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Nearly two decades ago the Honda/Acura NSX shook up the performance car scene.

This year, the Nissan GT-R is said to be doing the same.

But could the two cars be any more different?

Looking at this picture I stumbled across on the web – is the NSX is too much like a Formula 1 car or is the GT-R is too much like an SUV?

Although the [Ridgeline’s] entire engine is carryover, the all-aluminum 3.5L V-6 does have a new Magnesium dual-stage intake manifold that bumps the horsepower and torque up by three and two, respectively. Additionally, Honda keeps the current five-speed automatic, but does offer slightly different gear ratios, in some cases changed only 0.2 percent, to help to improve overall responsiveness. Of note, throttle response off idle is vastly improved, making it feel like the truck has more power off the line because of how strongly it jumps from a stop. A new computer software program works with the new gearing strategy to make it feel like there’s more power than the small gains in hp and torque would suggest. – Motor Trend

You might have noticed that I am more critical of steering feel – or rather the lack of the same in the modern car. I’m not sure when it became acceptable to remove the driver’s sense of what the front tires are doing, and whether its a family sedan or a sports car the feel of electrically assisted system in particular, whether from BMW or Honda or whomever is at a disadvantage.

Other than perhaps the last Cooper and the current Rabbit/Jetta (which has an entirely different take on electrical assist) I can’t think of a case in which messing with the good old fasioned hydraulic setup has resulted in an advancement, and that includes cars I’ve driven with the latest in technology – cars that aren’t even out yet. And remember: power assist is a step backwards in feel from the original non-assisted systems (available as recently as 1991, in the Civic Si).

And as this quote reminds us of – it’s not a failing that even extensive chasss retuning can get back…

The original S2000 had sharp steering but was blighted by an excessive lateral compliance in its rear suspension, an elasticity that made it feel imprecise when you were pushing on. This was lessened in subsequent chassis revisions, and in this latest evolution it’s almost entirely gone. Confidence up and VSA switched out, in the wet you can steer the S2000 accurately on the throttle if you wish. It telegraphs its intentions well, delivering a warning shot of understeer as you dive into a second-gear corner before shifting into snappy but catchable oversteer if you choose to keep your foot in. The only disappointment is that now that the rear suspension is more composed, the steering is in the spotlight, and while the electrically-assisted set-up is keen, accurate and has good weight, it’s lacking in feel. This is most obvious in the wet, where understeer is revealed more by the fact that you’re visually straying from the steered line rather than the tactile sensation of the front tyres slipping wide… And while its VTEC ‘four’ delivers in thrilling fashion at the top end, it sounds ordinary, almost coarse, when it’s pottering. – evo

The [TSX is] not necessarily an easy car to drive, however: there are several blind spots (the rear windscreen is shallow and strangely angled… and the new dashboard layout is confusing and over-complex. The driver is faced with banks of switches, LEDs, dials within dials, display screens, electronic gauges and levers – it’s a case of information overload. – 4car

It’s depressing to see a company – any company – forget what made them great and there’s perhaps no clearer example of this than Honda’s interior design these days.

The virus started with the Acura RL then spread to the MDX, but now its found its way into the Accord and even the Pilot. Not only are the controls arranged in a completely nonsensical manner, there’s a visual clutter – a hodgepodge of shapes that seems contrived to make the braindead feel they’re getting more for their money.

I can understand why you’ve gone to overly large and wide tires now that your cars are overly wide and large as well but please Honda, stop the madness. Sure, plastic is easy to mold into any shape you desire but that doesn’t mean you should. To paraphrase Chris Rock, “You can drive a car with your feet, but that doesn’t make it a good idea!”

I’ve never understood the Accord Hybrid given that even the 4 cylinder Accord feels ill equipped to handle the torque its 2.4L I4 produces. Apparently shoppers didn’t get it either with just over 6,000 units sold last year, well below the projections of 20,000 units.

Honda’s announced there will be no replacement for the Hybrid version when the Accord is redone this fall, odd given the Altima and even Aura now compete with the Camry Hybrids.

When I heard Acura’s upcoming ‘NSX successor” was going to be a front engined V10 I was immediately skeptical, but when you view it as more a GT along the lines of an M6 it start to make more sense.

The bigger news is that the SH AWD system will be able to distribute torque across the front axles as well. Variable Cylinder Management from the Odyssey will let this V10 run as an inline-5 (Honda’s way of trying to get the efficiency an aluminum construction would have allowed them).

Okay Honda, you’ve got my interest.

The sound of the V10 wailing in this video might have had something to do with it.

Scroll down on this page for a refreshingly visual discussion of cam timing and lift…

In their short take on the Accord SE they say:

Buying an Accord? We recommend the four-cylinder.

That’s been my suggestion since this generation of Accord debuted – the suspension and steering is overwhelmed by the weight and torque of the V6 (hybrid versions are worse).

In truth I prefer the Subaru Legacy. It more closely approximates what the 1990-1993 and 1998-2002 Accords felt like with pinpoint steering and a chassis that never falls a step behind. Sadly neither family sedan is offered with stability control unless you option them up.

So much for Honda’s ‘Safety for Everyone’...

subtle “de-contenting” has crept into (or out of) the Civic, and some of its exceptional driving dynamics, once due to its unique double-wishbone front suspension, have been lost to the more cost-effective strut-type hardware… the Civic isn’t off the pace as much as we anticipated—on paper. The lack of steering isolation, the way bump-steer affects the car, and the Civic’s less assertive turn-in, however, are noticeably changed. Most people probably won’t notice in everyday driving, nor would they have the opportunity to drive the 2000 and ‘01 Civic back-to-back, but there’s definitely a difference. It’s too bad, because sporty handling was one of the Civic’s hidden talents and secret pleasures. If one liked an active, sportier driving experience, it was always easy to recommend the Civic over more common strut-suspended cars. Now, there’s less to rave about, and little to distinguish itself from the crowd. – Motor Trend

the test car, to our great surprise… had some major rattles, and the metallic paint had more shady spots than the Coconino National Forest. We thought the panel gaps were rather wide, too, and certain details of the dash fit poorly… the ride has gotten harsh. Noisy, too. The engine, as well, is plenty loud in the high revs, and wind noise is apparent at speed. Moreover, path control on the freeway is nowhere near as sharp as Civics used to be. – Car and Driver

Given the greatness we’ve come to expect from Honda, we have been disappointed that the seventh-generation Civic is not quite the step forward we’d usually expect from such a veteran. We[‘ve] chastised Honda… for some bad decisions made with this Civic; the rear suspension, its trailing arm discarded in the quest for better space efficiency, doesn’t feel as well planted as the great setup on the previous car. The steering is also light to the point of precluding much communication of what the tires are doing. In both the 2000 test and this one, we found the car less confident through tight turns than both the previous Civic and, more importantly today’s opponents… small dimensions, a lack of power, an uninspired interior, and suspension faults have taken this car out of the spotlight. There are simply more exciting cars than the Civic at this price. – automobile