Hahaha. My comments are limited to sub $1M cars. But, that notwithstanding, someone posted a video here where they claim that even the ~$1M EV Hypercars have heat issues on hot days. I suspect NSX being a couple of ticks slower is mostly down to safety margin / conservatism in the tuning on an all-new platform versus inherent limits in the technology. That said, it is what it is-- only the current car is currently on sale. So, some will be happier to wait for the Gen 2.1 or 2.5 or whatever (or get one of the several excellent and highly-refined "best of the pre-EV era" alternatives). I like the new new thing, even knowing that novelty is short-lived.
NSX NC1 - Track Review Laguna Seca - Randy Pobst
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Hahaha. My comments are limited to sub $1M cars. But, that notwithstanding, someone posted a video here where they claim that even the ~$1M EV Hypercars have heat issues on hot days. I suspect NSX being a couple of ticks slower is mostly down to safety margin / conservatism in the tuning on an all-new platform versus inherent limits in the technology. That said, it is what it is-- only the current car is currently on sale. So, some will be happier to wait for the Gen 2.1 or 2.5 or whatever (or get one of the several excellent and highly-refined "best of the pre-EV era" alternatives). I like the new new thing, even knowing that novelty is short-lived.
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Yeah, but you can't hide the ugly of the 570s.
doesn't look like Track Mode to me. I thought Track Mode shows "NSX" on the central display.
chrisn or poweredbyrice can you confirm?
There's an option to lock out screen in Track mode (which displays a message with NSX logo). Looks like they have that option turned OFF, but the screen is in sleep mode. You can see in dash that he is in Track mode-- possibly with stability control in "full off" as well.
Something stinks in Suburbia. If you look at the these track times compared to CD's Lightning Lap you will see that the NSX is underperforming. In LL, the NSX beats the Mustang by 1.6 seconds and beats the Mercedes GT S by almost a second. Both these cars beat the NSX at Laguna Seca.
Car and Driver had all the carbon fiber options which cut some weight but I think the bigger issue is that they spent 3 days to get used to the way to drive the corners with torque vectoring. Apparently you really have to get on the gas a lot earlier than you even think is possible and Car and Driver was able to adapt to this style over time. They may have been coached by Acura who sent someone out with the car.
Also, you can tell that Aaron Robinson is not dealing with the twitchiness that Randy is experiencing with the white car. Robinson doesn't even look like he trying as he is holding the wheel with just a couple of fingers!!!
And it did beat the 2014 911 Turbo S by a second at LL as well. So I still contend that this car's technology is helping it and it is still in that top category of performance.
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I wouldn't put much weight into the C&D LL tests as they're all driven by different drivers. It's pretty clear that some drivers are better than others. Have a look at the R8 video - the driver was horrible (bad lines, driven in auto mode)! In the LL test, the NSX was 6 seconds faster than the R8 but it was 2 seconds slower at the Laguna Seca.
Even with the advantage of Trofeo R tires, the performance of the NSX is not ground breaking by any means and is more or less comparable to the 2017 911 Carrera S and the GTR. With only 420hp , I would say that the 911S is quite impressive as it matched the NSX's numbers.
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It appears there are still some deeply rooter disappointment and maybe hate for whatever reason. The new NSX has drawn out a lot of negativity. I wonder if when Porsche moved the 911 from air cooled to water cooled if this amount of hate existed. I remember seeing this amount of emotion in general from the 911 purist. Let's wait until the new Corvette goes mid-engine! That will be fun.
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I would also harken us to the feedback the LFA met with
I would also note that many folks love the LFA driving/ownership experience and left the price/performance/slow gestation issues for folks who own something else
I would also note that many folks love the LFA driving/ownership experience and left the price/performance/slow gestation issues for folks who own something else
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Just a point to remember, the R8 in the C&D test had the "Normal" P zero Corsa tires compared to the Pilot super sport Cup2s on the Motor trend test. That going to add quite the difference in lap times
Remember this is the same company who dreamed up the recent ZDX & current RLX - both sales disasters.
Without the MDX/ RDX where would Acura be?
In sports car forums I follow, the new NSX was eagerly anticipated because of the "game changer" reputation the 1st NSX had.
Unfortunately It's been panned mostly as a $200K dud for it's looks (subjective) & ho-hum performance reviews - not just by Honda haters either.
Many of these forum members own a wide variety of car brands & seem to buy any make they want shown by the lists of
their current car stables listed in their signatures. They're not just into the forum's specialty. The excitement level across these boards for
the new NSX seems non-existant.
Regarding air cooled v water cooled Porsches....at least Porsche didn't go to sleep for 12 years in the 911 evolution process & the thirst
for their new upcoming models seems unquenchable.
Without the MDX/ RDX where would Acura be?
In sports car forums I follow, the new NSX was eagerly anticipated because of the "game changer" reputation the 1st NSX had.
Unfortunately It's been panned mostly as a $200K dud for it's looks (subjective) & ho-hum performance reviews - not just by Honda haters either.
Many of these forum members own a wide variety of car brands & seem to buy any make they want shown by the lists of
their current car stables listed in their signatures. They're not just into the forum's specialty. The excitement level across these boards for
the new NSX seems non-existant.
Regarding air cooled v water cooled Porsches....at least Porsche didn't go to sleep for 12 years in the 911 evolution process & the thirst
for their new upcoming models seems unquenchable.
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The later reviews for the 1st NSX was also nothing to write home about either. Especially when the F355 and Modena started to appear. Yet, take a poll from the car loving masses of today. The new NSX apparently can do no wrong as a "driver's car" (whatever that means...) I don't think the first NSX deserves that much praise to be honest but it really goes to show the power of the bandwagon effect.
Porsche was a one trick pony back then. They had no choice but to continue the 911. In fact they improved it. They struggled with the 996 but the 997 and eventually the 991 have been deemed a success. It's inappropriate to say Porsche could even phathom going to sleep for 12yrs on their halo 911. They would have died as a company. Acura had the option to ride out the global economic crisis at the time and stop expenses on product line profit losers like sportscars.
NSX performance is only "ho-hum" in context of the dozen or so (<$1M) fastest street cars that have ever existed. I'm happy being an "average" member of that club. "Faster than 458" is fast enough for most people (I'd still like to get a 458 at some point). I think buyers will fall in love (or not) with looks, new technology and unique driving dynamics. I cannot imagine any serious "car person" would drive the NSX and come away thinking "PoS, I'd never own one." Of course many people would stack-rank their favorites differently, but the NSX has earned the right to be cross-shopped by folks who love cars and who are brand agnostic.
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To add to that [MENTION=32457]chrisn[/MENTION], i guarantee 80% of the people on this forum and an even larger percentage of the general driving public cannot exploit the majority of these car's performance thresholds. I'm a normal driver. Maybe slightly above average because i've had some seat time at the track but there's no way I could get anywhere close to a 1:36 lap time at Laguna Seca.
It's the accessible performance, the feel, the unique criteria you need in your life, and how your car choice fills-in those gaps. It's clear that most of the guys who are "hating" on the new NSX should really buy a 570S. Heck.. most of the guys reviewing and comparing lap times shouldn't buy an NSX either. At least it wasn't as slow as the Aston which was hailed in the video as the most analog car of the bunch.
It's the accessible performance, the feel, the unique criteria you need in your life, and how your car choice fills-in those gaps. It's clear that most of the guys who are "hating" on the new NSX should really buy a 570S. Heck.. most of the guys reviewing and comparing lap times shouldn't buy an NSX either. At least it wasn't as slow as the Aston which was hailed in the video as the most analog car of the bunch.
This is the correct answer in a nut shell!
How many of you guys [including you fastaussie] think they can drive a car anywhere near as well as Probst?? On a race track? I've not had the pleasure of driving the MkII [probably never will], but from my past experience of driving with SH-AWD, once you understand how to drive it, it will reward you in ways that seem near on impossible for mere mortals! And in the meantime, it will reward you by putting a smile on your face, each and every mile, be it down a highway or a mountain pass!! Just read the latest batch of drive reviews from the European press day, they are all positive in almost every way.
And remember it is the BASE NSX we are talking about here, not the track queen Type R which may be coming. And the comparison with the Porsche 918 is valid, except that every time I've seen it mentioned in an NSX review, the NSX is compared favourably with the 918 by those that have driven them.
Let's wait and see the feed back in comparison tests of road cars, not on the race track, but driven as they will be every day, shall we? That's not to say I that believe mere mortal owners won't find it a beast on the track as well, and probably quicker than just about any comparable car out there, for them. Most all of the reviews I've read say what a wonderful achievement the NSX is, in that it brings so much future technology to the market, in a car that drives so much like an analogue car. That in itself should be applauded surely? For those that say the NSX should have just been a light weight performance car, go buy one, the NSX is not for you, it is an everyday exotic that you can enjoy every day, on the drive to work, a Sunday scenic drive, and at the racetrack for track days, and I bet the NSX does that role better than anything else this side of a 918.
What I do believe is that Acura/Honda have been caught with their collective pants down in the positioning of this car, price wise. When it was bench tested it may have been marginally quicker than the competition, but that competition has moved on, and the pricing does not reflect that. I'm sure if it were using a starting price $50,000 less than where it is, most of the value arguments would disappear?
Nowhere have I heard it's a $200k ugly dud with ho-hum performance except by you. Fine, that's your opinion. I beg to differ. I think it's stunning and it's plenty fast for 99% of drivers. Do I wish it was a little faster, yes, but it's still plenty fast and like more fun to drive on the street than many of these others cars.
Awesome time, awesome car.
Our 30yr old car is not bad either. Ryan Rush on Prime as done 1:39 in his near stock NA w/ bolts ons. Curious what Randy can do in Ryan's car.
Our 30yr old car is not bad either. Ryan Rush on Prime as done 1:39 in his near stock NA w/ bolts ons. Curious what Randy can do in Ryan's car.
I think that's also part of it... The guys reviewing are concerned about publishing the highest max performance #'s because, frankly, those are easier metrics to benchmark. However, as you eluded to, 99% of the drivers cannot access the performance of today's supercars.
What i'd like to know is how is the car's performance, feel, and shortcomings for the rest of us mere mortals feel about what you can access in the new NSX. I hope to hear that soon from owners like @chrisn
My theory is that.. the 1st gen has become the darling child that it is because as other cars grew around and surpassed it (by the numbers) people realized that what they really wanted to drive was a slower, humble, and fun car. Though, I feel like technology is inappropriately the scapegoat. It's poorly implemented or underbaked technology that's at fault. Not the technology itself. Who here would prefer a car with no ABS or no Fuel Injection? I feel like in 15yrs people will look at the new NSX and finally get "it". I can't say that for sure.. but if history repeats itself then...
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A good example might be the torque vectoring. If it's true that you can really accelerate much earlier in the turn.. that is groundbreaking and even for a professional racing driver like Randy Pobst who might have not been able to realize it... YET
I don't know if that's true until I try it for myself. BUT I will say that when I first encountered the new NSX testing in the Malibu Canyons it was truly incredible how it seemed to shoot out of turns like a bullet. I'm recalling that now... that was earlier this year.
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^ 1++++ ..Some just refuse to see the whole picture or potential of this car. I do recall, Klaus stated the chassis was over engineered and can handle much more power if needed. This may sound like a retarded comparison, but for those who are familiar with electric RC cars, all you need to basically do to increase power is get a more powerful battery and it can dramatically transform it into something that is simply ridiculous. Patience is the key, grasshoppers. :wink:
Time will tell won't it?
FWIW I think @ $140 equipped it would be easier to swallow for most. Look at the video again and notice how quick
they moved the NSX out of the running for their best drivers car. At 3800# it is severely handicapped.
Fun to drive - so is a $30K Miata.
The NSX priced at $200K (with some stuff) Honda was obviously aiming high.
Notice you own a 2000 NSX CTSC....I had a Zanardi CTSC - it was pretty good 17 years ago.
To your point.. most if not all of the cars tested are the highest trim of their class. The Mustang 350R. The GTR has had almost a decade to fine tune itself. One could argue that even the 570S had the benefit of the 12C and 650S before it. The NSX is essentially the 1st product version of a ground-up design.
I still think it's pretty good today.
fastaussie
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when a 420 horsepower, petrol engine turbo flat six, rear wheel drive Porsche, non-top echelon Carrera, can run an equal lap time with Honda's mini Hypercar techno wonder, it would appear that all that future tech wizardy isn't working as one would expect (or as it was touted)...
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that's not a lie. i have met a lot of people on the street who aren't the slightest bit enamored with the new NSX...
Based on a few days driving around the Bay Area, many people on the street are quite enamored with the NSX. A very nice guy from Google followed me into a gas station to get a closer look at the NSX. More people seem enamored with NSX than any other all-new notable car I have driven around (with the exception of GT-R which had a very loyal fan base of stalkers amongst teenage boys).
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