2005 Honda S200 Car Driving Impressions
The last time we wrote about the S2000 we couldn't get over its 9000 rpm redline. There isn't a road car on the planet that revs like that. And what a thrill it was. But in the '05, a rev limiter cuts the fuel off at 8200 rpm. That 800 rpm difference is all about the sound, and what it does to your insides. Now it's like listening to Jimi Hendrix riffing his electric guitar toward a climax and then cutting it short.
True, the engine is improved now. It's been stroked to 2.2 liters from 2.0, and makes the same 240 horsepower but delivers more torque, 162 foot-pounds versus 153, at a lower rpm: 6500 rpm instead of an impossibly peaky 7500. So it's got a broader power band and is more friendly to drive, thus easier to drive fast. It's a better car. But, like the Viper SRT/10, it may be better but it's a lot less visceral. |