The Engineer drives: Inside Honda’s hybrid supercar

The new Honda NSX is a technological tour de force, but can it still stir the soul? Chris Pickering reports. 

Sometimes, progress can be a mixed blessing. While cars have undoubtedly become quantifiably better in recent years, the same technology is often to blame for eroding the sense of connection that keen drivers crave.

The high-revving naturally aspirated V8s and V12s that once caused petrolheads to get all hot under the collar, for instance, are now an endangered species, while the manual gearbox is all but extinct on high-end performance cars. Likewise, the switch to electrically assisted steering may help to shave a few precious grams of CO₂ per kilometre, but it invariably robs a great deal more when it comes to tactility and feedback.

So, with this in mind, I approached the new Honda NSX with a degree of trepidation. On the face of it, a mid-engined supercar capable of 0-to-62mph in ‘under three seconds’ and the best part of 200mph can only be a good thing. There again, it’s also a technological tour de force, packed with a multitude of clever features that stand to make or break the driving experience.