First 500 miles in an NSX

[gturner008]

Thought I'd share my first impressions of driving an NSX - as a virgin behind the wheel of this model. To give a bit of context: 53 years old, owned and driven a wide range of cars including 997 turbo, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Lotus Europa, 997 Carerra, 1989 3.2 Carerra, S2000, Boxster, 1970 2.2 911 etc.

So - I now go out and buy Jame's lovely 2004 coupe. Fantastic car in fantastic condition. 13k miles. Ready to go. Never been in an NSX before taking the keys off James. Just returned from a business trip to Lotus - clocking up 500 miles round trip. Here are my un-bias views on the car and the driving experience. No idea if these views resonate with you NSX pro's or tally with press reviews - they are just my personal soundings on how I feel about the car - first few miles - initial impressions...

• Nice engine sound - not quite as fast feeling through the seat of the pants compared to the noise coming out of the rear
• Fast enough - but could do with another 50 bhp
• Sometimes slow response on the steering. Going around round-abouts, sometime it feels as though I have to give it more effort and extra input to actually get the car to go around. Almost feels like it needs a faster steering rack
• Quiet, smooth and refined. Very low wind noise. Comfortable. Great cruising
• Car feels light. Quick to change direction and quick to stop
• Feels long geared - even though a 6 speed. Could even do with being a 7 speed - or sacrafice top end for shorter ratios
• Great seating/pedal position. Nice centred position. Comfortable. Low down - feel close to the road. Go kart like.
• Superb visability. No obvious blind spots
• Good but not outstanding levels of grip. Would like a bit more front end bite. Pointy steering helps
• Excellent brakes. Great stopping power. Not sure about fade. Didn't push too hard
• Such asn easy car to drive. Good for pottering around or blasting.

I could go on - but I know I must be boring you. I thought I'd share initial/gut feelings before become tainted with longer time in the car.

Overall - a car I am slowly but surely finding is everything I'd hoped for. I love it.

[flyingsniffer]

Good thread. I'm in a different car (90k mile NA2 pop up targa, owned for 2 years), occasional track use. Came through RX7, Ford GT and AM V8 Vantage roadster.

Engine sound - standard sounded ordinary to me: there are some great aftermarket units that release a bit of power, reduce weight (you won't believe how much the OEM silencer and cats weigh!) and sound much better. You won't get your extra 50HP but maybe 15??

Steering - to my mind it's the weakest element of the car. Innovative when it was launched but it's not class-leading. There's always a little bit of guesswork involved in - for example - coming into a roundabout or taking a sharp corner. Predictability has improved since I swapped for Type-R suspension, but this isn't everyone's cup of tea (although my dentist is loving it). It's also prone to understeer in the wet on the harder suspension so you pays your money and takes your choice.

6 speed - I've never shared your thoughts and others have said that the earlier 5 speed was a better box, so maybe it's me! BTW changing the standard knob to a Type R one improves the shift sensation by shortening the shift gait. Coupled with a Type R mesh boot it looks better too. There's someone selling Type R knobs in the USA on eBay for $78 - genuine NSX-R ones have yellow lettering but are $$$s more.

Brakes - standard ones are fine for road use, but put them on a track and they are seriously wanting. I swapped mine for Powerslot slotted rotors and they are much better, with no downside as far as I'm concerned.

But overall, mine is a joy to own and drive. I think the secret is it's lightness (notwithstanding the OEM exhaust...) - this imbues the car with a deft touch that more powerful metal just cannot match. A mate owns an AM V8 Vantage N400 - on the straights he blows me away but come to corners and it's the other way round. I know which I enjoy more.

[soddy]

thanks for sharing your experiences, i understand why some are upgrading their brakes/exhaust etc.
would certain tyres help the grip a bit more? maybe check around? i really appreciate honest appraisals from first time buyers
as helps in understanding what its like to drive/own an nsx.

i read the nsx drives you so it being easy to drive and reliable also sounds good. question is would you go back to your astons or rx7's?

i think i'd like the na1 model, but wondered about how more can be gotten out of the v6? has anyone turbo'd or supercharged their vtec?

[Senna88]

Hey Rob how's things? I'm contemplating a Ford GT, though the recent uplift in prices makes me feel like I've missed the boat. How did you find it? Comparisons to the NSX? I love the Ford GT for it's looks, the engine, the clam shell and the doors!

I still remember bagging a passenger ride in Markc's type S at Donnington years ago and there was a guy who had just picked up a brand new Ford GT and was 'running it in'. His son was pretty handy behind the wheel, and no offence to NSXs but the Ford GT passed us and disappeared off into the distance like we were a hot hatch! That moment has stayed in my mind all these years...

[Ewan]

If you're interested in the GT, you should check out www.gt101.co.uk - it's run by the people who were responsible for bringing all the GTs into the UK, and doing most of their servicing...

[goldtop]

Interesting write up, and I can sort of understand it. (Although 500 miles is nothing!)

Until you really get it moving, I think the NSX is an 'OK' car, easily kept up with by many ordinary modern cars in 80 percent of road/traffic conditions. I also think the steering and chassis were designed for (inexpert) user-friendliness first and only then tuned to allow an enthusiast to exploit it more. It's also a relatively long wheelbase and doesn't turn in as quick as the little X1/9 (or my Transformer Stratos).

A few passengers have been underwhelmed. Until you get to mid and high speed corners where you can keep the engine singing in VTEC and exploit the car's balance, it's a hard car to show off dynamically, I think.

For sure, I don't think it's a car that ticks everyone's boxes. Hope it grows on you.

[Papalazarou]

The steering on the NSX is definitely different to the newer generation of sports cars, or any cars for that matter. However, it's character does begin to show itself over time. Although it has been described critically as being slow, I like to think of it as having a lot of adjustment. You have to move the wheel further for a given steering angle, but this also alerts you to the how much available grip there is and actually how hard you are pushing the car in a given situation.
The long wheelbase for me is a plus point. On bumpy roads where the average 911 is unpredictable, the NSX remains rock solid.
Power could be higher, but the slower pace does give you the opportunity to enjoy the sound of the engine and the dynamic qualities of the car.
They are certainly easy to drive, but at least this allows the driver to perfect the experience, rather than having to correct issues that shouldn't really be there in the first place.
Regarding the engine note and sound. I think the engine sings under load from around 4K onwards. I've had aftermarket exhaust systems on a number of NSX's and for me they didn't really add to the experience in a must have way.
On long journeys standard is easier to live with. But that's obviously subjective.

[Senna88]

If you're interested in the GT, you should check out www.gt101.co.uk - it's run by the people who were responsible for bringing all the GTs into the UK, and doing most of their servicing...

I've heard good things about them, the owner branched off from the main operation to start this venture if I understand it correctly. Thing is though, he adds a fair margin to the cars he's selling!

[flyingsniffer]

Hi Sean, the GT was awesome but hard to live with. I had one of the 28 - along with Martin Brundle, Eddie Jordan and that twat Clarkson - official imports into the UK. Fast (in a straight line...), beautiful, sexy for sure, but I tired of the doors (I once had to get a bloke out of a restaurant to move his car so I could open the door wide enough to get in), the width and the running costs.

I had no problem with LHD but my passengers hated it (see width above).

I sold it in 2008, wish I had mothballed it and kept it, but only for the appreciation.

Some guys are doing interesting things with them: power is relatively easy to increase with bigger supercharger pulleys and Hennessey were sticking twin turbos on them in the USA and getting over 1,200HP. Now that must be a handful....

If you are interested in talking to Dave, let me know and I'll set things up. No-one knows more about the GT than him. He used to work for Roush (who became something else) then set up on his own last year.

[Jivaldinho]

Just to throw in my initial experience as i have only had my car for just over a week...

Coming from a 996 C4 the NSX does seem lacking in power considering its lightness, but as goldtop points out, when it gets to VTEC range and the car starts singing, that is when it makes sense. Mine has been lowered on Tein Super Street coil-overs and as a result it feels that little more planted to the road than the Porsche. I haven't pushed that car yet but part of me doesn't want to becasue I am having so much fun without the need to go fast, as the "theater" that follows this car is something else.

Sol