458 vs NSX

Yes the Ferrari does feel roomier! I'm 6'2, 180 and I'm very comfortable in the NSX and in the Ferrari I feel so spacious like our Escalade! You would hate the Huracan, it has the worst headroom and even for me, I had to slouch and after about an hour it was "get me out of there" feeling!

Do you mind if I post your review on our 2nd gen NSX group? I think those guys would love to read what you wrote.


thanks!

 

Thats odd, I would think that it would work. My FF from that era worked fine.

 

This is a few years out but I have a 458 spider and 2nd gen NSX. Nice writeup! This is just my opinion.

I would disagree somewhat with the transmission comparison. I actually get irritated with all 9 gears on the NSX and hate the paddle shifters. The responsiveness of the transmission in rapid downshifts is noticeably less in the NSX. Honestly, that seems to happen in sport mode and I havent had that in sport + or track. However, as nice as the transmission feels in the 458, I had a blown clutch sensor that has always left me with a sense of fear in taking it to the track or on drives in the heat of the summer... to my knowledge the NSX hasnt had the same transmission issues.

One important category where the NSX clearly wins is suspension, and that's also coming from people with more driving/track experience than me that have taken my car for a spin. The feel and sophistication are similar to what I felt trying out the F8. I know there is the crowd out there that wants a rigid ride where they can feel every pebble on the road and sees the lower back pain after a rally is some kind of badge of honor. However, I think the honda engineers nailed it with a suspension that follows the road appropriately and manages irregularities better than my 458. Their is a certain onramp in my area that has an irregular surface. It is significantly easier to push the limits of the traction/grip in the NSX than the 458. I have noticed that managing vertical irregularities as well. With that, I honestly find myself going significantly faster in the NSX. Maybe im just numb to important feedback, maybe the NSX just instills more confidence in the driver (that was a consistent theme in reviews of the first gen NSX too). Even though it is heavier than the 458, the NSX doesn't feel heavy.

The responsiveness of the NSX drivetrain is quicker, which isn't unexpected with the hybrid drivetrain. I have to still track the NSX but there is something with decreases in power during track time. I recently heard a driver attribute this to the hybrid system but I think the Science of Speed (NSX tuner group) folks found that this actually had to do more with heat build up with the intercoolers for the turbo system and not the electric drivetrain.

The interior in the 458 is sublime with regards to style. The NSX has very "Acura-like" interior which feels a bit mundane for a car of this kind. I'm overall OK with it and think it's no worse than the overly conservative interiors of many German sports cars (my opinion, I know the Porsche folks would lynch me for this and tell me how their contrast stitching argues against this). Honda could have made the NSX better with more carbon fiber and just more options for colors but Honda was likely already losing about $100k per car, a figure mentioned to me casually by someone that worked at the plant. The NSX has one occasionally squeaky panel near the A-pillar where the Ferrari has many more in addition to the upcoming sticky buttons issue that we all love so much. The leather in the Ferrari is absolutely wonderful but sadly not durable. Infotainment center in the NSX is better even though it is still antiquated, but I think evaluating this aspect of these cars is like rating a steakhouse based on the kids menu.

Trunk space is compromised in each car but in different ways. I can fit bags of grass fertilizer and cases of wine easily in the 458. The NSX has a weird long trunk space that doesnt fit this stuff well but manages to easily hold a rifle case when I go to the range. Putting ice cream in either trunk wont work out well.

Exhaust sound: the 458 is probably the best sounding V8 out there other than maybe some older V8s. The NSX sounds alright, not bad, but I doubt that anyone would think that it even compares to the 458 in this regard. I just took my 458 to the track and people kept commenting on the sound... it echos everywhere and sounds like concentrated endorphins flooding the area around it. My wife knows that I am heading home 5 minutes before I arrive... and all that without a capristo.

Specialness.... well that is a tough one. The ferrari brand is something, and somehow it's more than having a bunch of horses on the car. The NSX losses some of this with its interior but its still there. It is a very unique looking vehicle and stands on it's own. There arent many of either car around. Both of them get mistaken for lamborghinis when I drive around town.

I bought the 458 because Ive been obsessed with the Ferrari's since I first drove one at 17. The style and sound are incredible in these cars; they are built to intensify the joy of driving rather than alleviate the burden of commuting or running errands. The car in a more general sense seems to embody the notion of making every part of your life as enjoyable as possible. The 355 was a poster car for me; the 458 is a worth more modern version of that. The NSX came up because it was a car that both my wife and I loved. We loved the styling. McLarens seemed too fragile and had servicing issues. Im not comfortable in Lamborghinis and the models look too similar. Porsches never exciting me although I know that they are solid cars. The Audi R8, kind of like Porsche just had somewhat lackluster styling. My wife didn't like any of these other car styles other than maybe the Audi. A honda was my first car and I know the benefits of a "solid car" that you can jump in and drive across country or take to the track. The NSX just feels more comfortable, not by the internal space but because of how it manages sound, vibration, etc when needed although the Ferrari racing seats are fantastic. The NSX is really neat: there are very different driving modes and Im shuffling between them constantly when I am driving. I slip into quiet mode when Im driving along the freeway and dont feel like a constant engine drone and bad gas mileage; Sport+ is for rallies and spirited driving. I even go into automatic in the NSX (gasp!); with the hybrid system, the car has more boost when you slam the gas initially in high gear which helps as the transmission catches up and drops gears. The NSX has a ton of engineering with all this and you can feel it. I can see how someone used to mostly "analog" cars would feel odd with one of these. I've heard from more experienced drivers that the car takes some getting used to... I really need to get it on the track. The NSX was made very close to where we live. We like the attention to quality that went into the NSX. It is a car that didnt need to turn a direct profit to the company making it. It is the first supercar designed by a woman, at least on the exterior from what I've heard. When we buy a car, we do not plan to sell it. I figured that if i am going to have a car with a hybrid turbo AWD system in the collection, Honda will probably make a relatively durable one and I'll worry about battery replacements later. They are different cars with different benefits and drawbacks.
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Excellent write up.
Might put an NSX on the radar as an addition.


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2017 NSX owner looking to also become a Ferrari owner.

NSXs are amazing. If one is on your radar....zero in on it.

Just my $.02 and per the write ups above

 

NSX gen 1 used very sticky tires to get fantatsic G-Force readings but only last 4k mile before died. The braking feel may just be tire adhesion

 

The first gen NSX is on my radar too. Im out of garage space unfortunately.

 

Another thought for anyone that has both: if you had the choice between the 458 or NSX to own, what would you choose? The NSX is easier to live with and actually likely performs better, but the 458 has some of those special attributes that are lost with the Ohio car.

 

Not to mention the insane factory toe-in / toe-out specs. Combined with the negative camber, the corner-specific Bridgestones scrubbed down the road like a brilo pad. Best I got was about 5,500 miles on the rears.

 

all my cars have only gotten 5-6k miles from tires... 2 1st gen NSX's 91 and 01, and both F430's 05 and 07... never gotten more than 5k on any performace car and have NEVER spun the tires once in any of the cars. It's normal.

 

boy lol


me neither lol

 

The biggest difference:

One of them is a Ferrari and one is not.