Acura’s Mid-engine Hybrid Receives Chassis Upgrades, New Color & More Standard Features
The 2019 Acura NSX receives the model’s first refresh, after its market debut some 2 years ago. The refresh is relatively minimalist in nature – as far as these kind of things go – with the mid-engine hybrid AWD supercar benefiting from some chassis tweaks, aesthetic enhancements and introduction of more standard equipment. The NSX retains the 573-horsepower, twin-turbocharged V6 with 3 electric motors and 9-speed DCT used in previous years.
The NSX debuted with its new swag at ‘The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering’ event on the Monterey Peninsula in California. Most notable on display, was the new ‘Thermal Orange’ paint color option ($750 USD). Other exterior changes include the front grille upper section now being finished in the main body color (previously chrome).
Arguably, the most important changes come in the form of improvements to the chassis which include new Continental SportContact tires, a stiffer suspension setup and calibrations to the vehicle’s software, which directs the SH-AWD system, active dampers, electric power steering and stability control system.
Acura claims that all of these changes translate to a 26 percent and 19 percent stiffer front and rear anti-roll bar respectively, and ultimately provide better grip and more precise handling feedback to the driver. These upgrades were made in a direct response to the previous car’s tendency to be over-sensitive to weight transfer on corner entry, resulting in generally undesirable moments of oversteer.
Acura further notes that the newest NSX will complete a lap of its home course, Suzuka Circuit, 2 seconds faster than before.
Now standard in the Acura NSX are the ELS premium audio system, power sport seats, navigation, proximity sensors and sport pedals – altogether costing $4,700 USD in options on the previous NSX. While the base price of the 2019 Acura NSX is $157,500 USD – $1,500 more than last year’s model – one could argue that the NSX is actually getting a price cut with the aforementioned $4,700 in options now being standard fare.
