The NSX is making a return...

[Snakebitten]

Wow that looks boring and not too far off the old concept. Im not exited by its looks at all. Hopefully the final design wont be so underwhelming.

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

-> As expected, this is a dull sports car. Its like a re-skinned TL with the shape of an R8 & all of TL's hardware intact and installing CR-Z's FWD drivetrain to complete the process. If it wore a different name (ie. ASX or NXS), it would be a decent car...but NOOOO...its an NSX!!!! 👎

^ I would think this is proof that Honda N.A. is re-using it past successes to their (dull) current lineup just to make a meager sale.

-> Heres what I've stumbled at VTEC.net. Even there, the response was a ho-hum effect...

-> From top to buttom: The legendary NSX, the highly promising HSC (image from GT4), the arrogant ASCC, the ugly FCSport, overlay effect from the cars mentioned above, and the dull NXS Concept.

©saitamahonda @ VTEC.net

^ I tend to refuse to call this new concept 'NSX', instead I'd rather call it 'NXS' as in 'New Xperimental Sports car'...

 

[Prince.M5]

I don't like it.. Unlike the original NSX, it looked so special, something different and unique. But this one here is just too generic. Sometimes, when I look at it reminds me of the BMW i8 with a simpler body. This is not the way I like it going...

 

[CodeRedR51]

I don't mind the looks, it's the hybrid AWD drivetrain that bugs me.

 

[niky]

Unfortunately, I have to go against the crowd here... the old NSX was special, but I don't really see it as being iconic styling. It was simply what it was... a squarish, functional shell wrapped around some mid-engined guts.

Simple, basic, upright greenhouse. Slab sides (except for the scoops). Squared off tail. No risks taken with the front end styling, not like Ferrari or Lamborghini are wont to do.

I do find it attractive, but a masterpiece of automotive styling it ain't.

Except for the Acura bar-grille (seriously, who came up with that?), the concept is a slick piece of metal. Nice, flowing lines. Not quite as sensuous as the Mazda Furai (there's bits and pieces of it in the front light cluster and grille), and the rear end looks plain from the side, but there's lots of detail when you look at it the way a normal human will... from a standing position... not squatting down on the ground like a car photographer... I particularly like the Fiorano-esque flying rear buttresses.

It's not as distinctive as, say, the above-mentioned Furai or the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento but it seems more of a production-ready concept than a pie-in-the-sky one, and doesn't look too bad compared to other modernistic supercars like the R8 and the MP412C.

 

[Azuremen]

I don't mind the looks, it's the hybrid AWD drivetrain that bugs me.

Curse technology and the changing world.

Curse it.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Curse technology and the changing world.

Curse it.

Curse my dreaded opinion that's been posted on the internet.

Curse it.

 

[McLaren]

I'm amazed so many people know so much about this car whether its the sound, performance, hybrid tech., etc. despite the fact that Acura didn't really say anything worthwhile about it at the unveiling, just that it would be built within' the next 3 years.

-> From top to buttom: The legendary NSX, the highly promising HSC (image from GT4), the arrogant ASCC, the ugly FCSport, overlay effect from the cars mentioned above, and the dull NXS Concept.


©saitamahonda @ VTEC.net

^ I tend to refuse to call this new concept 'NSX', instead I'd rather call it 'NXS' as in 'New Xperimental Sports car'...

Why on earth is the FC Sport in that picture? It was nothing but a fuel-cell vehicle to further advance what they achieved through the FCX Clarity. It had nothing to do with the NSX.

 

[The Vanishing Boy]

^ Don't ask me.

 

[homeforsummer]

Unfortunately, I have to go against the crowd here... the old NSX was special, but I don't really see it as being iconic styling. It was simply what it was... a squarish, functional shell wrapped around some mid-engined guts.

Thank you. I like the NSX, it's a good looking car, but hardly what you'd call a unique design. Like pretty much every Japanese design done previous to the last decade or so, it was always more about engineering than styling. Hell, I love Miatas, but even those are just facsimiles of the Lotus Elan. Some people take a little too much 1990s-Japanese-car Kool-aid sometimes.

I think the old NSX had some nice details (always liked the rear lights that trace around the integrated spoiler, for example - actually a design cue the new one seems to emulate to some degree at the back) but overall it was simply "nice".

I maintain what I said previously that the new NSX probably won't go down in history has one of the great designs (it's a little too generic - I suspect if you put it side-on with an MP4-12C and one of those Lotus concepts from a year or two back the proportions would be almost identical) but it's undoubtedly a good-looking car.

Could sum my opinions up like this though:

Would I buy an old NSX? Yes.
Would I buy the new NSX? We'll see how it reviews, but provisionally yes to that too.

I'm amazed so many people know so much about this car whether its the sound, performance, hybrid tech., etc. despite the fact that Acura didn't really say anything worthwhile about it at the unveiling, just that it would be built within' the next 3 years.

Well, the Acura website says it'll have AWD and a hybrid drivetrain, that's where I got that from...

 

[Nessy]

I think Honda have actually hit the nail on the head with this design.. i really do like it.

I remember when the original NSX was 1st released, a lot of magazines were saying "Honda's new Ferrari... Japan build's a new Ferrari" etc etc, regardless of whether any believe the old NSX bares any resemblance to a Ferrari... that's what the press were saying at the time, so really i see no problem that many feel it looks like an R8/MP4-12C... for me, that just reinforces that Honda/Acura are on the right track with this, if indeed their hope is to replicate the same ethos they had with the original NSX... (great looking sports car, that's quite practical and can be driven like an ordinary car aswell as having superb handling for when driving it on the edge),

In it's day, the original NSX, was considered to be the second most practical sport car for everyday use... only bettered by the Porsche 911 apparently, and the fact that it's going to have AWD can only make it even more practical imo, technology and handling wise.. i predict this car is going to be the benchmark (or if not, very close), and for those voicing concern about "the production version won't look like the concept"... i disagree, Honda are one of very few companies that actually get very close when putting into production styling cues from that of their concept cars and have a strong history of doing so... have any of you actually seen the original NSX concept car and how close it is to the production model?... same with the S2000, (only headlight legislation really hampered that one from ever making it through to production).

Well done Honda/Acura, i'm really looking forward to this car... even though i'll most probably never get the chance of owning/driving 1

 

[MedigoFlame]

I do like the NSX concept's looks. I may not agree with the hybrid power and AWD, but I can understand the reason for doing such a thing. The NSX was meant to be an everyday practical supercar. This concept represents how much they've moved with the times due to the pressure of creating a more economical car. I'm sure they meant to turn it into an AWD car, along with that, the Audi R8 could be thought of as the "current" NSX.

 

[homeforsummer]

I do like the NSX concept's looks. I may not agree with the hybrid power and AWD, but I can understand the reason for doing such a thing. The NSX was meant to be an everyday practical supercar. This concept represents how much they've moved with the times due to the pressure of creating a more economical car. I'm sure they meant to turn it into an AWD car, along with that, the Audi R8 could be thought of as the "current" NSX.

Well put 👍 Especially about the Audi - I've heard the R8 referred to several times as "the most usable supercar since the NSX".

 

[JJ72]

I do think the old NSX was iconic, the long rear overhang, two part design with the straight and squared out lower body with a bubblerish top are distinctive features. It is also a functional design with very restrained detailing.

The new one has none of that carried over and I think it is a missed opportunity, I mean it is passable and if the car is good people will like it but passable isn't what we should be aiming for.

 

[Venom800tt]

As much as I loved the original NSX, I also feel the new one is a positive step forward. I personally like the not so out there styling (original NSX wasn't exactly a exotic looking car), and I can even accept the fact that it is a hybrid. Especially since the hybrid system actually improve performance in addition to efficiency (see Porsche 918 Spyder). And yes, I think I would buy one, though it does depend on how good it turns out for production...

Though, I got a good laugh at the fact it would be made in the US

 

[Robin]

I much prefer the looks of the HSC concept, this new one just looks too generic like those unlicensed cars they put in burnout games.

And Aston Martin called, they want their rear light clusters back.

 

[sumbrownkid]

I think people have too much nostalgia with the old nsx. This new car seems fit for the name, only it's actually got horsepower numbers to think about.

 

[exigeracer]

With regards hybrid, what other "hybrid supercars" are you referring to? There haven't been any, to my knowledge.

Porsche 918 Spyder.

Their 911 Hybrid LM efforts won't take long to trickle down to their roadcars either.

 

[homeforsummer]

Porsche 918 Spyder.

It's not really been released yet, and the post I quoted implied that a hybrid supercar was somehow a bad thing - you'd struggle to find anyone who considers the 918 Spyder a bad thing.

Nor the BMW i8, which is another hybrid sports/supercar on the way.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

The HSC was very beautiful. It was very feminine. This new NSX is very masculine. It's a little too fussy in the front for me, and it has a very similar presence to the Audi R8, but overall it's 'nice.' Nothing remarkable, but nice. Kind of like the original I suppose.

I just wish it wasn't awd. The original NSX was all about saving weight and adding driver experience. This seems all about improving lap times and, my most loathed word, 'efficiency.' Which is something I cringe at when I see it marketed at a particular sports car as a whole.

 

[Brend]

I like the car. Doesnt look as dated as the old one does...makes enough progress but not too much in my opinion.

 

[Akira GT]

I like it... actually I REALLY REALLY like it! Too bad if it ever came into production it would not look like that because that thing is jaw dropping!

If that thing comes to GT5 it may be my favourite car... I'm glad to see the NSX is back and keeping up with todays tech and looking amazing while doing it!

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

I like the car. Doesnt look as dated as the old one does...makes enough progress but not too much in my opinion.

Well going on the fact that one is about 24 hours old and one is about 24 years old, I would hope that would be the case.

 

[Brend]

Well going on the fact that one is about 24 hours old and one is about 24 years old, I would hope that would be the case.

It would have been easy for them to rest on their laurels and only change it slightly though.

 

[dice1998]

I love the way the NSX looks!

But their hybrid concept approach is what I don't like.
If I wanted a hybrid efficient car, i'd buy a civic hybrid or something along those lines. If i'm going to be buying a supercar, it's not because it's "a hybrid" or "efficient" or any of that nonsense.
Maybe if the production model has a turbo I4 with a KERS-like system, i'd forgive Honda. But right now, I don't like what they're doing at all.

This is just my personal opinion.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

It would have been easy for them to rest on their laurels and only change it slightly though.

I don't think you fully understand the term 'dated' as used here.

Dated in this case refers to something that has become a caricature of it's time. If you look at a 1987 Ferrari Testarossa, it looks absolutely and totally 80s. It might even symbolize 80s sports cars. Some cars have enough strength in design and creativity that they stand apart from their time. Timeless is another good word. It's obviously relative, because no matter how timeless, say, the Miura is, it will never look contemporary. Look at the original Mclaren F1, or the FD3S RX-7. (I'm not convinced the original NSX is timeless, it looks pretty 90s to me) The F1 and the Rx-7 don't look current, but they don't look like a facsimile of the 1990s either. In much the same way I think that cars like the S2000, Murcielago 6.2, and a few others will age well, because they have a purity of design. Whereas the more 'design trend' cars like the Audi R8, every current Lexus and Infiniti and generally most cars on the road will begin to look dated when the popular trend shifts, as it always does. Just look at concept cars from 2005 and see what I mean by dated.

 

[JoeH187]

I think we all agree that Honda needs to recreate the magic it created with the original NSX. Super car performance, rock steady reliability, and a price tag that makes the car actually obtainable to the people that desire it.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

The original NSX was never really a commercial success. It also was never what you would call 'affordable.' It was nearly $100,000 when it went out of production. And for that you didn't even get 300hp. By that time you could get a 500hp Corvette for less money.

 

[MGS2 Snake]

I love the way the NSX looks!

But their hybrid concept approach is what I don't like.
If I wanted a hybrid efficient car, i'd buy a civic hybrid or something along those lines. If i'm going to be buying a supercar, it's not because it's "a hybrid" or "efficient" or any of that nonsense.
Maybe if the production model has a turbo I4 with a KERS-like system, i'd forgive Honda. But right now, I don't like what they're doing at all.

This is just my personal opinion.

I completely agree with your opinion, dice1998.

 

[Zenith]

The original NSX was never really a commercial success. It also was never what you would call 'affordable.' It was nearly $100,000 when it went out of production. And for that you didn't even get 300hp. By that time you could get a 500hp Corvette for less money.

Good point. It was very much a cult car. You had to want an NSX even before you went car shopping in order to end up with one.

But their hybrid concept approach is what I don't like.
If I wanted a hybrid efficient car, i'd buy a civic hybrid or something along those lines. If i'm going to be buying a supercar, it's not because it's "a hybrid" or "efficient" or any of that nonsense.
Maybe if the production model has a turbo I4 with a KERS-like system, i'd forgive Honda. But right now, I don't like what they're doing at all.

This is just my personal opinion.

Aside from efficiency, you're also getting immediate torque from the electric motors. This will improve acceleration, very useful for a sports car.