Acura NSX Type S

Scope of this guide

This guide is scoped to the 2022 model year Acura NSX Type S, the final run of the second-generation NSX, as specified for the United States by Acura, with the 3.5L twin-turbo V6 petrol hybrid with three electric motors (3493 cc), a nine-speed dual-clutch gearbox and all-wheel drive. It is not a guide to the standard NC1 NSX sold from 2017, which has 573 hp and different torque and is covered in our separate Acura NSX guide, and it is not a guide to the NSX GT3 racing car whose turbochargers the Type S borrowed. It also does not cover the other Acura models that carry a Type S badge. We say below where the Japanese and European cars differ, so that you can tell which one an advert describes.

We have not driven this model for this article. Everything here comes from three cited sources: Acura's own 2022 NSX Type S specifications page, PistonHeads' report on the car's full reveal, and the government recall checker. We also read, through summaries, Honda's global newsroom release, a Car and Driver test reproduced on Yahoo, a Motor1 first drive, a Carwow report, an Autocar headline and several web-search summaries, and we flag each point that rests on them. Where sources disagree we say so rather than pick a winner quietly.

The figures at a glance

• Engine: 3.5L twin-turbo V6 petrol hybrid with three electric motors (3493 cc), a 75-degree V6 mounted longitudinally behind the seats.
• Power: 600 bhp, which is Acura's 600 hp combined system output. Acura prints hp, not bhp, so we use its number as our bhp figure and explain the unit question below.
• Torque: 667 Nm, our conversion of Acura's 492 lb ft combined system torque.
• 0-100 km/h: 3.0 seconds in our catalogue, which is really an under-3.0-second 0-60 mph claim, explained below.
• Top speed: 307 km/h, our conversion of Acura's 191 mph.
• Drive: Sport Hybrid SH-AWD, all-wheel drive, with a nine-speed dual-clutch gearbox and paddle shifters.
• Body: two-seat mid-engine fixed-head coupe, about 4,534 mm long, which is our conversion of 178.5 inches.
• Weight: 3,960 lb (about 1,796 kg) for the standard car and 3,903 lb (about 1,770 kg) with the Lightweight Package, with 42 per cent of the weight on the front and 58 per cent on the rear, all from Acura.

What the Type S was

Acura and Honda announced the Type S in August 2021 as the last version of the second-generation NSX. PistonHeads says the build was limited to 350 cars. Honda's global release gives the same total and says 30 were for Japan, so 320 were for the rest of the world, and it says the final car would be built in December 2022. PistonHeads splits the 350 as 300 for North America, 30 for Japan and 20 for the rest of the world, and Carwow says 300 for the United States and 50 elsewhere, which is the same story counted differently. We treat 350 as the production count, and we note that a total is not a guarantee about any one car, so ask the seller for the build plate and dealer paperwork.

PistonHeads reports that the Type S has turbochargers taken from the NSX GT3 racer, boost of 1.1 bar, and a V6 that alone makes 520 hp and 443 lb ft, up from 500 hp and 406 lb ft. It also says usable battery capacity is up 20 per cent and electrical power up 10 per cent, with a retuned dual-clutch gearbox that adds a Rapid Downshift function and track-mode downshifts that come 1,500 rpm sooner. It lists Brembo brakes, a wider track and a Lightweight Package that saves 26 kg, mostly through carbon-ceramic brakes.

Why the power is quoted in three ways

Power is the first thing to pin down. Acura quotes 600 hp, an American horsepower figure. For catalogue purposes we publish it as 600 bhp, because hp and bhp differ by far less than the rounding in a brochure. Metric horsepower is a slightly different unit, and 600 hp works out to about 608 PS by our conversion, which is why some European and Asian reports print 608 PS or 610 PS. A number in the other direction also appears: Autocar's headline says 592 bhp, which is what you get if you convert 600 PS to bhp, and a South African headline we saw in a search summary says 441 kW, which is also 600 PS. Acura's 600 hp is about 447 kW by our conversion. These are not different cars, but they are different rating conventions, and we have not resolved which label Honda used outside the United States.

Acura's page splits the total into the V6 at 520 hp, between 6,500 and 6,850 rpm, and three motors. It lists a rear direct-drive motor at 47 hp and two front motors at 36 hp each. Those add up to well over the 80 hp difference between 520 and 600, because the engine and motors do not reach their peaks at the same moment. Treat the 600 as a system peak, not a sum.

Torque and the Newton metre figure

Acura prints 492 lb ft for the combined system and 443 lb ft for the engine from 2,300 to 6,000 rpm, and it gives metric torque only for the electric motors. Our 667 Nm is the conversion of 492 lb ft, and Carwow prints the same 667 Nm. Motor1 says the V6 makes 442 lb ft, one unit below Acura and PistonHeads, which we put down to rounding.

Performance claims and what they mean

Acura lists 0-60 mph as under 3.0 seconds, not as a measured 0-100 km/h time. Sixty miles per hour is about 96.6 km/h, so the 3.0 seconds in our catalogue is a borrowed approximation and not a manufacturer 0-100 km/h figure. We found no published 0-100 km/h or 0-62 mph time for the Type S. Car and Driver, according to a Yahoo reprint, tested 0-60 mph at 2.9 seconds and a quarter mile at 11.0 seconds at 126 mph, which is about 203 km/h, but a database entry we saw gives 3.1 seconds from Motor Trend. These are one-day results, not claims for your car.

Acura's page gives the maximum speed as 191, and Motor1 says it is 191 mph, the same as the standard NSX. That is 307 km/h by our conversion, and it is the number in our catalogue. The sources we read call it a manufacturer figure and give no test result for it.

Gearbox, chassis and brakes

The gearbox is a nine-speed dual-clutch with a final drive ratio of 3.583, and Acura lists a 7,500 rpm engine limit and a 10 to 1 compression ratio. The standard brakes are Brembo six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers on 14.5 inch and 14.2 inch ventilated discs. The Lightweight Package adds carbon-ceramic discs, 15 inches at the front, and Motor1 says it costs 13,000 US dollars, so check that a car you are shown has the discs the advert claims.

Wheels are 19 inch at the front and 20 inch at the rear, with Pirelli P Zero tyres in 245/35 ZR19 and 305/30 ZR20 sizes. Wide, low-profile tyres on forged wheels are costly to replace, so look at wear across each axle and ask which tyre was fitted.

Ownership observations and what we cannot confirm

We found no used buying guide for the Type S itself. PistonHeads' February 2021 NC1 guide, which we read but do not cite as a Type S source, covers the earlier car and reports few faults. It mentions early thermostat seals on the standard car, a battery that can go flat if the car is left unused, a recall on the twin resin fuel tanks, cracked carbon steering wheel trims in warm climates and A-pillar rattles. We cannot say whether any of these applies to a Type S, so treat them as questions to ask, not findings.

Because only 350 cars exist, there is no meaningful reliability data. Motor1 says all 350 sold before its review and that the writer had under three laps at Daytona, so the first drive says little about daily use. The hybrid system is not a plug-in system, and Acura gives a lithium-ion battery without a capacity or warranty term on the page we read. Ask a seller for battery health information, a service record from an Acura dealer and any software update history, and walk away from a car that cannot supply them.

Running costs

Acura gives an EPA combined rating of 21 mpg in US gallons, which is about 25 miles per imperial gallon by our conversion, with a 15.6 US gallon tank, about 59 litres, and premium fuel. We give no insurance, tax or service figures because none of our sources provides them. For scale only, the base list price in the United States was 169,500 US dollars and the Lightweight Package car was 182,500 US dollars, before a 1,995 dollar destination charge, according to Motor1 and an Acura release summary. That is launch history, not a current value.

Buying in the UK or Europe

Acura does not sell cars in the UK, and Autocar's report says the Type S would not be available to UK buyers. PistonHeads says it was unlikely that many Type S cars would reach the country. That makes a UK-registered Type S almost certainly an import, probably from the United States. Acura's own page says its information applies to United States products only, so a European or Japanese-market Honda NSX Type S can differ in lighting, units, equipment and rating. Do not assume the DVSA check will recognise an import, and ask for the registration or compliance paperwork and the import history.

What to check before buying

• Confirm the Type S badge, model year and build number against the dealer paperwork and the VIN.
• Ask which market the car was built for and how it was imported.
• Ask for battery health information and any hybrid-system warnings.
• Ask whether the car has the Lightweight Package and carbon-ceramic discs, and check their condition.
• Look at all four tyres, the forged wheels and the carbon trim for damage.
• Check the service history, the recall history and any software updates.
• Test every drive mode, the dual-clutch gearbox and the all-wheel-drive system for hesitation or warnings.
• Run the registration or VIN through the recall check described below.

Recalls and the DVSA check

We could not confirm any recall for the 2022 NSX Type S. Search results showed recalls on earlier model years and none listed for 2021, and we found no 2022 entry, but we did not open those pages and we do not know whether a campaign applies to your car. In the UK, run the registration or VIN through the GOV.UK vehicle recall check. For a car without a UK history, use the US recall search with the VIN, and ask an Acura or Honda dealer to confirm anything open.

Verdict

The Type S is a rare, final-edition hybrid supercar with 600 bhp, 667 Nm, a 3.0 seconds claim for 0-60 mph, 307 km/h and all-wheel drive, built in a run of 350. It is a car where documents matter more than most. Check the build number, battery health and recall history, and treat the published figures as claims with the caveats above. We have not driven it, so use the sources and a proper inspection to decide.