What do the star ratings mean?
What were they trying to do? How well did they do it? Was it worth doing in the first place? These three questions form the basis for my critical approach, whether I'm writing about SUVs, movies or beet dishes. The new 2010 Acura ZDX nearly confounds my faculties. The 2010 Acura ZDX will come with a 4 year/50,000 mile warranty, a 6 year/70,000 mile powertrain warranty and fuel economy estimates from 16 mpg city/22 mpg highway. Pricing will be announced soon with base prices in the mid-40s. Let's drive.
What is the ZDX?
Larger Exterior Photos: Front Rear
I got a chance to drive the new ZDX for a day on a route between Beverly Hills and Malibu, after a presentation from the Acura PR, Marketing, Engineering and Design departments. The presentation gave me a good chance to ponder the first question: What was Acura trying to do when they designed the ZDX?
From what I can gather, Acura perceived a gap in their lineup. In the ideal world for Acura, a buyer starts out in a TSX or TL, then moves up to the RDX and MDX as their family grows, ultimately winding up as happy, successful RL owners when they need a sophisticated, mid-size sedan. The gap comes on the way up and on the way down -- what do buyers drive when they no longer need the MDX, because the kids have gone to college? What about younger buyers still on their way up the ladder? Both groups might need the utility of an SUV for cargo hauling, but only occasionally use the back seat as a perch for people.
Enter ZDX. Acura believes that ZDX "defines its own segment," but the segment has already been defined by the BMW X6, and ZDX swoops in and snatches the entry portion of the segment. Land Rover's upcoming LRZ will join the fray in 2011.
Acura's team has coined the phrase "Passionate Getaway" to describe their concept for the ZDX. The SUV will be a "lifestyle vehicle," providing the active couple with enough space to haul their bicycles, antiquing finds and golf bags, without all the bulk of a full-size SUV or sedan.
What were they trying to do?
Sculptural details include a concave dash panel.
Photo © AcuraZDX rides on the MDX platform, using the same powertrain and architecture under a completely new skin. ZDX has the same wheelbase as MDX (108.3"), but with greater overall length (192.4" vs. 190.7"), lower roof height (62.8" vs. 68.2") and lesser curb weight (4,462 lbs vs. 4,597 lbs). The numbers don't tell the whole story, though.
In person, ZDX looks and feels substantially smaller than MDX. Part of that feeling is due to the depth of ZDX's shoulders, over the rear fenders. Rather than bulging out for utility and increased interior volume, the greenhouse tapers in, more like a sports coupe than an SUV. The coupe look is no accident, either. Acura's designers did everything they could to camouflage the rear side doors on ZDX, including hiding the door handles in the C-pillar trim.
Under the hood lurks a 3.7 liter V6, sending 300 hp and 270 lb-ft of torque out through a six-speed automatic transmission. Acura's Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) is standard, automatically sending up to 70% of the power to the rear wheels, and shifting 100% of the power from left to right when needed.
Inside, typical of Acura, there's a ton of technology. Three trim levels pile on the features incrementally: the base ZDX, then the Technology Package and the Advance Package. There was no scrimping inside, either: from hand wrapped leather covers on the dash to a panoramic roof with sunshade and ambient lighting to loop carpets and leather seating surfaces, ZDX layers on the luxury and design.
How well did they do it?
Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first. That back seat is way too small for full-sized adults, and the shape of the rear passenger door makes entry and exit a challenge. I'm taller than average (6'2"), and my head was in solid contact with the headliner once I jackknifed my way into the back seat. Every bump in the road would contribute to a massive headache, even on a short ride.
It's sad that a vehicle with ZDX's sporty looks and pretention should weigh well over two tons. I know that there are limits to the MDX platform, but ZDX would be a much different (and better) vehicle with 500 lbs less curb weight.
Despite its heaviness, ZDX does well on curvy roads due to a low center of gravity and superb suspension settings. On a flat open highway, ZDX is stable and serene, a great touring machine.
On a purely aesthetic level, ZDX is a hit. From nearly every angle, it gives a dynamic look. It wears the Acura grille, a bold slice of aluminum, better than most of its stable mates. 19" cast aluminum wheels fill the wells without cartoonish oversizing. Fit and finish are an Acura hallmark, and even though the ZDXs that I examined were early production models, they were beautifully painted, constructed and gapped.
The same goes for the primary seating positions -- driver and front passenger. ZDX's dash is gorgeous. I especially like the center stack, which the designers termed "the monolith." The really cool thing is that the controls virtually disappear when they are not active, reappearing with backlight when they are in use.
Was it worth doing in the first place?
ZDX's deep shoulders steal space from the interior.
Photo © Jason FogelsonThis is almost always the hardest question to answer: Was it worth building ZDX in the first place?
It's especially tough to answer this question about a vehicle that I only got to spend a few hours driving and examining. After the Acura presentation, I was pretty sure that I was going to say "no, there's no reason to build the ZDX." But then I drove for a while, and started to warm up to the SUV. I appreciated some of the design flourishes, like the usable hidden storage in the rear wheel wells and below the load floor in the luggage area. I started to think about how infrequently I actually carry passengers in my second row. I allowed myself to bask in the cabin's luxury, and to explore the technology embedded in the ZDX's dash. Would I use the BlueTooth streaming audio function? Would I appreciate the multi-view rear camera and the AcuraLink satellite communications system with real-time traffic and weather?
None of these features is essential, but add them all up and ZDX starts to feel like an appealing SUV. Coming in about $10,000 cheaper than a BMW X6, while sharing many of the same drawbacks and advantages, ZDX further parses a market segment that will become more crowded in the near future.
So, what's my ultimate answer on the 2010 Acura ZDX? For the right buyer, with the right needs, ZDX is the right vehicle. Are there many of those people out there? I'm not sure. I'll have to spend more time behind the wheel to find out if I'm one of them, or if I'll decide, like I did about the X6, that the triumph of form over function ultimately turns me off.
