Honda NSX v Nissan GT-R NISMO 2017 Comparison

Yes, this duo have eclipsed the Lexus LFA of 2011, a limited-edition model which was slower than both these sub-3.0sec super-coupes. Just 10 came here, with an obscene $700K price tag – almost enough to buy, an NSX and a GT-R NISMO.

So which one is the most accomplished, easiest to live with and best value? And how do they stack up against established European rivals?

On the face of it, as the flag-bearers for their respective brands, the NSX and GT-R have lots in common, starting with two of the most drawn-out pre-release campaigns we’ve ever seen.

The current (sixth-generation, R35) GT-R appeared in production form in 2007 and went on sale the following year -- seven years after it emerged as a concept in 2001 -- but it took another nine years for the first NISMO version to arrive.

Honda’s second-generation NSX endured an even longer gestation period, with the ‘Advanced Sports Car Concept’ first hinting at its existence in 2007 – the same year the R35 GT-R was launched – before various show cars, including the 2012 ‘NSX Concept’, previewed the final production version which was revealed in 2015.

Production started in the US in mid-2016 -- nine years after the first concept. This was 12 years after the NSX was last available in Australia (January 2005) and 26 years after the original NSX was released (1990).

Strong pedigree
Of course – unlike forthcoming hypercars from AMG, Aston Martin and others – the latest GT-R and NSX are both backed by a long legacy, in the Nissan’s case stretching back to the original Skyline GT-R of 1969.

It was followed quickly by the MkII in 1973, then a hiatus before the R32 of 1989, the R33 of 1995, the R34 of 1999 and then the R35 – simply called GT-R – nearly 10 years later.

Almost another decade later (and 25 years Mark Skaife and Jim Richards shook up the Aussie touring car world by winning Bathurst in ‘Godzilla’), the first GT-R NISMO went on sale here in February, priced from a cool $299,000 -- $110K more than the base GT-R.

Raising the bar for what was already one of the world’s quickest supercars, the NISMO version takes the front-engined, rear-drive GT-R formula to extremes.

Honda’s NSX heritage dates back to 1984, when Honda commissioned Italian design house Pininfarina to create the Honda Pininfarina ‘eXperimental’ (HPX) concept, which became a prototype developed with help from the late Ayrton Senna.

Revealed in showroom form in 1989 and entering production in 1990, the lightweight, mid-engined, two-seat, rear-drive coupe was powered by an all-alloy 3.0-litre V6 (increased to 3.2 litres in 1997), wrapped in the world’s first all-aluminium monocoque production body and featured a cockpit-style ‘cascading’ dashboard design.

Designed to beat Ferrari at its own game, the first NSX was way ahead of its time, quickly attracting a three-year waiting list of eager buyers and becoming the blueprint for a procession of European supercars which followed.

Similar concept
Despite being almost a decade newer and vastly superior in technical content, the NSX’s performance and aftersales experience aren’t dissimilar to the GT-R NISMO’s.

Both two-door models come with a twin-turbo V6 engine and dual-clutch automatic transmission driving all four wheels, both powertrains produce around the same power and torque (427kW/646Nm for the Honda; 441kW/652Nm for the Nissan) and both are sold and serviced via a select number of official dealerships.

For $420,000 plus on-road costs -- $121K more than the GT-R NISMO – Australia’s NSX comes loaded with equipment which is optional in other markets. Examples include our test car’s full interior/exterior carbon-fibre aero package (including the roof) and the equally cool-looking carbon-ceramic braking package which carves 23.5kg from the car’s unsprung mass.

Buyers of Honda Australia’s most expensive model ever get three years of free servicing (recently upgraded to five years and unlimited km, like all new Hondas), 24/7 access to a Honda Australia technician, a signed and framed letter of congratulations and a 1:18 scale model with matching paint.

NSX service intervals are 12 months, 20,000km or when the engine oil light illuminates (whichever comes first), and the only Australian options are four interior trim choices and eight exterior paint colours, including three solid colours, three metallics ($1500) and two ‘Andaro pearl’ paint finishes ($10,000).

Like all Nissans, the $300K GT-R NISMO comes with a three-year/100,000km warranty including break-down assistance, but service intervals are set at a short six months or 5000km, whichever comes first.

Vibrant Red is the only standard solid colour, with Jet Black and Ivory Pearl prestige paint costing $1750 more, Super Silver premium paint also attracts extra cost, while Matte Dark Grey “ultra premium paint” is priced at $5000.

Both models will be similarly exclusive, ensuring strong resale value.

Currently, Australian supplies of the NSX are strictly limited due to strong demand in the US, where it’s sold out for two years. Just three examples have arrived here so far, and only one has been delivered to a private individual (in December).

With Honda Australia retaining the other two (only one of which can be registered) for promotional purposes and just two more examples due to arrive Down Under this year (both of them spoken for), the MkII NSX will be one of the rarest supercars on our roads.

The GT-R NISMO is also largely hand-built, limited in supply and now in full-time production. As of July, just 15 have been delivered here since last October.

So both models should be a solid investment, or at least as solid as good as other supercars in this price bracket, like Jaguar’s F-TYPE SVR (from $289,305), Lamborghini’s Huracan (from $378,900), the Mercedes-AMG GT (from $259,000) and Porsche’s 911 GT3 and Turbo models (from $327,100 and $390,300 respectively).

That said, a hotter Type R version of the new NSX is expected to materialise, whereas the NISMO is likely to be Nissan’s finest and final version of the R35 before it’s replaced.

Both halo models serve a similar brand-building purpose though; while the wildest ever factory GT-R is a window to a new world of upcoming NISMO performance cars from an SUV/LCV-heavy Nissan, the NSX heralds a long-overdue return to form for the ‘BMW of Japan’ as Honda readies a new Civic Type R and perhaps even a born-again S2000.

Old-school
But the similarities end there because these rival Japanese car makers could not have taken more diverse approaches to producing a flagship sports car.

On the one hand, the top-shelf GT-R NISMO is unashamedly “made for the track” and based on Nissan’s decade-old premium-midship (PM) platform, which evolved from the front-midship (FM) architecture which debuted with the V35 model Skyline back in 2001.

Therefore it runs the same front-engine, rear transaxle, all-wheel drive layout as the standard GT-R, which itself remains one of the world’s quickest supercars with an unofficial 0-100km/h time of 2.7sec.

Far from a wing and sticker kit, the NISMO version winds the volume up to 11 via bigger turbochargers from the NISMO GT3 race car and a titanium exhaust, raising the outputs of the hand-built twin-turbo 3.8-litre V6 by 22kW/20Nm to 441kW of power at 6800rpm and 652Nm of torque over 3600-5600rpm.

Maximum engine speed is 7100rpm, fuel capacity is 74 litres and fuel consumption, if anybody cares, is listed at 11.7L/100km on the recommended 98RON PULP. Which means the relatively heavy GT-R (1739kg, split 54/46% front/rear) has a theoretical fuel range of 630km.

All this performance is delivered to the road via a rear-mounted six-speed dual-clutch transmission with three modes (‘Normal’, ‘R-mode’, ‘Save’) and four sticky, nitrogen-filled Dunlop SP Sport Maxx GT600 run-flat tyres measuring 255/40 up front and 285/35 at the rear, fitted to 20-inch six-spoke deep-dish black RAYS alloys -- 10-inch wide at the front and 10.5-inch wide at the rear.

No official 0-100km/h time is published, but Nissan says the NISMO is quicker than the standard GT-R, lists a 315km/h top speed and an official Nurburgring lap time of just 7:08.68, which in 2015, made it the sixth fastest production car around the famed German 21.8km road course.

Further underlining its track intent is a NISMO-fettled suspension package comprising shorter, firmer springs, stabiliser bars and retuned Bilstein DampTronic shock absorbers with three modes (‘Normal’, ‘R-mode’, ‘Comfort’). Braking is via 390/380mm front/rear Brembo rotors with six-piston calipers up-front.

There’s also a stiffer body with adhesive bonding in addition to spot welds, a body kit delivering more downforce than any other production Nissan, including wider front fenders and a carbon-fibre boot lid, rear spoiler, side skirts, front/rear bumpers and lower front undercover.

Inside, the NISMO builds on the familiar, but facelifted standard GT-R’s interior via carbon-backed Recaro front bucket seats with red Alcantara highlights and manual slide and power recline adjustment.

Completing the racier cabin are an Alcantara-trimmed upper dash and steering wheel, a red-stitched leather-lined lower dash, console, doors and shifter, a carbon-finished centre console and alloy pedals.

Cutting-edge
If the Nissan GT-R NISMO sounds like a rejuvenated old-school heavyweight boxer packing a sledgehammer punch, the Honda NSX is a feisty Ninja warrior cub with a potent jab and an even more surprising uppercut.

Oozing with cutting-edge technology, it’s a clean-sheet design which continues the mid-mounted V6 spaceframe formula pioneered by its hallowed forebear.

But this time it adds aluminium to the chassis and carbon-fibre to the floor and body shell, plus torque vectoring all-wheel drive, a bigger 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged dry-sump V6 engine, nine-speed dual-clutch transmission and three electric motors.

The result is a thoroughly modern and environmentally friendly (non plug-in) hybrid boasting all the requisite supercar numbers, including total outputs of 427kW/646Nm, claimed real-world 0-100km/h acceleration in 2.9sec, a 308km/h top speed and fuel consumption of 10.0L/100km – despite weighing in at a porky 1800kg.

As you’d expect, the NSX is well specified, with standard kit extending to full-LED headlights, tail-lights and daytime running lamps, staggered five-double-spoke 19/20-inch forged alloy wheels with (narrower) 245/35 front and (wider) 305/30 Continental ContiSport Contact5 tyres, full leather or leather/Alcantara interior trim, heated sports seats and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

As with the GT-R NISMO, safety equipment extends to the usual array of airbags, electronic stability/traction control and anti-lock brakes.

But – and this is serious and applicable to both cars given their price, but especially the Honda given its ‘newness’ – you might be shocked to learn neither of these supercars comes standard with, nor lists as optional, any form of advanced driver aids, such as autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane-keeping assistance or warning, blind-spot monitoring or even radar cruise control.

Arguably, supercar buyers couldn’t care less about autonomous driving functions, but why wouldn’t they want the latest accident-avoidance technology, some of which is now fitted to some of the cheapest vehicles available.

Forgivable
Sitting inside the Honda’s snug, low-slung, compact two-seat cabin for the first time, it’s easy to forgive the lack of advanced driver aids given its obvious exclusivity, technology and sheer sense of occasion.

A did I mention it’s also highly ergonomic, despite being considerably smaller than the GT-R both inside and out? The super-low driver’s seat has just enough adjustment in all directions, the super-light controls are in all the right places and there’s surprisingly good outward vision, at least for a mid-engined two-seater.

Alright, so the flush-fit central colour touch-screen is fiddly to operate, the plastic shift paddles feel cheap and nasty, the twin cup-holders which clip on to the centre console foul your passenger’s leg and the lack of interior oddment space is made worse by the paltry 110-litre boot located under the rear hatch, which gets so hot Honda warned us not to store a laptop in it.

Nevertheless, once you hit the start button, the NSX is all class. The cool TFT colour instrument panel tells you it’s ready for action and it slips off the line in complete silence until the battery is low enough to require recharging via the engine, or your right foot calls on maximum thrust from all four power sources.

When required, the NSX’s 373kW/550Nm turbocharged 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.

It might lack the neck-snapping standing-start jolt of the Porsche 911 Turbo S in launch control mode, but this is an undeniably quick car off the line and feels quick enough to comfortably break the benchmark 3sec 0-100km/h mark.

Like many hybrids, the NSX defaults to ‘EV’ mode on take-off and can cover a short distance on electric-only power, in this case a claimed 3km. Of course, the 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 with it – in both heavy peak-hour traffic and much faster open-road use – ‘EV’ mode generally delivered much shorter distances and only below 80km/h.

Fortunately the engine 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 part of all this is how seamlessly the whole powertrain works; the V6 cuts in so quickly, smoothly and discreetly it’s sometimes difficult to know if the engine’s running.

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, a reasonably tight 12.1m turning circle and suspension which feels almost as supple as a Honda Civic.

Yes, it’s low enough to require careful negotiating of split-level surface crossings and in traffic you need be constantly conscious of its blind spots. And with a meagre 59-litre fuel tank, a cruising range of 500km between refills might not be enough for some, based on the reasonably frugal 11.8L/100km consumption figure we recorded.

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

Unforgivable
Jumping out of the NSX into the GT-R is like stepping back in time. For starters, it’s a much larger car and, although it’s also opened by a funky flip-out door-handle, the driver’s door is bigger and heavier and opens up to a relatively spacious 2+2-seat interior with a much higher roofline than the NSX’s snug two-seat cabin.

Apart from being able to shift four people, the GT-R has a comparatively massive boot – though it’s accessed by a tiny opening aperture – as well, there’s a bigger glovebox and centre console bin, plus generous door pockets (the NSX has none).

So the front-engined, four-seat GT-R wins for both occupant and luggage space, since the mid-engined, two-seat Honda’s boot is tiny and hot, and electric motors and radiators occupy its entire front-end.

Bigger windows provide better outward visibility in the GT-R too, although rear vision is hampered by the massive rear wing, making it only slightly better on that front than the surprisingly airy NSX cockpit.

Both cars have hip-hugging two-piece bucket seats, but while the NSX front seats are all-electric including lumbar adjustment, the only power function in the NISMO is for recline and neither coupe offers height adjustment.

But with plenty of steering wheel reach and rake adjustment, both driving positions will adapt to a wide range of body shapes, both interiors are laden with Alcantara fake suede and carbon-fibre trim, and both instrument panels are dominated by large central tachos – displaying a 7000rpm redline for the Nissan and 7500rpm for the Honda.

There’s no escaping the age of the Nissan cabin though - even if the facelifted GT-R brings more perceived quality than before - the big central colour screen delivers an overload of vehicle information and the row of old-school toggle switches still looks kinda cool.

Very uncool, though, is the way the dashboard creaks over big bumps, and the way the rock-hard suspension makes it hard to operate any of its controls with any kind of accuracy.

Even adjusting the stereo volume is difficult on a bumpy road and, combined with outrageous levels of engine, wind and road noise – the latter due to almost zero wheel-house sound deadening - the NISMO is not the place to have a conversation on the phone or with your passengers.

Whisper-quiet
In comparison, the Honda cockpit is whisper-quiet and feels as tight as a bank vault, although there was a minor rattle from the driver’s door in our test car. The only distraction was the surprisingly vocal sound of the turbo wastegate opening and closing.

Have no doubt though, Honda’s dry-sump V6, sitting just over the driver’s left shoulder, sounds pretty decent, revving eagerly all the way to its 7500rpm redline with a gravelly metallic character unlike any other car.

The Honda’s 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.

That applies in both ‘drive’ and ‘manual’ mode, 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.

On the other hand, Nissan’s GT-R sounds like a shrieking jumbo jet at full throttle, with a characterless induction noise drowning almost all other engine and exhaust noise.

Real world
On paper, the GT-R NISMO is slightly lighter, slightly quicker and slightly faster - but a lot thirstier - than the NSX, which lapped the Phillip Island GP circuit two seconds slower in a private back-to-back test by a professional racer on the same tyres.

And, on a smooth surface, there’s no doubt the Nissan’s slightly superior weight-to-power ratio (3.9 v 4.2kg/kW) and vastly firmer suspension set-up ultimately makes it the weapon of choice if every tenth of a second matters.

However, everywhere else in the real world, the most hard-core GT-R’s narrow-focus chassis is a chore and offers no advantage over the NSX, which feels just as quick in a straight line and everywhere else.

After two solid days and almost 1000km of driving both cars on some of Victoria’s worst urban and best country roads, the NSX’s smarter powertrain and more compliant chassis made it more forgiving, easier to drive at the limit, better to live with and quicker on every road.

Neither car has the throaty V8 rumble or road presence of a Ferrari, but the NSX sounds better, turns more heads and has a more modern interior. It also has brakes which are just as powerful as the GT-R NISMO’s but are easier to modulate, similar mid-corner grip, steering feel and precision, but superior power-down out of corners and none of the GT-R’s bump steer or fore-aft pitching.

The secret to the NSX’s incredible versatility – just like the original - is seamless integration of cutting-edge technology. Start playing with Honda’s four-mode ‘Integrated Dynamics System’ – operated via the large central dial which highlights the centre stack – and the NSX reveals an even wider breadth of ability.

Indeed, the difference 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, as motoring.com.au’s Mike Sinclair discovered, at the Estoril circuit in Portugal, is even more extreme. But this time we weren’t allowed to take the NSX to the track and we never tried ‘Track’ mode on the road.

In both ‘Sport’ and ‘Sport+’ modes in the real world though, 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 the almost complete lack of body roll plus 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 to drive on 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 it special; the perfect integration of all these attributes allows you to access all of the 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 its driver with its intuitive, cutting-edge technology.

Narrow focus
The GT-R NISMO, conversely, flashes its ESC light even in third gear in a straight line on any surface, is intimidating to drive fast on broken roads and hard work to drive anywhere away from smooth hot-mix, even in ‘Comfort’ mode.

Bury the throttle and you need to hold on tight, such is the ferocity of its acceleration. But keep it buried over uneven road cambers or even the mildest of mid-corner lumps, and it wants to pitch you off the road quicker than you can react.

The out-dated six-speed dual-clutch rear transaxle is clunky at low speed and sounds agricultural around town, combining with fearsomely firm springs and lack of sound-proofing to make it a chore to drive.

Yes, the Nissan GT-R NISMO delivers sensory overload with a twitch of the right ankle, delivers mind-blowing in-gear acceleration and is an unadulterated, track-ready match for any other supercar you can legally drive to a racetrack, including Porsche’s epic 911 Turbo S.

But its busy nature away from smooth surfaces and lightning-fast responses on rough roads make it easily upset, scary to drive fast in many conditions and, for mere mortals, too unpredictable to trust in less than ideal circumstances and too harsh to bear on a daily basis.

With phenomenally good brakes, zero understeer and almost no body roll, one drive is enough to know Nissan’s wildest factory GT-R ever is designed purely for the racetrack – not for the road, nor the faint-hearted.

The multi-talented NSX not only brakes, steers and corners even better, but delivers superior balance, comfort, refinement, feedback, cornering adjustability and overall tactility. Without doubt, it is not only more versatile, it is also quicker in most hands on most roads than the GT-R.

So the answer is clear: the NSX is one of the world’s most complete supercars and, by a big margin, Japan’s finest ever 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: 11.8L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 228g/km (ECE Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested

2017 Nissan GT-R NISMO pricing and specifications:
Price: $299,000 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo petrol V6
Output: 441kW/652Nm
Transmission: Six-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel: 13.4L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 278g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested