More Drivable Roadster Should Be More Appealing to a Wider Audience
In 1999 Honda introduced a sports car that caused a perception shift in the brand's image. At least that was true in North America, where the only sports car up until that time had been the Prelude, more of a light duty GT in comparison. In Asia and Europe, the stylized 'H' adorned the exotic NSX supercar, an Acura in our market, so no stretch of the imagination was needed to consider a mid to high $40K Honda sports car.
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| When it debuted in 1999 the Honda S2000 not only brought back the 'S' roadster name, it captivated the import scene. (Photo: Honda) |
Compact, rear wheel driven and powered by a 9000-rpm 4-cylinder engine, the S2000 captivated the import scene, sizing up its direct competition while bringing back the 'S' roadster name. The original S-roadster, the 1966 Honda S800, featured an 800 cc 4-cylinder. Continuing what Honda started, up until now the S2000 has featured, as you may have guessed, a 2000 cc engine.
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| With an extra 200 cc of displacement and increased compression ratio, the 2004 S2000 has settled problems from the previous version. (Photo: Honda) |
For 2004, the S2000 has been improved upon, settling problems and making one of the best even better. Included in the revision is an increase in displacement to 2.2 liters. You'd figure that Honda might rename the car the S2200, but confusing the market with a new name wasn't on their agenda.
The extra 200 cc of displacement came from a longer stroke, while the engine's compression ratio has also been raised slightly to 11.1:1, up from 11.0:1. Despite these physical changes, the engine still yields 240 horsepower, the same figure as in the old model. It still features Honda's world-famous VTEC variable valve timing technology, plus dual overhead cams and sixteen valves.