lotus doing suspension/handling for cars for other car companies . Either way, sticker and invoice price of the GXP will be a good $7k cheaper than an s2k I bet

JohnR_in_la

The Solstice I looked at in a GM showroom was this flimsy plastic looking and feeling car, more similar to the Fiero than the S2000.

This was before I bought my S2000, and I walked out of the showroom not wanting to ever own a Solstice.

So my advice, is to look at one up close, and then decide for yourself...

Green Tea

Better question is how well will these cars hold their value? If its like the typical GM cars, etc, picking up a used GXP will be a great bargin for a track enthusiast