2019 Acura NSX

The 2019 Acura NSX stands in the same second generation and comes with minor changes for this year. The coupe uses the same 3.5-liter turbocharged 6-cylinder gas/hybrid engine producing a good amount of horsepower. For 2019 the NSX gets some updates in the interior, comfort features, and also additional features. Standing with a price tag of $159,300, the NSX goes toe to toe with some of the segment leaders like the Porsche 911 Turbo, Jaguar F-Type SVR, and the Nissan GT-R Nismo. 

The Acura NSX comes only in one trim and you get all the luxuries you can ever ask for it. The NSX comes standard with all LED lights, remote keyless entry, push-button start, cruise control, a digital driver's display, a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment display, and a lot more.

Which Trim should you buy?

There is essentially just one trim in which the NSX comes and that is the fully loaded coupe one. There is nothing else to choose from other than the long list of optional extras that you can tick while making the purchase. But mind that all the options in this car are very expensive and they can seriously skyrocket the base price by a lot. The base without any options costs $159,300 and with all the options ticked it will be close to $212,000.

There is a lot of tech wizardry going on over here inside this body of the 2019 Acura NSX. This car has one of the most clever all-wheel-drive systems of all time. The car is powered by a 3.5L V6 which generates 500hp and it is supplemented by three electric motors. This whole setup combined produces 573hp and 476 pound-feet of torque that makes this rocket ship go from 0-60 in under 3 seconds, which we all know is super quick. 

The engine is combined with an electric motor and sends power to the rear wheels via a 9-speed automatic transmission. The front wheels are driven by a setup of two separate motors and this makes a rather unique all-wheel-drive layout. This is no Ferrari Laferrari KERS system, so you can drive the NSX as a normal electric car as well for a few miles with the engine shut off. The whole combination is so seamless that you rarely feel any hiccups or lag in the whole system. And the motors do quite a good job of keeping the turbo-lag out of the equation.

This hybrid beast comes is the third most powerful car in the lot with the Nissan GT-R leading the comparison and the Jaguar F-Type SVR following the Nissan for the second place. The GT-R again tops the table with quick acceleration from 0-60 in 2.5 seconds while the Acura and Porsche coming in second with 2.9 seconds. 

How well does the 2019 Acura NSX handle?

The Acura NSX has an exceptionally wide stance which gives the car a phenomenal grip over any type of surface. Then there is a lot of witchcraft going on as the computers constantly keep on working the all-wheel-drive system so as to make sure you never lose traction and there is a phenomenal amount of mechanical grip available. 

The aerodynamics working overtime does a phenomenal job by keeping the car stuck to the ground. It is a rather amazing car to enjoy on the twisties as the limited-slip differential in the middle helps you pull out of any corner without any drama at all. The steering wheel is also very direct and there is absolutely no oversteer or understeer, it follows the line very precisely.

2019 Acura NSX Coupe Braking Performance

The 2019 Acura NSX thing is fitted with some massive brakes. As standard, the car comes with 14.5-inch front discs and 14.2-inch discs at the back. At the front, there are Brembo calipers that have 6 pistons in them. Also, there is an option to upgrade to carbon-ceramic brakes which helps in reducing the unsprung mass. While the normal brakes are decent enough to stop the car if you have the standard one with top speed limiting at 155mph but if you are opting to increase the top speed to 191mph, then it's better to opt for the carbon-ceramic brakes as they are really good at stopping. 

Further, the braking is aided by regenerative braking which charges the battery every time you lift off the accelerator pedal, and for everyday city driving, you can choose how much regenerative you want and the car will brake automatically for you making it a one-pedal driving experience.

The NSX is the one with the smallest brakes here while it also weighs quite a lot. The Nissan GTR Nismo comes with the biggest brakes among the competition and that is well expected as it is a proper track car while the NSX is more like an everyday supercar. With the available data, it can be seen that the Porsche 911 Turbo stops quicker than the NSX, which is a bad thing for the Acura coupe, not in terms of losing to the German rival but taking 103-ft to stop itself. 

Surprisingly, the car is not as much better in fuel economy as we thought it will be. Considering it is a hybrid supercar so it was expected that the fuel economy figures will be quite good but that is not the case. The car is rated for 21 mpg for the City, 22 mpg for the highway, and 21 mpg for combined conditions. As a hybrid supercar, these figures are not bad but even some supercars provide almost the same equivalent results like the one below.

The combined mpg of the Acura NSX is 21mpe which is the leading figure in comparison but it is not only the Acura that returns such a figure. The Porsche 911 Turbo also shares the same mpg, which is a non-hybrid supercar with almost the same power and performance figures that of the hybrid NSX. 

The interior design is not as sharp or edgy as the exterior. Instead, the design is very clean and minimalistic with no drama whatsoever. The dashboard design is more like a cockpit layout with everything centered towards the driver to give that Jet Fighter feel. Even the steering wheel seems a bit offset to the left. The upper part of the dashboard is wrapped in leather while the lower part is done in Alcantara which feels rather good to touch. 

There is no gear shifter lever and instead, there are buttons to pick the right gear which makes the layout even more clean to look at. There is optional carbon-fiber trim for the inside which makes the cabin look even more sporty. You can also choose to add an all Alcantara headliner which is an option worth $1,300. The interior can be done in many colors depending on your choice, but we personally feel that the red over black feels the best. 

The seats are sporty bucket seats which are just awesome to sit at. They are part leather and part Alcantara and if you want full leather seats then that is $1,000 worth of an optional extra. Seats are powered for numerous adjustments and also come with heated and memory functionality. Being a mid-engined supercar and that too with three electric motors and a battery pack, the NSX is not having a lot of space to keep the luggage. There is a small boot with a capacity of 4.4 cubic feet which is not a lot frankly speaking.

If being compared to just a two-seater, the Acura NSX is more spacious than the other cars in the bunch. But on the other hand, both the 911 Turbo and the GTR have additional two seats, though those seats are pretty much useless as they can’t accommodate a real human being, still, that space can be utilized to carry additional luggage which is a real boon. The Jaguar F-Type SVR has the most cargo space of 14.4 cu-ft followed by the Nissan and finally the Porsche and Acura sharing the spot. Some of the interior features in the 2019 Acura NSX are:

• Push Button Start
• Cruise Control
• Dual Zone Auto AC
• Frameless Auto-Dimming RVM with Home Link Remote
• Heated and Perforated Seats

What’s there to keep you entertained in the 2019 Acura NSX?

The 7-inch electrostatic touchscreen is what you’ll find flaunting itself on the center of the dashboard. It is a high-resolution display that comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard and two USB ports. The infotainment system is fairly simple to navigate through and it didn’t lag even once. It comes with a lot of gimmicky features that kids will love to play with. The display is bright and crisp and even visibility under direct sunlight is good. 

Some other infotainment features include Bluetooth connectivity, AcuraLink Connected Services, Sirius XM Radio, Pandora compatibility, Siri Eyes free, inbuilt navigation, and a lot more. There is also an 8-inch TFT screen for the driver’s display which makes things really sweet. Some of the infotainment features in the 2019 Acura NSX are:

• 7" WVGA Touchscreen Infotainment System with ELS Studio and 9 Speakers including Subwoofer and Sat NAV with Voice Recognition
• Bluetooth, MP3, USB, AUX connectivity
• Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Siri Eyes Free
• Dynamic TFT Gauge Cluster with TFT Screens for Tachometer and Speedometer

The Acura NSX has classic supercar styling with a low-slung bonnet and sharp lines and edges. The shape looks quite aerodynamic and extremely purposeful. It is a beautiful car no matter where you look at it. It turns heads wherever you go and with that extremely wide stance and really really low ride height, it is one hell of a looker. It is very easily the best-looking supercar among its competition and no Porsche or Nissan looks as spectacular as this. It even has a carbon-fiber roof to keep the center of gravity as low as possible for improved handling. And even then Honda has somehow managed to fit a big engine, three electric motors with a battery pack, and 10 radiators into this body and that’s just insane.

You can understand how wide this car is just by one look at the front and with those sharp all-LED headlights and big air intakes, that make it look even more sinister. There is an option to add carbon fiber lower bumper lip for an additional feel. There are scoops on the bonnet to allow air to come out which was sucked in by the front splitter and it all looks just so aerodynamic.

From the side, it looks like a proper poster car. The low ride height and long overhangs with sloping roofline just make you go wow. Honestly, you can keep on looking at this car and find one thing or other to fall in love with. It is just so beautifully designed. The rear might be the least dramatic of all the profiles but with that carbon fiber rear spoiler and diffuser, there is some space to add a bit of spice.

The 2019 Acura NSX is a fairly heavy car, because of the electric motors and battery pack but still, it looks gorgeous. Undoubtedly it is the widest among all, and that too by huge margins. Height is the lowest and so does the length of the car. But nonetheless, it is the most good-looking car in the bunch. Some of the highlighting exterior features in the 2019 Acura NSX are:

• Auto On/Off LED Headlights
• Composite Material made Body Panels
• Body-Colored Power Heated ORVM with LED Turn Signals and Memory Function
• Remote Keyless Smart Entry System
• Variable Intermittent Wipers
• LED Brake Lights
• Cap-less fuel filter
• Flush Mounted Automatic Power pop-out door handles

Supercars generally don’t come with a lot of driver assistance features but the Acura NSX is a bit of an exception. The car has never been crash-tested and because it is a supercar with very few sales volumes, it is expected that it will never be crash-tested even. Still for safety, there is a lot of techs onboard like a multi-angle rearview camera, cruise control, corner, and backup sensor, and a lot of airbags to keep you safe. Some of the safety features in the 2019 Acura NSX are:

• Multi-Angle Rearview Camera with Dynamic Guidelines
• TPMS with location and pressure indicators
• Front, Side, Driver's Knee, Side Curtain Airbags
• Tether for Child on passenger seats
• Corner and Backup sensors
• Driver and Passenger Side Seatbelt Reminder
• Seat Belt Pre-Tensioners

2019 Acura NSX vs 2019 Nissan GT-R Nismo

The Nissan GT-R has always been a very brilliant car and adding the Nismo package to it made it an even lethal weapon. The missile from Japan which is also known by the name of Godzilla has forever threatened the supercars from other continents and now it is being challenged by another competitor from its own home country. The NSX is quite a lot cheaper than the Nissan but also less powerful. If it’s about outright performance then the GT-R is a better car any day than the NSX but if it’s about daily livability then the NSX gets out money.

2019 Acura NSX vs 2019 Porsche 911 Turbo

The Porsche 911 Turbo has always been a dream car for most of us enthusiasts. It is one of the best handling supercars in the game and no matter what, you can never go wrong buying a Porsche. The 911 Turbo is a literal benchmark in the supercar world and with an all-new 911 turbo just around the corner, Porsche is ready to take the game a level higher. It might not be as amazing to look at as the NSX but when it's about which is the better car of the two, the Porsche has no competition here.

2019 Acura NSX vs 2019 Jaguar F-Type SVR

The Jaguar F-Type SVR is the cheapest one here and that too by a lot. It is undoubtedly the most value-for-money offering here but that doesn’t make it slow in any matter. The supercharged V8 breathes fire and makes the car fly in seconds. The only thing though, Jaguar is not a very reliable brand and when we compare it to NSX which is essentially a Honda anyways, they build some really good cars. So as simple as that, if you want the most value for money offering, get an F-Type SVR without even thinking twice. And that supercharged V8 is the best sounding V8 as well. Period.

The 2019 Acura NSX is a brilliant car undoubtedly but the thing is when you go on to buy a supercar, Acura is certainly not a brand that will come to your mind. Similarly, how are you going to flaunt in front of your friends about your new supercar? Obviously, it has a lot of clever stuff going on underneath that shell but the badge the name ruins it all. 

In Japan, the Honda NSX is a cult so people want to buy it overseas, but where the market is more tilted towards the well-established brand like Porsche. And that too when you buy a supercar, the main idea is to show off among the people and you simply can’t show off an Acura no matter how good it is. So it is a brilliant car and though we desperately want to like it, we can’t.