alabamaredhead said:
Thank you, you seem to be the only kind helpful one.
What about me
... I was honestly trying to be helpful by pointing you to the search feature (there is SO much good info there comparing corvettes to NSXs), but I'll do my best to sum up the differences in my opinion:
I drove a C5 when I was pseudo-considering it - it was between NSX, C5 and M3.
The C5 interior was truly horrid. It was one large plastic chunk with terrible outward visibility. The worst thing was probably the bench-like seating! I didn't get a chance to get acquainted with the gadgets... sorry I have no opinion on that (I'm sure the C5 is superior in this regard). The NSX has wonderful driver positioning and a simple yet elegant all "leather" interior (gauges and stereo head-unit do appear dated).
The acceleration was pretty comparable to the NSX. I really liked the torquey feeling of the C5, but I also really liked the exhilaration of the 8K red line of the NSX. Shifting is so much more fluid in the NSX. 1/4 mile times are very similar (in magazines) - I've seen the NSX with much faster times than the C5s and I've seen C5s with better times. 150 mph in the C5 was scary - it was too loose and rattling - this lowered my perception of quality and comfort at high speeds. In the NSX I felt very comfortable and in control at 150 (I was in a coupe) - no rattling or strange noises - very predictable ride. *I drove the cars on a very safe and long stretch of highway.
Handling is difficult to quantify since I wasn't really pushing either car to their limits. The C5 feels very soft and floaty. You definitely don't feel connected and there is little to no feedback from the steering wheel - the rear end kicks loose too easily. The NSX is very darty and go-kart like with amazing feedback and you really feel connected with the road (and the car). The weight ratio due to the mid-engine design is very evident in the "feel" of the car. The C5 just feels "heavy" in comparison.
Of course, all the above was just my opinion of back-to-back driving of a C5 and NSX 3.0... I since have bought my own NSX. There is NO comparison in my mind between the two.
There are other emotional and intangible qualities of the NSX that I just cannot remember... some of them include:
- hand-built mid-engine exotic
- all aluminum construction
- F1 inspired
- Benchmark for the mclaren F1
- very rare (dream car status)
- engineering marvel
- All around BALANCE (if you just want really fast 1/4 mile times get a Viper instead)
- Honda's race history (corvette has a nice legacy too)
- Ayrton Senna involved in chassis tune
The list goes on, but these are just a few things I can remember off the top of my head :biggrin:
Here's an interesting review of the NSX and C5 by one of the masters, MARIO ANDRETTI!