One of the rules we established for drivers and passengers of the Honda S2000 age 40 and over was you had to audibly grunt when climbing up out of the sporty roadster.
This is definitely a car for the pre-osteoporosis set.
The Honda S2000 delivered one of the stiffest rides in memory, with every groove in the highway a jolt, and I?m not going to mention driving a dirt road on the Eastern Shore.
Be warned, you don?t want to pack any additional weight ? in luggage or elsewhere. The trim bucket seats max out at about a size 10 jeans, and we couldn?t figure out where to put both the cell phone and the iPod, not to mention the maps ? and watch your elbows if you?ve got a steaming cup of coffee in the cup holder.
That said, if you happen to head to a place with open roads and a sunny sky for the weekend, this is the car you want. Our canary-yellow test car had just enough space in the boot for a couple of duffles (we were smart enough to leave the hard-backed luggage at home). The soft top recedes in the traditional way, folding behind the reinforced headrests.
Everything is literally at your fingertips in this fun-to-drive little imp. When you jam the black leather-trimmed shifter into sixth gear, your knuckles brush the trapdoor that conceals the sound controls. The tachometer is a rainbow arch viewed through the steering wheel, your speed flashed in large digits beneath. The roof goes up and down with the press of a button, and to start the car, you have to press a starter button, with the key in the ignition.
The tinyspace is well-designed in basic black with tough leather and the occasional burnished steel flourish. If your legs aren?t too long, you can stow a laptop bag behind the front seat.
Even at moderate speeds, the 17-inch alloy wheels with high-performance tires, the front power-assist and rear disk brakes, the dual exhaust and the 237-horsepower engine, make you feel as if you?re in a bonafide sports car. And even at four cylinders, it gulps gas like a car twice its size, promising 17 to 23 mpg in the city and 22 to 30 on the highway.
It?s a vehicle best saved for a weekend trip ? as long as you don?t take too much stuff and you are young at heart and somewhat flexible.
