Acura NSX Named Road & Track 2017 Performance Car of the Year

TORRANCE, Calif., Oct. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Acura NSX has been named Road & Track's 2017 Performance Car of the Year, besting eight of the world's finest sports cars by exhibiting a potent mix of performance, style and emotion. 

The Acura NSX won this year's competition largely thanks to its unique driving experience. According to the feature in Road & Track, "For the first time in a hybrid automobile of any price or capability, technology has been placed firmly in the service of emotional involvement rather than in place of it." The magazine goes on to say, "Everything about the car—from the way in which the brake-by-wire pedal lengthens its travel when the brakes are hot to the manner in which the mid-mounted V-6 permits itself a bit of the ol' barbaric yawp when it's winding out in fourth gear—is intended to enhance the driver's involvement."

"Every aspect of the new NSX—acceleration, braking and cornering—is a precise, new experience," said Jon Ikeda, vice president and general manager of Acura. "Having the NSX recognized by Road & Track's esteemed group of evaluators is not only a great honor for the car, but a testament to the skill, determination and challenging spirit of our team—we are immensely proud."

Now in its fifth year, Road & Track's Performance Car of the Year award is chosen based on testing that takes place over the course of four days, two of which are dedicated to the back roads of Kentucky and Tennessee and two of which are spent on track at the National Corvette Museum Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

To be considered for the competition, cars need to be brand new or significantly revised for 2016. During the four-day testing process, the Road & Track editors and writers evaluate each car based on a combination of emotion, performance and value.

For the performance evaluation, editors take note of acceleration, braking, handling, shift points, sound level and weight, accounting for the weather conditions present during testing. They also evaluate the engine, transmission, drivetrain, steering, tires and brakes. 

The 2017 NSX launched in the spring, challenging conventional supercar thinking with a three-motor, 573 horsepower, twin-turbocharged Sport Hybrid Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) powertrain[i]. Produced exclusively at the Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio, the Acura NSX is the only supercar manufactured in America[ii].

The 2017 Acura NSX that won the competition featured Valencia Red Pearl Exterior paint with Semi-Aniline Red Leather and Alcantara^® Power Seats, the Carbon Fiber Exterior and Interior Sport Package, Premium Audio, Signature Y-Spoke Wheels, Carbon Fiber Roof and Rear Decklid Spoiler, Carbon-Ceramic Rotors with Black Brake Calipers, Pirelli Pzero Trofeo R 245/35ZR 19XL front tires and Pirelli Pzero Trofeo R 305/30ZR 20XL rear tires. The MSRP of the tested 2017 Acura NSX was $201,160. The 2017 Acura NSX starts at $156,000.

The Acura NSX competed against eight other cars: Audi R8 V10 Plus, BMW M4 GTS, Corvette Grand Sport, Jaguar F-Type SVR, Lotus Evora 400, Mercedes-AMG C63 S, Nissan GT-R NISMO and Porsche 911 Turbo S.

Full coverage of Road & Track's Performance Car of the Year can be found in the December/January issue, on newsstands November 15, and online at RoadandTrack.com.

For More Information
Consumer information is available at http://www.acura.com. To join the Acura community on Facebook, visit http://www.facebook.com/acura. Additional media information including pricing, features and high-resolution photography is available at acuranews.com/channels/acura-automobiles.

About Acura
Acura is a leading automotive luxury nameplate that delivers Precision Crafted Performance, an original approach to technology and design that creates a new driving experience. On March 27, 2016, Acura celebrated the 30th anniversary of its launch as the first luxury nameplate from a Japanese automaker.

The Acura lineup features five distinctive core models – the RLX luxury flagship sedan, the TLX performance luxury sedan, the ILX sport sedan, the 5-passenger RDX luxury crossover SUV, and the seven-passenger Acura MDX, America's all-time best-selling three-row luxury SUV. This spring, Acura launched its next-generation, electrified NSX supercar as a new and pinnacle expression of Acura Precision Crafted Performance.

[i] Total system output
[ii] Manufactured in America using domestic and globally sourced parts

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SOURCE Acura