I drove a $195,000 Acura NSX to find out if it is the best high-performance supercar for the money - here's the verdict
The 2019 Acura NSX arrived in mid-autumn in the Northeast. The "Thermal Orange Pearl" (add $700) blended in attractively with the last leaves of fall in Manhattan.
The NSX's looks sneak up on you. It isn't as flamboyant as anything like the Ferrari 488 or the Ford GT, much less the Lamborghini Aventador, and even the Corvette ZR1 pulls out more stops. But the NSX's design adds up to eye-catching statement.
Given the lack of bling, the gazes I drew when I tested the NSX were as surprising as when we first sampled the car. But they were devout gazes, to be sure — people can't take their eyes of this thing!
The reason why is obvious, on reflection: the NSX is a fine example of harmonious design. The proportions are carefully constructed and the angles are crisp, yet not over-the-top. The price on the carbon-fiber roof is, however: $6,000.
Even the badge is relatively modest, but it fits in impeccably.
From stem to stern, the NSX is slick yet classy. Perhaps the only thing that bugged me about this tester was the incongruous, chrome door handle. The chrome strip on the front has been eliminated in favor of a black element that joins with the grille.
Functional details, such as this vent, are restrained.
Even the aerodynamic side-view mirrors barely call attention to themselves.
These blacked-out Y-spoke wheels are actually standard. The carbon-ceramic brake rotors and fat orange calipers ... not so much. They're $10,600 extra.
The rear decklid spoiler is $3,000 worth of carbon-fiber.
The NSX's 3.5-liter, 500-horsepower, twin-turbo V6 is a marvel of compact, mid-mounted majesty. It's tucked beneath a carbon-fiber cover that comes as part of a $12,600 exterior sport package. The 0-60 mph dash passed in three seconds, and the NSX tops out at 191 mph.
The NSX, unlike many other mid-engine supercars, lacks a front trunk, or "frunk," as we'll see why in a second. This trunk sits under the engine hatch and has enough space for ... well, maybe one piece of carry-on luggage.
Up front, we find the hybrid-electric end of the party. This joins with a direct-drive assist motor yoked to the V6. So in addition to the gas-powered mill, the NSX has three electric motors (there's one at each front wheel), bumping total power up to 573 horses.
Insider, we were greeted with waves of "Indigo" leather and grayscaled Alcantara. With the orange exterior, we decided this should be dubbed the "Gator" package.
The 9-speed transmission is a racing-influenced, dual-clutch unit that can be run into auto mode or by flicking through gears with the steering-mounted paddle shifters. The instrument cluster is analog-digital, and pretty no-nonsense.
The Integrated Dynamic System provides four modes: Quiet, Sport, Sport Plus, and Track. I found Sport to be the best for spirited driving on public roads. If you want to hear the NSX roar, however, you'll need Track mode. This is also the mode that delivers the biggest kick in the pants — the NSX at is most ferocious.
The NSX's infotainment system lags Acura's newer offering, which we tested in the new RDX. You always have Apple CarPlay as a fallback. That said, the system performs perfectly well.
There's the usual suite of apps.
The system will also output some driving data.
Our tester featured a SiriusXM satellite-radio subscription to go along with USB/AUX device inputs and Bluetooth device pairing.
The ELS Studio Audio system sounds amazing — it also won Business Insider's 2018 Audio System of the Year award.
So let's fire the NSX up and see how the 2019 version compares with the one we loved!
The verdict?
"Once again, Honda and Acura will have a halo product — a stunning, eye-catching supercar to get buyers in the showroom and to stroke the egos of the brand's owners," we wrote in 2016, when we named the NSX our Car of the Year. "It's a car that will set the pace and the tone for Honda and Acura in the coming years."
And indeed it has. In fact, we thought the updated NSX was as much fun to drive in 2018 as it was two years ago. We should note that the NSX has been a bit of a sluggish seller for Acura. So a few tweaks were in order. But selling a lot of supercars isn't Acura's bailiwick; selling crossovers is. If the NSX performs its roles as a halo car, mission accomplished.
The car still gets a ridiculous 22 mpg combined while producing 573 horsepower. Other supercars that use elaborate hybrid-electric technology, such as the Porsche 918 Spyder, cost ten times more.
"There's just nothing you can't do with the NSX," we noted a few years back.
"Poodle around town? Check. Cruise on the highway? Check. Take it hard into the corners while flipping through the exquisite nine-speed gearbox — well, four or five of them, anyway — and playing with with responsive, juicy throttle response? Check. Punch it in a straight line? Check. Slide around a track? Check. Sit in the driveway and listen to Little Steven's Underground Garage on Sirius satellite radio? Why not? The seats are pliant enough for napping."
None of that has changed.
The bottom line is that supercars are objects of desire — and often extremely difficult to live with. For 10% of thrills, owners have to put up with 90% hassles. Not so with the NSX, which creates nearly 0% hassles in no-hassle Quiet mode — and delivers 100% thrills in Track mode. That range is unlike anything else in the segment. OK, at close to $200,000, it doesn't come cheap. But that's reasonable in supercar country. The last Lambo I drove was $120,000 more than the NSX.
To answer my own question, I'm not sure the NSX is the best, best, best value in high-performance motoring. That honor would go to a Corvette or a Mustang. But among serious supercars, the NSX continues to stand out.
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