The NSX's main optional package is the Technology package, which gets you a navigation system, parking sensors and a nine-speaker premium ELS sound system with satellite radio. A couple of packages that outfit the NSX with extra exterior and interior carbon-fiber trim are also available.
Stand-alone options include carbon-ceramic brakes, upgraded performance summer tires, premium paint hues, other various carbon-fiber components (roof panel, engine cover, rear spoiler), a different style of wheels, power seats in two leather choices and a simulated suede headliner.
The NSX's hybrid powertrain starts with a turbocharged 3.5-liter V6. Alone, it produces 500 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. When you add in the NSX's hybrid componentry, the NSX's maximum output rises to 573 hp and 476 lb-ft of torque. These are stout numbers, though they're tasked with moving the car's ample 3,803-pound curb weight. The V6's power is fed to the rear wheels through a nine-speed automated manual transmission.
Interestingly, the front wheels are not driven mechanically by the mid-mounted V6 engine at all. Instead, each front wheel is connected to its own electric motor. This twin-motor front axle gives the NSX all-wheel drive and, perhaps more significantly, considerable freedom in how and when those front wheels are driven. In a turn, for instance, the NSX can automatically add power to the outside front wheel while simultaneously slowing the inside wheel (via brake regeneration), which can enhance how eagerly the car turns in toward a corner. Or the NSX can do the opposite to help correct an oversteer condition.
A third electric motor is mounted to the engine's crankshaft to helps smooth out gearchanges and provide a torque-filling function at low revs when the turbos have yet to fully get up to speed. Not that they're asleep long, as the engine produces its max torque as low as 2,000 rpm.
Acura estimates that 0-60-mph acceleration will take just 3.0 seconds. If true, that would put the NSX neck-and-neck with the Audi R8 and Porsche 911 Turbo. Fuel economy, however, is where the NSX holds an advantage. The EPA says to expect 21 mpg in combined driving (21 city/22 highway), which is better than any other rival sports car. It's worth noting, however, that it's less of an advantage than you might think for a hybrid. The 911 Turbo, with its 20 mpg combined rating, isn't far back.
