Getting into the cockpit & first impressions

Getting into the car and preparing to drive, the initial experience is one of reserved opulence and extreme quality. Even at 32 years old, my car feels in better condition, made of better materials and better assembled than any modern car I've been in recently. Sitting in the comfortable, cossetting seats trimmed in opulent leather, the driving position is perfect with minimal adjustment needed (although the seat and steering wheel are hugely adjustable for a 32 year old sportscar). And the view is reminiscent of a jet fighter: the dashboard is low and wraps around you with the few available controls neatly and logically laid out at arm's length; the visibility all around is almost unlimited; and the scuttle and window line are so low that you feel like you can reach out and touch the road next to and in front of you. You don't feel exposed or vulnerable - quite the opposite - but you do feel intimately close to the road. It's very exciting and never gets old. This is obviously a very carefully-designed cockpit full of details, which appeals to the engineering geek in me. You can sit for ages and just take in all the details, knowing that nothing about this car is a coincidence.

"The initial perception on entering the cockpit is one of profound quality and obviously deliberate design choices..."

One detail I really like is how the window winder buttons are slightly canted outwards, off the centreline. It looks strange on the door card, but when you use the buttons, you notice that they're perfectly aligned with how your fingers naturally fall on the buttons. The attention to detail is mindblowing.

Turn the key, let's go!

Turning the 3.0 V6 over, it never fails to "take" on the first attempt - typical Honda! And the engine note at startup is a confident, aristocratic bark; tick-over is quiet and refined. Push the light but tactile clutch, throw the gearlever into first - snick - and release the clutch, we're moving. Effortless. The clutch's bitepoint is so perfectly communicated and the car so light (and the engine so torquey) that it's hard not to pull away smoothly. The car immediately feels light but immensely solid, like it's hewn from rock. The sense of quality is pervasive. And such refinement! This can't be a sportscar, it's far too civilised! It's almost disappointing how civilised it is. But then you remember, this is the thinking (wo)man's car, you have to pay attention to it to appreciate how incredibly good it is at what it does. It doesn't show off, isn't an exhibitionist. It's just The Best and knows it.

"The car isn't an exhibitionist. It really is THAT good, and you realise it when you pay attention to it..."

The steering - something only the ignorant criticise

Let's tackle the elephant in the room, the thing that is almost universally criticised about the first-generation NSX - the "slow" steering. It's also the very first thing you notice after pulling off down the road. It's so different to most other cars on the road, and not in a good way (more of that to follow).

Driving at modest speeds, the steering does feel cumbersome, it has to be said. Slow, lots of turns, and heavy by both modern and Elise standards. But lots of feedback and unblemished purity, something only matched by the Elise and the GTV6 in my experience. But there's no denying that it's slow and cumbersome at London speeds (20mph). But, get above 50mph (not in London) and it's like meeting Jesus Himself (in the most Christian of senses). Everything makes sense all of a sudden. And life is sublime. 

"The steering is deliberately slow, and it's utterly perfect for high-precision driving at any speed..."

But pay attention to the steering and you realise - again - how incredibly good this car is. It's actually deliberately designed - and absolutely perfectly judged. You can feel the expertise of the test drivers - Indycar legend Bobby Rahal and F1 driver Satoru Nakajima amongst others - imbued in the tactility and controllability of the car. It has just the right balance between feedback and noise/kickback - something I feel even the Elise gets wrong because it's too direct, noisy and frenetic - and with an absolutely perfectly-judged steer-to-turn response ratio at speed. The calibration of the steering is so good that you can meter out the steering input with a precision I've never experienced in any other car. It's really optimised for driving beyond 60mph, and beyond 100mph you're very grateful for the calibration. It affords the car the most beautiful precision, stability and calmness when you need it the most. And it makes driving the car a telepathic exercise, you soon forget everything and just focus on your line - the car follows exactly. Some have said that, "You drive a Ferrari with strength, courage and bravado, but you drive an NSX with your brain and your fingertips". Nothing could be more true, and it's the steering that enables this.

"The NSX test drivers - Bobby Rahal, Satoru Nakajima and Honda's factory drivers - really knew what they were doing and what they wanted from the steering..."

I contend that anyone who criticises the NSX's steering doesn't actually know much about driving cars fast and precisely. That they don't know what good is, frankly. And they can't comprehend the genius behind the NSX. Gordon Murray did, and he held the NSX in such high regard that he benchmarked it for his McLaren F1.

So, sorry, if you think the first-generation NSX has bad steering, you're wrong and you're ignorant. Unfortunately, there are so many ignorami out there that Honda eventually capitulated in 1997 and changed the steering ratio AND added power steering - sacrilege!

Coming next: The engine and gearbox experience.