2022 Acura NSX Type S vs. 2022 Porsche 911 GTS Comparison Test: Who Knew?

• Laying It Out
• Numbers Upon Numbers
• Up in the Canyons
• Summary Judgment
• 2nd Place: 2022 Acura NSX Type S
• 1st Place: 2022 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS

You probably think this is an odd comparison test. In fact, when I first got the assignment, I pushed back and asked, “Wouldn’t comparing the 2022 Acura NSX Type S against another mid-engine exotic make more sense than pitting it against the 2022 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS? Like maybe the new and intriguing Maserati MC20? The Audi R8 makes 602 horsepower, just 2 more than the Acura, and both are mid-engine cars. Also like the NSX, this is the end of the production road for the R8. Will both come back as EVs? Who knows? Maybe? In the Audi’s case, probably? But nothing (other than the demise of each) is written in stone.

As for the car we are comparing the 2022 Acura NSX Type S to, Porsche will continue making 911s forever. But are we comparing the NSX to the correct 911? The Carrera GTS makes substantially less power (about 21 percent less) but also costs around $43,000 less. The as-tested prices narrow the gap a bit ($162,940 for the 2022 911 Carrera GTS, $185,995 for the NSX), but I still couldn’t shake the fact that a 911 Turbo would be a better match-up, or even the AWD version of this car, the Carrera 4 GTS.

With that thought lingering, MotorTrend features editor Scott Evans and I set out upon the magnificent canyon roads above Los Angeles to figure out which one of these two cars is the best to drive. We had other questions, too: Is the 2022 Acura NSX Type S a supercar? If it is, what’s the 911 GTS?

Laying It Out

Acura caused a few of us to scratch our heads when it announced it would limit the NSX Type S to just 350 examples globally (with 300 for the U.S.) before the model ended its production run. That said, seeing the NSX shuffle off raises my temperature by perhaps 1 degree. Personally, I hate seeing any performance car get canceled, but since day one I’ve been lukewarm about the second-generation Acura NSX. On the other hand, Evans wrote our first test of the improved Type S and made a key point: “Not to put too fine a point on it,” he said, “but the Type S is what the NSX should’ve been from day one. “

The 992-series Porsche 911 Carrera GTS is supposed to be the Goldilocks of the 911 set: It’s middle of the pack in terms of the 911 range, but sits right in the sweet spot. It’s a hard proposition to measure. If you drive other Porsche models, the GTS trim marks the point where they become especially interesting. A regular Cayenne is dull, let’s be honest, and although the Cayenne S is just OK, the Cayenne GTS is a great SUV. The same is essentially true for the Macan and Panamera. But the 911? A “base” Carrera is a hell of a car already, and the S is better still. There ain’t a thing wrong with the Turbo or the Turbo S. But for three generations now, there has been a little something extra special about the GTS. It’s as if the people who engineered other 911 models sat down and spoke about what they should have done better, then went and did it.

Numbers Upon Numbers

We of course let our MotorTrend test team have a crack at these two cars before we played with them in the canyons. The 2022 Acura NSX Type S makes a combined 600 hp by adding the 520 hp from its twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 to the output from three electric motors, one sandwiched between the engine and the nine-speed dual-clutch transmission and two more up front, one for each wheel. The all-wheel-drive Type S pounds the pavement with 3,903 pounds of hybrid goodness, and the Acura is good for 492 lb-ft combined. The rear-drive 2022 Porsche 911 GTS “only” squeezes 473 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque from its 3.0-liter twin-turbo flat-six. That power then routes through an eight-speed version of Porsche’s excellent PDK twin-clutch transmission. The rear-engine 911 in GTS guise weighs 3,389 pounds—more than a quarter ton less than the Acura.

Here are the relevant performance numbers: The Porsche 911 Carrera GTS beats the Acura NSX Type S to 60 mph. No, really. Even with a larger, more powerful gas engine, three electric motors, and AWD’s traction advantage, the Acura loses the race to 60 mph by 0.2 second, 3.1 versus 2.9 seconds.

What about the quarter mile, where the NSX’s horsepower advantage should come into play? It loses there, too, by a tenth of a second, 11.2 to 11.1. The 911 GTS also travels faster than the Type S by the end of the quarter mile, 124.6 mph versus 124.1.

Braking? The Porsche wins here, as well, stopping from 60 mph in a supercar-like 99 feet, beating the Acura by 5. Still, stopping in 104 feet from 60 mph is quite tidy. The GTS even pips the NSX on max roadholding, managing 1.04 g (average) of grip on the skidpad versus 1.03 g. Our figure-eight course let the NSX shine, however, as the Type S beat the 911 GTS by 0.1 second, 23.2 seconds versus 23.3. It’s worth noting the 911 Carrera 4 GTS runs the figure eight in a quicker 22.7 seconds, and a 502 hp 911 GT3—which stickers for less than the NSX Type S (GT3 base price: $162,350)—gets it done in 22.1 seconds. For our money, anything in the 22-second range qualifies as a supercar, so it’s difficult to anoint the mid-engine Acura as one. The Porsche makes a better case for itself, just based on test numbers.

MotorTrend test driver Chris Walton’s figure-eight testing notes are also informative. “There’s certainly a lot going on here. The brakes are perhaps the weakest link in this equation,” he said of the Acura. About the 911, he commented, “It’s everything I expected. Supremely communicative, some of the best brakes in the business, utterly poised while cornering, and a thrill coming off the skidpad blasting across the middle. “

If you’ve never heard it before, lots of pro drivers swear by the maxim, “A car’s only as good as its brakes.” This is worrying for the Acura, as there’s something not so great about the feel of the NSX Type S’ stoppers. It isn’t the sort of thing you’ll notice when jogging the car to your favorite Sunday morning car show, but we hope people buy cars like either of these because they enjoy driving cars hard. The Porsche rewards that sort of thing, whereas the Acura’s brakes let you down. More on this in a bit.

Up in the Canyons

On the road, Evans and I decided I’d go first in the 2022 Acura NSX Type S, and he’d follow me in the Porsche. We assumed the 600-hp mid-engine tri-motor hybrid would leave the 2022 911 Carrera GTS in the dust. (We didn’t have our official testing numbers in our hands yet. )

The Acura initially seemed to make headway against the Porsche, but by the end of a 9-mile stretch, the 911 GTS was keeping pace with the NSX Type S. As Evans put it, “I had to give it everything I had in a few places to keep up with the much more powerful NSX driven by a guy training to race Pikes Peak, but I kept up.” Indeed, I lost more and more confidence in the Acura as I went. I started out going as hard as I dared, but the Type S’ combination of goofy brakes, hefty weight, and what I felt was vague steering had me second-guessing myself while approaching apexes. That’s never good.

I also wasn’t entirely confident in the NSX’s body control. As Evans said later, “It needs work. The car is stiff, but it gets bounced around too much over bumps, and you’re constantly chasing it with steering or releasing the throttle. It’s especially bad in big braking zones where the Type S starts walking around in the lane when it shouldn’t. It’s manageable, but it shouldn’t have to be managed. Tie it down better, and the car could go noticeably quicker. “

Meanwhile, ever since the 991 generation of 911, Porsche has built the world’s best damped sports cars, bar none. Perhaps a few rare others are as good, but none is better. The 911’s springs, active dampers, and active anti-roll bars (this GTS came optioned with Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control) dispense with a road event as quickly as possible. One and done, you might say. In the NSX, however, you still feel the effects of whatever road imperfection you just ran over as the car begins dealing with a new one.

As for the steering feel, I find it as artificial as they come. Evans didn’t take as much issue with it, but he still said, “The steering isn’t so much holding it back as it’s not making it better. It’s very precise, but it lacks feel. Other supercar companies have figured out good steering with front-wheel motors, and Acura should, too.” Ferrari, for example, has nailed great steering on vehicles equipped with electric motors—the SF90 Stradale is proof pudding.

We then switched cars, and after a mile in the “weaker” 911 GTS, it was apparent horsepower doesn’t matter much if a vehicle lacks in other ways. The 911 GTS feels like it has no weaknesses, other than price and ubiquity. Then again, the Porsche as tested is more than $23,000 less than the Acura. It’s not a stretch to think the reason you see so many 911s on the road is that the buying public is aware of just how great these cars are. As it happened, I chased Evans and the NSX, and I had to slow down.

Summary Judgment

The 992 generation of Porsche 911 is a juggernaut within the automotive industry. It’s simply a masterclass of what relentless automotive engineering looks, feels, and drives like. Porsche hasn’t stopped developing the 911 in nearly 60 years. Acura/Honda, on the other hand, quit on the NSX the first time around, and it missed the mark for the second generation. I suppose we could interpret the Type S to be an admission Acura is aware the car was never as super as it should have been—but then why only build 350 units of this final, best version?

There’s a much larger, more important question, too: What kind of car company does Acura want to be, other than a luxury brand that’s canceled its supercar and its big sedan—remember the RLX? It could look to Porsche for inspiration, as the German manufacturer knows exactly what kind of car company it is: the maker of arguably the world’s best driving cars and SUVs. The 2022 911 Carrera GTS is a great example of just how clearly Porsche sees its path. Maybe this wasn’t such an odd comparison test after all.

2nd Place: 2022 Acura NSX Type S

Pros

• Interesting drivetrain tech
• Mid-range torque
• Mid-engine architecture

 

Cons

• Brakes don’t inspire confidence
• Vague steering feel
• Expensive for what you get

Verdict: This is the best version of the modern NSX. It’s reasonably fun to drive, but it still comes up short in too many areas where others do better.

1st Place: 2022 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS

Pros

• Quick in a straight line
• Quick in corners
• Supreme handling

 

Cons

• Ubiquitous on the street
• Not as sharp as some other 911s
• Too pricey for most people

Verdict: It’s difficult to criticize a car when you keep thinking to yourself, “It has no weaknesses.” It’s not as quick around a track as a GT3, but it’s the best all-around everyday 911.

Keyword: 2022 Acura NSX Type S vs. 2022 Porsche 911 GTS Comparison Test: Who Knew?