5 Cars You Could Buy Instead Of The New Acura NSX

Its launch has been delayed, it’s not been hugely well received by the world’s motoring press, and now we know that it’s not especially cheap either. Yep, US pricing for the new Acura NSX is here, and it’s been confirmed that the 573bhp, 476lb ft mid-engined supercar will set you back $156,000 (MSRP), adding to the whole baptism of fire thing the car is having to deal with right now.

Leaving to one side for a moment that it’s expected to cost almost the same as that figure in good old British pounds (rather shocking, but irrelevant since the UK allocation sold out before the full production car was even revealed), what other new, fast cars could you buy for the same amount of cash in the States?

Porsche 911 Turbo - $159,200

A little over the price of the new NSX, but one of the Acura’s most obvious rivals. It’s just as usable every day, is four-wheel drive and is just as fast: the S model is just 1bhp shy of the Acura with 572bhp. For NSX money you’ll ‘only’ get the standard Turbo with 532bhp, but as it’s lighter than the Japanese car, you’ll hit 62mph from rest just 0.1 of a second slower. It’s more practical too, thanks to set of (admittedly rather small) rear seats.

Mercedes AMG GT S - $129,900

A much less obvious rival than the 911, but still a tempting alternative, particularly considering it’s a lot cheaper, and arguably more sports car than grand tourer (despite the name). It’s not just some big, dumb V8 muscle car either: it’s properly clever. There’s an electronic locking differential, dynamic engine mounts, and a dry-sumped 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 which is chock full of clever tech.

It has a ‘hot V’ setup with the turbos between the cylinder banks - making it a much more compact package - while the cylinder head is made of ‘Zirconium-refined aluminium’. Oh, and is has ‘Nanoslide’ cylinder bore lining to reduce friction loss. Fancy.

3. Audi R8 - $TBA

The R8 is an awkward one, as US prices won’t be confirmed until next month. But, given that the Audi - perhaps challenged by the 911 Turbo - is the king of the usable supercars, it’s a solid target for the NSX. Plus, if you convert the UK price of the base R8 to dollars, you come up with $177,560, and it’ll likely be much lower than that in America thanks to the way car prices work on either side of the pond.

If we assume for one moment that you will be able to get the Plus for around the same price as the NSX, you’ll have a car that’s more powerful - with 602bhp - but a little slower to 62mph at 3.2 seconds. It’s faster at the top end though, as it’ll hit 205mph compared to the NSX’s 191. And a naturally-aspirated V10 is a tad more enticing than a turbocharged V6…

BMW i8 - $140,000

It’s the furthest away from the NSX in terms of performance - ‘just’ 356bhp on tap here - but it’s the only car that pulls off the same trick of using electric power to augment performance, giving that same sense of eagerness off the line. What it does have over the NSX is presence: when you drive around in a BMW i8, you get a ridiculous amount of looks, double takes and a hell of a lot of shocked pointing. Also unlike the NSX, it’s a plug-in hybrid, so could potentially drive you to work and back on nothing but electric charge, saving that sweet unleaded for weekend hooning.

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 - $79,400

Want to go just as fast for a lot less cash? You’ll be wanting a Corvette Z06, then. 650bhp, 650lb ft and 0-60mph in under three seconds, all for nearly half the price of the NSX. It may not have clever hybrid tech, but the 6.2-litre supercharged V8 makes a rather compelling argument for itself. As do the looks.

So, if you put yourself in the position of a well-heeled supercar buyer - or if you already are one - where would your money go? Rather something else entirely? Let us know in the comments.