Supra Review

[cmhs75]

well, I didnt have anything better to do so I read it and I think some one else might want to read so go ahead and do it




"This Supra is as fast and modern as its predecessor was slow and outdated. It sets a new class standard for performance and new world standards of grip for a front-engined, two-wheel-drive car. For the depth and integrity of its engineering, it deserves to be praised long and loud. Yet the anticipation of a long drive at dawn won’t keep you awake the night before. This car earns your respect in the first five seconds, yet is one we suspect the true enthusiast could drive for five years without ever actually loving. It’s more inspired than inspiring. "


I got it from this website which is from a very respectable enthusiastic Car magazine with 100 years of experiance !!

http://www.autocarmag.com/RoadTest_Summary.asp?RT=200081

 

[sabashioyaki]

What exactly do you find so offensive about that review? Seems to be a good review, Supras are very capable, just somewhat bland.

 

[ajnsx]

supras are awesome cars, i would have built one if so many werent doing it already.

 

[cmhs75]

What exactly do you find so offensive about that review? Seems to be a good review, Supras are very capable, just somewhat bland.

I didnt say it was offensive, just interesting to read thats all. But please, no body post this in a supra forum, they might take it offensivly

 

[CokerRat]

Although I've not read more than a couple reviews on that site, there might be a little bias against cars that pay attention to ergonomics and daily-driving civility. Read what they had to say about our pride and joy in 1990:

"The NSX’s engine alone gives it an individuality other marques would kill for. Installing it in a chassis whose responses help you to drive better than ever while remaining secure on wet and dry roads makes it an inspirational driving tool.
What it lacks is that single-minded – some would say narrow-minded – execution of the supercar art, so consistently practiced by Ferrari. And it is true you do not feel so utterly at one with the NSX as you do with a 348.
But then the Ferrari’s more uncompromised nature, which makes it so exceptional at its performance limits, stands in contrast to the Honda’s any-journey, any-day usability."

 

[cmhs75]

Although I've not read more than a couple reviews on that site, there might be a little bias against cars that pay attention to ergonomics and daily-driving civility. Read what they had to say about our pride and joy in 1990:

"The NSX’s engine alone gives it an individuality other marques would kill for. Installing it in a chassis whose responses help you to drive better than ever while remaining secure on wet and dry roads makes it an inspirational driving tool.
What it lacks is that single-minded – some would say narrow-minded – execution of the supercar art, so consistently practiced by Ferrari. And it is true you do not feel so utterly at one with the NSX as you do with a 348.
But then the Ferrari’s more uncompromised nature, which makes it so exceptional at its performance limits, stands in contrast to the Honda’s any-journey, any-day usability."

But what they say is true,

And don't read too much into that review, because they have changed their view of the NSX due to the small tweaks given to it in 1997. and this magazine contiually compares the NSX to PORCSHE and FERRARI.

On one of their comparisons, they put the 2003 NSX Vs 2003 Skyline GT-R ( or was it 2002 ?). And they announced that the GT-R was totally annihilated by the NSX. And at the end of the test, they had a 911 Carrera just to thrash the eventual winner, but that didn’t happen, because when they compared the 911 to the NSX, they were pretty equal one bettering the other in some areas and losing in others. And by their own comets they chose the 911 for badge prestige and slightly more power. They simply love the NSX; it's just that they are harsh by nature.


And to top things off, On their 2003 best handling car awards, the NSX took 4th place, behind the FOCUS RS ( available to Europe only )in third, The Baxter in second, and the Lamborghini Murcia what ever in first place. The 911 carrera was as I remember a distant 9th.

 

[mlambert890]

Yeah, I agree... Those comments are all pretty accurate I think. The NSX *does* lack something that the Ferrari has that's undefinable for the vast majority of the people and the Porsche really does have more "brand prestige" than a Honda/Acura.

These things may not matter to *us*, but they are pretty true. Like it or not (justified or not) when someone says they drive a Porsche, they get a certain reaction. The NSX would take a lot of exlaining to achieve the same effect and, even then, probably wouldn't do it. Lots of people I know think I was crazy to spend so much on a new NSX.

I think the Supra comments are dead on too. The Supra forums would go nuts over it, of course, but most of the Supra fans are a LOT younger and more emotional (and many of them don't own Supras).

If you think about it, it's the Supras massive potential as a platform to mod that has made it a classic, not so much its original, stock, package. That review is in the context of someone reviewing the car bone stock when it was new and hadn't yet become the folklore hero of the "F&F" generation. If the Supra couldn't be tweaked for any more HP than stock, I doubt it would be even a tenth as popular as it has become.

 

[PHOEN$X]

The NSX *does* lack something that the Ferrari has that's undefinable for the vast majority of the people

Snob appeal?

 

[cmhs75]

Snob appeal?

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHAHHHHHHHHHHHhh






you crack me up, but come on, a Ferrari is more pationat than the NSX. Its just that the NSX is 90% a Ferrari and 100% a car ( Not a financial and nurve drainer like the Ferrari )

 

[PHOEN$X]

you crack me up, but come on, a Ferrari is more pationat than the NSX. Its just that the NSX is 90% a Ferrari and 100% a car ( Not a financial and nurve drainer like the Ferrari )

Sorry but I don't know the meaning of the word "pationat", is that a typo? I'm not sure what to make of your other comment either. Is it a good or bad thing that the NSX is 90% a Ferrari? Practicality aside, I like Ferraris so I guess it depends on your point of vew. To me, an NSX is something unique, so it too has something that no other sports car has. And isn't a Ferrari also 100% a car?

 

[Autophile]

I'm assuming "pationat" = passionate. I also read 90% Ferrari/100% car to mean "most of the thrills, without the pain."

 

[cmhs75]

I'm assuming "pationat" = passionate. I also read 90% Ferrari/100% car to mean "most of the thrills, without the pain."

right on both acounts


did I spell acount right ?

 

[Autophile]

did I spell acount right ?

account

Also, nerve, not "nurve."

 

[PHOEN$X]

did I spell acount right ?

Almost, it's account (with 2 c's). I'm not sure what you mean by Ferrari being more "passionate." Yes, Ferrari makes more sports cars than Honda, but I am just as passionate about the NSX as I am about any Ferrari. Unless you define passion to mean more sweat required in terms of driving effort, and more $$$ poured into maintenance costs, then I guess you are correct in your assessment. But if that's the case, it makes GM more "passionate" than Honda too.

 

[cmhs75]

What I meant by the passionate drive of the Ferrari are all the pleasers of driving a sports car. Namely the feedback from the steering, the brakes sure footedness, the instantaneous throttle response and a chassis setup that might be a little bit nervous on normal road driving but really comes alive on the track.

Now, Ferrari goes all out on these things making their cars a real blast on a race track but a chore to drive on public roads. Yeah, you do sweet a lot when driving a Ferrari (the late models) but its like sweating after a good Football match and you won!!

The NSX on the other hand is the car that introduced the concept of a user friendly super exotic car. To do this it didn’t go all out on driving enthusiasm like Ferrari. But as I said before, they made the NSX 90 % as good as a Ferrari and 100% a car (as in usable and affordable as a daily driver).

In recent years Ferrari and Porsche also made their cars friendlier to use. This especially upsets the hard core fans of Porsche.

The NSX is not a Ferrari replacement but rather a better bargain.




OK, so it's obvious that I used spell checker this time (I had enough embarrassments for one day).

 

[PHOEN$X]

Well I've never driven a Ferrari, Lambo, or Porsche so I can't compare them to the NSX in those terms. Maybe you are right, and the Ferrari's driving experience is a notch above the NSX (although you said the NSX is 90% of a Ferrari so it must be very close), but I do know that a lot of folks dismiss the NSX simply because of its badge.

 

[cmhs75]

I think they could have solved the NSX image problem by keeping the ACURA badge solely for the NSX, maybe the S2000 too.

But it is a fact that the NSX did suffer from the badge it was carrying, especially in the market segments were it was sold under a HONDA badge like in Britain. To make it worst, the British market is the most sensitive market for image. You can just picture it, you riding along with you expensive NSX and stop right next to a CIVIC carrying the exact same badge.


There is no problem in introducing a new brand into a market as long as the product is outstanding, just look at the Pagani. But HONDA blew it off by giving lesser status cars the same badge as the NSX.

Just look at Ferrari, how many people out there know that FIAT owns most of it and how easy would it be to totally destroy its image if Fiats came with a Ferrari badge on them.


Do you remember the TV series "couch" were in one of its episodes, they bring an NSX as an expensive Exotic but they didn’t call it the ACURA NSX, they called it the LATURA!!

 

[PHOEN$X]

I think they could have solved the NSX image problem by keeping the ACURA badge solely for the NSX, maybe the S2000 too.

They could have, but I think the whole point of creating the NSX was to elevate the status of Honda's other cars. Whether they've achieved that is up for debate...

Do you remember the TV series "couch" were in one of its episodes, they bring an NSX as an expensive Exotic but they didn’t call it the ACURA NSX, they called it the LATURA!!

Latura, yuck! Pretty funny though. Thanks for that tidbit.

 

[CokerRat]

the whole point of creating the NSX was to elevate the status of Honda's other cars. Whether they've achieved that is up for debate...

Look to Lexus for true genius in brand management. Acura had the idea first but failed in the execution.

Incidentally, I agree with what AutoCar wrote on the NSX, just pointing out their apparent bias towards uncompromised cars. Poor Supra -- they basically said the it was a brilliant car, then in the next sentence said it was boring.

 

[cmhs75]

AUTOCAR magazine claims that they invented the car test


Damn this magazine looks pretty old




I use to read R&D and MOTOR TREND and TEST DRIVE, but those magazines became dull and unprofessional after I read a few of this magazines articles.

The only problem with this magazine is that it is British and so it doesn't review all the cars we have it only reviews the cars available in Europe

I wish they would open a branch in the US

 

[XsentrixSupra]

Aaaawwwwwwww why not post it on supraforums? I've driven quite a few cars.......but for me the ability to make power with the supra is what sold me and I like cars that have a big ass end and nice slopes and a more narrow front end. I also love the sound of a big turbo spooling. The NSX will dominate a supra on a track that has a lot of turns because even when I drove a stock NSX from the dealership the handling impressed me. It was easily leaps and bounds ahead of my supra. However, I will say that my supra would walked the NSX in a straight line. Its sad that most people dog on the NSX because in America it seems straight line is all that matters.......I'd say the review you found of it was quite accurate. Although I think some of you would be more impressed with it if you got to drive in one from 0-200 just my thoughts