I See What You Did, Honda (Thank You Ohio)

"Wobbles the Mind" (wobblesthemind) 02/27/2016 at 11:00 • Filed to: Acura NSX

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The NSX is being released with carbon ceramic brakes and the Michelin Pilot Cup 2 tires only, hence why the price is closer to $170k without any options. However, the iron rotors will likely be the set up with the Continental ContiSportContact 5p tires on it for $156k (before $1800 destination). Keep this in mind over the next few months. Journalists drove the “Accord” version which is unavailable now due to bad reviews. The NSX you’ll see at car shows and in media reviews will have the setup that was better received and will show better in comparison tests. NOT the one Honda intended to sell.

I also doubt you’ll see many without the interwoven wheels. I’m betting the Y-spokes (the top picture has them fitted) were the wheels designed with the Contis in mind, but not offering the Y-spoke design would have made the NSX $170k to start.

I’m on to you Honda, nice try! Also, I didn’t realize the amount of influence the US has over this model. I know it was designed by the Ohio team, but damn, I can’t imagine what a failure this would have been if it wasn’t for the OH gang requesting more power and rebuilding the entire car and pushing it up market. Did you know that the NSX was supposed to use the transverse V6? That means we were going to get the RLX Sport Hybrid set up and power figures in an $90,000 car back in 2011 or 2012. Aren’t you glad they bumped it up instead of giving us a 400hp, over 3500lbs mid-engine car without any mechanical steering or braking feel? Can you imagine that car being in the same price range as the Z06, Viper, 911 Carrera, Cayman GT4, F-Type R, AMG GT, GTR, and every performance sedan and SUV on the market? When was the last time anyone called the R8 V8 a budget supercar? Basically a direct competitor to the BMW i8 without the futurism or brand cachet. Yeah...

I think we all need to thank the Ohio team for saving this car. It could have come out as completely irrelevant in everyway (have you looked at RLX sales?) or been completely scrapped for the US. All things I consider to be far, far worse.

Sincerely from Wobbles,

Thank you American Honda!

*For those that didn’t know, American Honda has an R&D Center, engine plant, transmission plant, and a couple of assembly plants (I believe) in Ohio which is where the NSX is being built.

Wheelerguy > Wobbles the Mind 02/27/2016 at 11:02

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All-carbon Type-R, next? Preferably with all the power and torques the hybrid can dish, and the stickiest road Michelins.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > Wobbles the Mind 02/27/2016 at 11:08

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It will have sell in similar numbers to the RLX honestly

Wobbles the Mind > Wheelerguy 02/27/2016 at 11:09

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Truthfully I’m not sure there’s much more this car can do. The electric motors aren’t robust and they can’t propel the car forward over around 121mph (I’m trying to recall but it’s been a LONG time since I’ve read up on this car). Basically all they do is drag wheels in order to utilize torque vectoring. The rear motor I believe peaks around 2000rpm while the front two I want to say peak around 4000rpm...I wish I knew the numbers precisely.

What I’m really trying to say is that at high speeds, it’s simply a 500hp, RWD car that can drag a wheel and hides the turbo feel. Japanese sports tend to be heavy so that they don’t need to add on a lot of downforce inducing aero and can instead focus on anti-lift designs that allow for better stability at high speeds without dropping top speed. At least, that’s what my take has been with the weight of the GTR, NSX, RC-F, upcoming LC...

Wheelerguy > Wobbles the Mind 02/27/2016 at 11:15

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McLaren-developed carbon tub?

Wobbles the Mind > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 02/27/2016 at 11:17

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Which is fine, it still got Acura into the $200k range meaning they can go up the quality of their models into more premium price figures. If Kia and Hyundai are getting away with $70k vehicles (and yes, the Kia K900 starts from $49k and can be optioned up to $69k for 2016 MY), then Acura should really bump up their models or else be left behind by mainstream brands.

Wobbles the Mind > Wheelerguy 02/27/2016 at 11:27

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That I dont know. I think the current one only has a carbon fiber floor panel while the rest of the surrounding structure is aluminum and high strength steel. For a full tube to be used, the model would technically be a different car at that point, and the tube would likely be from the 570s due to size. At that point, it’s a full on joint venture, but they could do it for a relatively quick refresh/new model on both cars, which would be pretty rad!

PS9 > Wobbles the Mind 02/27/2016 at 11:51

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That’s not really how that works. One $200k car from Acura doesn’t now mean they are or can be comparable to others who regularly sell vehicles in that range. They would need a complete reset of their whole lineup for that.

Wobbles the Mind > PS9 02/27/2016 at 12:04

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Sorry, I should have qualified my intention. That’s my oversight! I meant that now they can move the vehicles further upmarket in top trims without worry of complete consumer alienation. Like a top of range MDX or base RLX starting at $60k won’t be as much of a culture shock. Had an NSX been around when Acura broke the $50k start barrier with the RLX from the RL, I think it would have aided that model in selling at least 20% more vehicles a month if not up to 50% more, especially the Sport Hybrid variant.

Shift24 > Wobbles the Mind 02/27/2016 at 12:52

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Three car plants and a test track/proving grounds just north of Marysville (where all 3 plants and R&D are). The proving grounds, as one would expect, were really cool to see and their oval track is massive. I see 1 of 4 NSX test mules on US-33 almost once a week driving to work.

Despite the amount of criticism it gets for taking so long (remember Honda had to build a new plant for it), I hope its as good as it looks and carries the NSX nameplate well.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Wobbles the Mind 02/27/2016 at 12:56

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Ohio here,

You’re welcome.

-this space for rent- > Wobbles the Mind 02/27/2016 at 13:56

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** American Honda is the sales/service arm of Honda North America. R&D, Manufacturing, etc are different arms.

You should be thanking North American Honda.

http://corporate.honda.com/careers/honda-…

PS9 > Wobbles the Mind 02/27/2016 at 17:51

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I meant that now they can move the vehicles further upmarket in top trims without worry of complete consumer alienation.

No, they still have to worry about that. One $200k vehicle is not enough to change perception of the whole brand. The NSX isn’t going to cause your 5-series or E class buyer to now give the RLX a second look, because it still cannot compare to those options. It’s still a $50k Accord for people who make more money now, but don’t want to stop buying Hondas.

Real talk; the Genesis and Equus have more credibility as luxury vehicles than every not-NSX thing in Acura’s lineup, and to fix that, you don’t need a hybrid supercar; you need to junk the whole lineup and start over with things Honda has been stubbornly refusing to do, like RWD platforms and making something other than that same SOHC V6 they’ve been producing since the beginning of time.

Had an NSX been around when Acura broke the $50k start barrier with the RLX from the RL, I think it would have aided that model in selling at least 20% more vehicles a month if not up to 50% more, especially the Sport Hybrid variant.

A halo car by itself with no other improvements to the brand cannot boost sales in this way. The Europeans have the luxury market locked up in the US, and you can ask Lexus, Cadillac and Hyundai who have been making compelling alternatives for almost a decade or more by this point how hard it is to gain momentum in that market. It’s not as easy as having one worthwhile six figure product.

People don’t show up to lease E classes and 5 series year over year because the i8 and the AMG GT; they do it because the E-class and the 5-Series are good cars and offer a lot relative to the rest of the market. You can’t seriously expect Acura to get a share of that pie they weren’t getting before with the same non-compelling products they’ve been making this whole time just because the NSX exists now. That’s not how it works.