You don’t hear very often about supercars. And you definitely don’t see supercars on the road very often. These are the cars you dream of owning or one day you can afford when you “make it”. Supercars are mostly daydreamers – unless you are a car author.
In this case, you will have one delivered to drive for a week. Tech-wise, the supercar I drove is considered model year 2020 (and yes, I know it’s 2021 and almost 2022). But when you sell so few (capped at 350 per year), it’s not uncommon for supercars like the Acura NSX not to update too much from model year to model year.
In this case, the NSX’s big boast this model year was the flashy Indy Yellow Pearl color (like the one I drove). The name Indy is appropriate as the NSX has a long history in racing. The second generation NSX has also dominated the racetrack.
Much like Ford’s GT supercar, the Acura NSX doesn’t have (and doesn’t need) a V8 engine. Instead, this car has a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 engine with hybrid boost. That’s right, this super car is technically a hybrid. But which hybrid you know produces 573 horses?
With this electrified powertrain comes a crazy off-the-line speed of 2.9 seconds in 0-60 mph times. It has a top speed of 191 mph (and no, I didn’t find that out firsthand).
A 9-speed dual clutch transmission contributes to all of this performance. It’s a phenomenal transmission. Add in real torque vectoring and all-wheel drive and this super car highlights the word super.
Four different driving modes contribute to the overall personality, each of which has its own advantages. Quiet mode (why would you ever want to be quiet in this car?) Holds back exhaust tuning. Sport mode is nimble and has excellent linear response. The Sport + mode was my favorite and felt like the NSX’s sweet spot. Of course there is the track mode, which with its launch mode and its brilliant offline performance is not for the faint of heart.
In terms of looks, the NSX also plays a role. It looks special right away. As he drove down the street, he got a lot of attention. I saw several cases of people taking photos or videos of it as I passed by. The Acura NSX is a real head-turner that you would expect from a car like this one.
The color Indy Yellow Pearl contributes to the attractiveness. It would stand out, but with this color it really stands out. The flat stance adds to the aggressive look of the NSX.
The cross-eyed headlights have an aggressive, somber look that goes so well with this car. I would have loved to see some carbon fiber on this car to complete the look and certainly gullwing doors would have been attached. Without these two features, it still hasn’t erased the NSX’s aggressive sex appeal.
The two-seat NSX has a high quality interior (as befits the price). The seats are angled for optimal driving, but adjustable. Because it was so “narrowed”, it wasn’t that difficult to find a comfortable sitting position. And for a super car it was actually relatively easy to get in and out of the seats.
The shape of the steering wheel felt like a racing car. The tactile pull matched the tune coming out of the engine – it all created goose bumps.
Acura’s infotainment system continues to damage the otherwise high-quality interior. While it has enough technology, including the ELS Studio Premium Audio, the less intuitive nature of the infotainment system was a disappointment.
One person asked me what the trunk was like, to which I replied, who cares. But the “trunk” is only 4.4 cubic feet, if it can be called at all. Why bother?
As a hybrid, fuel economy is decent for this powerful NSX. But, similar to the trunk, who really cares? You don’t buy a car like this and worry about trips to the gas station. That being said, the NSX has an EPA rating of 21 mpg / city and 22 mpg / highway.
In terms of price, the NSX is on par with other similar supercars like the Audi R8 and Porsche 911. My tester had an MSRP of $ 197,995.
I’ve had my fair share of specialty cars in my driveway over the years. This was my first time at the NSX. It is sure to change the way you think about hybrid technology. As always with this job, some weeks are better than others.
