But why the need to change for no marketable benefit? It's obviously not about gaining raw power, as no horsepower gains have been made. Harangued by the press for being low on torque, and reactive only when revved hard, the original 2.0 liter powerplant fit the criterion as a typical high-performance Honda engine. While brilliant at high speed, it was a bit of a dog during launching, not even being capable of breaking grip with the road (spinning the rear wheels) at takeoff.

While brilliant at high speed, the previous S2000 was known for being low on torque, and reactive only when revved hard. (Photo: Honda)

With the '04 update, the engine has been tuned to produce more torque at lower rpm for more energy off the line and a more relaxed drive around town, easing the pain of driving in heavy traffic. Torque has been bumped up 8 lb-ft to 161 lb-ft, and it's generated at 6,500 rpm - 1000 less than in the previous motor. Peak power is also generated at a less frantic 7,800 rpm, down from a sky-high 8,300 rpm. Those who enjoyed the superbike-like 9,000 rpm redline of the old S2000 will be disappointed in the fact that the updated 2.2 liter motor's redline has been clipped to 8,200, mostly because of the longer stroke.

To the disappointment of some, the S2000's redline has been lowered from 9,000 to 8,200 rpm. (Photo: Honda)

Before arriving at the rear wheels, Honda has routed the power through a slightly modified six-speed manual gearbox. Though the unit is basically unchanged from last year, its first four gear ratios have been tweaked to enhance acceleration. Carbon-fiber synchros have also been added to smoothen out gear changes. Crisp and slick, the new engine and gearbox combination has helped to drop the car's standing-start sprint to 100 km/h. Honda claims that the new S2000 can do it in less than six seconds, but initial reports indicate that this number is conservative - five and a half seems to be about right, considering the original S2000 clocked in at 5.6 s. Top speed should be around the same as it is currently - 235 km/h.