2022 Acura NSX Type S vs 1999 Acura NSX // The ULTIMATE Comparison + DRAG RACE

Oh, did you find a new NSX, by the way? Of course. Big video, mate. And I found an old one. A pristine 2002. 2002? Yeah. That doesn't have pop-up and down headlights. Anyone that cares about that small-minded... Welcome to Donut! You're watching Throttle House. I'm Thomas. And I'm James. And that is a Zanardi Edition NSX. An all-original, all-90s, pop-up headlamp, manual, mid-engined, rear-wheel drive sports car. But, unlike the new one, it's not a Type S. And that's because back then, Japan got all the good stuff. We didn't. It was also badged as a Honda over there. And in 1992, they got the NSX Type R. And in 1997, the Type S. Which, even though it wasn't as aggressive, was actually more powerful than the R because it got the new 3.2-litre engine. I mean, that engine did make it into the 2002 Type R, but that one didn't have pop-up and down headlights. Which, between you and me, even though the people at the Donut offices are very nice, doesn't matter at all. In fact, to focus on that is so stupid. All right, I've heard enough! You're a terrible guest, and you're not allowed back! Thanks, guys. Where were we? Oh, yeah, we didn't get any of the fun stuff. But, legendary racing driver Alex Zanardi, a man that has cheated death twice, won back-to-back racing championships for Honda in the late 90s. So, in 1999, Japan saw fit to send 51 special editions to the US, and they named them Zanardi. After Alex Zanardi, the racing guy. So, today, let's find out if one of the 90s legends is actually a legend, and let's see if that NSX badge carries its weight across two decades. If you're new to Follow Us, we do car reviews, track tests, and quite a lot of messing around. So, subscribe and hit the bell. So, the Zanardi is our Type S, which means it's sharper than the normal NSX. But unlike the NSX Type R, it's not supposed to sacrifice daily drivability. Except in this one, the steering's not powered. Speaking of powered, that behind me is a 3.2-litre V6. And it revs to 8,000 rpm. And the VTEC, oh, yeah, it kicks in at about 6,000. It sounds quite wonderful. Half-throttle sounds pretty good. Give it more, it gets this deep thrum. And then you carry it all the way out. Music. Oh, I like doing that. I like doing that. And you might be thinking, James, 290 horsepower, that doesn't sound like that much. And you're right. It isn't. But they've made it lighter. It has a lighter rear spoiler. It has thinner glass so that it's lighter. A lighter battery. And lighter wheels. And as a very, very smart man said recently, the true measure of a great sports car isn't how much horsepower it has. It's how many pounds it doesn't weigh. You know, that's too generous. I don't feel good being that nice to him. Camisa's a big, stupid poo-poo head. Weight is everything. This weighs 1,000 pounds less than a new C63 S Coupe. And almost 1,000 pounds less than a new Acura NSX Type S. And unlike the new one, this has a six-speed manual, which is very reminiscent of an S2000, but potentially some more heft to the shift. One of the best transmissions out there. Short shifts, purposeful, satisfying naturally aspirated engine to shift with. Downshifts are lovely. And then there's the steering, which, as I said, is manual rack and pinion. And the feedback through this, it writes the storybook of what you're doing with the car as you drive it. I can feel everything. There's a Lotus-like connection to the just over 3,000-pound car beneath me. And speaking of beneath me, driving position, wonderful. The car feels very low to the ground. It almost feels like that front-facing camera over the hood in things like Gran Turismo. My viewpoint is the road rushing up underneath me more than anything. I've always been curious to drive this car. It's always looked so good. Growing up, there was one down the street with a license plate, my NSX. And I think it's still there, because for that owner, this car is a keeper. And driving it now, I totally, totally get it. It doesn't feel new. This experience is not possible to replicate in a modern car. With the way the chassis is set up and the race-tuned suspension for the Zanardi, I feel total control. It has poise. It has grace. And I don't think that that's unique to the NSX. I think the JDM cars of the era, especially the rear-wheel-drive ones, all kind of capture this magic in some way. I can't imagine what it was like to buy this new. This is making me nostalgic for a time where I was far too young to appreciate or even drive this thing. Just think, you're at the end of the 90s. You're on your way home from seeing the first Matrix in the cinema. And you're driving, quite possibly, the sweetest JDM car on the road. Are you? Because this is a Minds R34 GTR N1. And it is a significantly cooler JDM car than that one. Thomas, this is an NSX video. You can't bring out an R34 every time we talk about JDM. No, I can't. I can't because it is so cool. Come on, one race. One little race. A race? Yeah, yeah. Come on. Listen, it's 1999. In a couple of years, The Fast and the Furious is about to come out. And we have to inspire them to actually make good films and not go off the rails exponentially with each release. All right. For that, one race. But then you're in the new NSX. Fine. I don't even know how much horsepower he has in that thing. But it's an R34. I'm pretty sure they're more powerful than this, because it's got a lot of horsepower. So this is just a bit mean. Okay, so what I didn't mention before is that this GTR has 600 wheel horsepower. Yep. A lot of boost. It's real quick. Once he hits the boost, I've got no chance. How much power is in that? He brings it along just to bully me. Okay, I'll go get the new NSX now. No, I meant get it and then do a lovely review with scenic moments. Yeah, well, no, I'll do that. But just one race. I mean, I just beat you. I'll probably beat you again. Yeah, but not like this. Is that Apoc from Matrix? Matrix? It's Switch. Oh, Switch, sorry. The two tertiary characters. The Matrix came out when this car... Didn't a Matrix film come out when that car came out? We don't talk about that one. Yeah? Well, dodge this. You say dodge this? God, that's lame. Launch control. Bye-bye. If he can cheat, I can cheat. And now I'm going to absolutely win. Come on. This is a quick car. This is the modern version of that Zanardi. If you happen to have $187,000 US, then you can get yourself a 2022 NSX Type S with the lightweight carbon fiber add-ons. Only 350 of these will be made. And while it has the same hybrid turbocharged V6 out back and two electric motors up front like last year's NSX, the Type S now has 600 horsepower and 492 pound-feet of torque. Couple that with tweaked suspension, upgraded aero and lighter parts, and you have now the quickest and most powerful road-going Acura ever. But even with those performance-focused tweaks, the NSX Type S still doesn't sit at the top of the supercar food chain. Okay, so there's definitely sportier cars out there. And there's definitely better-sounding cars out there. But this car does something that none of those can do. And that is become comfortable. Really, really comfortable. Click it down into quiet mode. The engine shuts off. We're running in EV-only mode now. And the car is the most civilized supercar that I've ever driven. The insulation from the road is amazing. The seats are so comfortable. The visibility is perfect. The damping, like, the ride is just... It's, like, it doesn't feel like a supercar right now. I wouldn't know that I'm in a big mid-engine monster if I didn't see the two yellow haunches out front. This car is an absolute breeze. A breeze to drive on the highway, long distances, through the city. But supercars aren't supposed to be just nice. I have to be able to click this into track mode. Shift manually. Oh, it's quick. It's really quick. Oh, that transmission. It's been retuned. It's really sharp. The paddles are very satisfying. For the Type S, the sound of the V6 has been tweaked so it's more of a symphony. I can't tell that there's an electric motor back there assisting, filling in the gaps, and two electric motors out front doing torque vectoring, helping the front end turn in. Driving like this, as if I was on a canyon road, this is one of the most confident and easiest-to-drive supercars I've ever been in. And for most people, that's everything you need and more. Confident power, all-wheel drive, torque vectoring that pulls the nose in around the corner, shifts that are quick. But for guys like me, on a racetrack like this, I need this car to do more. When I push it, I need to know that I'm in a mid-engine supercar. And unfortunately, the Type S, even with all its new power and chassis tweaks, it still doesn't quite do it for me. All I get is understeer out of the front. In fact, it doesn't matter how I enter a corner. Go in, lift off, or try and power through. I cannot unstick the rear, which means that I just get... The front end just doesn't go where I want it to go. That's scary. Even with the torque vectoring, it doesn't matter. Turn in, go... It's just too bad, you know, because it's so close to being brilliant. No, it just won't. It just won't. I don't feel like I can really have fun at the limit, and it's a shame, because it could be so good. I don't feel like these electrical systems are interfering for the most part. It feels like it's well-tuned, it's well-calibrated. It's like they only want you to drive it at 8 tenths. It's too bad. But I do have to keep in my head that most people that might want to drive this car are not necessarily track guys. They don't go to lapping days. So, if you're not a person who feels the need to try and drift a car around, this car is brilliant at what it does. It really, really is. It's comfortable. It's fast. It's easy to drive. It's safe. But personally, personally, I wish it was just a little bit more fun. Okay. I'm still bitter. About what? You beating me in the drag race after I'd even cheated. That was very fun. Okay, by the way, that R34 was nuts. Yeah, I know. It was nuts. I was sweating and scared at the end of it. Watching you fly past every time the turbos... The boost. Yeah, the boost. No, it was nuts. It was also really, really hard to drive. Somewhere around 600 wheel, I don't know exactly. Okay. I don't feel so bad. No, you shouldn't. This has got 600 to the crank. Yeah, no, this is still a very, very quick car. So, yeah, I did have a few issues with it. I think that I definitely want to lean on the side of saying that this is a fantastic everyday road car. Just, yeah, easy, comfy. Yes. But it now looks awesome, which really kind of plays into it being a really cool everyday road car. I think it looks good. I always thought it looked good when this came out. Really? Yeah, but the tweaks they've done for the Type S, which is the only way you can get this car now. Yes, yes. New. In fact, they're all sold, so it's pointless. So now we go home then. Yeah. The tweaks they've done with the front fascia have made it look really aggressive, especially there's an angle here. Yes. From the side, it looks like a saber-toothed tiger. This is a big eye. It's like a fang coming down. They've done a lot of stuff for the Type S. To be fair to them, they didn't just badge it. No. They did a lot of stuff. These are special wheels and tires. The Pirellis are specifically designed for the Type S. It's got a rear diffuser that's inspired by the GT3 race car, apparently. I mean, the front end... Carbon fiber roof. The front end, by the way, I think it took it, for me, from going from a car I didn't like the look of at all to a car that I love the look of. That? That was the switch. Wow. Honestly, I'd never liked the look of it when it's kind of like gum guard. What I do know is this gets a lot of attention. We've been living with it. Yeah. Lots of attention. It's like a pylon. So, like, it's so bright. You mean a cone. Yeah. What's a cone? That's what we call it. That's what you put ice cream in. No, that's an ice cream cone. You have weird words for everything. Pylon is the aerial term. Anyway. Watch this, everyone. What do you call the stuff you wash your hands with? Fairy liquid. Why? Anyway. Because if you don't pay homage to the fairies, they come and steal your children. I don't know. Right. Daily livable car. Yes. You know, raw, but not punishing. No. And potentially more practical, which is a big part of daily super cars. Look how much bigger this one is. There's more space. Right, but when we did the R8 and the 911, the 911 trouts the R8. Yes. And, you know, as time's gone on, you'd have thought they'd package this to make it more livable. So, I've brought along... Uh-oh, here we go. Oh, you have a case. Yeah. I did this to you in the 911 versus R8 video. Yeah, this is revenge. Yeah, okay. Give me the drag race ties. Yeah, that doesn't fit. At all. No. Like, not even close. Well, first of all, there's a big bump. Yeah, I don't know if it's like space for exhaust or drive shafts or something. Yeah, and then even then, I don't think it would fit. No. May I direct your attention to the really cool-looking engine cover, which actually kind of looks like you're meant to pour change into it and it will sort it for you. It does look like that. Yeah. It's very nice, but yeah. It's weird. I love it, though. I think it looks pretty cool. Don't throw a coin in there. No. All right. There's no way there's more storage in this, James. There is. The old one. There is so much more. This is what happens when there's no, like, safety standards. You don't need crash or crumple zones. That is massive. Massive. Carry-on. You could fit probably two of them. Easily two carry-ons. Easily two. Easily two carry-ons in there. So it wins there. Yeah. And it has a frunk. Yeah, and it only costs $100,000 more. Oh, yeah. But you don't need to get this one, even though it's basically museum spec. This one is in unbelievable condition. Well, so being the Zanardi, we've got these wheels. We've got the formula red paint. Okay. And then we've got all the lighter weight stuff going on. But for the most part, it does look like this gen NSX. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I think that was already a very, very good-looking car. I think it is. I love the proportions of it. I love the nose. It's so quintessentially from that era. Yeah. With, like, the pop-up and down headlamps, which are very important, as we learned. Can I just do it? Okay. Here we go. I can't get fed up with it. They're so cool. Ah! Oh, my God. It's... Even the noise. It's so good. Big other part, then. Yeah. Beyond space and ride... Yeah. ...is the actual interior. Yeah, well, it's great, because out here, there's not very much storage. But thankfully, inside, there's tons. Oh, yeah? No. There's not. Go in. I'll show you. Okay. We're talking about storage. There's a gap here. There isn't any, no. No, there's a key thing here. Yeah. You got a glove compartment? I do have a glove compartment, and I have this cute little box here. Yeah, look at that. It's just not quite enough for a phone running lengthwise. Little shelf. It's a nice little shelf. This is not a problem with the Type S. This is a problem with the original new NSX. Right. Right? The original new NSX. Yeah. So, for example, this glove box, as you pointed out, it's great. But when I open it, first of all, it hits my knees, so I can't get it open all the way. And what is this wasted space? Why is that there? It's very thick. And then, oh, which cupholders? No, there aren't any. This is what you get. Yeah. This looks like something that a doctor puts in your mouth. Like, ah. That is a thing. Yeah, it goes in. So, it's great. Now, I can't sit comfortably anymore. Hey, the MX-5 has that. No, but the MX-5 cleverly puts it right there. Does it not click in? No, it doesn't click in. Yeah. So, it just slides out. So, if you had a hefty drink in here, and you went around a pretty aggressive left-hander, it would go flying into my lap. Lots of headroom. Okay. So, here's the things. So, I just made fun of this car, and I have a few more things to point out that I don't like. But, most importantly, the seats are godlike. Yes. They are so soft and comfortable, and there's tons of headroom. And, as a passenger, I don't have very much space. But, over there, it's all, like, comfy. Like, put your hands on the steering wheel on a 3. It's, like, this nice, like, ergonomic-feeling kind of, like, bit to it. Yeah. It just feels nice, right? I really, really like it. It's so comfortable to cruise in this car. But then you have to use the sound system, and turning the volume up and down is real slick. Why were they able to change that to a knob in a Civic Type R but not in an NSX? They just didn't bother in the NSX. I mean, you still have it here. Yeah. So, this is a Civic satellite navigation system infotainment. This is, like, from an Accord. I like the gear selector. I've never liked this. It doesn't quite make sense. Just, like, give me a little, like, little thing that I can pull and push just to put it in gear or whatever it is. Gauge cluster, a little bit dated-looking. A little bit. Very dated. Yeah. So, I've never really loved the interior of this car. But the thing is, is that comfort trumps all when you're on a long trip. So, you would rather take comfort than, like, really expensive feeling metals and leather? Yeah, exactly. It's fine. It's not, you know, it's more C8 Corvette level, really. It is literally C8 Corvette level, yeah. But when you, honestly, when you're driving long distances on, like, a bumpy, broken highway, these seats and, like, the ride and you just, like, melt into this car. It's great. It's, everyone says the 911 Turbo S is, like, the daily supercar. This is so much more comfortable. It is. As a ratio, though, when you start multiplying performance by comfort, then that's when the Turbo starts to win. Yeah, it's fair enough. Because it's just outrageous. It is so fast. But, no, this is seriously a really comfortable car. It's just deeply flawed in many ways. I don't want to talk about it anymore. Can we go talk about the old one? I was going to say, that's okay. Okay. If the old one was like that, too. But it's not. Well, we'll see. Okay. Yeah, because this is cool. It's very cool. It's really cool. It's not, like, exciting. It's just well. Are there cup holders in here? How does one, how does one open? Nope. That's just, well, it's storage. It's pretty good storage. So, what you're saying is, if there aren't any cup holders. And, look at that. Thick glove compartment. Wow. I love the old versus new videos. And this is even worse. Look. That's where the airbag is. There's hardly any storage in there. Listen, true to the original, the new one is. Why did I say that like Yoda? Because I think it's quite a prophetical thing to find out. Okay. So, Zanardi edition. Red stitching. Micro suede and leather seats. Yeah, and I heard there's red stitching on the steering wheel. And that's confusing. Because, why is this not. So, I think this is a Momo JDM. So, this is the same one as you got. Hence the Honda badge. And this is the best beat. That's awesome. You barely touch it. Okay. So, this is. So, someone has put on the JDM style steering wheel. From the Type S. Which, honestly, is all the better for it. Because that era of airbags wasn't good looking. I think it saved your life. I don't care. You're not going to fare well in an accident with this thing anyway. Similar divots in the roof for extra head space. Yep, yep, yep. Comfy seats for the time. These are very comfy seats, actually. And they're like powered and quite adjustable. Yeah, I'm surprised. In some ways, I'm surprised how many electronic things there are in here. And I'm also not surprised. Because the whole point of the Type S was to not sacrifice comfort. Yeah. So, the fact that we have. It's got tons of stuff. Electric seats. Auto windows. Yeah. There's cruise control. Traction control. Got the lights. Like, everything is really intuitive and easy to use. Climate control. It doesn't get any simpler than that. No. In the climate control world. This one's had a radio delete. Radio delete. So, it's got that panel there. Spacious. This is a really cool shift knob. Very Honda S2000. Very. Well, this has probably started it. Yep, yep. From the beginning. Yeah, sorry. That was very this. Can I say that the gauge cluster is so awesome. I just love it. It's also big. Like, it's really big. Like, from my perspective, it's like filling my vision. Huge dials. Easy to read. And we've got all the gauges that you need to actually monitor that little old V6 behind us here. Well, and we've got a plaque behind us. We do have a plaque. With Alex Zanardi's name on it. This is number three. Wow. Which means that. This is a museum piece. Well, you know, some people don't want to get the first or the second so they can iron out the issues. So, this is like 20 minutes later. If this one rolled off the line, it would have fixed all the problems. I think, you know, when we do the old versus new videos, we hope you've enjoyed today's one. It's interesting to see how much of the new car is true to this. Yeah. And I feel like they are very different cars. With the all-wheel drive, the hybrid, this is a very different experience. This is a much more simple, pure, supercar killer experience, right? That's what it set out to do. Yeah. Right? It's simple, mechanical, no power steering, manual transmission, naturally aspirated. It's got all of the basics. And I love it for that. Also, I will say that the driving position is really, really good. Yeah, I'm curious. It's really good. Because this is such an expensive example. I'm curious now to try, like, a mileaged up, cheaper NSX. I know there's still over six figures already. Yeah. This is probably about 400 Canadian. The last one that sold on Ring of Trailer was 277 US. And that was... So, who knows? This is a beautiful car. I love this. I've always loved it. Am I going to get to drive this at any point? I don't think we've got time anymore. So, the new NSX Type S is a comfortable, daily-driving supercar that shines at pretty much everything minus on-the-limit driving. It looks, sounds, and goes better than its previous version. And compared to its similarly-priced competitors, it's definitely the softest. The Zanardi, on the other hand, as we said, is quite a different proposition. It's completely at home at 10 tenths and yet denies the operator none of their daily-driving comforts for the time. Minus power steering. And yeah, okay, it's a little bit slower. Okay, a lot a bit slower. But add the sensation of speed and pure JDM-infused, white-knuckled driver engagement, and you have a car that our entire team couldn't get enough of, and one that is most certainly a legend. Thanks for watching. Yep, we're just backing the cars in. That was the last shot. Yep. Hey. Yeah. Are you taking it in? No, I'm taking it out. Why are you wearing loafers? James. You weren't wearing those a second ago. If you no longer go for a gap that exists, you're no longer a racing driver. It's like all to do with loafers.