Congrats on the road trip! I drove my brand spanking new 4 delivery mile Nouvelle blue/red aniline leather, black caliper, charcoal Y spoke 2017 NSX about 2300 miles cross-country. The trip took 3 1/2 days from Jacksonville, FL to my home in Vegas with overnight stops in my former home of Houston (12 hour day driving), San Antonio to visit friends, and Tuscon. I had not even sat in a new NSX prior to purchase. The deal was too good to pass up (A legitimate supercar for common Porsche GTS money!? Yes please!). I have a later serial number 2017 model, but I have to say, I disagree with the wind noise, Continental tire, and harsh ride comments based on my trip and 6 months of ownership.
I am 6'4" and an athletic 240 and the whole trip was very comfortable even for a guy my size. The wind noise was not an issue at all (possibly corrected by the October 2017 build date on my car). The stock Continental tires handled pouring rain outside of Houston, cold morning temps, and desert heat so far all very well. I drove mostly in Comfort and Sport Plus modes. Sport is a waste of a drive mode imo and I never ever use it. Exhaust sound is noticeably different between all modes except Sport Plus and Track. This thing shrugs off crappy streets and potholes like they're nothing, so it makes for an awesome cross-country drive!
I fit a standard carry on bag and a large duffel in the vehicle (trunk will actually fit TWO carry-on size bags on either side of the hump as there is plenty of space under the quarter panels and I test fitted two roller bags once I got home). The large duffel rode in the trunk and the suitcase rode shotgun on my pillow, but only because I had food in it that I didn't want heated up in the trunk. The trunk does get hot enough to likely spoil food over a long trip.
I was amazed at the handling and driveability, comfort of the seats, and coolness of the Quiet mode (when I needed to take business calls over Bluetooth while driving or sneak up in a suspect area to refuel). The overall reaction from strangers in spite of the rampant hate for the car in video review comments and some forums, was overwhelmingly positive. The car broke necks and had people tailing me for miles and miles with camera phones at the ready. Plenty of thumbs up and gas station conversations from all ages and walks of life. Everyone was genuinely excited to see one and hear about it. One guy thanked me profusely for buying it so that he was able to see one in person. Lol
I averaged a little over 20 mpg on the drive, with liberal use of the skinny pedal and 75-85+ mph averages along the way. I'm currently averaging about 19 with mostly city driving and manually shifting in Sport Plus, not letting the revs drop below 3,000 rpm generally (for more of the sweet exhaust sound). That being said, Comfort mode actually surprised me in how docile and comfortable the car can be for a supercar! Plus, it's kind of badass when you sneak into a spot all quiet and nobody notices. When they do, they look shocked to see a car like that appear out of seemingly nowhere. I like it's not a shouty "look-at-me" ride if you don't want it to be. I feel like the ninja-esque supercar is going to be the hot new trend once it beomes cliche for people to drive screaming, fire belching, sputtering, obscene, neon/brightly colored machines. What I thought would be my least favorite feature has actually become one of my favs..... "Prius mode" is kinda cool! Nice for sneaking home late at night or just going semi-incognito on The Strip.
I have the stock sound system and find it to be decent, but nothing to write home about. I really only use it when I'm in Comfort mode anyway, as I love the exhaust note in Sport Plus and Track and drive with the radio off mostly. I don't know that I would want it any louder than it is, though the Quiksilver exhaust sounds BRUTAL on this car in the online videos. That'll be the one of I want it loud in Sport Plus if I can still keep it quiet in Comfort.
Overall, this car has smoked anything foolish enough to try it. The car shoots off the line at breakneck speed, but it is very linear, due to the electric motors. You don't get that crazy sudden kick in the back as hard as other cars with more lag, so it might contribute to the perceived lack of speed. Make no mistake, it is FAST! It still shoves you rearward with plenty of authority faster than you ever would need to on the street. In a blink you are over any posted speed limit. I may have had it up to 150 on a deserted stretch of the 10 interstate before I decided I didn't want to risk jail time for much longer. It was still pulling very hard.....
I literally have zero real complaints about the car. I guess you could nitpick stupid things like the visors not being suede or the gas needle being slightly off center (looking at you J. Clarkson). These gripes I hear all sound very whiny and effeminate to me (no vanity mirrors!?). Lol. I knew the storage space inside was lacking (more than expected actually between the console, cubby, glove box, and door handle indentations) , the stock stereo wasn't a world beater (still like it though and use the steering wheel for volume instead of the slider), and the trunk couldn't fit full size suitcases. Compared to the crappy ergonomics, high operating costs, reliability, propensity to burst into flames of many of its competitors, I find these gripes laughable. Buy some other car if built-in cup holders and vanity mirrors matter to you. You clearly aren't concerned with the things that REALLY MATTER in a car like this.....
I am planning on getting new Michelin PS4 tires soon since the stock Contis aren't the most grippy they say (magazines tested it with Contis vs other supercar with race spec tires and it was not THAT much slower around the track) but I would like to see the difference stickier tires make. No Trofeo R tires for me however, as I do want it somewhat streetable if we get a heavy summer storm.
As it is, the handling is the one thing that sticks out the most on this car. It is insane! I don't care what a race car driver who knows the circuit and cars he is driving like the back of his hand can do around a track. I would defy you to find a car a layperson who could make a supercar stick in the corners like this one with no previous seat time. It's so easy to drive FAST! Also, very very fun! Still slides and feels like there's not as many nannies as there are. I don't know what "video-gamey" feels like, but this car feels a lot less artificial than the technology would lead you to believe.
It's a bad-ass mofo of a supercar to be sure! I'm glad all the hate exists as I want to pick up a Red/Orchid or Silver/Red one in a few years for under $95-$100 and then resell it for $250k in 10 years (I'm keeping my blue baby for life or until I can't get out of it anymore lol). Hopefully people who have never driven one keep dumping on it and Acura doesn't stop production soon, so prices don't skyrocket once people figure out how sweet this car is and how exclusive it will be due to the low production numbers.
I didn't document my trip in pics like you did (some car club guy got a pic at a gas station in Tallahassee). Mostly because I wasn't intending to share my experiences publicly, but I saw this thread and decided to chime in for what it's worth.
P. S. Would I do this trip again? Sure, why not!? This thing is supremely suited to the task!
. Acura should have moved the button layout around. The radio needs a volume knob!
