There is a reason why the S2000 was voted "the most satisfying car" by British people.
I realize that down in the "Unateh Stahtes" cubic inches and torque are hard to get away from
but yes, the S is not for everyone's tastes. Btw, I have the 04, 2.2L with 8300 rpm redline and more torque.
The highlites:
The car handles like a large gokart. Shifter is top 3 in the industry as reported by many reviewers. Brakes are very good. The engine does need to be revved but it LOVES to rev and I do it every chance I get.
At the same time, I can shift around 3-4K rpm for normal driving and get adequate acceleration.
Now for the lowlites:
You need to rev the engine to get the most power out of it. For some this is bad, which is ok, you are a mustang/corvette/cubic inches kinda guy. No probs.
The visibility with top up is so so. The noise with top up is loud, a good amount of wind in the cabin at 120km/hr. The ride is firm, can be jarring on very bad roads. Notice these lowlites are tied directly to the spirit of the car, not design or quality problems.
Personally I love the car. If you appreciate great handling, steering, gear box, brakes and an F1 style engine, AND you like top down vehicles, this is the best bang for your buck. The MX-5 is less money but less power. The Germans are much more $$$, at least they are here in Canada. The S is a very good compromise between those two extremes. Extremely fun and very rewarding. If I had the need for more power, I'd rather super/turbo charge it, than buy a Boxster or Z4.