NSX NC1 - Track Review Laguna Seca - Randy Pobst

[RYU]

Finally a legit track review.

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[jwmelvin]

Guess the Audi didn't have any problems that day. It and the McLaren kind of crushed the NSX in terms of lap time. At least the NSX almost kept up with the Mustang.

 

[haveblue]

I'm going to be bummed if the NSX gets beaten by the Porsche. They always manage to squeeze out stupid fast lap times out of such little power.

 

[fastaussie]

Guess the Audi didn't have any problems that day. It and the McLaren kind of crushed the NSX in terms of lap time.

don't forget about the AMG GTS.

i told N Spec not to discount it 6 months ago...

 

[chrisn]

Man, it is the Golden Age of performance cars! So many awesome choices. Three cheers for global competition!

I have no regrets (after 30 hours) about NSX, but I certainly can't argue with folks who go a different direction. I'm headed to track this weekend, so I'll have a better sense after that (not that I have any real driving skills).

 

[N Spec]

don't forget about the AMG GTS.

i told N Spec not to discount it 6 months ago...

The new NSX still looks better than the GTS IMO haha. It's hard to compete with the current F1 dominators yea?

 

[The King]

The new NSX still looks better than the GTS IMO haha. It's hard to compete with the current F1 dominators yea?

The NSX is definitely better looking than the GTS. Could the nose of that thing be any longer?

 

[G.Irish]

Someone from TOV pointed this out but it looks like the car was not in track mode during this lap. The display on the center screen and the tachometer display don't look like what the car looks like in track mode. Can anyone who has taken delivery confirm?

 

[N Spec]

Looks like Track mode to me. It has the orange/yellow gauge highlight. Sport+ is blue I thought?

 

[fastaussie]

I'm going to be bummed if the NSX gets beaten by the Porsche. They always manage to squeeze out stupid fast lap times out of such little power.

be prepared to be bummed, the NSX was beaten by 2/3's of the cars in the contest. Randy drove them all. :frown:

p.s. the Porsche was .08 of a second slower than the NSX with only 420 horsepower and no torque vectoring, not even a full tenth of a second...

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[chrisn]

Yeah, but that's the 991 Turbo-- I'm pretty sure that thing is a turbo.... Wait. Hold on. Damn it! I guess four wheel steering is better than four wheel drive... Impressive. And Randy left PDK on Auto. Think how much faster he would be if he picked his own gears. ;-)

 

[fastaussie]

i'll admit, Porsche doesn't make the most pretty Supercars, or the best sounding, or the most exciting.

but they damn sure get the job done... :wink:

 

[scammy]

that 570s is what the NSX should have been, you just cant hide that weight of those batteries

 

[kendallj]

that 570s is what the NSX should have been, you just cant hide that weight of those batteries

and the two motors at the front.

Question for the knowledgeable - assuming a hypothetical that Honda produce a non-hybrid production version of the NSX - and I would expect an immediate considerable reduction of weight. Assuming the ICE can take a little more turbo boost and benefit from better flowing exhausts etc, how significant does the turbo-lag become? What I've observed of track video of the NSX, once the car is launched away from standstill, the computer seems to keep the rev change points in the optimal power band. So does that mean turbo-lag is practically a non-issue, apart from belting away from the grid?

 

[scammy]

if you watch all the hot lap videos posted this week by Randy Pobst and crew you just have to ask is all that stuff worth it, get rid of the front engines and just have the ice and the electric engine on the gearbox lose a lot of weight and maybe its not perfect but the weight is killing the car in comparison to others

 

[Hothonda]

i'll admit, Porsche doesn't make the most pretty Supercars, or the best sounding, or the most exciting.

but they damn sure get the job done... :wink:

Overview (Excellence Magazine):

 

[RYU]

I'll play devil's advocate for the NC1 a bit... What about the other uses when it's not on track. I'm considering buying one for street use mostly yet no one has metrics pertinent for that use. I drive an EV as a DD and love it. To have a hybrid sportscar seems great. It's not easy to quantify and compare that experience.

Yet, someone said it here... The Porsche does it well but no one is putting it down for its slower lap time.

I'm really most interested in the owners posting their ownership experiences with the NC1. Hope to start seeing those over the course of this year.

The base NC1 isn't designed to be a track weapon. Though the NC1 type R or GT3 will be. That's coming down the pike folks but in good ole Honda fashion...will take a while probably

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I won't spoil it but here's the full Motor Trend 2016 Driver's car of the year video

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[chrisn]

@kendallj: The NSX is a technology showcase. If you don't value that as part of the purchase experience, you probably should not buy one (unless you're a huge fan of the looks, which are spectacular IMHO). I think it is very fair to assume that a RWD, weight-reduced non-EV version would be faster around the track. But that's not the point of the car.

Once the car "wakes up" (engine spooled, proper gear selected by you or car), turbo lag is not perceptiblein the NSX other than by ear. But, again, remember that on track Turbo lag is not a huge deal since the driver learns and adapts to it.

 

[fastaussie]

i think why most people are let down by the NSX's performance, is that the car is a technology showcase of technology that isn't working...

 

[N Spec]

Again, I'll simply wait to see what the ICE turbo engine upgrade will yield. At 500 hp at higher speeds with a ~3800 lb curb weight, it's actually under-powered compared to even the GTR. This is the 1990s all over again really. The NSX had a mere ~280 hp and cars from Japan (3000GT, Supra, 300ZX, Rx7, GTR) half it's price had a little more horsepower and had comparable metric measurements. However, the difference can be felt after driving all of them...

Luckily for the new NSX, the darkside of the turbo path yield much easy power gains for the future compared to the first gen.

 

[Hothonda]

The thing that surprises me is Honda had the ability & resources to build whatever they wanted - clean slate, start from -0- like in 1990.

Is the new NSX really the result they wanted?

1st Generation NSX was praised by most everyone from day 1........

If someone said I'll give you my NSX for your TT even up, doubtful I'd trade (I'm serious)

Really wanted to like the new gen and have as my 6th NSX....seems only mediocre for $200K

 

[chrisn]

i think why most people are let down by the NSX's performance, is that the car is a technology showcase of technology that isn't working...

It works if you like technology for the sake of technology (and as a glimpse of the future), which I do. If you you judge new technology solely by its ability to beat the best of the old approaches around the track, then you'll be consistently disappointed at early versions of new approaches. I was hopeful that the NSX would be high-tech, stunning looking and would be as fast as the best of the competition around a track. Two out of three is good enough for me.

I can confirm that the technology and whole package is awesome fun on the highway and back roads, and will get a taste on the track in couple of days and will report back.

 

[N Spec]

I didn't like the NSX from day 1 or upon first impression on paper. There were many reviewers that did not like it either and thought it to be Ferrari-wannabe.

I still would prefer to the own the second gen NSX versus any 911 based upon virtues besides having an efficiently blazing-fast car. Porsche still has Honda beat on that given the metrics.

 

[chrisn]

At 500 hp at higher speeds with a ~3800 lb curb weight, it's actually under-powered compared to even the GTR.

We all know that first gen turbo engines often leave a ton on the table in terms of power potential. I, too, expect significant increases in both ICE and EV output over time on essentially identical hardware (perhaps tweaked turbo fans). But, I suspect that the need for thermal management and the design objective of consistent lapping performance are a SERIOUS constraint that they will deal with cautiously. The world-beating Z06, for example, overheats after a couple of hard laps in hot ambient conditions.

 

[fastaussie]

It works if you like technology for the sake of technology (and as a glimpse of the future), which I do. If you you judge new technology solely by its ability to beat the best of the old approaches around the track, then you'll be consistently disappointed at early versions of new approaches.

the 918 works...