Honda S2000

Road test

For a car that revs to a frantic 9,000rpm, the Honda S2000 has never truly embedded itself into the motoring nation's psyche. Instead, it's only made the headlines thanks to various 'issues' with a twitchy and unpredictable rear end.

Reassuringly, these have now been resolved, but Honda has still taken the cautious step of updating the 2006 model year car with the option of vehicle stability assist for the first time. It costs £300.

This has been made possible by the new drive-by-wire throttle and a tweaking of the engine management system. Driving quickly but sanely, it acts as a very subtle safety back-up - one worthy of the outlay.

As for the rest of the S2000, there have been minor alterations to the trim and paint colours, but not enough to radically update the interior. As such, you're still faced with a dash that's beginning to look a tad dated. The biggest bugbear, though, is the steering wheel position which is far too low. For such a sporty car, this is at odds with the rest of the package.

The S2000's highlight is still the engine/drivetrain combination. You can never truly appreciate just how manic that redline feels until you're bouncing off the limiter in second gear down a twisty back road. It has to be that gear because otherwise you start approaching speeds that Plod takes an interest in.

The noise is an all-pervading metallic rasp, but the problem is that the whole thing only really comes alive above 6,500rpm. You've got to be driving it bloody hard to make the engine sing at those sort of revs. And the feedback you get from the steering can't match this commitment.

It's precise enough, but like the last Civic Type-R, the helm feels dead in your hands, which doesn't inspire confidence. The problem is that the S2000 gives you little warning about what it's up to and that's where the issues with the 'challenging' handling arise.

That's a real pity when the other controls, the pedals and gearshift are so slick and accurate. The latter is especially good with a short throw, but if you know your Hondas, this shouldn't come as an eye-popping revelation.

All of which means that the S2000 is unlikely to become the automatic choice for a sub-£30k roadster any time soon. Cracking engine aside, it can't match its newer rivals.

Piers Ward