Drop the top and mash the gas and Honda's S2000 delivers an exhilarating driving ex-perience. This two-seat roadster is a technological statement from a company that has no peer in the realm of extracting big horsepower from small-displacement engines.
The Honda S2000 is similar in size and basic concept to the Mazda Miata. Both are pure sports cars: front-engine, rear-drive, drop-top, few frills. The difference is that Honda's roadster costs about a third again as much the Miata, and offers performance that makes the Mazda seem tame. In fact, the S2000's performance rivals that of much more expensive sports cars, including the BMW Z3 3.0, Mercedes-Benz SLK, and the Porsche Boxster.
The big news for 2002 is a new glass rear window with defroster, which replaces last year's plastic rear window that could be creased and distorted. Also new for 2002: Honda has improved the transmission for smoother and quieter shifts, upgraded the stereo, added chrome rings around the tail lights, and introduced minor refinements to make the interior more convenient.