RE: Honda NSX: PH videoblog
Thursday 8th September 2016
As we know, the Honda NSX is back and now electrically assisted with three electric motors assisting the twin-turbo V6 petrol engine. It's been a long time coming though and if you read our review and craved a little more info we've compiled the following videoblog from Dan's attendance of the launch a little while ago.
Honda NSX: PH videoblog
Detailed walk around and driving impressions of Honda's impressive new NSX in our latest videoblog
There's a lot to take in and Honda's unusual launch format saw us in the car before we'd had it fully explained with the usual tech briefing. So the first impressions from the Estoril circuit are exactly that, followed up by some more in-depth on-road insight once we'd had some of the technology explained to us. Click here for our full NSX review and here for the full detailed tech geek-out and comparisons against rivals.
Check the videoblog out here!
Discussion
As the last 30 seconds of this video suggests, it seems to me that this car is attempting to answer a question and meet a demand that doesn't exist. The X in the cars name stands for "eXperimental" yet there is nothing ground breaking about what this car offers beyond being the most overpriced Honda ever ... but the prospect of an 80 grand Tyre R is mouth watering 
The thing is, that when the original NSX came out, Ferrari was in a bit of a confused period with the 348, 911s were plodding through evolution and Aston Martin niche. The NSX with it's pioneering use of aluminium and high build quality was something to wake up the other manufacturers.
Today when there are so many well crafted, properly built, fast and elegant cars it's a much harder environment.
Today when there are so many well crafted, properly built, fast and elegant cars it's a much harder environment.
SimmoJon said:
As the last 30 seconds of this video suggests, it seems to me that this car is attempting to answer a question and meet a demand that doesn't exist. The X in the cars name stands for "eXperimental" yet there is nothing ground breaking about what this car offers beyond being the most overpriced Honda ever ... but the prospect of an 80 grand Tyre R is mouth watering
What other car in the Honda's price range offers this level of tech and performance? sparta6 said:
If you removed the badge 99% of Joe Public wouldn't know what this is.
Most modern supercars are looking the same
Don't agree with that. McLaren 675LT doesn't look like a 488GTB for example, which doesn't look like this. Aside having 4 wheels and a windscreen, of course.Most modern supercars are looking the same
vz-r_dave said:
What other car in the Honda's price range offers this level of tech and performance?
I suppose the question is whether the "tech" actually adds any value. If the drive-train actually makes it a better car to drive then fine, but most of the road tests I've read seem to imply that it would be a better car with a conventional drive-train. It may be more economical than an R8 or 911 turbo but how many of them will cover enough miles for that to matter? Of course the same questions apply to the i8.
E65Ross said:
sparta6 said:
If you removed the badge 99% of Joe Public wouldn't know what this is.
Most modern supercars are looking the same
Don't agree with that. McLaren 675LT doesn't look like a 488GTB for example, which doesn't look like this. Aside having 4 wheels and a windscreen, of course.Most modern supercars are looking the same
I can't help feeling that Honda aren't marketing the NSX correctly based on these responses. Much like Lexus's LFA it is misunderstood, and much I suspect to the raw numbers both cars put out being confused for the experience and exclusivity that the two Japanese cars offer. Comparing the NSX to a 911 is like comparing a Cayman GT4 (the NSX) to a TT RS (the 911). Similar numbers (excusing the liberty that is pretending you could still buy a GT4 for RRP) but very different ownership experiences.
sparta6 said:
E65Ross said:
sparta6 said:
If you removed the badge 99% of Joe Public wouldn't know what this is.
Most modern supercars are looking the same
Don't agree with that. McLaren 675LT doesn't look like a 488GTB for example, which doesn't look like this. Aside having 4 wheels and a windscreen, of course.Most modern supercars are looking the same
kambites said:
vz-r_dave said:
What other car in the Honda's price range offers this level of tech and performance?
I suppose the question is whether the "tech" actually adds any value. If the drive-train actually makes it a better car to drive then fine, but most of the road tests I've read seem to imply that it would be a better car with a conventional drive-train. It may be more economical than an R8 or 911 turbo but how many of them will cover enough miles for that to matter? Of course the same questions apply to the i8.
There will be certain circuits where speed is of the essence, hence a lighter 2WD Type-R will be more useful.
For those of us into NA-type NSXs, (or Lotuses!) it's probably the wrong car. I fear it will simply be too big and too fast for our roads.
OwenK said:
vsonix said:
Actually my first thought was that the front end looks exactly like the 'Jester' in GTA 5
That whole car is a knock off of the NSX. I always thought it was odd that in GTAV the jester is based on the NSX when in GTA3:SA the jester was based off the supra, and in the same game the infurnus was based off the NSX. and the infurnus has always been based off a lambo.
kambites said:
I suppose the question is whether the "tech" actually adds any value. If the drive-train actually makes it a better car to drive then fine, but most of the road tests I've read seem to imply that it would be a better car with a conventional drive-train. It may be more economical than an R8 or 911 turbo but how many of them will cover enough miles for that to matter?
Of course the same questions apply to the i8.
Maybe the tech is necessary to allow the turbo v6 to rev and to not feel laggy, and maybe the torque vectoring and steering trickery is there to hide the fact that it's still a heavy car. Even if Honda took away all the electric gubbins, is it really going to be 300-400kgs lighter? I doubt it, unless it went on a serious diet.Of course the same questions apply to the i8.
The original NSX wasn't a track car anyway, neither is the new one - I bet <10% of owners ever take it to a track more than once. It needs to be a great road car that's comfortable when you want it to be, and can entertain (and flatter?) when the time is right. Sounds like they might just have pulled that off.
So, sports fans. Hold your breath for a Type-R, RWD, shorn of all the hybrid stuff and with lots of other lightening inside and out. Don't expect it to be weigh 1400kgs or cost any less than £150k either...
E65Ross said:
sparta6 said:
E65Ross said:
sparta6 said:
If you removed the badge 99% of Joe Public wouldn't know what this is.
Most modern supercars are looking the same
Don't agree with that. McLaren 675LT doesn't look like a 488GTB for example, which doesn't look like this. Aside having 4 wheels and a windscreen, of course.Most modern supercars are looking the same
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