Starting at a gee-that’s-almost-attainable $157,800, Acura’s resurrected NSX sports car toes a narrow pricing line between high-performance Porsche 911 variants and established supercars such as the McLaren 650S, Ferrari 488GTB, and the Lamborghini Huracán. We have yet to line up the NSX for a head-to-head comparison test against its rivals, but came away impressed by its three-electric-motor hybrid system and twin-turbo V-6 after a first-drive opportunity. It may be priced somewhat low, even, given how its powertrain more or less mimics those in million-dollar rides like the Porsche 918 Spyder and the McLaren P1. To us, the NSX has the chops—visually and technically—to punch at a higher price point. With Acura having just activated its online configurator for the NSX, complete with options and pricing, we decided to build one the way we think it deserves to be built—which is to say, richly.
MODEL:
2017 Acura NSX (base price: $157,800)
For the NSX’s base price, you get all of its performance. Every NSX ships with three electric motors., two driving the front wheels and a third integrated with a twin-turbocharged V-6 to motivate the rear wheels; everything combines to deliver 573 horsepower. The front two motors can provide torque vectoring on the front axle, a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic cracks of lighting-quick gearchanges for the V-6/aft electric motor combination, and everything’s gravy. So does it matter that, besides those vital statistics, the NSX comes standard with full-LED exterior lighting, a backup camera, dual-zone automatic climate control, active noise cancellation, and leather covering the seats, door panels, dashboard, and center console?
OPTIONS:
Nouvelle Blue Pearl paint ($6000)
Carbon Fiber Exterior Sport package ($9000)
Carbon-fiber rear spoiler ($3000)
Carbon-fiber engine cover ($3600)
Upgraded painted black wheels ($1500)
Carbon-ceramic brake rotors ($10,600)
Semi-Analine Leather / Alcantara power seats ($1500)
Black faux-suede headliner ($1300)
Carbon fiber Interior Sport package ($2900)
Audio and Technology package ($3300)
Carpet set ($1200)
It might sound shallow, but one fun aspect of supercar ownership is trumpeting to the world that you spent a colossal amount of money on said supercar. The NSX, sans options, certainly looks expensive, so why not have some fun with the order guide and actually make it expensive? As a bonus, pretty much every option Acura offers for the NSX seems worth it—especially on a car that starts at nearly $160K, provided you approach it with a money’s-no-object mentality. Working from the outside in, we splurged on the gorgeous Nouvelle Blue Pearl paint ($6000), a carbon-fiber trim package ($9000, including a splitter, side skirts, and rear diffuser), and a carbon-fiber rear spoiler ($3000). Our pettiness thoroughly exercised at this point, we went ahead and grabbed the upgrade wheels, which come in a variety of finishes (we opted for painted black pieces) and feature twisted spokes instead of the stock version’s plainer Y-shaped spokes. We like the wheels’ angularity, as it suits the NSX’s generally angular countenance well.
Now where were we? Oh, right, carbon fiber! We shelled out $3000 for the carbon-fiber engine cover because it looks cool and, again, makes our NSX appear more expensive. (Hey, the Ferrari 488GTB offers an engine bay slathered in carbon fiber, so why not this Acura?) We also deemed the $2900 carbon-fiber interior trim package worth it, for essentially the same reasons; it adds the exotic material to the steering wheel and gauge hood, as well as aluminum pedals. To complete the Car and Driver–themed red-and-blue color scheme we discovered the NSX could be built in, we opted for the red interior, which necessitated we spend $1500 for heated leather and faux-suede seats with power adjustability. (The standard seats are manually adjustable.) To ensure the faux suede on the seats wouldn’t be lonely, we added the $1300 black faux-suede headliner option. Curiously, the NSX’s floor mats and a trunk mat will set you back $1200. We’d dwell on that more if the NSX were priced to compete with, say, a Mazda MX-5 Miata. Our interior upgrades were rounded out by the $3300 Audio and Technology package, which brings a 580-watt ELS audio system, navigation, and front and rear parking sensors. The lone performance-enhancing option on our NSX is the only one Acura offers: The $10,600 carbon-ceramic brake kit, complete with red calipers to match our C/Dblue-and-red theme.
Now this is more like it! At $201,700, the NSX is definitely in supercar territory. Sure, the base model operates within the supercar bandwidth, but with over $40,000 in options, the whole experience seems much more complete, no?
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