New NSX thoughts/experience from those at NSXPO 2015

[N Spec]

Awesome insight. I can't wait to see what the press say about it and if they finally can release some solid numbers.

 

[Hothonda]

When you haven't had sex for 10 years anything sounds good......

 

[RYU]

When you haven't had sex for 10 years anything sounds good......

What are you talking about... I have sex with my old 25yo hag every wknd I can!

 

[docjohn]

What are you talking about... I have sex with my old 25yo hag every wknd I can!

I'm robbing the cradle with my 19 yo.......:redface: hothonda has a point though,,,,we are all hard up for a successor...

 

[JLCoolman]

Yes, you were not allowed to sit in it, but you could stick your head inside and touch things. I shot this quick look at the inside:

I love the new car. I'm not as obsessed with the look so much as I am with the technology and engineering it contains. Same thing attracted me to the original. Ted Klaus spent some time geeking out and explaining details of the car to a small crowd of us. How the air flows through it, even down to the subtle creases in the top of the trunk lid that help guide the vortices generated by the flying buttresses. The vortices are in turn pulled downward by the vents above each taillight and the flow from the diffuser which improves downforce on the rear deck lid.

Thanks for your impressions Glen. I kept hearing from others that Ted was explaining the aerodynamics associated with the car at various times, but it was usually a "small" crowd involved (exaggeration on small, lol). I would've loved to hear his talk-through of Peter's driving, but lunch beckoned as the group transitioned back to the track area, hehehe.

I believe it's on the right side of the center console directly beneath the glove box, see Bob's photo where it's hidden by a shadow.

As far as my thoughts on the new NSX: I think it's definitely cool looking but I'm not immediately in love with the real car at first sight like I was with the original NSX. All the technology sounds impressive, but without technical specs, a drive impression, and not even being able to sit in the car makes it impossible to make any kind of assessment on that front. I am concerned about rear visibility due to the massive C pillars and narrow rear window, and I'm not sure how much a blind spot monitoring system & rear camera will alleviate the issue. I don't like the visible location of the driver door key hole, and I'm not crazy about the fact that the engine hatch and trunk open together. There's also a hump in the middle of the trunk, which was supposedly unavoidable due to exhaust design, so we'll see how that affects storage (speaking of which, there is none in the front compartment--no spare tire either).

So all I can say is: I have to reserve judgment until I can actually eXperience the car.

Thanks for your honesty Kelvin. It's good to hear opinions from all directions. I definitely keep an ear out for everybody's thoughts, especially people with as much experience and love for the NSX as you. I have heard quite a few insights from various people with plenty of experience with the NSX as well as other high caliber cars. For instance, someone definitely appreciated that the new NSX has typical swing-open style doors, as they weren't very fond of the helical-style doors in a 650S that made ingress/egress difficult.
I too have concerns regarding rear visibility as I actually brought this topic up during our first interaction with Ted back in 2013, but speaking with Michael Cao I believe they tried to address this issue as much as possible while under the constraints of the new overall package/design (particularly with the inclusion of the very ingenious flying buttresses). If I remember correctly, Michael tried to hint/touch on this aspect during his presentation.
Either way, like you said, we won't know till we truly get hands on with the vehicle.
And, I believe the trunk hump is due more to the transmission and longitudinal layout, but I'm sure exhaust routing was a factor as well.
I asked out at Thermal, but unfortunately the hood was the one thing they weren't allowed to open for us (unless someone else was lucky enough to see in there). They said it would be boring to look at electric motors.

I've always liked the proportions. It's about the size of a Huracan which is a GOOD THING. It's really quite amazing they can fit that much technology in such a small package. I'm curious what the curb weight will be.

From what I gather from Ted and Peter, with the little that they would tell me and mostly from what Ted and Michael was presenting on stage, this NSX will be just like the first one in terms of what I call "Accessible Performance". Peak numbers will matter little. It's everything in between that should set this car apart. It was interesting that Ted mentioned a small tid bit of info comparing this to the 918 Porsche.

I agree Regan. A great car is a sum of many things over one.

And my ears definitely caught the 918 reference!

 

[Jinks]

I think the nsx looks pretty cool and Bob explained the reason why only a select few peoples bums got to ever sit in it but I am growing tired of being teased by Acura. It's kind of like someone you really have interest in who stands you up on multiple occasions. Sooner or later, you'll just stop chasing. I think a lot of people here have reached that point.
Plus, at the base price I would much rather prefer something like a Mclaren or a Lamborghini. Just as the Acura home page states, the tlx,mdx, and other cars influenced the design. That is something I couldn't bare paying 150k or more for and waiting and waiting with false promises for. Just saying. By the time of its release, it will already be dated...

 

[BB]

Compared to a nicely optioned 911, the interior of the NSX does not look inspiring at all.

You have to be kidding. The 911 interior looks more German sedan than exotic sports car. Nice, but I wouldn't call it inspiring. If this was the interior of a sports sedan I'd say it's great, but as a sports car interior it's just meh.

I'm pretty sure the silver trim pieces on the 911 dash are coated plastic. On the NSX the silver elements on the dash are real aluminum. Despite this we have to keep listening to this constant chorus about how cheap the materials are in the NSX. When the new NSX was first revealed I recall seeing a comment on Jalopnik along the lines of "Typical Acura with acres of cheap chrome plated plastic covering the dash!"

I propose that what these people really want is European (German) styling. I have a Bosch espresso machine and it has the same vibe as the 911 interior shown below-- tone on tone shading with very clean (somewhat conservative and restrained) styling. The new NSX looks too Japanese and Japanese cars no longer have the aspirational appeal they had in the early 90's.

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Just as the Acura home page states, the tlx,mdx, and other cars influenced the design.

Fortunately the 911 preserves its family linage as well. The 911 interior looks mostly the same as the Porsche sedan and SUV models. It's comforting to know that your $180,000 Turbo S has a similar looking interior to the Porsche/VW mommy mobile (Cayenne SUV).

 

[N Spec]

You have to be kidding. The 911 interior looks more German sedan than exotic sports car. Nice, but I wouldn't call it inspiring. If this was the interior of a sports sedan I'd say it's great, but as a sports car interior it's just meh.

I'm pretty sure the silver trim pieces on the 911 dash are coated plastic. On the NSX the silver elements on the dash are real aluminum. Despite this we have to keep listening to this constant chorus about how cheap the materials are in the NSX. When the new NSX was first revealed I recall seeing a comment on Jalopnik along the lines of "Typical Acura with acres of cheap chrome plated plastic covering the dash!"

I propose that what these people really want is European (German) styling. I have a Bosch espresso machine and it has the same vibe as the 911 interior shown below-- tone on tone shading with very clean (somewhat conservative and restrained) styling. The new NSX looks too Japanese and Japanese cars no longer have the aspirational appeal they had in the early 90's.

- - - Updated - - -

Fortunately the 911 preserves its family linage as well. The 911 interior looks mostly the same as the Porsche sedan and SUV models. It's comforting to know that your $180,000 Turbo S has a similar looking interior to the Porsche/VW mommy mobile (Cayenne SUV).

Different taste for different factions I suppose. I also personally agree that the new NSX is very nice and is not getting the recognition it deserves.

 

[DocL]

I didn't say I didn't like the layout of the new NSX. If you've ever been in a new 911 with the full leather package the interior is very appealing to the touch and eye. Yes it is styled more towards a grand touring coupe, but a $150k optioned 911 has a very nice interior. I wish Acura would have used a few more exotic materials in the interior. That is all.

 

[Hothonda]

I didn't say I didn't like the layout of the new NSX. If you've ever been in a new 911 with the full leather package the interior is very appealing to the touch and eye. Yes it is styled more towards a grand touring coupe, but a $150k optioned 911 has a very nice interior. I wish Acura would have used a few more exotic materials in the interior. That is all.

991 leather interior is very nice...ergonomics & controls very intuitive.... A well equipped 991S w/PDK runs $125 MSRP.
Cayenne, Panamera & Macan interiors are quite similar to all the 991 models.

I own a '15 MDX and the infotainment system is a train wreck.

The 1st gen NSX was one of the most comfortable for a long trip that I have ever driven.

 

[N Spec]

Real aluminum vs painted plastic. Sterile Sporty Interior versus mildly aggressive interior. I personally think the Porsche interior is overpriced IMO and everyone has a different style of approach, but people let the Acura brand stigmatize the new NSX's interior I think. It'll probably earn more acclaim once people can actually sit in it and drive it.

 

[vf2ss]

...but people let the Acura brand stigmatize the new NSX's interior I think.

hey spec i'm interpreting this sentence 2 different ways and was hoping you could elucidate. thanks

 

[N Spec]

hey spec i'm interpreting this sentence 2 different ways and was hoping you could elucidate. thanks

For whatever reason, the Honda fans or would-be Honda fans seems to be really hard on Acura as a brand. I'm not exclusive or bias towards any brand other than common knowledge and experience with their reputation.

I've sat in and driven many cars over the years, old, modern, and new. My sense is that the new Acura's are getting better in most cases with their interior design especially with such sculpted/more articulated designs in the wake of more advanced 3D CAD modeling, compared to the sterile styling of German interior which is usually more elementary and geometric that reflect the 80's limited CAD effective capabilities.

The pictures of the Porsche's interior in this thread represent that simplistic or minimalist approach. Now some may argue that, this is what they prefer and we could go round and round about which one is better. However, again, in this new era of CAD dominate industry, the interiors that are harder or "more challenging" to manufacturer would be the more articulated designs, such as what Acura has been doing in some instances like the NSX's interior with the Y-shaped aluminum element being prevalent in the interior. So in one argument, you can say the Germans took the easy way out and made an easy-to-make interior. On the other hand, one could argue that a more complex interior would make things complicated and more prone to breaking, although I don't see much of the interior moving so I think it's a sound approach.

Most people don't like change I suppose and still want the simple interiors of the 80s, when technology limited the imagination and the shapes were more predictable. There is something really powerful with immediately understanding a design upon first view, but sometimes it's nice to be risky and have a complicated layout too.

 

[vf2ss]

^got it. thanks!

 

[kookoo4nsx]

so which member got a ride along and where is their review?

 

[bruckner]

The NSX we were given is the actual NSX that will be use for the press within the next two weeks. We were asked not to talk about it until the press can do their thing since we were given a rare opportunity to have it before them.

Most exciting post in a long time. Does this mean we can expect video reviews anytime soon?

 

[Yinzer]

The NSX we were given is the actual NSX that will be use for the press within the next two weeks. We were asked not to talk about it until the press can do their thing since we were given a rare opportunity to have it before them.

Know if anyone left any Easter eggs for the press to discover? The pre-owned Tacoma I just bought had a bowtie in the passenger door cubby, and I have a friend who found a delicate "unmentionable" under the driver's seat of a car he once bought. Maybe an NSXPO speedo?

I need to write Toyota a letter to add a line item to their CPO inspection list.

 

[docjohn]

Know if anyone left any Easter eggs for the press to discover? The pre-owned Tacoma I just bought had a bowtie in the passenger door cubby, and I have a friend who found a delicate "unmentionable" under the driver's seat of a car he once bought. Maybe an NSXPO speedo?

.

to my knowledge only miled proudly wore his nsxpo speedo...

 

[warrenw]

Know if anyone left any Easter eggs for the press to discover? The pre-owned Tacoma I just bought had a bowtie in the passenger door cubby, and I have a friend who found a delicate "unmentionable" under the driver's seat of a car he once bought. Maybe an NSXPO speedo?

I need to write Toyota a letter to add a line item to their CPO inspection list.

I left some Canadian Change under the passenger seat. (a Loonie and a Twoonie.)

Does anyone know when the official press release date is? Shouldn't be long now.

 

[DocL]

Does anyone know when the official press release date is? Shouldn't be long now.

Isn't the car going to be sold as a 2017 model? If so, a press release should be made public in about 6 months.

 

[liftcontrol]

Isn't the car going to be sold as a 2017 model? If so, a press release should be made public in about 6 months.

A press release will be made in about 6 months to let the public know it is further delayed by another year because the competition is so much tougher and HONDA cannot stand to bring out a car that is not better than all the rest...hence , it will delay bringing out the car for as long as the competition keeps improving their cars.

See, it is the fault of the competition to keep getting their cars better and not letting poor HONDA catch up:frown:

 

[ky650]

I've sat in and driven many cars over the years, old, modern, and new. My sense is that the new Acura's are getting better in most cases with their interior design especially with such sculpted/more articulated designs in the wake of more advanced 3D CAD modeling, compared to the sterile styling of German interior which is usually more elementary and geometric that reflect the 80's limited CAD effective capabilities.

I think this is an incredibly bizarre assumption to make; the talent used in automotive design could easily CAD any form they desired. These interiors aren't limited by their CAD tools, they're guided by each brand's visual identity. Porsche's references their heritage and the 991 interior has done a brilliant job IMO executing upon that. Whether that's your cup of tea is a whole different matter.

The pictures of the Porsche's interior in this thread represent that simplistic or minimalist approach. Now some may argue that, this is what they prefer and we could go round and round about which one is better. However, again, in this new era of CAD dominate industry, the interiors that are harder or "more challenging" to manufacturer would be the more articulated designs, such as what Acura has been doing in some instances like the NSX's interior with the Y-shaped aluminum element being prevalent in the interior. So in one argument, you can say the Germans took the easy way out and made an easy-to-make interior. On the other hand, one could argue that a more complex interior would make things complicated and more prone to breaking, although I don't see much of the interior moving so I think it's a sound approach.

Most people don't like change I suppose and still want the simple interiors of the 80s, when technology limited the imagination and the shapes were more predictable. There is something really powerful with immediately understanding a design upon first view, but sometimes it's nice to be risky and have a complicated layout too.

More complex geometry doesn't make something necessarily harder to manufacture. The material, fabrication process, tolerances, design features, undercuts, finishing passes, part count, assembly, etc etc make something harder to manufacture. We can't tell easily from looking at those photos and seeing parts in isolation how complex they really are. In the 911, that silver trim piece can either be a painted piece of plastic or a stamped piece of brushed aluminum (optional) mounted to a plastic substrate. For all we know the NSX's trim piece is also just a stamped piece of aluminum sheet as well. If you don't feel the 911's interior had enough man hours put into it feel free to order the optional air conditioning vent slats wrapped in leather along with every other square inch of the interior.

I'm a huge fan of minimalist designs and try to design nothing but. The beauty of minimalism comes from fanatical attention to each detail, the interplay between those details, proportion, and how the math of everything adds up. If those bits aren't executed upon flawlessly then instead of coming across as minimal, your design comes off as either unfinished or some extruded engineering prototype. The opposite side of minimalism just means following the latest design flavour of the year. Use a flashy new surface treatment (flame surfacing), add drama with lots of random bits (like those random creases on the M4's rear bumper) apply crazy materials and textures, it makes a statement for sure. Once the novelty wears off however you're left with little substance, and that's when your design doesn't age so gracefully because the underlying structure never made sense to begin with. This makes minimalism much harder to pull off IMO. Apple doesn't dominate design because of how long their products take to CAD (they're quite easy considering), they do because of the ingenuity of their concepts and their final execution.

I've seen you use your design background a lot to try and justify arguments on the forum but I don't think you necessarily represent things fairly or accurately. It's hard to split subjective preference from objective design execution apart at times. Try to be more careful when using your #blindthemwithscience card.

 

[N Spec]

I think this is an incredibly bizarre assumption to make; the talent used in automotive design could easily CAD any form they desired. These interiors aren't limited by their CAD tools, they're guided by each brand's visual identity. Porsche's references their heritage and the 991 interior has done a brilliant job IMO executing upon that. Whether that's your cup of tea is a whole different matter.

More complex geometry doesn't make something necessarily harder to manufacture. The material, fabrication process, tolerances, design features, undercuts, finishing passes, part count, assembly, etc etc make something harder to manufacture. We can't tell easily from looking at those photos and seeing parts in isolation how complex they really are. In the 911, that silver trim piece can either be a painted piece of plastic or a stamped piece of brushed aluminum (optional) mounted to a plastic substrate. For all we know the NSX's trim piece is also just a stamped piece of aluminum sheet as well. If you don't feel the 911's interior had enough man hours put into it feel free to order the optional air conditioning vent slats wrapped in leather along with every other square inch of the interior.

I'm a huge fan of minimalist designs and try to design nothing but. The beauty of minimalism comes from fanatical attention to each detail, the interplay between those details, proportion, and how the math of everything adds up. If those bits aren't executed upon flawlessly then instead of coming across as minimal, your design comes off as either unfinished or some extruded engineering prototype. The opposite side of minimalism just means following the latest design flavour of the year. Use a flashy new surface treatment (flame surfacing), add drama with lots of random bits (like those random creases on the M4's rear bumper) apply crazy materials and textures, it makes a statement for sure. Once the novelty wears off however you're left with little substance, and that's when your design doesn't age so gracefully because the underlying structure never made sense to begin with. This makes minimalism much harder to pull off IMO. Apple doesn't dominate design because of how long their products take to CAD (they're quite easy considering), they do because of the ingenuity of their concepts and their final execution.

I've seen you use your design background a lot to try and justify arguments on the forum but I don't think you necessarily represent things fairly or accurately. It's hard to split subjective preference from objective design execution apart at times. Try to be more careful when using your #blindthemwithscience card.

I'm familiar with German and various European designs as others. I'm not here to start a faction war about which side is better as it's always subjective when it comes to art. I already said it was subjective. Thank for re-iterating that in your defense of Porsche even if it's not warranted. Their sales number alone can defend the brand and behind that would be good ol boy mentality. However, keep in mind that just because something sells well doesn't mean it's for everyone. Also, I never said I wasn't a fan of minimalism nor did I say the new NSX's interior was balanced enough.

I'm simply saying I have not seen much of anything exciting to come out of Porsche nor Audi's interior as of late that challenges the new level detail CAD tools can deliver. The new GTS's interior is pretty nice tho and I enjoyed the older Carrera GT's interior also. Not all German interiors are boring and not all Italian interiors are exciting either.

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Much more exciting than the typical Porsche interior, but still clean and minimal.

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And even with updated tech like a plethora of LCD screens, I still personally prefer the Carrera GT's interior over the current 918's more "generic" surface/button treatment.. Too much inarticulate silver trim perhaps.

 

[latzke]

After seeing those Porsche interiors, I withdraw the minor criticisms I have for the NSX interior. Some see "heritage." I think, "Really, they're still turning out crap interiors?"

NSX and McLaren have comparatively amazing interior designs.

 

[PHOEN$X]

After seeing the technical specs and reading the initial reviews, I think Acura has probably accomplished its design objectives with the new NSX. It's a technology showcase that doesn't compromise on comfort, everyday driveability, and (hopefully) Honda reliability. Congrats to everyone involved in the creation of the new NSX.

That said, I'm not sure the new car represents what I was hoping for in an NSX successor. The thing I love most about the original NSX is its go-kart like feel. That's possible because of Honda engineering, and what technology it did offer helps me to feel more connected to the road, not less--even if it's not the fastest thing on pavement. With the new NSX, although engineering is still important, I fear it has taken a backseat to technology. I can't really fault the design team for that; as a flagship product it needs to feature technologies that exists in (or will eventually make their way into) the rest of the product line, so they probably couldn't go with a "less is more" or purist sports car approach in a luxury brand line-up.

I guess I was hoping for more Bac Mono and less GTR with the new NSX, and that doesn't appear to be what has been delivered. Perhaps a test drive will change my mind, but at this point I'm holding tight onto my 1990s NSXs.