Review: NSX Through The Eyes Of A Corvette Owner
NSX Z06
Give a 2002 Z06 owner a ride through rural Wisconsin and see what he has to say!


by Ron Raymond, 2002 Z06 Corvette Owner.

Most car reviews are boring. This is actually pretty easy to divine when you stop and think about it, as most cars are boring, so the car review follows in its tracks. Let's face it, how many people can be enthralled by the driving experience of the Chevy Blazer. After it is all said and done the reader is enraptured by cup holder placement and trim levels. Wow, turn the page, I can't wait for the next issue.

Well, this is not the next issue, rather my candid and somewhat rambling thoughts on Ed’s NSX. Ed and I took the NSX out for a spin after we had taken my Z06 Corvette for a run; I thought it would be fun for Ed to read my opinion on his car, and he liked the idea enough he wants to share my drivel with all of you. So, here goes.

THIS CAR ROCKS! Not terribly eloquent, but it is true. The NSX is a car that you wear, not drive; the set up is that good. The seats, the controls, the steering wheel and the shifter are all in the right places, and all work seamlessly well.

Personally, I have never warmed to the interior of the NSX; it actually seems way too; well, way to Honda for me. (No snide comments about Chevrolets now.) However, the NSX office is all business and it allows you to do business; you slip into the seats, strap on the Momo belts, turn the key and fire it up.

And fire up it does. The engine is a frenetic mix of cams, valves and injectors; the whole time in the car you have the sound track of LeMans six inches behind your head. The setup seems tractable around town, but it so energetic that all the time you know the car wants to run, and wants to run right now.

When you do run with the engine screaming towards an almost unheard of 8000 RPM, the whole package has harmony. I may not like the radio controls, but who cares when everything that matters works so well and is so in concert at the limit. The ride is smooth, the cornering limits are insanely high (and predictable) and the brakes remind you of an anchor, a really big anchor that has you stopping right now.

What impressed me more was how smooth the whole deal is, you may be blasting along at 145 miles an hour, but you are never concerned, you never think that you are in over the cars limits. The car also seems really light; I know my Z is light, but the NSX has a noticeably lighter “feel” to it.

Visually, the RM hood is almost a dead ringer for the late sixties hoods found on a Wyer GT40, which means that it is a good thing. The hood also helps add an exotic flair to the front, which I believe the stock unit really needs. That said, the cars stance is just right, low and ready for business; it really works well aesthetically.

That might be the best testament to the NSX, it is more than the sum of the parts, it transcends all of individual attributes and lets you have cutting edge performance every day, reliably. The sight lines are great, the ride is livable and it gets fantastic gas mileage. What's not to love about it?

Well, for one thing, the cup holders. The NSX has crappy cup holders. Come to think about it; both our cars have crappy cup holders and they only have one trim level. But they both have one option not on many factory build sheets - passion. Do yourself a favor, if you drive a boring car, get rid of it. Get an NSX, get a Z06; but escape mediocrity.

Now, as for the comment that my domestic car is not as cool as the NSX, well, to each there own. Be good, drive safe, have fun. And do not take any shit from people in Mustang GT’s, especially the Cobra R’s. Ed runs rings around them.

Pictures of Ron's 2002 Z06 Corvette