Honda NSX 2017 Review

In one of the most drawn-out vehicle launches ever, Honda’s all-new NSX has arrived Down Under -- four years after its debut at the 2013 Detroit motor show and 12 years after the original NSX was last available here (January 2005).

Don’t get excited about seeing an NSX any time soon though, because just three examples have been delivered locally and only one of them to a private individual. Honda Australia has retained the other two (only one of which can be registered) for promotional purposes.

Just two more examples of the hand-built, limited-production hybrid supercar are due to arrive in Australia this year. The NSX is manufactured at Honda’s plant in Ohio, North America and even in the U.S. it is sold out for the next two years, making Honda’s born-again NSX one of the rarest supercars on our roads.

We snaffled this first Australian drive to find out if it’s worth the wait for an NSX, and whether a Honda can really be worth $420,000 plus on-road costs.

After our first drive on roads and a race circuit in Portugal last August, we were certainly very enthusiastic about Honda’s first new NSX in 26 years, but you can never fully judge a car until you’ve driven it at length on typical Aussie roads, right?

We’ve done so now and, at the risk of giving you a reason not to read to the end, after two solid days and almost 1000km of driving on some of Victoria’s worst urban and best country roads, I’m here to say our Mike Sinclair was correct: the latest NSX does indeed set a new supercar benchmark.

Yes, that’s a big call as undoubtedly there are faster supercars around a racetrack and more comfortable ones for the road. But it’s a call we’re making until a back-to-back comparo with the multi-talented Porsche 911 Turbo S to determine whether the NSX does in fact deliver the widest breadth of ability in the supercar world.

The secret to the NSX’s incredible versatility is seamless integration of cutting-edge technology. To be honest, it was the same with the original NSX.

Developed in the 1980s with help from the late triple world F1 champion Ayrton Senna - and way ahead of its time when it entered production in 1990 - the first NSX was a lightweight mid-engined two-seat rear-drive coupe powered by an all-alloy 3.0-litre V6.

Designed to beat Ferrari at its own game, the NSX was wrapped in the world’s first production all-aluminium body and featured a cockpit-style ‘cascading’ dashboard design. In fact, Honda’s first supercar set the blueprint for a whole swag of supercars to come.

Fast forward a quarter of a century and the company, once known as the ‘BMW of Japan’ for its technical leadership, has a new flag-bearer, just as it replaces a series of lacklustre models with far more polished offerings like the new Civic and CR-V.

What you get
Dripping with the latest technology, the all-new NSX continues the mid-mounted V6 spaceframe formula pioneered by its hallowed forebear. But adds aluminium to its chassis and carbon-fibre to its floor and body shell, plus torque vectoring all-wheel drive, a bigger 3.5-litre twin-turbo dry-sump V6, nine-speed dual-clutch transmission and three electric motors.

The result is a thoroughly modern and environmentally friendly hybrid (not plug-in) supercar which comes with all the requisite numbers, including total outputs of 427kW and 646Nm, and claimed real-world zero to 100km/h acceleration in less than three seconds.

Which sees the NSX virtually lineball with Porsche’s finest 911, the Turbo S, even if the Honda’s top speed is lower at 308km/h, it’s claimed fuel consumption is higher at 10.0L/100km, and despite the fact it’s considerably heavier at about 1800kg.

We covered all the nitty-gritty tech details at the global launch and the local specs when the NSX debuted Down Under last December. The headline news on that front is Australian buyers score a bunch of equipment which is optional in other markets, like our test car’s full interior/exterior carbon-fibre aero package (including roof) and a carbon-ceramic braking package which strips 23.5kg from the NSX’s unsprung mass.

Underlining its uniqueness and position at the top of Honda’s range – as well as the $420K price tag which makes it the most expensive Japanese production car excluding the limited-edition $700,000 Lexus LFA coupe – local NSX owners also get three years of free servicing, 24/7 access to a Honda Australia technician, a signed and framed letter of congratulations and a 1:18 scale model with paint colour matching their own car.

The only Australian options are four interior trim choices and eight exterior paint colours, including three solid colours, three metallics (an extra $1500) and two ‘Andaro pearl’ paint finishes (an extra $10,000).

What’s inside
Sitting inside the low-slung, compact two-seat coupe’s snug cabin for the first time (in the spirit of openness, we attempted to drive the NSX late last year, but a flat 12-volt battery prevented that – the car was left with its lights on for display purposes), there’s no doubting its exclusivity, technology and sheer sense of occasion.

It’s also highly ergonomic, with a super-low driver’s seat offering just enough adjustment in all directions, typically light controls in all the right places and surprisingly good outward vision, at least for a mid-engined two-seater.

OK, so the chintzy-looking central colour touch-screen is fiddly to operate, the plastic shift paddles feel cheap and nasty, the twin cupholders which clip to the centre console foul your passenger’s leg and the lack of interior oddment space is exacerbated by the paltry 110-litre boot under the rear hatch (which gets so hot Honda warned us to not store a laptop in it).

A more serious negative is the lack of advanced driver aids like autonomous emergency braking and lane-keeping functions – even as options – which is surprising for Honda and any car at this price.

Otherwise, the NSX is well specified, with standard kit extending to full-LED headlights, tail-lights and daytime running lamps, staggered 19/20-inch forged alloy wheels with Continental ContiSport Contact5 tyres, full leather or leather/Alcantara interior trim, heated sports seats and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

What it delivers
Hit the start button and the Honda NSX’s cool TFT colour instrument panel tells you it’s ready for action. Then you slip off the line in complete silence until battery charge is low enough to require the twin-turbo V6 engine for a recharge - or you’re so keen on the throttle it engages all four power sources for maximum thrust.

Nail the accelerator pedal and the NSX’s 373kW/550Nm V6 and three electric motors – one for each front wheel and one between the mid/rear-mounted engine and gearbox – combine to deliver instant, rapid acceleration from standstill and a massive dose of rolling thrust from any speed.

Honda’s finest perhaps lacks the neck-snapping standing-start jolt of the 911 Turbo S in launch control mode, but this is an undeniably quick car off the line and feels fast enough to hit 100km/h in a now-benchmark three seconds.

Like many hybrids, the NSX defaults to EV mode on take-off and will run for a short distance on electric-only power, in this case a claimed 3km. Of course, that distance depends mostly on how much acceleration you ask of the system, or whether you’ve selected EV (or ‘Quiet’) mode.

During our two days – in both heavy peak-hour traffic and much faster open-road use – EV mode only managed much shorter distances than that, and only at speeds up to 80km/h.

Fortunately the V6 and regenerative braking system charge the battery surprisingly quickly - even under deceleration without brakes, when there’s a handy level ‘engine braking’ effect.

The most notable aspect of all this is just how seamlessly the whole powertrain works; the engine cuts in so quickly, smoothly and discreetly it is sometimes difficult to know if it’s running.

That said, while it’s no gristly Italian V8, the dry-sump twin-turbocharged V6 just over your left shoulder sounds pretty decent all the way to its 7500rpm redline.

The tall-geared dual-clutch auto continues the refinement theme, with lightning-quick shifts which are almost imperceptible and virtually eliminate any interruption in power delivery.

Impressively, that applies in both ‘drive’ and ‘manual’ modes, which can be selected via the D/M button on the centre console, which along with nearby P (park), R (reverse) and N (neutral) buttons are the only departures from convention.

In EV mode around town, the NSX impresses with zesty, instant response and a solid surge of torque - from any suburban speed - plus super-light steering with a reasonably tight 12.1m turning circle. Staggeringly, the NSX’s suspension feels almost as supple as the suspension in a Honda Civic.

Like the Italian supercars, the NSX rides so low care is needed when negotiating split-level surface crossings and you need to be on your toes when sitting in the blind-spots of vehicles in nearby traffic.

Based on the reasonably frugal fuel consumption figure of 11.8l/100km we recorded, the NSX’s meagre 59-litre fuel tank will provide a cruising range of 500km between refills, which might not be enough for some.

Otherwise, as a daily driver, the NSX is very user-friendly. In fact, were not for the constant gawkers – and the big, gaping side air intakes reflecting in the side mirrors - it would be easy to forget you’re driving a $400K-plus supercar.

Why it’s special
But that’s just one part of the NSX’s multi-faceted character. Start playing with Honda’s four-mode Integrated Dynamics System – operated via the large central dial commanding the centre stack – and it’s clear there are other completely different chapters in this intriguing story.

Indeed, the differences between ‘Quiet’ (semi-EV) mode, the default ‘Sport’ mode and feistier-still ‘Sport+’ mode go well beyond changing the instrument dials from blue to white to red respectively.

Giving the NSX four distinctly different driving characters, each mode changes the ‘tune’ of the steering, braking, AWD, engine, electric drive, throttle, gearbox, suspension damping and stability/traction control systems.

In all, there’s a total of two steering and suspension settings, three VSA (ESC) and SH-AWD modes and four powertrain modes, but unfortunately they can’t be customised, for example, by combining soft damping with firm steering.

There’s also a hard-core ‘Track’ mode which is even more extreme, as Mike Sinclair discovered at the Estoril circuit in Portugal, but this time we weren’t allowed to take the NSX to a race track and we never tried that setting on the road.

In the real world, sampling both ‘Sport’ and ‘Sport+’ modes on familiar, twisty, pockmarked country roads in northern Victoria, the Honda was nothing short of schizophrenic.

On the one hand it’s supremely stable both in a straight line and in fast bends, absorbing pot-holes at high speed and mid-corner irregularities with almost limousine-like compliance. And yet its almost complete lack of body roll and direct, responsive and accurate steering make it as agile as any sports car.

Throw in high levels of grip, outstanding front/rear chassis balance and enormous levels of steering feel and feedback, and the NSX is supremely confidence inspiring at speed, effortless to drive well and almost foolproof even at the limit.

Barrel into a corner too quickly and slam on too much brake force too deep into the turn? No problem, the NSX will telegraph its intention to understeer well before it does, and if you stay on the super-strong, but easy to modulate, brakes too long it will wash wide at the front gently and consistently as it awaits your next command.

Get on the gas too hard too early out of a turn? Too easy, because if you’re going quick enough to actually break its enormous traction levels even on broken bitumen, the NSX’s rear-end will drift out gradually and steadily.

And if you stay on the throttle, its twin electric motors will send just enough torque to each front wheel and pull the car cleanly out of the corner, just as efficiently as an AWD Porsche 911 does.

Unlike any 911 though, the NSX’s three electric motors not only give it a healthy dose of extra oomph right from idle and at any urban speed, they combine to deliver astonishingly quick corner exits at higher velocities and a massive surge of satisfying torque from any licence-losing speed.

But it’s not the outstanding grip, superb balance, mega torque, intimate steering, progressive brakes or even the Jekyll and Hyde suspension on their own which make the NSX special; it’s the perfect integration of all these attributes which allows you to access all of its considerable performance with confidence.

Unlike some supercars, even at full noise the NSX never feels flustered, rarely flickers its ESC warning light and always flatters the driver thanks to its intuitive, cutting-edge technology.

Some could accuse the NSX of lacking the red-blooded bravado of a Ferrari 488 or the sensory overload of a 911 Turbo – or the cachet value of either. But neither of those is as liveable, versatile or multi-talented as the Honda NSX, which much surely be the world’s most complete supercar.

2017 Honda NSX pricing and specifications:
Price: $420,000 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 with hybrid
Output: 427kW/646Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed dual-clutch
Fuel: 10.0L/100km (ECE Combined)
CO2: 228g/km (ECE Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested