Acura Fesses Up - An ALL-NEW NSX Is On The Way - BUT What Will It NEED To Run With The Bulls?

As our very own Agent009 recently told you all, Acura has finally admitted that the prototype vehicle we saw on the set of the new Avengers movie is, more or less, the upcoming NSX. For those of you not in the loop, the Acura NSX was a marvel in its time when it made its debut in the early 1990s.

According to reports from Auto Express, the updated sports car will feature a 3.5-liter V6 and two electric motors powering the axle opposite the motor. Assuming the new Acura would follow the original's mid-engine set up, this could get very interesting.

Now, what will REALLY make or break this vehicle will be its weight. To be quite honest, I am not sure what kind of price Acura can get away with on this. With Lexus debuting the LFA at $375 large, anything's possible, but if Honda wants to really stick to the special sauce that made the original SO likable, it'll likely be aggressively priced.

Considering we know that our audience is very smart, we're going to turn the tables and open up the discussion:

If YOU were to tell Acura what it NEEDS to do for the NSX to be a SUCCESS, what would you say?

Front-engine? Mid-engine? Rear-engine?
AWD? RWD?
Manual? SMG? Double-clutch transmission?
How much should it weigh?

Discuss...

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quizz - 12/31/2011 1:03:17 AM

+2 Boost

In order of importance:
1. It must look good
2. Respectable power
3. Handle well
4. Priced less than the 911; few will pay over $100K for an Acura that's lost so much of its cache over the last 10 years

MorePower - 12/31/2011 1:07:00 AM

+1 Boost

If there was a wishlist:

Mid-engine
Electric motors driving the front in some SH-AWD setup
Light, real light = less than 3,000 lbs
DCT with an available 6spd/7spd manual option
Make sure some great Formula 1 and touring car champions give you tuning input

Agent00R - 12/31/2011 3:48:12 PM

-2 Boost

@senor

If you don't have anything to add to the discussion, you don't have to click it, chief.

Or I can take care of it for you ;)

JUGNU - 12/31/2011 8:36:22 AM

+2 Boost

-Mid-engine
-SH-AWD
-Handling and neutral balance should be given more importance than very powerful engine. Engine can always be updated for more power later on.
-Great HP to Weight ratio.

JRobUSC - 12/31/2011 10:49:58 AM

0 Boost

for starters, don't make it look like a Mazda, which it does in that picture.

FromThePassengerSeat - 12/31/2011 1:59:22 PM

+1 Boost

For commercial success:

Dual-clutch automatic
Must be styled with verve to differentiate itself from the competition. If it's not beautiful, nobody will buy it, as unfair as it is.
Needs to appear in the next Marvel Comics movie so people know it exists
First premium hybrid sports car = money

To be a great car in my opinion:
First, did Honda learn anything from the pointless CR-Z? Making it a hybrid jacked up the price and weight to the point that a Fit is faster, more practical, and almost as efficient. Based on every hybrid yet released, I can safely say that adding electric motors to a car kills the fun. Make the thing gas-only, please.
Manual transmission (and I mean a real stickshift, not a flappy-paddle slushbox)
It should remain faithful, cosmetically, to the original NSX

Also, to appeal to both camps, perhaps Acura could try making a GT and a track-day version as Porsche does with the Carrera and GT3/GT3 RS.

Agent00R - 12/31/2011 3:52:30 PM

-1 Boost

The NSX R did exist, hopefully if these plans follow through we'll see it again.

OneOfOne - 1/1/2012 12:54:19 AM

-3 Boost

NO manual transmission. has to be current tech such as a dual clutch. anyone who wants a regular stick shouldnt even be on this board

FromThePassengerSeat - 1/4/2012 7:45:31 PM

+2 Boost

I dunno. What's worse - someone who enjoys perfecting their upshifts at every green light or someone who can't cope with the responsibility of shifting manually?

Tarzan - 1/1/2012 4:32:38 PM

+1 Boost

add a sypder/convertible version to go head to head with the R8.