DJ Iceman

My family was in Las Vegas last week for a little Thanksgiving getaway, and as happened last year the Motor Trend Auto Show was in town at the LV Convention Center. We decided to stop in to kill some time, and I was thrilled to find Acura had the ZDX on display. Here are my initial impressions:

- It looks better in person than in photos, and while I will grant that the styling could be polarizing I think it will tend towards "eye-catching" rather than "vomit-inducing".

- Acura seriously stepped up the interior quality, to where I think it should have been all along. Everything is TIGHT, designed and built like a company that cares about such things.

- We obviously couldn't drive it, but it really does feel like a sports coupe inside. My wife commented that the interior wrapped around her like no car since our old BMW M Roadster. Yet there's still plenty of useable space in the back seat and a respectable trunk.

- We were both left wondering, though, why Acura didn't just build a true sports car and put this level of attention to detail into it. While it may have the best of a blend of characteristics, one could easily argue that the compromise detracts from the purity of what it could be. One could easily design a better sports car, sedan, or SUV that wouldn't suffer from the compromises of the ZDX. Acura may have been better dedicating their resources to a "pure" vehicle that is best-in-class, rather than trying to blaze a new trail and at the same time set a new standard for build quality.

- All that being said, we can't wait to test-drive one and may be among the first buyers. For what it is, Acura has done this one right, and I'm happy to reward them corporately for taking a major step in the right direction.

corduroygt

I wish they made the zdx on the rdx platform. And if it wasn't so fugly. A suv coupe doesn't need to be based on the big suv a smaller suv makes more sense

DJ Iceman

I've got mixed feelings, but I realize I am not the specific target market for the ZDX. I actually have a family, and we want to be able to use our vehicles for things like weekend getaways. For that, there is enough utility in the ZDX's storage and passenger space to make us happy. But if we have another kid and need to haul around a stroller again, or for extended stays that necessitate bigger luggage, the ZDX won't cut it.

So my wife and I have debated: should we dump the sedan/small SUV combo we have now and get a true sports car and a big SUV? Our current thinking is to trade both our current cars in at the same time for a new MDX and ZDX. We'd be compromising on all counts, but also getting benefits in some ways.

I don't know. I guess I wish Acura had come out with a pure NSX replacement that offered all the refinement and features of the ZDX. Or, for that matter, a full-size sedan with all the refinement and features of the ZDX. Since I keep coming back to the "refinement and features" of the ZDX, I guess that's what really attracts me to the vehicle more than the styling or the size and shape of it.

Acura has taken a gamble (especially since BMW beat them to market with the failed X6), and only time will tel if it pays off for them...

princelybug

iTrader: (16)

I can't get over exterior. It doesn't matter if it is nice on the inside or not.

DJ Iceman

Like I said, the exterior styling is going to be polarizing. I completely understand why folks would react negatively to it. But to me, it actually works. They did a nice job with the flowing lines, and the build construction (paint job, gaps between panels, etc.) is top-notch. I could do without the beak, but that's an Acura design feature we just have to live with right now--it works better with some exterior colors than others.

Ken1997TL

Hopefully the higher grade interior materials and details are a positive indication of better things to come.

mrgold35

The big advantages the ZDX has over the X6 is price and standard features. A X6 starts at $57,000 compared to a super maxed out ZDX for about $52,000 OTD. If you go crazy with the options, you can get the X6 xDrive35i for +$90,000.

I do like the styling of the X6 better than the ZDX. I think the X6/ZDX are designed to be the second car in the garage. I can see a lot of folks deciding on this car because of it being a year round car compared to a 2 or 3 season sports car (for those who have 4 seasons to deal with).

I would consider a ZDX only if the kid was out the house.

MMike1981

ZDX w/advanced package is around 57k.

its a bargain compared to the X6, but what is the ZDX really giving you for 57k fully loaded? compared to other vehicles at that price point? not necessarily same styled vehicles but similar models....

DJ Iceman

That's a good question, Mike, particularly in this economy. I expect to see deep discounting on the ZDX as soon as the initial pent-up demand (which I'm assuming there is some) is met.

Where the ZDX might have something going for it is that there is very little direct competition. Sure, if you want a traditional SUV, or a sports sedan, or a sports car then there are options at $57K. But the ZDX combines traits of all of those. Whether it takes the best of all, or waters down to the worst of all will be the decider for many folks (myself included).