Quick Questions for current Gen 2 Owners

[rmorrow]

Hey Everyone,

I know several of you have owned or currently own the R8. I'm curious on how you would compare the NSX to the R8 during your ownership experience.

I currently drive a 2010 R8V10. The R8 is driven 2-3 times per week for daily functions (gym, work etc). I typically squeeze in 2-3 longer canyon runs per month. The R8 has been super reliable, reasonable on maintenance cost over my 24k miles and 3yrs of ownership. My wife and I do take the R8 on our childless trips... these trips are typically within 4-5 hrs driving distance and we are gone around 4days each time we do this. The R8 has just enough room in the front truck for a carry on style luggage and we bought the luggage that fits perfectly behind the seats.

I have some seat time with the NSX from a ride and drive event that was held at a local Acura dealer. The drive gave me a taste of the car but didn't fully convince me that it would be a good replacement.

Here are my questions:

1: I have seen a few threads about road trips in the NSX. Reading these get me really excited about the car. Seems like a comfortable car to drive at distance. Do you find the trunk useful? It seems small and that hump in the middle doesn't help. I would imaging duffle bag style luggage would work well. What about the heat build up? A few threads mentioned a strong smell (I'm guessing from the resin). Has this smell gone away over time? Would make up and other items turn into liquid lol? This may seem like a silly question but I know how I plan to use the car and I think It would be frustrating to melt everything my wife is carrying on our trip.

2: Has anyone paid attention to the real world gas mileage? (I realize this is not a high priority on a car in this sector but I think this is one of the NSX "tricks" the ability to be efficient vs some of its competitors.

3: I saw a recent post on the 2019s ability to run as an EV for an period of time... When I did the ride and drive I could only get the car to crawl through the parking lot in EV mode, the minute I touched the throttle the gas motor kicked in. Call me crazy but I kinda like this feature. It would be especially helpful in certain situations such as Hotel Stays or early morning starts. I have had a few occasions where the hotel parks my R8 in front, when we go to grab the car the next day the cold start is super LOUD. I always feel bad starting the car at a nice hotel when guest are there to relax and my obnoxious V10 is screaming during the cold start.

I get afraid that the NSX may become a little boring over time. Has anyone felt this way during their ownership. Its a fast car, handles well, looks great (in my opinion) but it may fall into the does everything well trap and loose a little luster over time.

The other cars I have on my short list are the Mac 570s (I have stayed away due to the countless reliability stories you find on their forums), Gallardo Superleggera (would be a terrible distance driver), 911 TurboS (Had one and got bored with it. The speed and performance were amazing but it lacked emotion).

thanks in advance for sharing your opinions with me

 

[thackl]

1) It's very comfortable for what it is
2) good MPG for what it is, but never great. I can do better than the advertised 22mpg highway going steady 70-75, but not by much
3) It's more exciting than a 991.2tt, but not as nice or fast. It's less exciting than lambo/mclaren/ferrari but better built and more comfortable (and actually more rare lol)
4) if you were bored quickly with the 911, then go for the 570s.
5) if you truly want an exciting drivers car, get a gt350. If looking for status car, can't go wrong with lambo

 

[trez63]

1) I'm at almost 3 weeks and 800 miles and the smell is almost all gone. The more you drive it the quicker it will go away. It does get warm. Other thread describes it well. To me the car's biggest shortcoming is space. The trunk is okay, but that's is literally all you get. I don't even have room for sunglasses.
2) Real world gas mileage is a joke. I get 11.5. That's worse than my 575HP Range Rover SVR. Same driving style. It's insane how much gas this car sucks up. But I do drive like I'm being chased by zombies.
3) I like the quiet mode also. It always fires up the ICE first, but it quiets down pretty quick for crawling out.
4) I hope I don't get bored of it too quick. But it's only been 3 weeks. I'm still on my honeymoon. The nice thing with the NSX is that you can put some miles on it. If you buy the 570s you'll be watching every mile. So my guess is that even if you get bored of it, it will be because you drove it more than any other car you would have leased.
5) I personally can't afford paying the service fees on those cars and going over your allotted miles with those leases will cost you a fortunes too. Acura, $0.20/mile for every mile over 7500/yr. That's a crazy good deal. Plus oil changes are only a few hundred buck and not thousands. Insurance is also pretty cheap for the NSX. I pay $65/mo for a $2500 deductible with highest coverage limits. The 570 was more than 3x that for some reason.

Other than storage, and the lack of infotainment tech the NSX is as close to perfect as a Supercar can be (for me). Your timing is good too as tune options are starting to come out and there are at least 4 or 5 manufacturers that can sell you a full exhaust system for under $5k. It gets a ton of attention but not the negative kind IYKWIM). And from 0-70 it's the king of the streets, not that you're gonna race on streets or anything.

Good luck with your decision. I see you're in CA. I know the Fremont dealership still had a 2018 a couple of months ago that I'm sure you can make a deal on. I am very happy with the deal I made on my 2018 just 3 weeks ago. I couldn't have touched a 570 for that price.

 

[jc77]

I had an r8 and a huracan before the nsx:
1. Trunk is very small. Good for getting some groceries. Guess you could fit a small dufflebag. Much less room than an r8. After 1 year, the smell is just as strong.

2. Mpg on highway is considerably lower than other cars..even my huracan. City makes up for it a little

3. Still will have a loud cold start. You can't start it in electric, and it's nearly impossible to keep it in electric mode unless you're in a parking lot, etc.

4. I would gladly take my r8 or huracan back. The nsx got old really fast, especially with all the creaks rattles and wind noise my other cars never had. Also think real hard about if you're going to miss that r8 v8/v10 sound. I miss it every day. The nsx sounds like a lawnmower, even with downpipes. Its is also very comfortable and arguably one of the better looking cars out there... For me, I'm going back to something louder, faster, and more exciting.

 

[PrimeMvr]

The NSX rules as a road trip car and DD. I've done trips of 1900 miles one-way (bringing it home), 400 round trip and a bunch of 200 round trip. Very comfortable and 23 mpg. EV is great for stop/go traffic, but not much else. As a DD i see 15 mpg, but tend to stomp it from every light because the first few seconds of acceleration are just so much fun. On the track 5.4 mpg consistently.

I concur on the small trunk and mine still smells after a year and 6500 miles. I think makeup would melt, but the wife hasn't come along for a long trip yet. Come to think of it, she did drive it home 90 miles after picking it up from the recall work after a weekend away, and she didn't mention any issues with her stuff that would have been in the trunk. It was a cold day out though, and I doubt she did any full throttle runs. Ha.

The NSX is just great to drive a lot on street or track, but if your definition of exciting is a roaring engine, you will be very disappointed with it. When I'm in that mood it's the 930 with it's straight pipe wastegate :biggrin:

It's a great time to be a car nut, there are options for every taste. I get so sick of the bashing of car x or y. Everyone's definition of a great car is unique and valid.

 

[todaxyz]

I agree that it's strong suit is as a daily driver vs the others. I like having the 4 drive modes and in Quiet mode, you can get it to run in EV mode for a while as long as you're easy on the throttle. Like any other hybrid, the ICE kicks in when you push down on the go pedal, but you can modulate it at freeway speeds and run mostly on EV mode. I got 21+ mpg on a tank once just to see what was possible. The other bonus is the fact you just don't see another one on the road, unlike any of the others mentioned. I don't regret my purchase.

 

[Axxlrod]

No front trunk on the NSX, so the rear trunk is it. It can hold a golf bag though. And a standard 22" roll-on suitcase does fit also, with room to spare. When the wife and I have gone away for a weekend, we both used soft duffle type bags, and she kept her small make-up bag up front so it wouldn't get too hot. The trunk smell has also finally gone away after a year.

Longest road trip I've driven the NSX on is from San Diego to Vegas. About 300 miles each way. NSX was quite comfy in Sport mode, and with the valves closed, I could talk on the phone just fine. I believe I got 23mpg on that trip.

I have DP's on my car, and it sounds awesome with the valves open. However, I do like that I can quiet the car down when needed. You can also program the car to always start in quiet mode during certain hours. I have mine set to start in quiet mode before 9am.

With an aftermarket exhaust, this car is anything but boring. No, it's as raw as a Lambo, but it's close with better usability and customization at half the price.

 

[trez63]

I think the standard should change from "Golf Bag" to "Two carry-on roller bags with 2" to spare. I am not buying different luggage just to fit my car.
[MENTION=34591]Axxlrod[/MENTION] - I've been considering my options with DPs and what not. I really like the idea of the valve and will probably go with DPs and OEM exhaust. Sounds like that is what you did. Do you ever feel that you still need more sound after the DPs? What made you choose Fabspeed vs SoS? Did you have the work done by dealer or by 3rd party shop?

 

[Axxlrod]

The DPs made a huge difference. Night and day. I still want the functionality of the valves, so I just kept the stock exhaust. There are many exhaust options available, but they don't do much for the sound or volume of the exhaust. The DP's are what makes the car louder. So I didn't see much point in changing the exhaust in addition to the DPs.

Would I like more sound? Sure sometimes. But short of running straight pipe (and dealing with all the downsides), there's not much else that can be done.

I went with Fabspeed DPs because they were readily available. The SOS DPs were backordered for 10 weeks when I was looking to buy them. I've had Fabspeed products on many other cars in the past. Never an issue. Plus the Fabspeed DPs and the SOS DPs use the same cat, so they're basically identical.

I had the work done by a reputable local shop. TAG Motorsports. They have much more experience working on exotic cars than the Acura dealer does.

Do it!

 

[trez63]

Excellent. Thank you for the thorough answer.
I've heard some members getting CEL or CAT errors after installing DPs with low cell counts. Did you notice anything of the sort? Also, did you save your old setup for when your lease is up or can you just return as is?

 

[Axxlrod]

I've never gotten a CEL. In fact, I haven't heard of anybody getting a CEL with SOS or Fabspeed DPs.

I saved the stock DPs in my garage. Not sure what I will do at lease end. If I buy the car, I won't do anything obviously. If I return it, I guess I'll just have the stock pipes put back on. I'll worry about that in 2 years.

 

[jc77]

Just fyi, if you're looking for downpipes, check out the classified section. My fabspeed downpipes are for sale.

I think the standard should change from "Golf Bag" to "Two carry-on roller bags with 2" to spare. I am not buying different luggage just to fit my car.
[MENTION=34591]Axxlrod[/MENTION] - I've been considering my options with DPs and what not. I really like the idea of the valve and will probably go with DPs and OEM exhaust. Sounds like that is what you did. Do you ever feel that you still need more sound after the DPs? What made you choose Fabspeed vs SoS? Did you have the work done by dealer or by 3rd party shop?

 

[piano]

I have looked at the R8 V10 (and Huracan 580) many times, great awesome car, but somehow didn't pull the trigger.. (So weird, bought an S8 when I was looking at R8 3 yr ago..) I did look at the gen 2 R8 (slightly used) before I bought my NSX, and try to give you my opinions.1) The NSX is insanely comfort, probably most comfortable super car can do 0-60mph under 3 second, to be honest, my first impression isn't too good, the seats are too wide, way too thick and soft leather, infotainment system is too easy going, in the quiet mode, I feel like driving an ACURA TL or RL with extra leather .. (till you go track mode) so it is super comfort and Luxury, it is up to Lexus LC 500 level! Trunk space isn't great, but probably better than R8, I hope there will be more storage behind the seats, or add pockets to the doors. (as 911) Overall, sure great car for long trip! 2) Gas mileage is good, normal driving, without pushing, will be ~ 10L/100km, vs my V8 Audi and V8 BMW, somewhere between 15-18L per 100, (my Cayenne Turbo was 20L/100km!) even compare to 911, 12-13L/100 that is awesome! When spending $180K for a vehicle, sure can spend on gas, but it is so enjoyable to use less gas! 3) The EV mode is good, but after a while, you won't care about it, the car is so smart, but you can drive it to a coffee shop, purely use the brushless motor! It is also so quiet, I always ride with my young kids, quietness is a great feature, if you want loud sound, keep your R8. All the best!

 

[FabspeedMotorsport]

The DPs made a huge difference. Night and day. I still want the functionality of the valves, so I just kept the stock exhaust. There are many exhaust options available, but they don't do much for the sound or volume of the exhaust. The DP's are what makes the car louder. So I didn't see much point in changing the exhaust in addition to the DPs.

Would I like more sound? Sure sometimes. But short of running straight pipe (and dealing with all the downsides), there's not much else that can be done.

I went with Fabspeed DPs because they were readily available. The SOS DPs were backordered for 10 weeks when I was looking to buy them. I've had Fabspeed products on many other cars in the past. Never an issue. Plus the Fabspeed DPs and the SOS DPs use the same cat, so they're basically identical.

I had the work done by a reputable local shop. TAG Motorsports. They have much more experience working on exotic cars than the Acura dealer does.

Do it!

Appreciate the kudos and glad you're enjoying them!

Excellent. Thank you for the thorough answer.
I've heard some members getting CEL or CAT errors after installing DPs with low cell counts. Did you notice anything of the sort? Also, did you save your old setup for when your lease is up or can you just return as is?

I can only speak for our components but we use premium HJS 200 cpsi sport cats so no CELs. No cutting/welding required either so you can always revert back to stock non-invasively.

 

[ThermalOrangeNSX]

Does the dealership give you any issues when taking a car in for any service, if you have an aftermarket exhaust?

 

[dshinke21]

Does the dealership give you any issues when taking a car in for any service, if you have an aftermarket exhaust?

We would not and none of the other dealers in MN as far as I am aware of do either. A few customers have actually had us put the exhausts on their cars. It really just depends on your dealership. If you have a few in your area just ask around and see which one other NSX owners prefer.

 

[FabspeedMotorsport]

Does the dealership give you any issues when taking a car in for any service, if you have an aftermarket exhaust?

Most typically won't, we actually have quite a few Acura dealerships that have installed our components.

Ultimately it comes down to individual dealer discretion but typically they would have to prove that anything you do to the car to be the root cause of any issue you may run into in order for it not to be covered.