Driving A 2017 Acura NSX Until The Curtain Falls

As many of you may know, come the end of April, Yahoo Autos will be no more—the lights will be switched off, the doors locked, and we’ll hand in our car keys. There are two ways to deal with this: The first is to sulk, shed many tears, and pour one for my fallen homies. The second: chin up, fly to Palm Springs, rag the crap out of a new 2017 Acura NSX, and go out in a plume of tire smoke.

I chose the latter.

That’s not to say I didn’t mope, or lament what has been a fabulous five years writing for Yahoo. But I did go to Palm Springs, and consumed the entire bottle of gin myself—because hey, I’m unemployed, and therefore won’t be wasting a drop.

As for the car, well, it’s quite something. More to the point, it was the perfect machine to savor the moment—understanding that this business we’re in is both mystifying and wonderful.

It’s mystifying mainly because someone handed the keys of a $156,000 super car to a hung-over British chap, just so I’ll write a short blurb on it. Apparently, my plane ticket to California, my hotel room at the Ritz, the cost to feed me for two nights, and that bag of chips I stole from the minibar are well worth it. (Truth be told, I think they mistook me for a less educated, less sideways Chris Harris.)

I’ll take it.

That’s how this business works. You, the reader, have to determine if said “journalist” is swayed by all the free shrimp. Some most definitely are—their next meal depends on it. Then there are others, the consummate professionals, who—if the car is a piece of shit—will say “hey, you in the comments, this car is a piece of shit.” (I’ll never forget the Buick Regal GS launch, where I read a wealth of reviews praising its sporty demeanor. Snarling GNX this is not. In fact, it’s a giant dog turd that boasts a little show for zero go, and few had the guts to say it.)

I like to think we at Yahoo Autos speak honestly, and with knowledge. This is one of the things I’ll miss most about our team.

Anyhow, I’m getting distracted.

The 2017 Acura NSX. Yes, as you can tell, this ain’t your typical review—too much change is happening for my brain to write that way. And regardless, we have a nicely crafted “first drive” on site already, so check it out if my bemoaning bothers you.

Where to start? Well, we’ve been waiting for a replacement to the old Senna-engineered NSX for what feels like an eternity. And when it finally arrived, it did so with four whole motors—a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 powering the rear axle (good for 500 horsepower), accompanied by a small electric motor sandwiched between that powertrain and the 9-speed gearbox. Then there are two further electric motors turning the front axle, capable of working independently to provide seamless—and very clever—torque vectoring. Unlike a plug-in Prius or Chevy Volt, or even a BMW i8, this hybrid technology does little to help fuel economy. There is no real “all electric” range to speak of, although it will travel at least a few meters in silence. During my day driving through mountains and on highways, I averaged just 15 mpg.

Rather, the powertrain layout is engineered for performance—filling the delay while the turbos spool up with instantaneous electric torque. This ensures zero to 60 mph takes less than three seconds, thanks to a combined 573 horsepower and 476 lb.-ft. of torque rushing to all four wheels. It does so effortlessly, without the plume of tire smoke I was determined to exhibit during my swansong. It doesn’t half feel quick, though—like an army of solar-powered robots forcing you back into the seat.