Driving Impressions
reviewed by
We found ourselves frequently using cruise control to keep from speeding, sometimes even in 45-mph zones. Boring, unfortunately, but almost necessary. A vivid yellow NSX is a ticket magnet. With the cruise control set at 69 on a 60-mph freeway (and getting run over in the fast lane, so add irony and humiliation to the boredom), we were stopped by a State Trooper with radar, who issued a polite verbal warning. Paranoia kind of takes the fun out of driving. The supercar dilemma. But isn't it good to know that the top speed of the NSX has been increased from 168 to 175 mph in 2002, thanks to the improved aerodynamics?
The lowered front air dam and revised trunk lip spoiler are intended to reduce lift at high speeds, and this might be true in the wind tunnel. But we still felt the front end get light at very high speeds, over any slight rise. And with the roof panel removed, not surprisingly, the lift increased; it wasn't unstable, just a clear message from the car. We were on a very remote road, perfectly straight, shared only by tractors that were visible for miles, gorgeous sunny day, speedo showing numbers that were well below maximum but still unwise to print.
In horsepower and acceleration, the NSX gets blown off by its competitors, and when you weigh power against price, it gets worse. The Dodge Viper, Corvette Z06 and Porsche 911 put up 450, 405 and 315 ponies against the NSX's 290, which hasn't been increased since 1997. And you could almost buy two Corvettes for the price of the NSX. So you have to appreciate the NSX for its mid-engine, transverse-mounted design, and its resulting beautiful chassis balance. We've had all of these cars on the track at one time or another, and have found the NSX to be the most enjoyable, at least on a track with a lot of corners and only short straights. At 3153 pounds it's also the lightest of the bunch.
Because this V6 is such an extremely smooth and high-revving engine, with its best power around 7000 rpm and redline at 8000, the NSX is in its element at high speeds, which is not terribly convenient. The most legal fun you can have is accelerating to redline in second gear. It's a cheap thrill, unfortunately followed by the disappointment of having to quickly back off when you hit third. You might even have to dab the brakes, which are big vented discs with dual-piston calipers in front. They look cool through the spokes in the wheels.
The NSX is as easy to drive fast as it is to drive slow. It's enormously stable, predictable and forgiving. It doesn't have an electronic stability system, with less need than other supercars. The biggest challenge to spirited driving comes in keeping the engine in the relatively narrow powerband; if you want the most out of it, you have to keep it above 5500 rpm, where the modest torque peaks. The acceleration is still bearable at 4500, although it's way more effective in its optimum range. Sixty mph equals about 3800 rpm in fourth gear, so double downshifting may be in order when passing on two-lanes. It's an opportunity, not a chore.
The gearbox ratios are naturally close, with six of them, but second gear might be notchy. Our test car had signs of over-use elsewhere (the brakes), so it's possible our notchy second gear was a result of abuse. Casual upshifts from first to second without a pause often resulted in a light crunch, although downshifts from third, if the blip and timing were right, were less problematic. Heel-and-toe downshifting didn't come easy however, as the throttle and brake pedals felt too close for comfort.
The engine revs to its 8000-rpm redline almost too easily. It doesn't feel stretched at the rev limiter, which is soft: a firm reminder, not a harsh slap. But because the horsepower peaks at 7100 rpm, it's pointless to shift at anything much past 7500. Unless your point is simply to listen to the lovely howl of the engine, which, at full throttle, is as throaty as a V6 gets, thanks to that variable volume induction system and pipes. Too bad the idle is ordinary.
Even the traction control doesn't feel terribly necessary, at least on dry pavement. The rear wheels and tires have been widened in 2002, to nine inches with 255/40ZR17 Bridgestone Potenzas (specific to the NSX), and they have plenty of grip to contain the 290 horses. Our own notes say the traction control is so good you can't even feel the wheels slip before it comes on, which made us question our sensitivity; but then we read the press kit, which reveals that the TCS actually activates just before the wheels slip, so we felt better. In any event, it's not at all intrusive, unlike the 911 and Z06, which cut the throttle and cause the car to fall on its face. You can turn it off, but we never felt the need to, not even when we were driving our hardest and saw the light flickering in corners.
The front wheels have also grown this year, to 17 inches in diameter, with 215/40ZR17 Potenzas. Along with firmer front springs and a bigger rear stabilizer bar, the handling is tighter. The changes work very well, because the ride is not at all rough, although you can certainly feel abrupt surface changes, in the rear wheels (your seat) more than the front (your hands and elbows), even with the stiffer front springs. Another excellent quality to the precise double-wishbone suspension is the total lack of indecision; when you bend into a corner with a lot of weight on the outside front wheel and hit a bump, the shock absorbers aggressively meet and swallow it in one quick sharp gulp.
The NSX may not hug the road with the kart-like aggressiveness of, say, the Subaru WRX, but neither does it offer any feeling that it wants to go anywhere but stay the road, like, say, the Viper.
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