The Acura NSX was a long time in the making. We still remember how Jay Leno and Jerry Seinfeld did a Super Bowl commercial where they fought over who got to buy the first one. What was it, 2012?
During these past four years, Acura changed pretty much everything. The front end is different, the air intakes are different, and the engine went from a transverse V10 to a longitudinal V6 and later gained twin turbochargers in addition to the electric assist.
But does Jay Leno still like the car he pretended to buy in that commercial? And will he actually put down a deposit when Seinfeld just started selling part of his car collection? We've watched the whole 33-minute review, and it seems the NSX is interesting but not mind-blowing. Leno was a lot more into it when he played with the Ford Mustang GT350R and even the 2017 Audi R8. Still, he says he might buy one.
Acura's Ted Klaus and Michelle Christensen deliver the long-awaited NSX for a test drive. Michelle joined the team in 2012 as the lead exterior designer. She seems to get along well with Leno and talks up a design storm. However, Ted looks like he is about to have a heart attack every time Jay asks a tricky question. After the lackluster reviews the NSX has been getting, Acura is tiptoeing.
As a supercar, the NSX is more of a technological showcase than anything else. It can't play the same games as the new Ferrari 488 GTB. When you consider that it "only" has 573 horsepower and outweighs the original 1990 car by more than 800 pounds, things become quite clear. It's also very complicated, but not in a VTEC way. There's an assistant motor between the twin-turbo V6 and the nine-speed dual-clutch, plus an additional torque-vectoring electric motor at the front axle.
Acura has begun taking orders and asks between $157,800 and $207,500, depending on the levels of luxury you want. So it's in the same league as the Audi R8, McLaren 570S Coupe and Porsche 911 Turbo S. However, the Mercedes-AMG GT is somehow more exciting and enjoyable to drive at just $130,000.
We don't want to be Debbie Downers. The NSX has similar tech to the Porsche 918 Spider for about an eight of the price. Someday, this tech might trickle down to a Civic Type R near you.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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