Performance:
With its 300 hp 3.7 liter SOHC 24-Valve VTEC V6 engine, it was tough to keep the ZDX at (or near) the speed limit. Pretty impressive performance for an AWD vehicle! Although, I shouldn’t be surprised, after testing the Acura TL SH-AWD car in 2009 – the ZDX was similarly impressive.
It was really fun to drive using the Sequential Sport Shift (manual mode) and paddle shifters! But even in automatic, the ZDX performed extremely well, accelerating more than adequately when asked to do so.
Handling:
ZDX handling characteristics were impressive. While the ZDX is tall like an SUV, it never felt cumbersome, off-kilter or overweight. It handled like a very sporty car, which included the excellent turning radius and solid feel rounding a tight corner at speed. I even had a really positive experience parallel parking it in front of my building the first night. In the dark and rain, no less!
Styling:
In a single word: HOT.
The ZDX is clearly one of the hottest, and best-designed cars to come out in 2010. From front to back, it’s one long, graceful arc. The outside rear door handles are integrated into the panel above the rear door and just aft of the rear door glass such that they’re scarcely noticeable. Not a piece of this car detracts from its beauty. Don’t believe me? Go drive one. People stopped and stared at the ZDX as I drove by.
Not only does the ZDX look good, it looks like it could pounce on you and kick your butt. It looks READY. Ready to go fast. Ready to go for a long drive. Ready to go drive in the mountains. Ready to show you that it’s not your average SUV, crossover, or even luxury car. Ready to take your breath away.
Value:
Being a luxury class vehicle, the ZDX is not really economically priced. The model we tested came in at around $50,000. But for that money, you get a seriously nice vehicle. Almost all of the standard and additional options are listed below, for quite the impressive array of features.
Safety features included: Driver and front-passenger dual-stage airbags, drivers and passenger side-impact airbags, side curtain airbags with rollover sensor, vehicle-stability assist, ABS, electronic brake distribution, 3-point seat belts (front ones with automatic tensioning), active front head restraints, tire pressure monitoring system, side-impact door beams, daytime running lights and the LATCH system for child seats.
The tested vehicle had the tech package which adds $4,500 over the base trim. The Technology Package includes the following standard features: XM® Satellite Radio, MP3/auxillary jack, USB Audio Interface, Radio Data System, Bluetooth® Audio, Driver Recognition Memory System, Driver’s 10-way Power Seat, Front Passenger 8-way Power Seat, Heated Front Seats, Homelink System, Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink, Front Auto Up/Down Windows, Acura Personalized Settings, Auto-dimming Rear-view Mirror, Power Tailgate, Panoramic Glass Roof with Sunshades, 19″ x 8.5″ Alloy Wheels, P255/50 R19 All-Season Tires, Xenon HID Headlights, Fog Lights and Heated Power Door Mirrors with Turn Indicators.
Acura Navigation system with voice recognition and multi-view rear camera, AcuraLink Communication system with real-time traffic and weather, sport seats with perforated premium leather trim, Acura ELS surround-sound system with 10 speakers and AM/FM/DVD-A, CD, DTS, Dolby ProLogic II, Hard Disk Drive, push-button ignition, GPS linked, dual-zone auto climate control with air-filtration system, and the Keyless Access System with Security System.
Conclusion:
If having a head-turning, sporty, fun, luxury performance-oriented crossover is your cup of tea, get one! I had a heck of a good time driving it, and it served my needs rather well. I haven’t driven a car that turned so many heads in quite some time, and it was really entertaining to see how folks reacted to it.
| BUILD | INTERIOR | PERFORMANCE | HANDLING | STYLING | VALUE | OVERALL | |
| RATING | 5.0 | 4.75 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.5 | 4.9/A- |
Who should buy it?
The ZDX will cover you for pretty much every scenario, except a family greater than 2 adults and 3 small kids! It was almost too pretty to put my dog in and I’d be hard-pressed to put a dirty mountain bike in it without completely covering the interior with a sheet of plastic, but it was a great, all-around car. The ZDX drove great, hauled all my stuff around, and I even felt comfortable hiding my laptop in the secret compartment in the back while I was out bike riding (the word is out now!). It drives nice in the city, on the highway and with its awesome AWD, the Acura ZDX can carve up a mountain road better than Iron Chef Morimoto preparing a sushi dinner for six.
 |
 |
|
|
|
 The official website of Acura – www.acura.com |
|
Leave a Reply