The new Honda NSX is an excellent supercar. It offers something genuinely different to its established rivals, thanks to its sophisticated hybrid powertrain, while its aluminium underpinnings are a throwback to the iconic original car.
The NSX’s concept-car looks hide a car that’s surprisingly easy to drive at high speed. Performance is staggering, thanks to the car’s twin-turbo V6 petrol engine and trio of electric motors, while a selection of clever driver aids mean the car is much more nimble than you might expect for such a heavy machine.
It’s not perfect – the options list seems incredibly pricey, given the Honda’s £140k+ price tag, while considering the hybrid powertrain the fuel economy is disappointing. It’s not quite as involving to drive as the best in this class either, but it’s a worthy successor to the original NSX.
The NSX’s bold styling has the ability to stop traffic at 40 paces. With its aggressive nose treatment, wide stance and low-slung profile, the Honda looks every inch a supercar contender. Glance down the sides of the car and you’ll see daring angles and sharp lines, while large air vents sit ahead of the rear wheelarches. Move around to the back and you’ll spot the full-width LED tail-lamps and large diffuser that houses a centre-exit quad exhaust.
Yet these concept car looks are as functional as they are futuristic. The various vents, vanes and creases help manage airflow over the NSX’s panels, reducing lift and boosting downforce. Honda claims the aerodynamic tuning is so efficient that, unlike the 911, the new car doesn’t need to resort to movable spoilers and flaps.
The cabin is dominated by a large transmission tunnel that flows between the seats and into the centre console. Here you’ll find a metal-finish rotary controller for the driving modes and a large touchscreen infotainment system.
A low-slung driving position places you firmly at the centre of the action, while the dials are placed on a large TFT screen that adds to the car’s futuristic style. Other racy touches include the flat-bottomed steering wheel with large metal-effect paddles.
Overall build quality is good and the NSX’s cabin feels solidly screwed together, yet some of the materials look and feel a little low rent. For instance, the metallic-effect plastic would look cheap in a Civic, let alone a £144,000 supercar.
In keeping with the NSX’s high-tech roots, Honda has gone bold with the newcomer’s technical specification. Sitting behind the driver is a twin-
turbocharged 3.5-litre V6 that’s paired with a nine-speed automatic gearbox driving the rear wheels.
However, sitting between these two units is a 47bhp electric motor that acts as a starter and provides extra power. That’s not all, as each front wheel gets its own 36bhp electric motor, giving the car four-wheel-drive traction. The combined output for this petrol/electric set-up is a dizzying 573bhp, which is 40bhp more than the Porsche 911 Turbo.
This hybrid powertrain has been built with performance in mind, and at the track it set a blistering pace. Yet what’s really impressive about its performance is how natural it feels, with the trio of electric motors integrating seamlessly with the internal combustion unit. Adding to the sensation of speed is the nine-speed gearbox, serving up seamless shifts via the steering wheel paddles. The V6 engine emits a sporty snarl as it spins to its, 7,500rpm rev limit, plus there’s some whoosh and chatter from the turbochargers.
The NSX tips the scales at a hefty 1,776kg, yet feels remarkably agile through a series of corners. This nimbleness can be partly explained by the electric front motors, which provide a torque vectoring function, reducing understeer and boosting traction. The newcomer also benefits from quick and well weighted steering, so you can place the car accurately through bends. There’s bags of grip, too, while the mid-engined layout delivers near-perfect balance.
Twist the rotary dial on the console and you can pick from Sport, Sport+ and Track modes. Each adds differing weight to the steering, sharpness to the throttle response and stiffness to the two-stage adaptive dampers.
Our car was also fitted with carbon ceramic brakes, which are a wallet-melting £8,400. However, not only does this set-up deliver eye-popping stopping power, it works seamlessly with the regenerative system – although the pedal travel is long, which can be disconcerting when stopping from high speed.
Engage the Quiet setting, and the engine noise is significantly reduced, while the car will run for short periods in near-silent electric mode. The dampers also soften to deliver a less hard-edged ride than the 911, while the nine-speed box smoothly slurs ratios.
Engines
There’s just one choice in the Honda NSX – a 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6 engine, mated to a trio of electric motors for a combined power output of 573bhp. The engine puts out 500bhp on its own, along with 550Nm of torque.
The real trickery lies in the electric motors. One sits between the engine and the nine-speed dual clutch transmission, putting out 47bhp. There’s also a pair of motors on the front axle, putting out 36bhp each and bestowing the NSX with four-wheel drive.
Honda’s 20th place finish in our Driver Power 2016 satisfaction survey would be disappointing for a mainstream manufacturer, let alone a brand selling a £140,000 supercar. However, NSX customers can at least expect good service, with the firm’s dealers placing a strong eighth in the same poll.
The NSX hasn’t been tested by Euro NCAP, but with six airbags, stability control and a powerful braking system it should prove safe. That said, features such as autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and adaptive cruise control aren’t available.
Supercars are never the most practical choices, but even by class standards, the Honda is poor here. While driver and passenger get plenty of space, with decent head and legroom, storage is limited to a glovebox and a lidded cubby behind the seats. There are no door bins or cup-holders, although a trinket tray between the front seats will hold most smartphones.
Carrying capacity is also at a premium, with the car’s mid-engined layout limiting boot space to a cramped 110-litre compartment behind the engine. Worse still, not only is the load bay small, it’s awkwardly shaped and doesn’t have a flat floor. It can’t compete with the practical front boot of rivals like the Porsche 911 or Audi R8, while a McLaren 570GT is roomier still. Visibility is surprisingly good, though, while the reversing camera takes the sting out of parking.
At £143,950, the NSX is nearly £20,000 more expensive than the Porsche 911 Turbo, yet comes with less standard kit. Honda have been frankly stingy with the equipment on the NSX, in fact. Parking sensors – almost an essential in a car like this – are a £1,700 cost option, while sat-nav will set you back another £1,700.
And while most hybrids promise greater efficiency than traditionally powered models, the Honda isn’t very efficient at all.
An official fuel consumption of 28.2mpg is unimpressive next to the likes of the BMW i8’s 100+mpg – though you shouldn’t expect either car to hit their official figures. Still, CO2 emissions of 228g/km mean a pricey tax bill and a high Benefit in Kind tax bill if you’re lucky enough to use the NSX as a company car.
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