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The Honda S2000 is a roadster automobile built by Honda. The S2000 continued Honda's tradition of lightweight roadster 'S' cars. Like previous 'S' cars, the name of the S2000 comes from its displacement of 1997 cc, which is near 2000 cc. Launched in the fall of 2000. From its inception in 2000 to 2003, S2000s were manufactured in Honda's Tochigi plant. S2000s since then have been manufactured in the Suzuka plant.

Platform

The rear wheel drive, or RWD, platform surprised many in the industry since Honda currently only produces one other RWD car, that being their flagship model, the NSX. The remainder of Honda's consumer cars are significantly front wheel drive. The S2000 does follow the tradition of Honda's previous 'S' cars, such as the S600 and S800 which were both RWD.

Notable in the S2000 is the X-Bone Monocoque Frame Suspension which provides a signficant amount of stiffness to the frame of the car. This improves handling of the car under strenuous conditions. Also dependability of the steering is improved by improving the stiffness of the car itself.

Standard power amenities including an electric roof that took only 6 seconds to operate allowed the car to be daily driven with few problems. Decent luggage space by roadster standards and low maintenance costs added to the flexibility of the two-seater sports car. The engine was started by the press of a 'start' button on the dash instead of a turning of the key ignition like normal cars.

A Torsen limited slip differential mated to a six speed manual gearbox delivered the power to the ground. Special Bridgestone S-02 Potenza tires featured a wider contact patch to improve cornering ability. Other technological features included a very stiff X-bone frame for chassis rigidity, double wishbone suspension, electronically-assisted steering, and integrated roll hoops.

Powertrain

The initial S2000 came equipped with a F20C engine block, 2.0 liter, inline-4 engine producing 240 horsepower (179 kW) at 8300 rpm and 153 lb ft (208 Nm) torque at 7500 rpm. Because of its high-revving nature, it is one of the few naturally aspirated engines to produces over 100 hp per liter. Others include the 3.6 liter V8 engine in the Ferrari 360 Modena which produces 112hp/liter and the 1.5 liter engine offered in the Radical SR3 which produces 168hp/liter.

When operated like an ordinary car at low revs, the S2000 could be driven economically. However at low rpms the torque the engine could provide was limited until the car could be pushed beyond 6000 rpm in order to engage the VTEC system. This made driving under normal conditions more strenuous than in a more conventional car since rapid and frequent gear-changes were needed to keep the engine in the "power-band".

However, under the right conditions, the engine could be revved up to a limit of 9000rpm. Honda's VTEC variable timing system activated at 6000rpm, giving the car additional torque and power. Keeping the car within this 6000-9000rpm range was the key to speed.

In 2004, Honda developed a variation of the engine for the North American market (designated F22C1) in response to complaints about a lack of low-down torque. They lengthened the stroke of the engine which increased the displacement to 2.2 liters and resulted in not only more peak torque but more low-down torque as well. Officially the torque was increased to 162 lb ft from 157 lb ft and power output remains the same at 240 HP. However dyno tests have reportedly shown that the engine does produce more power than its smaller predecessor. The disadvantage of the redesign was that the much-promoted 9000rpm redline had to be reduced by 11% to 8000rpm because of the increased stress on the connecting-rods created by the lengthened stroke. The rest of the world retained the original 2.0L engine with its 9000rpm red-line. Some questioned Honda's decision to not make both engines available in both markets as options.

The additional torque due to increased displacement alone would have improved the drivability of the S2000. However, Honda also changed the gear ratios - shortening the first four gears to improve acceleration and lengthening the last two for improved fuel economy while cruising. It should be noted that the changes were slight.

Awards

The S2000 was on Car and Driver's Ten Best list for 2000 through 2002 and 2004. Its engine won the International Engine of the Year award in the "1.8 to 2 liter" size category for five years from 2000 through 2004.

Criticism

Despite wide acclaim in several areas

• The specific-output of the engine (120hp/liter was an impressive accomplishment)
• The smooth and positive action of the six-speed transmission
• The speed and ease of operation of the electric top

The S2000 was also criticized in other areas. Despite the high horsepower output of the engine, the torque (153 lb/ft) was quite low even compared to sports cars with four-cylinder engines (e.g. the 1989 Porsche 944's four-cylinder engine produces 206 lb/ft as a result of its its higher displacement of 3.0 liters and even smaller-displacement engines from companies like Mazda and Toyota offered nearly as much torque as Honda did with more of it coming in at lower revs). In addition, many of the S2000's competitors offered engines with more cylinders and/or more displacement which meant more power. As a result, many drivers believed that the car "felt" slower that it should have. This is because the torque delivered by an engine has more effect on the car's ability to accelerate than the horsepower rating.

Another area where the car was singled out for criticism was handling and roadholding. Many drivers commented on the car's tendency to dramatically oversteer, especially in wet or otherwise slippery conditions. Critics said that this made the car less user-friendly than it might have been and even potentially unsafe in the hands of inexperienced drivers. Some afficianados of the car put this down to the high levels of power and the lack of electronic traction control but given the car's relatively low torque output, this was not a widely accepted explanation.

There were also complaints about the build-quality which some owners felt was not at a level commensurate with Honda's very high reputation in this area. Reports of rattling and squeaking trim were perhaps more common than would have been expected on one of Honda's most expensive cars.

• Honda vehicles
• Rear wheel drive vehicles
• Sports Cars