If you want a car that’s fast, looks futuristic, sporty and snazzy whilst still fuel efficient, then the Honda NSX is one to consider.
Growing up, I doodled in class, what I thought my ideal sports car would look like and the NSX was that car I drew on paper. The contours, the ride height, the headlights, the air vents and so much detail that just makes it seem unrealistic.
From concept to reality – Design and performance in harmony
Even when it was just a concept, most probably just thought they were appreciating just another concept car that will never make it to market. In fact, the first one made auctioned off for over a million dollars.
This NSX (New Sports eXperience) is the second generation since its first famous release in the 80’s. The first generation is now a classic in my eyes, it offered crazy speeds and performance that matched that of other expensive sports cars for less. It had inputs from the legend Senna, and even now the DNA carries on.
The new NSX is partly designed in Japan and partly America where it’s marketed as the Acura NSX, it was tested on many road types and conditions including that of Europe’s to make sure it’s fully fit for our roads in terms of performance and handling.
When you first see the NSX, there is no way you don’t pull out your phone to snap numerous pictures that you probably have a dedicated album just for the NSX alone.
The exterior is designed for airflow to allow for downforce and engine cooling, the detail in airflow is very well defined that you can just feel the engineers and designers refining it until they got it right.
Front the big air vents on the side that takes in the air as you drive it to the gaps that direct the air to the engine bay, to the wing mirrors that’s also designed to direct airflow, to the positioning of the engine and the electric motors.
The NSX is a technology powerhouse also with a hybrid engine setup. With 573bhp under the hood generated by its 3.0-litre engine and three electric motors aiding the back wheels and front wheels to create a 4-wheel drive effect for better traction.
It also fills the turbo lag gap to make it lag-free, it’s one of the fastest cars on road – it will do 0-62 in under 3 seconds and generate 550nm of torque between 2,000 and 6,000 rpm.
Inside the car, it’s not cluttered with buttons, all attention is on driving the car. The steering wheel is the most comfortable driving steering I’ve ever handled, it feels like a true race car, providing the best grip at all times no matter how you hold on.
Behind the steering are the usual control for window wipers and indicator lights and there’s also the paddle shift for when you go on track. Talking of tracks, you have four drive modes, the quiet, sport, sport + and track mode.
The quiet mode is exactly what it means, the electric part of the car is put to use for efficiency and the rev counter is tamed at 4,000rpm – step outside and you will notice how quiet it is.
Use the dial in the middle of the center console to switch to “sport” mode and you hear the engine growl, it’s music to my ears. The “sport” and “sport +” mode lets you hold the revs longer and ride the gears longer, you really push the NSX to its limits
Did I forget to mention its top speed is set at 191 mph with no limiter? Yeah, insane! You truly have to book a track day and stick it in track mode by holding the dynamic dial for around 4 seconds and you can go crazy, use the paddle shift and just hear and feel it go like a bullet.
On road, it’s so comfortable to drive and a head turner. Depending on which mode you select, and even with the suspensions stiffened for handling, you still don’t really feel road bumps as you might expect or like the Type R, making it ideal even for long journeys. It handles corners like it’s a straight line and you just feel safe driving it. Visibility is very good also even with how low the car is.
In terms of entertainment, you can connect your phone and play your music, use FM and DAB radio. You can add more apps too. You also get a sat nav powered by Garmin and it will give your voice guidance and traffic information too.
All in all, the NSX is very eye-catching, sexy and drives dynamically, it’s quiet and smooth when you want it to be and it’s loud and exciting when you want it to be – just don’t lose your license in the process.
In fact I had to convince Honda to let me drive this one of three available in the U.K. right now by letting them know I have driven the Audi R8 V10 Plus before, just to put it in perspective and even though the R8 is fun and fast too, I still feel a special connection with the NSX and the experience it stands for, Senna would be proud of me.
Well unless you have the opportunity to test drive one, it will set you back around £144,000 to buy and I kid you not it feels like a £144,000 car even coming from Honda who when I drove the Type R, some parts felt cheap.
The NSX features Alcantara suede inside, premium stitching, electric heated and controlled seats and subtle hints of carbon fiber in places like the engine bay and the roof, which also help reduce the car weight. Did I also mention that it’s very fuel efficient for a 573 BHP car?
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