Ben777

I've been waiting for white with a black interior since 2000! Thank you Honda!!
I was almost ready to do an interior swap on an '05!

Brownergy

Some people just don't understand. It's going right over their heads. It's not that we want a super raw bare bones sports car. We just don't want a 350Z, Z4, Boxster. We want something for less money, that out performs these cars, and has a more performance oriented attitude. As a road car, Honda is not going to sell a lot of S2000's if they aren't loaded with power features. But when they add things that interfere with the inputs from the driver, it's lacking the spirit it once had. In 2003, when they introduced the face lift and new motor, I really like everything, they kept the spirit of the car. Now they are making this car more of a Z4 or 350Z. I bought this car because I didn't want to fight a computer to get it to do what I was telling it. I bought the car because it was obvious it's purpose was to showcase Honda's performance side. The car was great on the road, but it's at home on a race track or canyon road. I know these changes are small, but I truly think it's a step in the wrong direction. I know many of you will say, Just turn VSA off, that's not the point, it's the principle of why they are making it standard in this car.

Most of all I am just worried that the new changes will not perform as well as other manufactures systems. What if the DBW sucks, what if the VSA sucks. Then what? Time will tell. But even after I strip the car down for track duty, I can't get rid of the VSA and DBW as easy as I did the carpet. I just don't like the direction. I think they should have gone the other way. I thought the re introduction of the Prelude in the next 2-3 years would be a nice luxury sport touring car, and the S2000 would be a bare bones racing machine.

RyanS2000

I agree. I like the VSA since it can be fully disabled. I wish MY02 had it, especially since it rains so much here in Florida. Not to mention the OEM Bridgestone Potenza S02's can get a little squirrely in the rain.

hpark

soon all cars will have some sort of stability assist and drive by wire.......
i bet people were saying the same things when ABS first came about......."i don't want a damn computer to control how much braking i can do".....now ABS is as ubiquitous as powered windows.

UNC04SuzukaBlue

One angle that nobody seems to be mentioning is that at least Honda still seems to care about the car. That is, they're still spending R&D dollars on it. If they've done a good job on the VSA/DBW combo (and I'm assuming they have), then they surely had to spend a fair amount of time and money to get it right. By making this investment, they are showing that the S2000 is still a priority for them.

At least they are trying to stay competitive. Remember, since the S2000's debut, the Z3 has become the Z4, the Boxster has been redesigned, etc. Now, some folks may disagree with how they are choosing to "stay competitive". Some (myself included) might rather they spend their R&D dollars on giving us more horsepower and torque without drastically changing the power-to-weight ratio (maybe a five-cylinder like the prototype). But, at least they're not letting the design stagnate.

Anyway, I definitely understand where the "purists" are coming from when they say they want something closer to an Elise than a Mercedes-Benz SLK350. But I also understand where Honda is coming from in trying to sell more cars.

My 2 cents.

2004S2000

Has anyone seen a memo from Honda confirming that there will be no S2000 in 2007, or is that the same old rumor that's been wrong every year.

when will orders be taken and when will cars arrive?

Brownergy

All very good points. You touched on something I'd like to comment on as well, even with arrival of the Z4, the New Boxster, 350Z vert., the new Benz, for the money, the S2000 still offered awesome performance, that would fit right in the mix of those 4 cars. Anyone happen to see the R&T sports car test. The S2000 faired better than all except one of those cars, in which it was half the price.

So my point is, what did they need to change. Why did they need to make it more like the competition that it's already a better purchase. I don't think Honda is having trouble selling the S2000, I think Honda is pushing the product in the wrong direction.

Chazmo

What I don't understand is why (some of) you guys are condemning the changes before you know how they affect the handling/performance of the car. Sorry. You don't have bitching rights until you've felt the effect of the changes and been disappointed.

Lest you forget, the S2000 was a showcase for new technologies when it came out -- EPS, HID, 9K redline with FRM cylinder walls, 6 second convertible top, LEV certification, Al body panels for light weight, X-bone frame...! The list goes on. You can't give Honda grief for picking up on new technologies; that's what this car was all about.

Wait and see, folks, for goodness sake.

Halo

100%

These two observations are related. In order for Honda to design a brand new, light weight, affordable S2000 they would have to spend a large amount of money in development costs. They have chosen to make little changes here and there which are not sufficent for most die-hard sports car fans to dump their old S2000 for a new one. So, who will buy the car? Well, it's going to be someone who wants more safety items, better sound, more comfy seats, but doesn't care about an extra few lbs, 9000rpm redlines, or having their helmet clear the headrest. You can't fault Honda for trying to make money... their business model is not to give sports car fans hardons, it's to sell new cars.

WhiteS2k

I was also wondering what this "Brake Assist" mean (listed under Safety on the right hand column of the Specifications page). This is not the same as Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) because that was listed separately. And it is not the same as Power-Assisted Ventilated Front Disc/Solid Rear Disc Brakes, which is another line item under Body/Suspension/Chassis. So what does "Brake Assist" mean under Safety? Does anyone know?