Weekly Top 3: Things You Probably Didn't Know About The 2010 Acura ZDX
If you've kind of lost interest in Acuras since they ditched the Integra/RSX and NSX and started slapping bionic beaks on every fascia in sight, well, here's some news you may have missed: the 2010 Acura ZDX is coming, and it's like no Acura ever before.
This five-passenger crossover SUV employs the venerable MDX crossover's platform, but it's got a lower seating position, and its shape is more akin to that of a fastback coupe. Yes, the Acura people were throwing around the c-word at a press event I attended yesterday, and no, a vehicle with four conventional doors cannot be a coupe no matter how many times they say so. But the ZDX certainly looks...special, and with a base price in the mid-$40s, it's a potentially interesting alternative to a wide range of luxury vehicles.
Three items of specific interest, coming right up.
3. The coupe claim makes the most sense from the backseat.
Because despite being roughly the same size as the MDX, which comes standard with a third-row seat, the ZDX has no third row and barely a second row to speak of. You have to duck under the dramatically sloped roofline to get in, and once you're situated, you'll find a low cushion and notably compromised headroom and legroom. You know, like in a coupe. People will be tempted to compare the ZDX to the four-seat BMW X6, but you can easily put two average-sized adults in the back of the Bimmer; not so the Acura.
2. The interior is the real deal.
Acura could have pulled a BMW and just dropped the MDX's dashboard layout into the ZDX, but instead the ZDX has a unique interior design that's arguably the nicest in Acura's lineup (only the RL compares). Some of the materials border on the exquisite, particularly the leather-wrapped soft-touch panels on the lower dash and center console (don't know what's up with those JC Whitney floormats though). The ZDX easily feels like $45-55,000 worth of special when you're ensconced within its cabin.
1. The drive is...fine.
Unfortunately the ZDX driving experience isn't that memorable. Sport-coupe pretensions notwithstanding, this thing is big and heavy, and that's pretty much how it comes across from behind the wheel. There's no denying that the Super-Handling All-Wheel-Drive system (SH-AWD) works some magic in tight corners, mitigating understeer by sending torque to the wheels that need it most. But there's no friskiness here, no fun -- just a generic sure-footed competence. You can't see the front of the car from the driver seat, either, which doesn't inspire confidence on winding roads. The 300-horsepower, 3.7-liter V6 (shared with MDX) is capable but unexciting, and the new six-speed automatic delivers quick and seamless upshifts but is less suave when downshifts are called for. Overall, the ZDX likely drives well enough to satisfy its target audience, but a test drive isn't going to get anyone's blood racing.
Personally, I'd much rather have the TL SH-AWD sedan and its superior handling, acceleration and backseat space. Still, people drawn to the ZDX's singular styling and greater ground clearance may be willing to make those compromises.
Josh Sadlier, Associate Editor
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- Josh Sadlier October 2, 2009, 3:00 AM
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- Acura, Weekly Top 3
Well... guess the best thing I can say about this is that it's not QUITE as ugly as an Aztek...
looks like this is the Honda Crosstour done less WRONG, yet still doesn't make sense.
Wow -- for that much $$$, there are so many more appealing choices!
You know, I can bash myself in the face continously with a baseball bat for much less than $40 grand. Plus I'll still look better than this...thing. And I won't be kidding myself into thinking I'm attractive like Acura and other manufacturers continually use "coupe-like" to describe their cars.
Four doors = not a coupe.
SUV = not a coupe.
Boy, this thing has two strikes against it already.
Oh wait, it's silver. You're out!
Oh god, they're multiplying! I guess I should have listened to the old Chinese man and not gotten it wet!
They're hurting market share and they come up with this monstrosity?
They need to look to Audi and Mercedes and stop trying to be a Japanese BMW. This thing is supposed to be their X6 but better and cheaper - They failed, I don't care how nice the interior is or how reliable it "might" be (and with a new Honda transmission, I really wouldn't hold my breath on that one) it has none of the allure of the X6 and from what I'm reading a totally worthless backseat and small cargo area, isn't that WHY you get a crossover??? The potentially larger backseat and extra cargo space?
Even if you don't like the X6 you HAVE to agree it looks 10x better than this thing and without a question is sporting a highly superior drivetrain.
They tried to do a cheaper, better and more fuel efficient X3 - EPIC failure with the RDX, sales on that thing barely met half of the expectations and that's with severe discounting.
The MDX is good, but whoever is approving these new projects needs to be drug tested, something just isn't right over at Acura.
this interior is straight out of the TL except for the stitching. In addition this thing is over 190" long and has less cargo space than any competitior. the SRX got knocked for falling short on space considering its girth- same should apply here.
^
"this interior is straight out of the TL except for the stitching"
No, the design is unique to the ZDX. Find some pictures and compare. The elements of the dash and the way they fit together are different. Center stack/console is also unique. But in any case, it's the materials that set the ZDX apart.
"the SRX got knocked for falling short on space considering its girth- same should apply here."
It's a given that these weird hatchback SUV things have compromised cargo capacity. Functionality isn't a design priority. Regarding rear-seat space, read the post.
-JS