When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Hi. I'm shopping for a used ZDX (my 2006 RL was t-boned last week (no injuries — thanks Acura!) and since the repairs are more than the market value, my insurance company had it totaled). I have a few questions:
What are the differences between the 2012 Advance and the 2013?
I have found the following — are there more?
- No Adaptive Cruise Control
- Front and Rear parking sensors
- Folding side mirrors
- Tweaked beak (exterior)
- Wood-covered console (or does this change with the exterior color?)
Are there more (including changes in color or materials)?
Does the 2013 have any Sport mode? How is it activated?
Can I find a 2013 that does not have the wooden center console?
Are there _any_ unused 2013 ZDX out there ... and not listed?
Is there an illustrated list anywhere that shows all the exterior and interior choices? Color and appearance are important to me.
Is there a general recommendation on the 2012 Advance vs. the 2013? The 2012 Tech vs. the 2013?
What I would like to find:
2012 Advance CPO, in White or Dark Cherry Pearl, light interior, with back-up beepers, under 40K miles, at c. $30,000.
I will likely choose between a 2012 Advance and 2013, but other ZDX's under consideration are the 2011 Advance and the 2012 Tech.
I shop aggressively. I kept cars for as long as I can (before the 2006 Acura RL, which I purchased used in late 2010, I drove a 90's Honda station wagon — one of the last cars that would easily hold 4' wide sheet goods level.)
I _really_ like the design — interior and exterior — of the ZDX. It is the most fully-matured design of any car I know. I was test-driving an aged Mercedes E-550 when the salesperson suggested I look at the ZDX, which I did not know existed. I sensed instantly that I was in a car that more fully expressed a keen awareness of forms, contours, and surfaces than any car I'd ever sat in.
Thanks in advance, and for all the useful information in the forum.
If you can live with the older beak, my advice would be to look for a low mileage 2012 Advance. The 2013 is a good car for the money, but sometimes I do wish I had purchased a 2012 Advance. I would rather have ACC, CMBS, IDS, and alcantara headliner.
To answer one of your questions, all 2013's come standard with the wooden trim center console. Good luck with you search. The ZDX is an amazing car. But coming from a 2006 RL, have you considered a used RLX. There are some good deals to be had on those right now.
If you can live with the older beak, my advice would be to look for a low mileage 2012 Advance.
Thanks Mister ZDX . I prefer the 2010-12 beak. I'd been leaning towards the 2012 w. Advanced over the 2013, but wanted more information before committing.
I would rather have ACC, CMBS, IDS, and alcantara headliner.
Does the 2013 have _NO_ IDS? One salesperson told me that it was still present in the 2013, but controlled electronically by a menu. He said Acura had some problems with the system, which were traced to the switch in the console, which was eliminated for the 2013 model.
To answer one of your questions, all 2013's come standard with the wooden trim center console.
Thanks for the info. To my eye, the wood trim is a step away from the personality of the interior.
But coming from a 2006 RL, have you considered a used RLX. There are some good deals to be had on those right now.
For good reason, I suspect. I am considering only AWD cars.
pained 2010-2012 beak looks pretty good actually
i'd say go for 2012 Advance with umber interior
Thanks Sandro. The umber interior is as hard to find as the Dark Cherry Red exterior. Of more than 100 listings I've looked at, ONE has umber. I like it. The car overall looks more tired than most of the others (as much as one can tell by poring over mis-focussed JPGs), so for now I parked it in my second-tier shopping lot.
Is there a chart anywhere of which exterior colors and interior colors were offered on which trims and which model years?
Thanks Sandro. The umber interior is as hard to find as the Dark Cherry Red exterior. Of more than 100 listings I've looked at, ONE has umber. I like it. The car overall looks more tired than most of the others (as much as one can tell by poring over mis-focussed JPGs), so for now I parked it in my second-tier shopping lot.
Is there a chart anywhere of which exterior colors and interior colors were offered on which trims and which model years?
No chart anywhere I think, but if I remember right, until 2013 update:
White came with Sumatra (chocolate) or gray interior
Cherry came with black or gray interior
Bronze came with black or umber interior
Also umber interior could come only with grigio and black exterior
The rest I never considered
Perfect. Thanks! Here is (click) (or at least should be, or was) charts of all four years of the ZDX showing exterior and interior colors broken down by year.
2010 started with:
Exterior:
Aspen White Pearl
Crystal Black Pearl
Dark Cherry Pearl
Grigio Metallic
Ionized Bronze Metallic
Palladium Metallic
Interior
Ebony
Sumatra
Taupe
Umber
2010 and 2011 are identical. 2012 is a subset of those (Dark Cherry Pearl and Ionized Bronze Metallic, and Sumatra all removed). 2013 replaced Grigio Metallic with Graphite Luster Metallic, and eliminated Taupe and Umber but added Graystone and Seacoast.
A quick tabulation of 40 CPO ZDX's currently for sale shows Black/Black as the most popular scheme, with White/White (OK, Taupe) second, but half as popular. Black/Umber (a/k/a Saddle) is third, then some Gray/Black combos, and finally the singletons on the list.
My favorite exterior is actually the Ionized Bronze Metallic, which is rare among the used car listings. My favorite combination for the ZDX is White/White (Aspin/Taupe). Favorites, of course, are subject to change.
You couldn't pay me to get any Acura ZDX other than the 2013 model...it's the only one, in my opinion, that looks 1/2 way decent, any other "beak" looks horrendous, again, in my opinion. Just the folding mirrors make it worth it.
I got my 2013 Blacl\Black ZDX for cheap money, as I had the bargaining advantage because I watched it sit on the dealer lot for more than a year before I went in and expressed interest.
You couldn't pay me to get any Acura ZDX other than the 2013 model...it's the only one, in my opinion, that looks 1/2 way decent, any other "beak" looks horrendous, again, in my opinion. Just the folding mirrors make it worth it.
I got my 2013 Blacl\Black ZDX for cheap money, as I had the bargaining advantage because I watched it sit on the dealer lot for more than a year before I went in and expressed interest.
Let me get this straight. You disdain the model ("You couldn't pay me to get ... ", "the only one ... that looks 1/2 way decent ... ", " ... looks horrendous", "Just the folding mirrors make it worth it") and then you buy one that is at most one-quarter of one percent different.
How much below dealer invoice was your purchase price?
You couldn't pay me to get any Acura ZDX other than the 2013 model...it's the only one, in my opinion, that looks 1/2 way decent, any other "beak" looks horrendous, again, in my opinion. Just the folding mirrors make it worth it.
I got my 2013 Blacl\Black ZDX for cheap money, as I had the bargaining advantage because I watched it sit on the dealer lot for more than a year before I went in and expressed interest.
I do agree that the new beak makes the 2013 look better, but other than the updated beak it looks pretty much the same as the 10-12. To the OP, the best way to go is a 12 Advance and paint the beak to match the body color.
That difference in the beak from 12 to 13 makes all the difference in the world to me...notice I said "in my opinion" twice. I had an '06 RL that I would have kept until the wheels fell off, but two wrecked heads killed that dream. I paid $10k+ below invoice, and I would have only done that for a '13 model.
That difference in the beak from 12 to 13 makes all the difference in the world to me...notice I said "in my opinion" twice. I had an '06 RL that I would have kept until the wheels fell off, but two wrecked heads killed that dream. I paid $10k+ below invoice, and I would have only done that for a '13 model.
Just my opinion
I respect your opinion and agree. The new beak on the ZDX does make a huge difference. The old beak was just too big and fugly and dated. The new beak on the ZDX is classy and timeless. I even passed on a 12 Advance just because of that (I still second guess myself sometimes though because I would love to have some of the Advance features and should've just painted the beak.)
But just imagine how kick ass the ZDX would look if Acura would've kept it around and did a more extensive refresh (jewel eyes, dual screens and all the tech from the TLX, RLX, and MDX).
I still think we drive one of the best and most unique vehicles on the road though. A design that will definitely stand the test of time.
I paid $10k+ below invoice, and I would have only done that for a '13 model.
Now that is a steal. All four Acura dealers in my area was not going below $48k. But at the time I purchased (June 2013), one of them was offering a '12 Advance (that had been sitting on the lot for over a year) for $47k.
I was turned off by that one because of the beak, it was white with tan interior, and it was parked on the showroom floor (and had been sat in and played with by multiple people). Just my OCD...I guess. Had it been Grigio with Ebony, Sumatra, or Umber interior I definitely would've highly considered.
I really wish our 2013 had the suede headliner, ACC, and the full CMBS. I could care less about IDS and adjusting suspension. In my opinion that is the one feature Acura should've dropped for 2013 and kept all the rest (even if that meant raising the msrp by 1 or 2k)
Let me get this straight. You disdain the model ("You couldn't pay me to get ... ", "the only one ... that looks 1/2 way decent ... ", " ... looks horrendous", "Just the folding mirrors make it worth it") and then you buy one that is at most one-quarter of one percent different.
That change in the 2013 beak makes a huge difference. Saying that the 2012 looks about the same as the 2013 is like saying that a person looks about the same with or without a huge boil on the face.
The 1G RDX went from a pretty good-looking SUV pre-MMC to one of the most vile, ugliest splatter-nosed gremlins after they installed that beak after the MMC. I was so turned off by the pre-2013 ZDX (just like the post-MMC 1G RDX) that I outright dismissed these cars without even caring about how great of a car it might actually be underneath. Similarly, I was very relieved to have been in the car market for my TL AFTER the post-MMC beak.
The revulsion caused by that oversized, hook-nosed beak is not to be underestimated.
I wanted a ZDX but my current situation does not cater to a new car, but when I was Z crazy I made this color chart. It may not be 100% correct, but close. I never considered a base Z...
I wanted Umber or Sumatra interior. I love the dark exteriors but I thought here in TX it would be uncomfortable. Still one of my favorite Acuras besides all the coupes I've owned. I still love the Z but the mpg is major block if I was car shopping. The 12 Advance is the one to beak...!
Hope my chart helps Z shoppers.
Last edited by 123456SPEED; 04-29-2015 at 10:20 PM.
Mpg sucks on the Z. I've never gotten anything over 21.5 mpg, even when I take frequent 500 mile road trips from Dallas to New Orleans And I won't even comment on my daily mpg since I have a short 4.8 mile commute, all stop and go. But I do smile alot lately everytime I get into my car and I see the 17,xxx miles knowing in June my Z makes 2 years old. If I don't decide to trade for a 2016 RLX Advance next year, my Z will bring me many more miles and years of pleasure.
Well I do envy ZDX owners.
If Acura could have updated the Z before killing it, like electrics, hybrid, better mpg, etc, it deserved it imo. Cost way more to develop the underwhelming RLX and what did that gain Acura in sales or interest?, mostly just bland blah comments. The Z is a better platform to showcase new tech.
Acura has made nothing that interests me since my CLS coupe. The ZDX stood out, and now look at all the similar models; Evoque, that new MB, and the BMW one continues.
Just ranting and envying, and if anyone in Austin wants to show off your Z and give me a ride I'd love it.
If one buys or doesn't buy a ZDX because of MPG they shouldn't get it anyway. I recently changed jobs and my commute went from 24 miles(mostly highway) to 9(all back roads) and my average went down maybe 3 tenths of a mile to about 18.7, and I am the biggest PB foot around.
I will say I do like the ZDX better than my '06 RL, which I LOVED. I like the higher seating position, the sound system is a wash, the RL seemed a bit quicker off the line, and obviously handled much better.
The ZDX is my 7th Acura... 3 Integras, 2 RSX\S', 06 RL and 13 ZDX, all were Black\Black.
2012 ZDX Tech 34,000 miles parked outside my house tonight. Drove it home from the dealer, who dropped the price a second time just before the end of the month. Under $30,000 with CPO. A good deal, afaict tell from the asking prices and the asking price movements in the last month or so.
Wanted an Advanced (and still do), but none newer than 2010 available within 1,000 miles of me, few available anywhere, and all overpriced (imho) at at least $3,000 more than the tech. I bought outside the top end of my range as is.
I got white/white, which seems — again, just imho — to be more in keeping with full design of the car than most of the other combinations. Very clean.
^ Congrats on your purchase. The ZDX will bring you many days of joy. And I agree that the Advance models are very overpriced.
One and a half days, and counting . Took the badges off the back after work yesterday (even the big Acura calipers-A off the glass hatch). Much better imho — the shape of the car shows better.
There is a ¼"-wide but not deep gouge in the side of the rear plastic bumper. Unfortunately, this shows as a bright white spot. Is there any way to fix this? (I'm good with my hands, but have never worked on cars.)
04-25-2015, 11:06 AM
. I prefer the 2010-12 beak. I'd been leaning towards the 2012 w. Advanced over the 2013, but wanted more information before committing.
And I won't even comment on my daily mpg since I have a short 4.8 mile commute, all stop and go. But I do smile alot lately everytime I get into my car and I see the 17,xxx miles knowing in June my Z makes 2 years old. If I don't decide to trade for a 2016 RLX Advance next year, my Z will bring me many more miles and years of pleasure.
