MOTOR

12 march 2015 motormag.com.au

claims the electric motors provide

“zero delay” launch acceleration.

Just what effect adding a turbo

engine to a full hybrid system has

had on the NSX’s weight is unclear,

as Honda failed to announce that as

well, but efforts have been made to

keep mass to a minimum.

The original NSX was noteworthy

for being the first all-aluminium

supercar, but such technology is

no longer enough, so the new car

adopts a spaceframe design with an

internal frame made of aluminium,

high strength-steel and “other

advanced materials” matched to a

carbonfibre floor. The body panels

are a combination of aluminium and

sheet moulding composite.

Carbon-ceramic brakes are

standard, with six-piston calipers at

the front and four-piston rears, and

the wheel sizes are staggered, 19 x

8.5-inch up front wearing 245/

ZR19 rubber with 20 x 11-inch at the

rear with 295/30 ZR20s. Tyres are

Continental ContiSportContacts.

In an attempt to retain the

original NSX’s reputation as the

ultimate everyday supercar,

Honda claims class-leading

ergonomics for its “Human

Support Cockpit” (or an

interior to you and me).

The TFT instrument

panel displays the

current drive mode

selected, with four to

choose from – electric-

only Quiet, Sport, Sport

Plus and Track.

Despite its US

origins, the new NSX will

be built in right-hand drive and

is expectedto land in Australia

sometime in 2016.M

Final NSX Unleashed

The original everyday supercar is back – as a super-hybrid

Honda claims class-

leading ergonomics,

but it remains to be

seen if it can offer the

quality and feel-good

factor expected at its

$300K-plus price point

In terms of performance,

think Porsche 911 Turbo

In tterms off ppe

think Porschhe

pppp

A

FTER a gestation that

even an elephant would

describe as a bit long and

tiresome, Honda finally

revealed the production version of

the new NSX at the Detroit Motor

Show. Actually, that’s not quite

true. Given the NSX’s public debut

was on North American soil, it was

Honda’s luxury arm Acura doing the

singing and the dancing.

In fact, the new NSX is decidedly

American in flavour, having been

developed in the States, with all

examples to be built in Honda’s

Performance Manufacturing Centre

in Marysville, Ohio.

Bar the addition of some vents

to aid airflow, exterior styling has

changed little from 2012’s Concept,

but the production car is 80mm

longer, 25mm wider and 15mm taller

with a 20mm wheelbase stretch.

The extra girth is primarily to

accommodate the now transversely-

mounted, dry-sumped twin-turbo

V6, which, as is the fashion,

combines with three electric motors

to power the new NSX.

One motor sits between the

engine and nine-speed dual-

clutch transmission “supporting

acceleration, braking and

transmission shifting performance”

while the other pair are attached

to each front wheel, endowing the

NSX with all-wheel drive and the

ability to control each front wheel

independent of the other.

No outputs have yet been

confirmed, but rumours flashing

around Detroit suggested around

410kW to be on the money, with

0-100km/h around the 3.0sec mark

• think 911 Turbo performance and
  you won’t be too far off. Honda

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bySCOTT NEWMAN

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