NSX v C6

[CerberusM5]

I for one am a huge fan of using well understood, and probably inexpensive, technology in place of more expensive tech IF IT ACCOMPLISHES THE SAME THING.

If there are things to pick on in the C6, its not the engine. Id kiss my 3.2L NSX engine good bye without hesisitation if given the choice to jam a pushrod LS7 back there , which is probably a cheaper engine to boot.

Expensive technology for technology's sake does not make for a successful car.

Very well said. :smile:

 

[Da Hapa]

Expensive technology for technology's sake does not make for a successful car.

I completely agree. The fact that the engine makes its power using "old school" pushrods does not in anyway diminish the fact that the engine is a good engine that is time proven, reliable, and easy to work on (relatively speaking).

The engine is the one area where I'm hardpressed to think anyone criticizing the C6 has a legitimate leg to stand on.

 

[MCM]

Many cars take the fun out of driving.
Terms like "vague"and "numb" come to mind with many cars.
I for one do not wish to be isolated from the road.
Older P cars and a few BMW's had the diver in mind, other than that
Its a small list indeed. (am talking regular cars the average car nut can afford)
Looking forward to driving the new ZO6. With any luck I will be wrong with my
personal prediction.
(A fast car with the driver completely removed from the road)

 

[Timpo]

just save your money for V10 NSX or whatever it's called.

 

[jonas1jp]

As for GM............pathetic. How many times do they need to hear that there transmissions are clunky, and the interiors cheap and plastic. They have improved a little from the days in the early to mid (and maybe later) 90's. You could get into a blazer and see the same stereo......and many of the same interior components......as the corvette or camaros. So, for this, they have done slightly better. However, the cars are still crap. Reliability ratings, resale, build quality, etc. JMO

I got a laugh when I drove into my uncle's driveway, and there he sat on his porch. The hill-jack and ignorant man he is, he yelled at me to get my foreign piece of crap out of his driveway (joking, but not). Little did he know the Malibu he just bought was made in Mexico! :tongue:

 

[liftshard]

When my friend totalled my last NSX, I kept his C5 with a race exhaust for a while. These cars do have uses. I drove it on the atrocious DC roads and I wasn't worried about it. I was like, I may have to get one of these in order to come up here. I am afraid most of the time to take the NSX on DC roads and the roads did bite me on the ass in that spin I had a couple weeks ago which put my NSX in the shop. They really do suck here. But, w/ a Chevy Corvette, you get a sort of sloppy suspension which soaks up the bumps a lot better. The cars are floaty at speed, but, yes, they are incredibly fast when you get on the gas. But, that's it. For novice drivers, you're probably a lot more crazy in a Vette because it has the familiar front engined layout. You get a lot less oversteer in these things and it's a ton more familiar because everyone's accustomed to driving FR cars with power. The C5 owner, who is not a crazy guy nor an inexperienced driver, spun my NSX within 10 minutes, such is the difference. The Vettes and Zs and whatnot will let you get to the limit and screech the tires and play around more safely, whereas the NSX's habits are more like what the 911s used to do only not as frequently.

The C6 is a better car and its interior is now up to RX8 standards or so, maybe a cut below that. As for the engine, whoopie, the C5 plus a little mods I was driving was up around 380hp and, yes, it could break tires free and went vroom and was loud and snapped necks back. Dunno...it was kinda like "so what" and I really didn't like being seen driving it. And, it droned.

Plus, everyone who owns one drives really slow. I pass these things in my family car routinely. I'm like, jeez, you bought a 400hp car to go 70mph in?

I don't get the whole stoplight drag thing b/c it's inherently unsafe. In any city, people could pull out, walk out, whatever, in front of you as you roar down the road at +40 above the posted limit. Most of these bad fatal crashes happen in the city where a speeding car collides with another car that was unaware of the approach of someone going 110 in a 30.

The way I figure it, the NSX has more than enough speed to kill you. Hell, even an RX8's handling limits are so absurdly high that when you reach them you will be going much faster than cars are made to absorb energy at. And you can be flying around a turn on a ramp and encounter a new road hazard recently installed by the highway crew which will put your ass into a spin or push you off into the guardrail. I just dunno what real good all this hp is.

 

[nuccaJB]

I completely agree with liftshard when it comes to the more and more hp concept. I remember reading an article about 3-5 years back when BMW made the very cool but very unpopular M coupe. There was an aftermarket company who had upped the suspension and hp and made the car very fast and very balanced. They said that a lot more hp was easily available, but it would ruin the balance of the car. After reading that it changed my perspective forever about cars.

 

[NetViper]

Well, to those with CTSC, do you feel that upsets the balance of the car? If the power band remains linear and the TQ band flat with minimal weight, I cannot see that upsetting the balance very much.

I agree the C6 is still far from perfect and they still could have done a lot more to make the interior nicer, but for the money it is one hell of a car IMO.

If they could make the interior of the C6 as nice as my TL, I would be thrilled. Surely it cannot be that hard, but year after year GM never seems to be able to do it.

 

[Jasil]

Well today I drove a C6 coupe and it was automatic with a Corsa Exhaust and a a/m carbon fiber intake.

It was at the shop for repairs and I drove it at the request of the owner.
He wanted me to give it a hard run to make sure it was up to snuff.
I don't drive a customer's car unless they tell me too. He told me to and to "push it" so, push I did.

Punch the gas and the front feels like it lifts and it roars to about 65 before it shifts. This cars goes and goes fast, really fast, but doesn't feel nice, it floats. Not much is going to dust this car in a traffic light race. Beyond that, well, I don't know if there is a beyond that.
A professional driver would likely get this car to really kick but I doubt will make the average guy feel like he's a great driver the way the NSX does. The engine in the front just doesn't feel as planted as the mid engine set up does, at least not to me. The gears in the auto are tall and it goes a long way toward the next galaxy before it shifts. You need some road to open this thing up because it eats it up FAST.
I think a CTSC NSX feels about the same acceleration wise but I did not feel confident in the C6. Perhaps more driving would change that. It is fast. Faster than a C5 and faster than the NSX.
Every other category it fell short and was less than the magazines touted and GM spouted. If you aren't punching the gas it gets boring quick.
They wanted it straight line fast and it is, it is a MONSTER but it feels like every other Vette from the C4 on up once you let off. When not punching it it feels big, floaty and creaking. Nice brakes just the suspension doesn't have that "it's on rails" feel. I didn't like it.
Close your eyes and you think you were in a older Camaro with a really good motor upgrade.
Take your foot off and it down shits into overdrive and sounds like a turd just like a C5 or C4 or C3 for that matter.
The interior I don't like at all. Creaking hard plastic everywhere. The interior quality it right up there with a early 90's Camaro. Anyone that thinks this is better than a NSX interior is just plain nuts.The dash feels like the same cheap plastic they used on my old slot car tracks when I was a kid. C'mon GM! Get with it! The leather or vinyl in the car feels hard and is not supple at all. Lack of quality was everywhere. For example, lean on the sill like you do on your NSX to get out and you feel the plastic scuff plate creak and shift . It's not padded, quiet and firm like the NSX part.
The passenger's seat has less leg room than my NSX.
Outside the front looks cool, so does the side but from the rear, I don't like it.
I had it at the side walk under my sign all day. One car pulled in and a guy got out and walked past to to look at my NSX which was not on display like the Vette.
It did get looks from the older guys in pickups.

No keys. The transponder stays in your pocket and you squeeze the door membrane and it electrically unlatches. Inside you push a button on the door to have it open. No manual door latch. I don't like this.
Push a button on the dash it barely turns over and blam! A nice mean sound from the Corsa exhaust and that signature Chevy big V8 engine note.
As for the rest, it's about what I expected. Sloppy, creaking plastic with electronic toys that GM is notorious for. Now they work..for now that is.
The first C5's windows would suck out at about 100 mph but this won;t happen on the C6. The windows work like a German car. They drop a bit when you open the door and slide up snug when you close them.
The seats feel very comfortable but again have that cheap Chevy feel and at 7 months old the bolsters are getting sad looking already. Poor very poor.
This is a great car for boulevard cruising and when you want to dust someone you probably will. Feels as fast as a first gen. Viper.
It's no better than the C4 or C5 as far as quality interior materials or assembly.
It doesn't feel like a sports car the way a Porsche, Ferrari, NSX or Lotus does. It feels like the Camaro or Mustang and they are performance cars but not sports cars to me. It doesn't feel like a extension of you.
Maybe I need more seat time and I would like to drive a standard but it is all Chevy and nothing about that has changed.
It is about what I expected and much less than I hoped for.
This is not a car I would trade my NSX for.

I think your suffering from the "Mind over Matter" complex. You don't want to like the car, so you choose not too. To say the C6 interior looks cheap is true compared to a all leather 911, but that would make the NSX interior look cheap too.

You didn't like the HID or GPS? The NSX interior looks old if you close your eyes and touch the surfaces it may not feel old, but when you open your eyes it does look old. The big buttons, 90's looking seats, door coverings even look old.

It sound like my Grandmother that always swears up and down that the everything was better in the 50's.

 

[CerberusM5]

I think your suffering from the "Mind over Matter" complex. You don't want to like the car, so you choose not too. To say the C6 interior looks cheap is true compared to a all leather 911, but that would make the NSX interior look cheap too.

You didn't like the HID or GPS? The NSX interior looks old if you close your eyes and touch the surfaces it may not feel old, but when you open your eyes it does look old. The big buttons, 90's looking seats, door coverings even look old.

The C6 is a huge improvement over the C5, which I have stated in prior threads. The C6 interior is much more modern than the NSX. In my opinion, Honda took many of interior design cues from the 928, which was conceived in the late 70s. However, the NSX's interior quality and workmanship is clearly better than the Corvette.

In regards to the interior of my 2004 NSX, I had the following gripes:

1. The plastic steering wheel was hideous and belongs in a Civic, not an $80k sports car.

2. The vinyl covering on the doors, dash, roof and etc look cheap. Honda really should have utilized leather and alcantara. I know some people on this board would rather have vinyl in fear of sun damage, however I have never experienced a leather dash crack and I have had quite a few. Then again, I don't purposely leave my car exposed to sunlight all day and every day. Honda is simply being cheap. Other higher end cars such as Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin and others line many of their cars with full leather.

3. The instrument cluster looks like it came straight out of an 80's Accord and simply looks outdated with that silly mechanical odometer.

4. The dash and door panels look dated as I previously mentioned in my 928 example. The interior totally reminds me of a 928 and more so a 300zx.

5. The stereo is a complete joke. But then again, the stereo in my GT2 is just as bad.

With that said, the workmanship is first rate. I just wish Honda would have used higher quality materials and fresh design cues.

By the way, I think the NSX seats were quite comfortable and supportive. The perforated leather in the late model car still looked nice to me. :smile:

 

[liftshard]

5. The stereo is a complete joke. But then again, the stereo in my GT2 is just as bad.

Yeah, and the GT2 looks like it was originally designed in like the 1950s or something. Talk about DAY-TED

 

[CerberusM5]

Yeah, and the GT2 looks like it was originally designed in like the 1950s or something. Talk about DAY-TED

The Beetle's roots were conceived in the 30's and was finally produced in the late 40s.

 

[LJSB]

I think your suffering from the "Mind over Matter" complex. You don't want to like the car, so you choose not too.

Hey, go one over to the Chevy dealer and get one then. They're ready for you,
I drove the car and that's the way I see it. If you should drive one you're invited to give your opinion as well. If I liked it I would have one.
I am looking forward to trying out a 6sp C6 ZO6. I expect that to be a different experience.

"Mind over Matter"?
This I am still trying to master.

You didn't like the HID or GPS?

I like GPS and have it in my MDX. In a sports car it's one of the last considerations that I would require. To me, the C6 or any Corvette doesn't feel like a sports car the way a NSX or Porsche does.
It's not my cup of tea. I've had 3 Corvettes and have repaired more than 100 of them.I am repairing this C6 now. It is my first one.
The gauges in the C6 look cool.The Civic Hybrid has cool gauges too.

I don't care for HID. To each his own.

It sound like my Grandmother that always swears up and down that the everything was better in the 50's.

I like new cars. I like the C6, just not as much as you. I'm assuming you have driven a C6 and a NSX without worrying about the person in the other seat so you could really check them out.

FYI, the only things I like that are old is old whiskey, old money, old friends and my old lady.(30 years married tomorrow )

I did not like the fifties except for some of the music by Elvis and the Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis.

Probably the only thing that was better in the fifties was your grandmother. :biggrin:

The NSX is not for everyone. It wasn't expected to be. The Corvette is trying to reach a larger market and will. I am seeing more pop up every day.

I didn't buy a NSX first, I bought Vettes.I didn't care for the NSX until I drove one and loved it when I did. If the Z06 hits me like the NSX did I'll have one in the garage, next to my NSX. :smile:

Sandy(CerberusM5) claims to have always admired the NSX and didn't when he actually owned one. He can afford to change his mind and deserves nothing less than what he expects and demands in his car of choice. More power to him. (No pun intended :biggrin I admire Porsche's just not enough to own one yet. That could change. People do.

 

[eg9]

He said there is no match under $250,000

Try a Noble M400.... $75K AND... It's not a Corvette...
0-60 (3.3)
1-100 (7.9)
AND 1.19 G's!!!!!!! Best Handling Car Bar None (Radical excluded)

 

[CerberusM5]

I am looking forward to trying out a 6sp C6 ZO6. I expect that to be a different experience.

FYI, the only things I like that are old is old whiskey, old money, old friends and my old lady.(30 years married tomorrow )

Sandy(CerberusM5) claims to have always admired the NSX and didn't when he actually owned one. He can afford to change his mind and deserves nothing less than what he expects and demands in his car of choice. More power to him. (No pun intended :biggrin I admire Porsche's just not enough to own one yet. That could change. People do.

Joe,

First of all congrats for being married for 30 years. That is quite an accomplishment nowadays. :smile:

I think the new Z06 will be an absolute monster. However, I hope Chevy adds character and feel into the car, which it so desperately needs in my opinion. Corvettes have always lacked in the feel and precision department (at least the C5 and C6). In handling feel the NSX is superior to the C5 and C6.

Thanks for being open minded on my mixed feelings of the NSX as well. At least I can say I tried one and can legitimately comment about the car. My 2004 NSX just was not a fit for me.

I have given it a lot of thought to my NSX experience and came to the following conclusion. If I would have bought a 1997 NSX-T, I think my opinion would have been much different. At the price points of $45k and $80k for essentially the same car except for cosmetic changes is fairly broad. I think I would have been much happier with a 97 versus my 04 because I kept comparing it to other cars I could have bought in the same price range. The NSX really is a great all around sports car, but not for today's current $80k+ price IMHO. However, at approximately $45k for a pre 2000 car is a very good value.

Congrats once again!!

 

[Da Hapa]

Try a Noble M400.... $75K AND... It's not a Corvette...
0-60 (3.3)
1-100 (7.9)
AND 1.19 G's!!!!!!! Best Handling Car Bar None (Radical excluded)

Awesome performance car but... I'd be hard pressed to believe that it's put together that well or that it's reliable. One major trade rag had to send the car back multiple times (and the distributor knew it was going to a car mag) before they could get one that they could reliablly use for testing.

 

[DONYMO]

Try a Noble M400.... $75K AND... It's not a Corvette...
0-60 (3.3)
1-100 (7.9)
AND 1.19 G's!!!!!!! Best Handling Car Bar None (Radical excluded)

My NSX clocked 1.33G's on the track this past weekend.
I was demo-ing an gps/accelerometer that could measure it.

 

[CerberusM5]

My NSX clocked 1.33G's on the track this past weekend.

Wow, that is impressive! I would assume you are running race compound rubber? What is the steady state cornering on a skidpad?

 

[DONYMO]

Wow, that is impressive! I would assume you are running race compound rubber? What is the steady state cornering on a skidpad?

Toyo RA-1
I don't know the steady state cornering - there was no skidpad to do that type of test.
It would be fun to see, though, because it could be even higher than 1.33

I only did a few laps with the device in my car, so there wasn't a bunch of data to look at. Also, since I was trying to not fly off the track and hit something, I was below my max grip level (I am a fairly conservative driver).

On a skid pad, I could accelerate until it spun out, so I'm sure I could go higher...I just don't know how much higher.

 

[eg9]

Awesome performance car but... I'd be hard pressed to believe that it's put together that well or that it's reliable. One major trade rag had to send the car back multiple times (and the distributor knew it was going to a car mag) before they could get one that they could reliablly use for testing.

At my Lotus gathering earlier in the year we met up with a Noble owner club member, and I was able to ride with him a bit. I was also able to drive for a short distance as I was afraid of controlling the power. All I can say is HOLY SH*T.. It's SCARY... The closest I'll ever get to feeling like I'm in a Formula One car... He has experienced no problems in the past 5K miles, amazing reliability, and he runs it hard. I've spoken to 11 owners so far in the US, and will be test driving one at the Factory hopefully by the end of the year. All owners I spoke to have had little to no issues with the car. I'd say that it is quite reliable, and VERY inexpensive compared to the exotics twice its price, and will keep up or beat cars like the Enzo, Zonda, CGT, etc.. Simply Amazing.. My hat off to Mr. Noble!
http://www.1gracing.com/

 

[MCM]

2337 lbs, shipped without running gear.
Reminds me of a Kit car. Not thats thats really bad.
Had the crap scared out of me in a Cobra kit sporting an actual 427 side oiler.
Beck spider on steroids anyone? Recall it being about 1800 lbs.
Neat car, would love to go for a ride!

 

[NobleForums]

2337 lbs, shipped without running gear.
Reminds me of a Kit car. Not thats thats really bad.
Had the crap scared out of me in a Cobra kit sporting an actual 427 side oiler.
Beck spider on steroids anyone? Recall it being about 1800 lbs.
Neat car, would love to go for a ride!

Actually, it's 2337 curb weight, sans aircon.

If you're willing to drive about an hour north, I'll give you a ride.

 

[LS1NSX]

Just wondering what exactly is the stock latemodel NSX's time at Nurburgring?

 

[NSX-Racer]

Just wondering what exactly is the stock latemodel NSX's time at Nurburgring?

The latest model tested there was the NSX-R, not the stock model (latest was in '97). Times were posted multiple times here.

 

[MCM]

"Actually, it's 2337 curb weight, sans aircon.

If you're willing to drive about an hour north, I'll give you a ride."

Sure, & you can drive my 94 if your interested.