(mellow electronic music)
- [Narrator] Few sports cars have been as highly anticipated
as this guy, the all new, second generation, Acura NSX.
The first time Honda built a supercar,
it turned the world on its head.
Suddenly, people who before had only considered Italian
and German machines were looking towards Japan.
But that was then.
Now Acura comes to the part dressed in angular,
low-slung, mid-engine bodywork that looks fabulous in white.
Behind the driver's head
rests a quick-revving 3.5 liter twin turbo V6
that by itself is good for 500 horsepower.
Since turbocharging means lag,
not one but three electric motors fill in torque
for rocket-quick initial acceleration,
as well as kicking an extra 73 combined horsepower.
Each front wheel get its own motor,
whereas a single electric motor combines
with the gasoline engine to power the rear wheels
via a nine speed, dual clutch automatic transmission.
The NSX features an aluminum space frame
as well as a carbon fiber floor,
which would help make the car light
if it weren't for all the batteries.
Instead, it's nearly two tons at 3,876 pounds.
However, dual front motors allow for real torque vectoring.
Like an arrow car, better handling is achieved
via more throttle.
Factor in fast-acting magnetic ride control dampers
and an aggressive track mode,
and you have a compelling package on your hands.
But, how will the new NSX do
around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca?
Let's find out.
(intense electronic music)
(engine revving)
- (laughs) Surprise sticking.
Manual oversteer is just really shocking really.
It's kind of fun, but way more free
than I ever would have expected,
just surprises me.
I think we're going pretty quick.
It's smooth.
I find myself a little bit careful with the throttle,
'cause I'm a little bit concerned
about just how much oversteer I might end up with.
Lot of countersteering going on here.
You can see how busy I am with the wheel.
(upbeat electronic music)
Just got out of the Acura NSX,
an all-new creation from Acura
that is a hybrid with electric motors
driving the front wheels individually,
and then another one boosting the rear-boosted V6.
The car likes to have the vast majority
of its braking done straight.
You don't want to trail brake the car heavily,
because the NSX will entry oversteer.
The all-wheel drive system is well balanced under power.
The braking was strong and the braking was consistent.
The body control was really, really good.
I mean, it felt racy, it felt firm.
It was not harsh.
The gearbox is super-quick,
super smooth.
It has a lot of gears, and they're close ratios,
so I like the transmission programming a lot,
and it worked really well on track.