[Ronbo]

My friend's car that I drove is an '04 model with the larger engine (2.2 vs 2.0), lower redline of 8,200 RPM, and greater torque. This engine didn't really feel as down on power in the lower ranges as I expected from reading road test reports. It was noticably stronger in the 5,500 to 8,000 RPM range though. I suppose this is what really caught my attention. I didn't expect anything much beyond a pumped-up Miata. I was quite surprised that this car was as serious a sports car as it was.

Regarding the plasticy interior, this is something I typically notice in a car but didn't in this one. Perhaps due to the quality of the plastics used. In any case, the car certainly didn't have a "cheap" feel to the interior. No worse than a current Boxster, IMO.