Acura NSX, continued from C1
The NSX is a striking car, especially in bright red, which is why I scooped one of those for my test drive.
And speaking of scoops, all those scoops and vents on the body are functional in a couple of ways.
Not only do they direct muchneeded air into the car to supply the engine and, notably, cool the electric drive components, they also direct that air to aerodynamic ends to reduce drag and provide downforce at higher speeds.
Some agility is needed to fold yourself in, but once inside, the car feels decently spacious. Visibility thanks to those slim Apillars is terrific.
The controls, apart from the selector knobs and buttons for the transmission, would not look out of place in any Honda, which is good and bad. Yes, they are instantly accessible, but they also don't give you that "wow" factor that you get in cars like Audi R8, Porsche 911 or Ferrari 488.
Given that I had driven to Palm Springs in a new Civic, it was jarring to see exactly the same touchscreen central display system from the cheap Honda in the pricey NSX.
And, it was equally horrible in both cars.
The drive
Our drive started with lapping on the private "Thermal'' country club race track. This is a flat circuit, with mostly tight corners and a couple of long straights.
Honda is not publishing any 0-100 km/h times because they say the different protocols various outlets use make them non-comparable.
Fair enough. Suffice it to say that the NSX will run with just about any car you can name.
Again, power is available instantly.
We tried using the transmission in both paddleshift and automatic modes, and actually found the auto mode worked better on the track, leaving you free to focus on steering, throttle and brake inputs.
One downside – occasionally the transmission would upshift in the middle of a corner when I was balancing the throttle. Porsche and Cadillac among others incorporate an upshift inhibitor in these cases to prevent any unsettling of the chassis.
Otherwise, handling is safe, predictable and very competent. The Track drive mode will allow a touch of tailout sliding before it brings you back into the realm of safety. You can shut the nanny systems off completely, but Honda asked that we not subject their valuable prototypes to any such danger, and like good guests would, we complied.
The brakes – our test car was fitted with the optional carbon ceramics – are aided by regenerative braking from the electric motors. They are nothing short of fantastic. Strong, progressive, and with the best electric-friction balance of any electrified car I have yet driven.
Launch control – nail the brakes, select the function, pin the throttle, let go, hang on – is completely drama-free. Not a hint of wheelspin. The electric motors create an initial lurch forward, and then the power of the engine kicks in.
The lack of drama, however, provides a key to the car's overall personality.
On the road, the so-called Quiet drive mode allegedly can provide up to three kilometres of battery-only driving at speeds up to 80 km/h. We could barely get the car to move three metres before the engine coughed into life. Sport, Sport + and the aforementioned Track modes were the preferred settings.
We also found the paddle shift mode more fun on the road.
The road drive followed the properly famous Hwy. 74 up into the mountains west of Palm Springs.
As usual, car companies seem to be able to call upon trucks, trailer-towing SUVs and motorhomes to thwart our attempts at having fun. Fair enough - we had lots of that on the track.
The car was indeed very docile in this application, and attracted a predictable amount of positive attention from other road users.
Now, about that drama-free comment regarding the launch control, and the car's essential docility.
It would be difficult to argue that Honda should have made the car less perfect. But at least to me and to some of my colleagues, there was something missing in the NSX.
A sense of occasion. A sense of drama. A feeling that gets the hair on the back of your neck to stand up.
Are we seduced by the glamour of names like Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini?
Maybe. But the Audi nameplate doesn't have quite that same level of glamour, yet the R8 somehow feels more inspired.
Is it that the NSX will be three times more expensive than the next most expensive car in the Acura showroom? Possibly.
During the first attempt at developing a new NSX some 10 years ago, the "docility" level of supercars was much lower than it is today. Even a modern 911 Turbo could be driven by your grandma to that bridge club, so maybe the NSX doesn't move that needle far.
Acura dealers who have seen the car feel it is the right car at the right time. They are the ones who have to sell it.
Owners of the original NSX – initially a bit of a slug sales-wise but now a highly prized collectible – think it is the right car at the right time. They, and their like-minded 30-yearsyounger colleagues, are the ones who have to buy it.
Let the games begin.