2018 Acura NSX

Following a 12-year hiatus, Honda’s upscale Acura division revived the NSX name last year for an exotic car that spotlights the most sophisticated version yet of the brand’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive.

That tricky torque-vectoring setup uses three electric motors and a turbocharged V6 to create what is easily the most powerful road-going car to roll off a Honda assembly line.

For 2018, the NSX carries over with no changes.

With all three motors (there’s one for each front wheel and a third hooked up to the rear-mounted V6) and the gas engine working together, the NSX boasts 573 hp and 476 lb-ft of torque. A nine-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission connects the engine and its motor to the rear wheels.

Here’s a breakdown of how much power each motor produces. Acura says the gasser makes 500 hp and 406 lb-ft on its own, the rear motor is good for 47 hp and 109 lb-ft and each of the two front motors make 36 hp and 54 lb-ft. Like most hybrids, total output is not the sum of all those numbers, but the final product is still a lot of power for a car that comes in under $200,000.

Feel free to cross-shop the NSX against car from the likes of Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, just as you might have done with the original car, built through the 2005 model year. But perhaps most interestingly, Acura will soon face competition from Volvo, whose forthcoming Polestar 1 performance hybrid promises 600 hp from a similar arrangement of three electric motors and a gas engine.

Two years in, and Acura has yet to publish fuel consumption figures for the NSX; we know that’s beside the point in a performance car, but we’re curious, y’know?

Standard features include 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels, brakes with six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers, cruise control, intelligent keyless entry, LED headlights, push-button start, power windows and door locks, tilt-and-telescopic steering, frameless rearview mirror, dual-zone automatic climate control, manually-adjustable seats, leather upholstery, seven-inch eight-speaker display audio system, Bluetooth with audio streaming, USB and auxiliary inputs, AcuraLink infotainment, navigation, and a TFT gauge display.

Options can take the NSX’s price to more than $250,000, the priciest items being a carbon fibre roof and carbon ceramic brakes. More mundane additions include a nine-speaker stereo, heated four-way power-adjustable seats, semi-aniline leather upholstery, and a technology package that adds, among other things, corner and backup parking sensors.

Word is Acura is bringing notable changes to the NSX for 2019, but we’ll have to wait for details before we can publish our buyer’s guide entry on that updated car.