http://www.sleepy-fish.com/fish/Top_Gear_Honda_Civic_NSX_hi.wmv Sorry that you have to watch the first part about the civic- but the second part of the video is a complete bashing of the NSX.. Pretty funny!
That boy can drive! The line Im sure you guys like best is.... "The thing is, no matter how hard it tried, it was never a Ferrari". 70,000 pounds for a 300 hp performance car?
I had a '94 NSX. It wasn't a bad car, but it wasn't a great car. I guess the 6 spds were better, but they couldn't have been THAT much better. i bought a 355. That was a great car.
I have a book called the Directory of Classic Cars that makes an interesting statement about it. The one thing you have to remember about the NSX, is that nothing, absolutely nothing is wrong with its engineering, its behavior or its performance. It really is a great car. The book reads, "It did have one failing Honda could not solve- it was not a Ferrari. Not even in the USA, where cynicim about Ferrari reliability was well established, and where the NSX sold behind an Acura instead of a Honda badge, could sales stand up against those of the Italians."
That is because I believe they made it's driving experience similar to driving a fast Accord ... according to the mags I have read. Not many people want a practical sportscar no matter how many times they think they do, they (I believe) want a car that is something special ... Pete
I had a NA2, and from my experiance it was NOT as you describe. The sensation of you got was not like an accord. Lord the accord will not be rock stable at 145 for an extended period of time. (nice story behind that one) Anyway, the experiance IMHO is similar to the feel of a BMW, but if you made it MUCH lighter. It lacks the heavy vault like feel of the doors etc, but at speed you felt very well put togeter, like a porsche..sorta. At low rpms its drove like a TL acura. Nice comfy, a bit low at times, but with grip and handling to make you smile. Getting bored? Drop it a gear or 2, and rev her to 5000rpms the car starts screaming in anger and fury, but never giving that sound of oh for gods sake why are you reving me up? My final thoughts on the car? Awesome car, I loved it, it had enough torque to make me think it had an 8 (unless you are idling...thats another story too), and the noise was near to that of a Ferrari's. Near. IMHO it was better than a Porsche's. Senna would be proud. And he was.
I love my NSX but in no way do I think is better than a Ferrari. I will always want one and will get sooner or later. Although there are some weakpoints in the car, there are many more to appreciate including the uniqueness. 1. The looks 2. The mid-engine 3. High Revving Design 4. Great Handling Nice sounding car at high RPM, and in no way drives like an Accord to me..it doesnt look that bad now does it??? It may not be the fastest car out there, but fast enough for me.
Pete, I have read that comment about the accord a million times and I really don't understand why they say that. It is NOTHING like an accord when you are driving a low speeds or high speeds. I am sure a NSX owner in your area would be willing to give you a ride and you can see for yourself. As far as it being practical. Well, a lot of NSX owners use their car as daily drivers. How many ferrari owners do that? I cannot understand how people critize a car that a useable trunk and is reliable enough to be used as a daily driver. I would think those would be qualities people would look for in a car.
Keep in mind the source of the video. The UK! They have been bashing the NSX since day one. Probably the only country where magazined routinely placed the early 348's ahead of the NSX (certainly not the case here in the US). Some of you are way too caught up in the Ferrari mystique. Certainly now-a-days the NSX seems way too tame to compete with Porsche's and Ferrari's offerings but in the early 90's when it came it out it was a much better car than the 348 was. I have driven both pretty extensively and the 348 may look better and have to status image but it wasn't a better car and certaily not worth an extra 20-30K. Keep in mind that British society has always been cuaght up on heritige and bloodlines. This is where the Ferrari impresses them and the NSX doesn't. What was it Madona said about the British "...you can have all the money in the world, but if you don't come from royal bloodlines in the UK you're just a peasant with money". It's the old class structure things and it extends to cars as well. The NSX comes from a Honda lawnmower company while the Ferrari comes from the guys that have won all those F1 titles. In the end I am grateful for the NSX in forcing Ferrari to build a decent 355. The NSX was and still is a great car. Regards, Jon P. Kofod www.flatoutracing.net
The only decent cars the British ever built were the Mini Cooper, McLaren F1, Lotus Elise, and Lotus Esprit. Everything else sucks, so they don't have much room to talk.
The only decent cars the British ever built were the Mini Cooper, McLaren F1, Lotus Elise, and Lotus Esprit. Everything else sucks, so they don't have much room to talk. You have not driven a Sunbeam Tiger then. It has the lovely walnut burl dash, and a a sweet sound when you mash the go pedal. It also get high marks on the ole Butt-o-meter.
Il Comm, I doubt whether you have driven an Aston-Martin.If you had ,you certainly would have added it to your list of great British cars.
The next NSX is supposed to be fantastic. I hope they don't make it goofy looking. And it better have at least 8 cylinders if they want to sell any.
Well let's hope the concept vehicle they unveiled is revised a bit at least the rear of the car. Honda has confirmed that the new NSX will retain the 6 cylinder but be bumped up to 350 hp or thereabouts. Image Unavailable, Please Login