2022 Acura NSX Type S First Drive Review

The Honda NSX – or New Sportscar eXperimental – is a legendary car. First launched in 1990, the NSX was the pinnacle of Honda’s engineering talent and pushed the brand to new heights. With input from the late formula one champion Ayrton Senna in the later stages of its development, the NSX earned big fanfare from those who loved driving – people such as McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray, for example. Things changed in 2016 with the arrival of the second-generation NSX, which became a tri-motor hybrid supercar that’s now reached the end of production. Is the 2022 Acura NSX Type S a fitting end for the NSX name so far? Let’s find out.

“What’s an Acura?” we hear you ask. If you’re from outside North America, Acura is Honda’s luxury division, much like Lexus is to Toyota. While it wore a Honda badge globally, the NSX was only sold as an Acura in North America, and we were lucky enough to drive the Type S as part of Monterey Car Week 2022. The second-generation NSX was a big achievement upon its release in 2016: the first part-electric supercar that didn’t cost $1 million+. And yet, many criticised it for an odd character. Has this been fixed?

Price & Equipment:

In the USA, the 2022 Acura NSX Type S retails for $171,495 plus dealer delivery costs, so just under AUD$250,000 at the time of writing. As Honda fans will know, when it last was sold locally, the NSX (non-Type S) retailed for a huge $420,000 plus on-road costs. Unfortunately, Australia isn’t getting the Type S and all 350 global units are already sold. But at that price, while it’s not cheap, the North American NSX is pretty good value compared to the non-Type S that we received locally.

Standard equipment includes 19-inch front/20-inch rear alloy wheels, automatic LED exterior lighting with Acura’s ‘Jewel Eye’ LED daytime running lights, dual-zone climate control, a leather steering wheel with paddle shifters, leather and suede upholstery with leather on the dashboard and doors, eight-way electric seats with driver’s memory, heated front seats, a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation, digital radio, a nine-speaker ELS Studio sound system, selectable driving modes, cruise control, keyless entry and start and heated and auto-dropping mirrors.

In terms of safety kit, you get seven airbags, a reversing camera and front and rear parking sensors, plus all the usual anti-lock brakes and stability control systems. But auto emergency braking (AEB), lane keep assistance, adaptive cruise control, etc? Nope!

While the available selection of colours isn’t on a bespoke level like some rivals, there is still a good range of colouring available. No-cost options include ‘Curva Red’, ‘Berlina Black’ and ‘130R White’. Our test car’s ‘Long Beach Blue’ in addition to ‘Indy Yellow’, ‘Thermal Orange’ and ‘Casino White’ each cost $1,000 extra, while ‘Gotham Grey’, ‘Valencia Red’ and ‘Nouvelle Blue’ are $6,000 extra. Interior options are black or white leather and suede as standard, while black and red full leather is $1,000 extra.

Aside from the colouring, the 2022 Acura NSX Type S does have other optional extras. On our test car was the $13,000 Lightweight Package, which includes carbon ceramic brakes, a carbon fibre engine cover and carbon fibre interior trim, as well as $500 SiriusXM digital radio. Black coloured wheels in the same design cost $1,500 extra, while if you choose the carbon ceramic brakes, you can have either red, black, silver or orange callipers. That’s a very simple options list compared to rivals.

Rivals to the NSX Type S include the Audi R8 V10 Plus, Porsche 911 Turbo S, Ferrari F8 Tributo, Lamborghini Huracan Evo and McLaren Artura.

Performance and Economy:

The 2022 Acura NSX Type S uses a twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre petrol V6 engine that’s mated to two electric front motors (both producing 27kW of power and 75Nm of torque each) and one rear electric motor (making 35kW and 150Nm) and a nine-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Total outputs are a huge 447kW of power and 667Nm of torque.

While it’s not light at almost 1,800kg, the 2022 Acura NSX Type S is fast. Really fast. With a claimed 0-100km/h time of just 2.9 seconds, the NSX Type S gives a new meaning of acceleration – especially to a car that’s not [solely] electric. Top speed? 307km/h or 190mph in the old money. While it’s not 911 Turbo S quick, it’s not far off (2.7 seconds and 330km/h, respectively) and it costs a lot less money.

The most remarkable thing about the NSX Type S, though, is that while it’s bloody fast, it can also do the part-electric hybrid drive thing quite well. At low speeds, it genuinely feels like a Toyota hybrid car, such is the smoothness and quietness of the drivetrain. But in direct contrast, fire up the sonorous twin-turbo V6 engine and you’re in for a bunch of noise and performance. Its performance really does take your breath away. It’s this dual personality that we really like about the NSX – most other supercars are always on, but the NSX can be really quiet or really loud and it’s very good to have that choice.

Because it’s a hybrid, Acura claims that the NSX will use 22mpg (10.6L/100km) on a combined cycle, which is great for a 600 horsepower supercar. Notably, the American EPA fuel consumption testing is more realistic than the European WLTP standard, so that’s what it’s more likely to achieve in the real world. Naturally, it only uses premium unleaded fuel and it has a 60-litre fuel tank.

Ride & Handling:

The first-generation NSX is still known to this day as one of the best driver’s cars of all time – very communicative and with excellent handling – and while the 2023 Acura NSX Type S is not as expressive or connected to the driver as the original NSX, it’s a whole lot faster. Thanks to the tri-motor set up and Acura’s ‘Super-Handing All-Wheel Drive’ system, you can take corners at simply unbelievable speeds in the NSX Type S and it’ll simply pull you out of them, no trouble at all. That’s because the front motors have been upgraded to activate even quicker and understeer just does not exist in the NSX.

What’s especially interesting about the handling is that, like the drivetrain, driving the NSX normally feels like any other sports car. The steering is light and relatively feel-free – but really quick – and the ride quality is genuinely excellent. Change the drive modes to the racier end of the spectrum, however, and it turns into a different car. The steering weights up nicely, the suspension becomes rock hard – yet still relatively comfortable – and it’s a genuine ball of extremely fast fun.

Interior & Practicality:

Like the first-generation of Acura (/Honda) NSX, which was known as the everyday supercar, the 2022 Acura NSX Type S manages to be comfortable and more than capable of everyday use, unlike some of its rivals. You could happily drive one every day, and that’s largely because of the cabin, which is filled with relatively nice materials and unlike some rivals, plenty of every day usability.

Centre of the cabin is a 7.0-inch touchscreen that is shared with last-generation Acura/Honda products – including the current-generation Honda CR-V. It’s well featured with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, satellite navigation and digital radio, while it’s also reasonably quick and easy to use. Unfortunately, it does look dated – especially against the latest system we experienced in the TLX sedan – and it has no dedicated volume knob, which is annoying.

Elsewhere in the cabin is comfortable, though hardly practical. While there are a few storage spots – including in the doors, centre console and in the centre behind your elbow – here are no dedicated cup holders, and despite the American focus, it’s not what you’d call roomy. In terms of bootspace, the NSX offers just 110-litres, which is located behind the engine at the rear.

Aside from its lack of practical touches, the NSX’s biggest problem – to us – is just how similar the cabin is to much less expensive Acura – and even Honda – products. The stalks come from a base model Jazz, the screen is used in the CR-V and it just doesn’t feel as special as supercar rivals.

Service & Warranty:

While service pricing isn’t available, all new Acura products come with a four-year/50,000 mile (/80,000km) warranty. In addition to that, the NSX Type S’ hybrid system is covered for double that at eight years or 100,000 miles (/160,000km).

The 2022 Acura NSX Type S DiscoverAuto Rating: 9/10

The 2022 Acura NSX Type S is something of a dual-personality car that really gets under your skin. On one hand, it’s a tri-motor hybrid that’s capable of low-speed electric driving and quietness that will shock you. Yet, on the other hand, it’s a seriously quick and addictive supercar that can happily run around the track with the best cars in the world.

Of course, it’s not perfect thanks to its so-so cabin experience and a lack of driver feel present in the first-generation NSX – as well as every other Type R Honda/Acura product ever – but the customers of the 350 units that have already been snapped up will be very happy with their cars because the NSX Type S is a great car that shows the talent of Honda/Acura’s engineering teams. We think it’s a great send off to the NSX name – for now! – and we really wish they were offered in Australia.