Here's Why the 2017 Acura NSX Is Better Than You Think

this is the new 2017 Acura NSX I bought it from the wonderful people here at VCH Montclair Acura because they have this one in possibly the coolest color bright red or curva read as acura calls it now this is a true halo car for Acura it starts at one hundred and fifty six thousand dollars it has 573 horsepower and 476 pound-feet of torque it is 0 to 60 in 2.9 seconds and it'll hit 191 miles an hour only there's a problem it simply isn't selling go on auto trader right now and you'll find 190 different new 2017 NSX models listed for sale at dealerships across the country you know how many new Ferrari models are listed on auto trader zero none you have to be on a waiting list to buy a new Ferrari needless to say there's no waiting list required to buy an NSX so why is that I've taken this car from dch Montclair Acura for the day so I can check it out and really get a feel for it first I'm gonna show you all of its quirks and cool features and then I'm gonna take it out on the road and tell you how Acuras supercar drives and visit autotrader.com slash oversteer for more of my thoughts on this car and for an article about a few cool old-school NSX as I found for sale on auto trader but first a little history lesson the original NSX debuted in 1990 and it lasted through 2005 praised for its pure driving experience and Japanese reliability compared to Italian exotics Acura has been insisting they build a new NSX repeatedly pretty much ever since 2005 or they debut some new NSX concept car there was some race car that was supposed to be the next NSX but it took them 12 years to roll out this one by then expectations were really high so does it live up to them let's start with those quarks and features we'll start before you even get in the car with one of my favorite features you press the unlock button on the key fob and the door handles pop out tell me that's not cool and press the lock button and they go right back in but you don't even really have to push the button right now I'm gonna walk right up to the car not touching anything not touching anything and tada door handle opens right up that's pretty cool and once you pull in those cool door handles you get inside here it's quite a few interesting quirks and features like for example the volume slider it's not just a boring knob like it is on your car instead you slide your hand up and down to adjust the stereo noise but that's not the coolest thing in the interior in my opinion the coolest thing in the interior is the gauge cluster check this out there's a little dial in the center control stack that changes the NSX as drive modes twist it to put the NSX into sport mode in the gauge cluster changes making the gauges and the tachometer more detail turn it again for Sport Plus and the tachometer completely rotates the whole thing turns from blue to red and you get an engine temperature gauge that shows up in the top left hold down the dial to confirm you want track mode and the performance indicators in the middle of gauge go to their extreme highest settings and traction control turns off in addition to all those modes the NSX also has a really cool quiet mode that shuts off part of the exhaust note so that you can go sneak out with your NSX late at night and drive away down some back roads I've never seen any other supercar with that another cool thing about the NSX because of its hybrid powertrain it can shut the engine off when it doesn't need it to be running for example right now the engine just went off but all the accessories remain on because it's in easy mode there's not a lot of cars at this price point that can do that the other cool thing about it it gets 21 miles per gallon city and 22 miles per gallon highway because of that hybrid powertrain most people who buy this car aren't gonna care about that but that's really impressive for a car at this performance level another cool interior feature of this car is the gear selector now it's not different from what you'll find in a lot of modern Acura models but it's probably a lot different from what you'll find in your normal car here's how it works when you get inside there are little lights around p4 Park you want reverse you push this little button backwards then the lights appear around our it's kind of idiot-proof for neutral push and and the lights appear around N and then for drive just push D / N and push the second time for manual mode if you want to get back into park just push P again now having the gear selector here has two primary benefits number one is it frees up some space in the middle of the cabin there's some buttons there instead of a giant lever rising up out of the center also you'll never screw up and put the car in the wrong gear because you actually push the button to get it into that gear for some more quirks we move around to the back for example you see this giant spoiler back here this is a carbon-fiber spoiler goes across the entire back end of the car it's a factory option but you might not realize this spoiler is actually broken into three pieces open up the trunk and the spoiler part on the trunk stays in the trunk and these two bits stay over here now another cool thing back here is how the lights work when the headlights go on and that's the tail lights go on it forms this cool band of lights around the entire rear of the car personally I prefer the brake lights which make these little arcs around each end but the best part is the turn signals look at those things they're just little tiny strips of lights that tell you what direction the NSX is gonna go but even cooler are the lights up front I love those headlights look at them they're just they're just mean they're angry they're aggressive they give this car a really cool look but better than that I think are the turn signals look at those they look different than every other Acura on the road another cool thing about the NSX is the stuff you get when you buy it for starters you get a little model and another larger model in the exact spec and colors and equipment of your NSX you also get this black NSX folder which contains a complete build sheet of your car detailing all of the options on your particular NSX it also includes a cool drawing of the car done by the NSX's designer also cool each NSX is individually numbered so you know where you stand among other nsx owners of course like all cars the NSX has a few notable drawbacks but even those are interesting for example walk up to the NSX is door and Lotus a rather conspicuous exterior keyhole sort of unfortunate given the cars otherwise modern lines the weird part is no other Acuras have an exterior keyhole here's an MDX no keyhole and here's a TLX also no keyhole it's also worth noting that there's no storage at all in front just a lot of stuff you shouldn't touch unless you know what you're doing but the NSX isn't all about cool quirks and features that make you go WOW one of the things I like most about this car is that true to the original one and true to the idea of buying a Japanese performance car this thing is surprisingly practical let me show you what I mean in the glove box you will find this a microfiber cloth and not just any microfiber cloth an Acura microfiber cloth to be used with the radio display meanwhile in the trunk you will find this a funnel for fuel in case you run out and not just any funnel this one has a Honda logo on it I promise you 30 years from now and these things are selling for a million dollars at the Pebble Beach RM car auction if your NSX doesn't have its little microfiber towel and its little Honda funnel you won't meet your reserve you also won't meet your reserve if you don't have your original Acura owner's manual Acura is so obsessed with practicality that it comes inside a ziplock bag and speaking of practicality it's such a priority for Acura that the NSX is probably the only supercar in the world with three trunk releases there's one on the key fob one on the driver's door and there's one on the trunk itself in regardless of which way you release the trunk you'll notice something interesting about it when you get in it I review a lot of exotic cars a lot of trunks and usually they're nowhere near big enough for a set of golf clubs but you can get one in the new NSX yes you have to pull out your drivers and put them in separately but they all fit in the trunk of this car another practical feature this car you'll notice that you look around this interior there aren't any cupholders anywhere Acura in their practical mindset has thought of that open up the glove box and you pull out look at this cupholders there's a little latch right here you stick them and now you can put your drink in your NSX one final bit of practicality everything in this car is simple and functional the turn signal stock is just a turn signal stock the wiper stock is just a wiper stock the door locks are exactly as you'd expect and the same goes for the power window and mirror controls they don't have any strange gimmicks or confusing operations and they're mostly borrowed from other Acura models now I know I've made fun in the past of some cars for sharing their switches and buttons with lesser vehicles like the Maserati Ghibli for example but it's important to keep in mind the purpose here the gable II is intended to be an Italian exotic it's supposed to give you a more beautiful feel every time you get in every time you open the door compared to German rivals and using Dodge switch gear doesn't really do that but the purpose of this car is and always has been to offer a more practical more reliable and less expensive alternative to the Italian exotics it may not have the cool switch gear and buttons and features but it's also a lot less expensive those things help keep costs down and if you don't want to go crazy and spend a zillion dollars on a Ferrari that you're not really sure lasts more than a few years that was the purpose of the old NSX and these buttons and switches proved that it's still kind of the purpose of the new one so the new NSX is loaded with cool features including some you may not have known about now it's time to take it out on the road all right we're in Sport Plus it's so fast so this is this is like a dual clutch with a torque converter the gear changes are monstrously quick just like everything else was a dual question mean nothing is faster than anything else anymore it used to be that some cars that are really fast turns there's in some didn't now everything is just really fast so the first thing you think you get in this car and we're driving on a normal Street here you're just we're good like we're just chuck and you can hang out which is I think one of the strong suits at this car visibility is great behind me I can see everything we had at idling it's incredibly hot today we had an idling for like an hour shooting the video and grinds have worried that it's gonna shut it all off or send some fault my Aston Martin unit used to send a fault when it was idling for more than ten million there's nine stuff with this car you can just be sure and that's kind of the benefit one of the benefits of getting like any exotic car from Acura this whole just a v6 thing is gonna have to come to an end here pretty soon because Acura is getting almost 600 horsepower out of a v6 at that point who really cares what engines in the thing is does 0-60 in 2.9 it could be a four-cylinder if you're doing 0 to 60 in 2.9 I don't care so we're going down this quiet neighborhood run and it's just don't but one of the other benefits of this car I've always felt I've driven it before is that the ride quality is better than virtually any exotic car on the market let's see this this road sucks and it feels reasonably good and I'm in Sport Plus which is which is nice I mean this is the car for the projects just like the original one it's just a car for the person who doesn't want to deal with all the BS there are benefits to the BS having the cool flashy Italian exotic car that's soup that's super cool there's no doubt about that but there are a lot of people who have done that and who are like I want to go down that road anymore the controls are more obvious in this car then we'll obviously located the 488 has its lock and unlock button in next to the dome lights makes no sense this car is just everything is just a lot simpler a lot more ergonomic the thing that people I think forget about this car anybody bad messes Turin there has been to meet some negative you people forget is the performance is there I think the biggest problem at your head was just the lead time you tell people for 10 years you're gonna come out with this car there's no way to meet their expectations none zero it's just not gonna happen this car is as good and and the numbers say it as any other modern exotic but none of the other modern exotics we waited 12 years is this the year they're gonna do it you know what it's like honestly it's like a 911 Turbo it's the super car for people who kind of want to it's not more relaxed by any means because you drop a couple of gears hey just your neck and snap but it's not and that's also true the 911 turbo but it's the car that's that's you know if you don't want to deal with it but you happen to drive it to the office that day you can drive home in quiet mode and just chill now we ran evey Emma the car is completely you can't hear a thing this is so cool it's interesting when you're in quiet mode you don't hear the noise anymore but I got to say that turbo noise you do here instead and it's awesome because only you hear the whistle and the blow-off valve actually occurring each time you press the gas it's like a modern like Civic or something it's so cool you have the sound you know the sounds just it's never gonna be a p8 or a v12 then that's just a reality in a clock if you were paying 280 you'd be pissed about that oh it's so quick it is so quick and the transmission is so fast and smooth oh it just holds its line so well my god boy it's so planted around the corners wow-wow said to a reporter decreases radius I didn't realize cars like yeah whatever no big deal the steering is what I haven't call sports car it's not like supercar exotic like it'll do anything and grip everywhere but it's so predictable and it's just so nice you put it where you want it to go and it goes there and it's perfectly weighted in the car of course has absolutely no body roll it goes exactly where you'd expect the very most precise things the very hardest corners and stuff you can tell it's a little off the very top end car as the 48 and stuff but you'd expect that given that it's roughly you know two-thirds of the price or three-fifths of the price but Acura must have known if the people wanted the really crazy Huracan experience they would spend the money and so you have the ability to sort of dry this everyday I don't think this car performs as well in terms of absolute at the limit Road hold against or thing as for concept but I think it's immensely more drivable so the new NSX is pretty cool it's amazing to drive just like its predecessor it offers a Japanese take on an exotic car just like its predecessor it has a v6 engine mid mounted with a little less power than all the Italian exotics just like its predecessor and well it's $156,000 base price may seem a little steep keep in mind that the Lamborghini Huracan now starts at $200,000 the Ferrari 488 starts at 250,000 dollars and the McLaren 650s is two hundred and seventy thousand dollars and that makes the NSX relative to those cars kind of a bargain just like its predecessor so why isn't it selling the answer actually is right here Acura you see when out he released the ra in 2008 it was intended to have the same effect as the NSX a halo car that brings enthusiasts to the brand and it had that effect because OD also rolled out other enthusiasts focused cars at the same time the a5 and s5 a sporty ER new a4 and s6 with the v10 from a Lamborghini out he was cool and the r8 made it super cool but acura say you like the NSX but you can't afford it what other Acura are you gonna get the TLX in fatum blue pearl the Acura lineup is suspiciously devoid of performance cars except for the one that costs a hundred and fifty six thousand dollars and yet my response to that is so what yeah the NSX is a little bit of a weird car for Acura but so was the original one and over time its desirability and its values have shot up no this is not the supercar for the person who wants the Ferrari horse or the Lamborghini bull on the front but if you want a car with an amazing driving experience and some neat quirks and cool features and a really striking appearance and you want to save a little money at least put this on your shopping list [Music]

Channel: Doug DeMuro

Views: 4,027,287

Rating: 4.6435442 out of 5

Keywords: acura nsx, 2017 nsx, new nsx, new acura nsx, 2017 acura nsx, acura nsx hybrid, nsx hybrid, nsx price, nsx cost, new nsx price, nsx features, doug demuro, demuro

Id: Qi6UF2KfNac

Length: 15min 48sec (948 seconds)

Published: Tue May 23 2017

Reddit Comments

[u/BangersAndMash98]

"For starters, you get a little model and another larger model in the exact spec and colours and equipment of your NSX"

"HERE'S MY TOY CAR..."

[u/left_turn_signal]

Its the badge....had Acura/Honda built something at aggressive price like Nissan did with GTR below $80,000 and than over time increased the price, customers would care about the NSX....Instead Honda went way too aggressive against Porsche, McLaren, Audi etc and now they are rotting at the dealers. Here in Canada NSX dealer price started at $280Kcdn now has dropped to $215Kcdn and nobody wants it.

[u/steelbeamsdankmemes]

Ugh, that volume control is a minus. Give me a knob any day.

[u/Adach]

this is the first time I've ever watched a doug video and thought he was shilling for the company. not that I didn't enjoy it, but it was hilarious seeing him press the touch screen volume button and seeing it work just as poorly as I expected it to.

also barely touched on what I think is the coolest aspect of the car, the fact that with the turbo/electric drivetrain, EM dampers and electric steering, the car could get dramatic performance upgrades from firmware

[u/Doug-DeMuro]

This car is surprisingly controversial. I'm excited to hear what people think of this one.

[u/opeth10657]

The styling seems really generic to me for some reason. It looks like a car from a video game that didn't want to pay the price for licensing real super car brands. Combined a 2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse and an LFA and called it a day.

[u/armo_man]

Doug is definitely spot on with the Acura line up. Their cars are very boring and FWD on luxury? I can go on and on. At least when Acura came out with the first gen NSX they also had the Integra which catered to the younger crowd. I would love to see more sports cars coming out of Honda, they offer pretty cool designs and performance.

[u/robertcope]

I recently got to see and drive one. I really liked it. And this was the same day that I spent hours in McLarens. I'd rather have the Acura. I'm clearly biased, though.

http://i.imgur.com/kKGPvga.jpg

[u/JanetYellensFuckboy]

The Honda/Acura NSX is actually remarkably poorly designed when you take a look at its details. It's a shame. This amazing article forever ruined it for me. The author knows more about car design than anyone I've ever read, and there are so many inconsistencies about the NSX's styling upon closer analysis.

So, yes, it’s very hard to screw up [a mid-engined sports car], but Acura has managed it...Who has ever asked for a fat chrome bar across the nose of a sports car? Why in the world would you stick three grilles and a chin scoop on the nose of a sports car, especially if the biggest, shiniest, and most prominent one is a complete fake, a solid barrier shield with merely a few tiny holes on the bottom row that air can pass through? Why injection-mold plastic to simulate a woven-wire grille texture like a ’20s Bentley? And if glossy black is the right finish for a simulated stone guard, why not use that finish on the other two grilles defacing the front surface of the car?

It's an outstanding breakdown. I highly recommend the read.

(/u/Doug-DeMuro, I'd be curious to hear your take on Robert's points.)