Acura NSX

Cars Mania Blog

Auto Car | Acura NSX | The Acura NSX answers the question "What if a big company took engineering seriously?"

Most big companies have engineers, to be sure, but that doesn't mean they are valued. Think about it: if a big company is losing money, the president will never say "I wish we had engineers like those guys at Toyota who figured out how to make cars that don't break." No, it is always "we need better advertising, better marketing, fancier financing, higher salaries for executives", i.e., "we need more MBAs just like me."

Honda simply has better engineers than most other car companies, which is how they went from zero to moderately huge in just two decades. The Accord and Civic are the benchmarks in their respective categories. A few years after they entered Formula One racing, Honda dominated the sport. The NSX is basically the street car built by the Formula One folks.

The NSX removes almost all barriers to heroic driving. Late for an appointment and need to go 80 mph around mountain curves? You won't hear the tires squeal. Getting a call on your cell phone? Nudge the transmission into full auto and the car will shift for you, smooth as a Lexus. Don't want to downshift while descending the Sierra mountains? Good luck getting the ventilated foot-diameter rotors to heat up enough to make the brakes fade. Worried that your $85,000 car and cell phone aren't enough to attract a partner and anxious to get a tan? Take the top off your NSX-T and store it in the ingenious spot above the engine that doesn't rob you of any luggage space.

I wish I could be like one of those studs from Car & Driver magazine and tell you that "the NSX accelerates nicely up to 155 mph when the limiter kicks in harshly" or "the NSX steers neutrally until 0.95 g but then starts to oversteer slightly." But I can't. I'm too old. I'm 32 and believe that I'm going to die one day and I hope it won't be soon. I drove the NSX from Los Angeles to San Francisco and back, about 1000 miles total. Adjusted for the twisty roads along the coast and in the Sierra, I drove faster than I've ever gone in my life. I never came close to any limit imposed by the NSX. I would be scared to test the limits of this car on a public road.

The first thing you notice when you get into the NSX is the comfort. This is not a Porsche or a Ferrari. Nothing is weird, there is no penalty for all the extra capability. After ten minutes, the controls feel as natural as on a car you drive every day. Visibility is superb in all directions and the low cowl prevents claustrophobia. Considering that the engine is about a foot from your ear, the car is reasonably quiet; wind noise is unobtrusive (at least up to 100 mph). Set the temperature you'd like and the automatic climate control system delivers it (I've always hated these systems, but the NSX's works).

The second thing you notice is the balance. If you haven't driven a mid-engined car, then you owe it to yourself. Whether it is an old Lotus Europa, a Toyota MR2, or the NSX, they all share a delightfully neutral feel. A big part of it is the low polar moment of inertia. Porsches and Corvettes manage to achieve a balanced weight, more or less, by putting heavy stuff on both ends of the car. However, with all that weight so far from the center of mass, the car ends up with a high polar moment of inertia and will resist twisting. Mid-engined cars keep the weight in the middle and are much easier to guide through twisty sections of road.

The third thing you notice is that they got everything right. The factory alarm turned itself off when you unlocked the car with the key (and didn't go off in the middle of the night every night, like my old Clifford). The headlights are clearer and sharper than any you've ever been behind. Your passenger is marveling at the craftsmanship of the leather stitching.

( philip.greenspun.com )