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reviews are out

Adamantium said:
I think this is exactly how I feel distilled into a sound conclusion. Given the choice it has all the bits I would put into my idea of the perfect Supercar and yet its ingredients don't seem to result in a magical taste. Maybe there's a secret ingredient missing?
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Your comments are a sure sign the NSX is not for you.
Early on you were posting how you were buying one and had a friend lined up to change the low quality Honda OEM turbos etc. etc.
Now you're backing away and rightly so, keep the GTR, or buy something else.
 
I am changing my tune. I don't think test drives make sense for skeptics. I generally buy high-demand all-new cars sight unseen and without test drive. I've tried to keep my expectations within reasonable bounds and have never been disappointed. If someone is not excited about the car (either because it never seemed cool, or initial excitement was based on lofty expectations that were not fulfilled), they should just move on. The reality is that no test drive will reveal a car's potential in a way that it can be fairly evaluated by the driver.

Years ago, I had a chance to get a 430 for a good price, but decided to test drive it first. I was driving an E60 M5 and 997TT at the time, and the 430 seemed, wait for it, slow compared to the Turbo. And the F1 transmission seemed clunky (even compared to the clunky M5's SMG). And the 430's exhaust note was no more thrilling than the V10 M5 at full 8.25K song. I couldn't pull the trigger. And I regret it. I should not have driven it.
 
Adamantium said:
Think that's probably sensible advice. NSX still on order but I have another brand new gtr coming in two weeks at least until I have to decide.
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We all know instinctively when we see a car that we want to buy.
If we have reservations we'll never be totally happy.

I want the new NSX because it's an NSX, and will accept whatever shortcomings and glitches it may have.
The same was true with my 91 NSX when I bought it new.
It's been the best car I've ever owned and I expect the new one will be just the same.
 
JD Cross said:
On this point you are wrong.
The new NSX has delivered and exceeded what was promised in the stated objectives and so delivered what was expected.
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oh yeah? it's got all this super duper tech, instant electric motors, torque filled, no lag turbo integrated hybrid system straight out of F1. which was supposed to make it the quickest thing off the line. is it?

it has 9 gears, yet gets 22 mpg on the highway.

it has the fancy schancy SH-AWD torque vectoring system that was supposed to revolutionalise the way it corners and handles. is it the best handling?

JD Cross said:
Your point is it is hasn't delivered what you expected.
That's fair enough.
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you may well be right? but i seem to recall a whole lot of disappointed Primers when the first results of the comparison tests started coming in and the R8, McLaren's and Porsches were running away from it.

you can't deny that it hasn't lived up to its promise in the performance department.

JD Cross said:
As you've driven many other high end cars your posts might add value to the forum when you've driven the NSX and can make an actual comparo. But at this juncture your posts are same old, same old and not doing your credibility any favors.
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it's laughable that you think i'm the slightest bit concerned with my credibility on a forum of which i (actually) know virtually no one. i could be 12 years old and sell ice creams for all you know. but i must say i am finding it highly amusing how easily annoyed you and some others get when anybody says the slightest negative thing about this car. it's really very silly. you guys will pounce on anyone who expresses a different view than what you want to see.

it's a nice car, said it before. it's fast, looks alright, and does the job. a genuine Supercar. AWD, turbos, low slung with lots of techie stuff for the virtual crowd. if that's your bag, great. it is many people's, maybe as many as 800. if it's not, cool also. this is a forum, last i checked the description, people talk in forums and exchange information and ideas. if you can't handle the other side of the argument, why don't you stop contributing to the conversation?
 
chrisn said:
I am changing my tune. I don't think test drives make sense for skeptics. I generally buy high-demand all-new cars sight unseen and without test drive. I've tried to keep my expectations within reasonable bounds and have never been disappointed. If someone is not excited about the car (either because it never seemed cool, or initial excitement was based on lofty expectations that were not fulfilled), they should just move on. The reality is that no test drive will reveal a car's potential in a way that it can be fairly evaluated by the driver.

Years ago, I had a chance to get a 430 for a good price, but decided to test drive it first. I was driving an E60 M5 and 997TT at the time, and the 430 seemed, wait for it, slow compared to the Turbo. And the F1 transmission seemed clunky (even compared to the clunky M5's SMG). And the 430's exhaust note was no more thrilling than the V10 M5 at full 8.25K song. I couldn't pull the trigger. And I regret it. I should not have driven it.
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very interesting viewpoint. i never liked the 430 myself, and the transmission was absolutely horrible. the Scuderia is a different story, entirely different car.

why did you regret not pulling the trigger after the test drive? wouldn't you have been more disappointed to buy the car and then dislike it post purchase?
 
fastaussie said:
oh yeah? it's got all this super duper tech, instant electric motors, torque filled, no lag turbo integrated hybrid system straight out of F1. which was supposed to make it the quickest thing off the line. is it? it has 9 gears, yet gets 22 mpg on the highway. it has the fancy schancy SH-AWD torque vectoring system that was supposed to revolutionalise the way it corners and handles. is it the best handling?

it's laughable that you think i'm the slightest bit concerned with my credibility on a forum of which i (actually) know virtually no one. i could be 12 years old and sell ice creams for all you know. but i must say i am finding it highly amusing how easily annoyed you and some others get when anybody says the slightest negative thing about this car. it's really very silly. you guys will pounce on anyone who expresses a different view than what you want to see.

it's a nice car, said it before. it's fast, looks alright, and does the job. a genuine Supercar. AWD, turbos, low slung with lots of techie stuff for the virtual crowd. if that's your bag, great. it is many people's, maybe as many as 800. if it's not, cool also. this is a forum, last i checked the description, people talk in forums and exchange information and ideas. if you can't handle the other side of the argument, why don't you stop contributing to the conversation?
Click to expand...

If you were to check the cars that the new NSX was positioned and tested against (458, 911 etc) you'll find it met or exceeded their performance numbers.
The NSX design team never promised any more than that and it delivered.
I know this because I discussed it with the team leader.

Since then the competition raised the bar and the NSX is "in the mix" to quote Chris but not the fastest etc.
And I'm sure many forum members were hoping for better NSX performance numbers hence the disappointment from some.
That's to be expected as the bar is constantly being moved in the segment.

As far as your posts on this or any other forum, I think we all like to think what we say adds some value and I don't think you're any different.
What I think matters little, but I will say as I've followed your posts I enjoyed your comments about the many cars you've driven and your likes and dislikes.
I viewed you as a credible source of quality information.

It would be great if you could return to that one day.
 
fastaussie said:
i never liked the 430 myself, and the transmission was absolutely horrible. the Scuderia is a different story, entirely different car.

why did you regret not pulling the trigger after the test drive? wouldn't you have been more disappointed to buy the car and then dislike it post purchase?
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I still haven't owned a Ferrari, so I regret that. My point is that you either fall in love with the holistic notion of a car, or you don't. There's always something to nit pick.
 
fastaussie said:
fair enough, i see your point now.

tell you what, try a 458 and let me know if you come up with something you don't like...
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I haven't driven a 458, but my gut feeling tells me it would be a very different experience and probably feel much more exotic. The sounds alone would make the experience more exotic. My guess is they feel nothing alike.
 
chrisn said:
I am changing my tune. I don't think test drives make sense for skeptics. I generally buy high-demand all-new cars sight unseen and without test drive. I've tried to keep my expectations within reasonable bounds and have never been disappointed. If someone is not excited about the car (either because it never seemed cool, or initial excitement was based on lofty expectations that were not fulfilled), they should just move on. The reality is that no test drive will reveal a car's potential in a way that it can be fairly evaluated by the driver.
Click to expand...

I kinda disagree. If someone is kind of a hater or a brand snob, a test drive will not change their mind. But right now there are more supercars in the market than any other time in automotive history. Maybe there are enough buyers for every car to sell well, maybe there aren't. Either way, I suspect someone has to lose when the field is this big.

If you're trying to convince someone to buy your supercar instead of the 5 other alternatives, a test drive could be the deciding factor. It's one thing to read a spec sheet and magazine article to determine what you like, it's a whole 'nother thing to drive the car, and delve into what the car makes you feel.

I thought I was not going to like the Huracan, but that V10 makes you feel things that are best left unsaid in polite company. The 488 is the only car I've driven that made me laugh from the acceleration. I thought I'd really like the Turbo S, but it was kind of meh for me. If you're selling supercars, getting your qualified potential customers in the car can be the difference.

Having test drive events for customers could be a differentiator that could elevate the perception of your brand, and drive purchase intent. If you can test drive a NSX (and are treated well) but not a 570S or R8, maybe that makes you more likely to buy the NSX.
 
G.Irish said:
I kinda disagree. If someone is kind of a hater or a brand snob, a test drive will not change their mind. But right now there are more supercars in the market than any other time in automotive history. Maybe there are enough buyers for every car to sell well, maybe there aren't. Either way, I suspect someone has to lose when the field is this big.

If you're trying to convince someone to buy your supercar instead of the 5 other alternatives, a test drive could be the deciding factor. It's one thing to read a spec sheet and magazine article to determine what you like, it's a whole 'nother thing to drive the car, and delve into what the car makes you feel.

I thought I was not going to like the Huracan, but that V10 makes you feel things that are best left unsaid in polite company. The 488 is the only car I've driven that made me laugh from the acceleration. I thought I'd really like the Turbo S, but it was kind of meh for me. If you're selling supercars, getting your qualified potential customers in the car can be the difference.

Having test drive events for customers could be a differentiator that could elevate the perception of your brand, and drive purchase intent. If you can test drive a NSX (and are treated well) but not a 570S or R8, maybe that makes you more likely to buy the NSX.
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I would have a really hard time buying a car that expensive without test driving it first, but it sounds like that might the norm.
 
I have been prodding Acura to provide test drives for months.They had a couple of days of them at the Quail.it is a very strange company.For the LFA, Lexus had this really cool introduction at the Homestead track in Miami for potential buyers. Scott Pruett took me for a ride and Kyle Bush was there to meet folks.Then Lexus did local track events and I went to one near Chicago at one of these track country clubs. Didn't drive it there but got some nice road course in car experience.Acura has only committed to the one or two day track events as part of the tour options to get some time in the car, and you have to pay for those.I finally drove the LFA at a Lexus sponsored deliver development day at Sonoma. Pricey but lLFA seat time is hard to come by.
 
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NetViper said:
I would have a really hard time buying a car that expensive without test driving it first, but it sounds like that might the norm.
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Me too...the test drive is what got me started in 1994 with my 1st NSX & kept me coming back for 4 more.
 
I fear that what can be learned/felt (emotionally) during a test drive will be transient. If you come into a test drive biased toward buying, then a test drive can be confirmatory, but if you come in biased AGAINST buying, I would be VERY cautious in changing your opinion based on the test drive.

Successful marriages can be based on arranged marriages, pen-pals or extended (multi-month) dating. But having a 30 minute "speed date" with someone you are biased against marrying, and then decide to nonetheless elope in Vegas afterward is not a good life plan.

My 430 story muddied the water a bit from my original point: don't try to force love with a test drive. If you are biased against, move on. Lots of other fish in the sea.

I do agree that a series of back-to-back extended test drives (ideally on a track) with 4-5 top cars would be helpful. But that is generally not a realistic option for consumers.
 
I was biased about spending $40K on a 270 hp car even if it had 16k miles on it. I could buy 3-4 very nice same age 300 hp cars for that money. That changed after the test drive. That's just my input.

The F430 was just not for you and it's definitely the pinnacle of Ferrari at the moment. The NSX, like it or not, is the pinnacle of Honda at the moment.
 
I personally wasn't impressed by the NC1 at all until I test drove it. Completely changed my perspective.

There are a lot of cars that appear something on paper, and are something completely different in reality. Reality is what counts.
 
When I decided I wanted to buy a sedan, I test-drove over half a dozen different makes and models. There were some clear differences between all the cars. The one I ended up purchasing was the clear winner, and I still enjoy driving it to this day.

I also went to a Porsche Roadshow a few years ago and discovered to my surprised that I was disappointed by the Boxster/Cayman performance at autocross, didn't care for the Carrera S on the road course, and really liked the Carrera 4S on the road course.

I feel I'd definitely get some useful information out of an NSX test drive.

Then again, I purchased my S2000 without any test drive at all and never regretted that decisions, so... -shrug-
 
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I sat in an S2000 prior to buying mine in 1999.

I never sat in or saw the interior of an NSX until I arrived at the dealer to take delivery.

I have a lot of faith in what Honda can do when they really try but test drives are a big piece of the value a dealership brings to the table.
 

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