2016 Acura NSX Finally Revealed

Colum Wood
by Colum Wood

After years of anticipation Acura has finally revealed its new NSX supercar at the Detroit Auto Show with plenty of details.

Unfortunately those details don’t include the one particular statistic fans are most desperate for: horsepower.

True, a car is far more than just a three digit number. The original NSX proved that, challenging Ferraris of its era with just 270 hp. Still, engine output is plenty important.

What is known is that the NSX is confirmed to have a mid-mounted twin-turbo V6 engine mated to the brand’s new sport hybrid Super Handling AWD. That hybrid system includes three electric motors with a rear-drive motor located between the engine and transmission while the front axle gets twin electric motors that allow for left-to-right torque vectoring.

UPDATE: Acura has said the car will make more than 550-hp!

2015 Detroit Auto Show Coverage

The transmission is a new nine-speed dual-clutch automatic that Acura claims will offer “synapse-quick” gear changes with rev-matching downshifts.

Acura is insistent that the driver will take precedent in its new “human-centered supercar,” with the car responding to the will of the will of the driver.

“Our commitment was to create an all-new NSX that is true to the heritage of NSX; a supercar that delivers a new driving experience, one where every part of the vehicle is respectful of the smartest part of the car, the driver,” said Acura senior VP Mike Accavitti. “The soul of a car is the emotional connection it makes with the driver. With the NSX, that connection will be intense and immediate.”

While it may look remarkably like the NSX concept that first debuted in 2013, the car has actually grown and is now three inches longer and one inch wider, while the cabin sits slightly forward. Compared to the original NSX the car is three inches longer and five inches wider.

The car’s weight also remains a mystery, though like its predecessor (the world’s first car to use a completely aluminum body) the new NSX makes use of advanced materials. The car’s central floor structure is made of carbon fiber, while the rest of the body is a space frame design made of aluminum and ultra-high strength steel. The body panels are made of aluminum and a new lightweight material known as sheet molding composite (SMC).

As a result of these components as well as efforts to concentrate the car’s drivetrain components centrally and low to the ground Acura claims the NSX will have the lowest center of gravity of any car in its class.

SEE ALSO: 2005 Acura NSX vs Alfa Romeo 4C

But if you’re still looking for stats; power hits the ground through 245/35Z R19 front and 295/30Z R20 rear ContiSportContact tires, inside which can be found six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers with carbon ceramic brakes.

Another trait of the original NSX that engineers worked to maintain was its everyday ease of use. The Human Support Cockpit “provides exceptional driver control, visibility and packaging, but further advanced to meet the extreme performance expectations of a modern supercar,” NSX interior designer Johnathan Norman said.

As a result, the NSX won’t just deliver an intuitive driving sensation but will also offer excellent forward visibility, intuitive controls, class-leading ergonomics and seats that are easy to get into and out of. Whatever those exact specs are, they’d bore you into a coma, but actual owners are certain to appreciate them.

SEE ALSO: NSX an Affordable Ferrari Fighter

Replacing conventional gauges is a full TFT display screen, while located low on the dash is a Integrated Dynamics System control knob with settings for Quiet, Sport, Sport+ and Track modes, each of which adjust gasoline engine and electric motor response as well as the characteristics of the transmission, chassis and engine sound.

Quiet mode activates a short-distance electric only driving mode, while the car will also offer a launch control setting, making the most of its electric motors and all-wheel drive.

The final spec that’s left unexplored is the price with no dollar value given. . . yet. An MSRP will soon be announced, however, with Acura accepting orders in the summer and deliveries later in 2015.

GALLERY: 2016 Acura NSX Live Photos

GALLERY: 2016 Acura NSX Official Photos

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Colum Wood
Colum Wood

With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.

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  • Phil Phil on Jan 13, 2015

    stunning inside and out ... ...it however saddens me to grow into an era where I dont get to be the brains of the operations through rowing my own gears ... sigh... not like I have the means to buy one anyways

  • Alex Kozovski Alex Kozovski on Jan 16, 2015

    I just wish there were more engine shots.

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