The 100NX was designed to compete with the Mazda MX-3 and Honda CR-X del Sol. The car is light with a hard chassis and limited slip differential and has been one of the best front-wheel drive cars of its time. In 1992, Road & Track magazine included the 100NX in a test of the best-performing cars, where it fought rivals such as the Honda NSX, Porsche 911, Nissan 300ZX, Mazda MX-5 and Lotus Elan.