2017 Acura NSX
The original Acura NSX made quite an impression on many people when it brought a uniquely Japanese perspective to the supercar wars. Well after many years of hoping and much delay from Honda, there is finally a new one to drive. Does it carry on that same perspective, or is it a whole different animal?
In order to properly introduce this 2017 Acura NSX, a bit of a history lesson is prudent. When this New Sportscar eXspiramental arrived 25-years ago, it was more than just a Japanese Ferrari knockoff. It was a high-tech, modern take on the European supercar theme. Featuring a transverse mid-mounted VTEC V6 in an aluminum-bodied chassis, with Honda-level refinement and daily driver comfort, at pricing that no exotic could touch.
Fast forward to 2016, and after much delay, caused by calling an audible halfway through development to change the still mid-mounted engine from transverse to longitudinal placement; it has finally hit the streets.
And it sure looks awesome on them, not in any extreme or flamboyant way. But with a highly functional design that manages airflow for cooling electric and internal combustion parts, with vents and scoops strategically placed all around.
It surely has some big expectations to live up to. But going in, Acura engineers knew it would be a tall task to properly represent the NSX’s history while pushing it into the future. One thing they held onto was a cozy and low riding cockpit, with great seats, and all-around outward visibility that puts most cars of all stripes to shame.
As for the go-fast hardware, Acura took a currently popular supercar route; a hybrid all-wheel-drive system that uses the now twin-turbocharged V6 to power the rear wheels and 2-electric motors forward for powering the fronts. Plus, an additional e-motor mated to the engine. It’s similar to the RLX Sport Hybrid, but in reverse.
The V6 now displaces 3.5-liters, and uses that electric assistance mostly at launch to bridge the gap of turbo-lag until its twin boosters spin up to full force. The results? A total of 573-horsepower and 476 lb-ft. of torque.
Its 9-speed DCT transmission is Honda’s own design. We found it, along with its paddle shifters, to work well in all situations. Smoother than a Honda Pilot on the street, only occasionally hanging on to a gear longer than you’d like; swift and precise on the track, very much like an Italian exotic.
Suspension is supercar-spec aluminum double wishbone in front, with a multilink in the rear; magnetic coilovers all around. Drive modes do much to adapt both the driving experience and powertrain performance to suit your style; with ride quality that instantly swings from Accord compliant to track car stiff.
Getting to that on-track performance; there were plenty of early negative reviews of the NSX, and compounding the issue are the 3-different sets of tires available. Standard Continentals for the street, Pirellis and Michelins optional for track work. We drove with the Pirellis on the track and Contis on street.
For us, this NSX went about track work with the quiet proficiency you expect in a Honda product, there is absolutely nothing offensive or vicious about it. Power is coming from 3-different angles and being applied in various amounts simultaneously, yet it all works with mostly seamless precision. It doesn’t so much hammer around corners as think its way through them.
Even in straight line acceleration, it takes off directly and with a smoothness that seems to mask the magic that’s happening, as it propels you to 60 in under 3.0–seconds. Again, up there with supercars with much higher price tags.
Launch control engages easily and perfectly every time, consistently delivering simply incredible, rocket-like power. And, optional carbon-ceramic brake rotors will bring you back down to earth safer than any drogue chute.
So it almost goes without saying; but as before, the now U.S. built NSX delivers supercar style performance for a fraction of the cost of its closest competition. Though it may not be quite as attainable as before, with base pricing of $157,800 only about 800 will be available here this year. Upgrading it to track spec. will push it closer to $200,000, where a lot of high performance cars reside.
But on the global roadmap of supercars, the 2017 Acura NSX surely lies at the intersection of performance and technology. So we’ll go against those early reviews and say that it stays 100% true to its heritage, and easily worth the wait. An incredibly refined, highly capable, tech-heavy, reliable daily driver that will appeal to equally sophisticated, performance minded drivers looking for a rarified showcase. If you liked the NSX before, you’ll love it now!
Specifications
- Engine: 3.5 liters
- Horsepower: 573
- Torque: 476 lb-ft.
- 0-60 mph: 2.9 seconds
2025 Subaru WRX tS
Subaru’s “World Rally eXperimental” Gets Tecnica-Tuned Tech
Building on its global rally heritage, WRX has been a standalone Subaru nameplate, marketed separately from garden variety Impreza, for two generations now. And while the current WRX still lacks the full STI treatment, this WRX tS serves up some of that high-performance spice we’ve been longing for.
Before we go flat out into our Track Test of this 2025 Subaru WRX tS, lets open the Subaru dictionary so we’re all on the same page. “tS” stands for “tuned by STI;” and “STI” is an acronym for “Subaru Tecnica International,” the brand’s high-performance sub-group best known for upgrading the WRX— oh, that stands for “World Rally eXperimental,” in case you didn’t know.
All that said, STI has been largely dormant for this WRX generation, but this tS sprinkles more of their engineering magic into the mix. No, that doesn’t mean extra power, but does mean significant chassis-related improvements.
First, electronically controlled dampers, adjustable through the 11.6-inch tablet-style infotainment screen. That meant a softer “comfort” mode on the 10+ hour commute to and from Savannah’s Roebling Road Raceway. But once we were there, it was the firmer “Sport+” setting all the way, heightening response from the WRX’s throttle and already quick dual-pinion power steering system. There’s still some body roll for rally-esque weight transfer, but it’s well sorted and provides the “toss-ability” you want in a WRX.
Though if you do autocross your tS, which we implore you to do, you might feel the six-piston front, two-piston rear Brembo brakes first. The bite is strong, giving good rotation in the corners and plenty of “halt” for this 3,400 lb. compact with minimal fade, keeping us on track all week…until some unfortunate winter weather passed overhead. No worries here, as Subaru’s Symmetrical All-Wheel-Drive system got us to the track for some powdered deserts: Frosted donuts served up Michelin style, a set of winter tires different from the grippy Bridgestone Potenza S007 rubber the tS typically rides on. Some prior hot laps of California’s Sonoma Raceway gave credence to those Bridgestones, and showed us what this hot-compact can do in ideal conditions.
It’s well sorted and provides the “toss-ability” you want in a WRX.
Other tS enhancements are cabin-based, namely these beautiful blue Recaros. Most of our staff appreciated their moderately-aggressive bolstering on both street and track. And they’re even heated, too. Another tS-only appointment is this 12.3-inch digital gauge display. It mimics the standard analog gauges with some additional info, but can switch to a navigation mode for more convenient route guidance.
We do wish our tS came in the new Galaxy Purple or the trademark World Rally Blue, but this Crystal White paint wasn’t too shabby, contrasting its Cherry Blossom Red badging and blacked-out lip spoiler. Otherwise, the tS is like any other WRX, down to the hood scoop funneling air to the top-mounted intercooler.
Underneath is the same turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four in all other trims, boxing at 271 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. The freak winter weather stopped straight-line testing, but a 0-60 time estimate of 5.5 seconds is about as spry as you realistically need, pulling strong through most of the tach; though the 6,000 RPM redline required attentive shifting of the six-speed box, which the tS comes exclusively with. The throws are precise, if a little long, and the clutch is wonderfully weighted.
With discontinuation of the Base trim, pricing for the WRX now starts with Premium at $36,920. The tS is at the top of the lineup with the automatic-only GT, both starting at $46,875. All WRXs continue to be made in Gunma, Japan.
If you’re an enthusiast itching to do the tuning yourself, perhaps the 2025 Subaru WRX tS is not for you. But if you want a plug-and-play experience, this is it. While it won’t exactly bestow the loose-cannon, top-level driving skills exhibited by famous WRC drivers upon you, the tS moves this WRX’s game in a direction we’ve so desperately wanted Subaru to take.
Specifications
As Tested
- Engine: 2.4-liter flat-four
- Tranmission: 6-speed manual
- Horsepower: 271
- Torque: 258 lb-ft
2025 Porsche 911 Carrera
Ever Evolving 911 Reaches New Heights
The Porsche 911 has existed for 60 years now! Amazing! And, you could argue that major changes over all those years have been relatively few, as constant incremental improvement is more the way that Porsche does business. With that in mind, let’s hit the track in the latest 911 and see what constant improvement means for 2025.
We’ve driven so many 911s here at MotorWeek, each seemingly more special than the last, so it’s a bit refreshing to be ripping around Savannah’s Roebling Road Raceway in a 2025 Porsche 911 that’s about as close as you can get to base these days. And the fact that it’s just as fun as all those exclusive pieces says a lot about how far the 911 has come. Perhaps it also speaks to how much a base 911 will set you back today as well; more on that later.
For now, we’re just thinking about the next apex, holding steady throttle as we approach, and getting on it way sooner than you’d expect without upsetting anything, as the 911 rockets off the corner thanks to tremendous grip and a PDK trans that finds the perfect gear before we even gave it a thought. Even with very cold track temps, we never struggled for grip or battled any wheelspin coming off of corners. And trying to land it in that perfect spot in braking zones is easy with strong brake performance that was predictable and consistent lap after lap; no wandering, and great feedback too.
Yes, even the standard 911 is near pure perfection on a racetrack. It gives you all the right feedback, stays incredibly flat through corners, makes you always feel totally in control, and again is just plain fun. Unless you’re chasing lap times, there’s really no need to head further up the 911 tree. Though it is worth noting the few upgrades that were on our Carrera did help the situation a little. The 20- and 21-inch Carrera S wheels enabled plenty of grip from the 305 Pirelli P Zero tires, the Sport Chrono Package allows 0-60 sprints of 3.7 seconds, an extended range fuel tank meant we could lap all day without having to fill up, and the fantastic Sport Seats provided great support and better comfort than we remember experiencing in a 911. The Sport Exhaust system didn’t add anything to performance, but made things sound a whole lot better, and the oval silver tips look great too.
We never struggled for grip or battled any wheel spin coming off of corners.
Our track time got cut short thanks to a rare snowstorm in Coastal Georgia, but the white stuff and blue sky made the perfect backdrop for our Guards Red Carrera. Exterior tweaks for what is officially the 992.2 include a reshaped front fascia with improved aerodynamics. All front lighting is now contained within the Matrix Design LED headlight housing. The rear fascia has also been smoothed out, the license plate moved higher, and Porsche 3D block lettering spelled out across the back beneath the active rear spoiler and new decklid grille.
Even without Turbo in the name, the standard 911 engine is indeed a turbo these days, a 3.0-liter flat-six twin-turbo delivering 388 horsepower and 331 lb-ft strictly to the rear wheels in the Carrera Coupe.
Inside the cabin, the 911 continues its slow crawl towards the modern, now including a 12.6-inch fully digital gauge display and a start button located on the left side of the steering wheel, with drive modes easily accessible on the wheel itself. In another no brainer move, Porsche now makes the rear seat a no cost option, so you can choose if you want it or not.
Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 18 City, 25 Highway, and 21 Combined. That’s only slightly worse than average for the Energy Impact Score; 14.2 barrels of annual oil consumption with 7.0 tons of CO2 emissions.
The good news is this 911 had the fewest number of options of any Porsche that we’ve tested in some time, and it was still plenty awesome; the bad news is, a base Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe now starts at $122,095.
But can you really put value on “the force,” this mythical power that Porsche seems to have, that somehow turns average drivers into great ones? It’s useless to resist as far as we’re concerned, as it only gets better with the 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera.
Specifications
As Tested
- Engine: 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-6
- Transmission: 8-speed PDK
- Horsepower: 388
- Torque: 331 lb-ft