RDX vs ZDX
09-29-2009, 08:14 AM
#41
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^^ You're right. But after more than 20 years of nearly non-stop car payments, I've finally had a belly-full. Just going to sit back for a while and watch my money pile up. Some people might gripe about being over 40, but at that point in life, a 2 or 3 year wait doesn't seem very long (to me anyway).
09-30-2009, 06:13 PM
#42
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usually you make good comments....but seriously, a girls car? no
if the ZDX wins people over, it will be from the INSIDE, OUT (but from motortrend, looks like they love it in AND out)..this is exactly what acura needs (im not saying the vehicle type, nor am i saying the vehicle itself is crucial to the brand) but Acura needs to get knee deep in the lux market and put some real shit on the table. The ZDX is the first step, and a huge step at that. Its a showing to Acura customers, or it is at least to me, that Acura is listening, and is willing to give us some of the things that we've basically been shut out to by the brand unwilling to offer them.
What the ZDX represents, for the brand, means more to me than what the car will actually do, or who actually buys it.
also - yea, the traits that defined Acura worked 15 years ago. In todays market, its not enough that they offer just value, because basically, where is the value in the TL when i can buy an AWD G37 that will blow its doors off @ a similar price, with the same tech. Acuras marketing, position, and concepts are becoming obsolete year after year with the last few models...need proof...V6 TSX, or the SHAWD TL TECH, or better yet the RL - there are so many better vehicles out now, with all of the same technology, and MUCH MORE LUXURY, at basically the same pricing now.
the ZDX is a representation that acura is finally willing to give me a dual moonroof, ventilated seats, suspension settings, a REAL INTERIOR comparable to german vehicles, and luxury features that have never appeared in Acura clothing, till now, and basically at a bit lower price than the relative small group of competitors.
However, the value bullshit, altho relevant, is for the birds imo...Acura can not survive in todays lux market, making rebadged Hondas at prices that infringe on the german makers, while putting out vehicles that really dont perform to the competition or offer comparable lux...at least the ZDX has the luxury to back it up.
To me..the RDX, altho having a sticker that is shorter than the Q5, other than performance, theres nothing in or out that puts it in an upscale market. Im paying 36k +/- for a Honda with a turbo. Some people have a problem with that. Acuras recent vehicles have all taken hits in comparos, falling drastically from their usual top place finishings, yet their sticker prices seem to command a german following. Acuras value equation has been greatly diminished by its 09-10 models. That is a message in of itself. The RDX is a Honda that tells me its an Acura. The ZDX tells me, at least from the interior, that it has no idea who honda is....the outside im waiting to go see it at the dealer. That is the difference, and why the ZDX is important.
Recent comparos have left the RDX out...yea its for a reason...it would be coming in at the bottom of the pack, even with its top of the line performance. The RDX just does not fit in the same category as a Q5, GLK, X3 etc...im sorry. Performance, yes, it does all day, everything else....its not even on the radar, imo, it just has trouble competing in all other aspects tested. I think its akin to throwing a Rav4 V6 into a GLK, X3, EX, Volvo, comparo...it could fit, but why bother (i will take flack for this last paragraph, but thats just how I view our great RDX...mighty in performance, lackluster in just about everything else)
if the ZDX wins people over, it will be from the INSIDE, OUT (but from motortrend, looks like they love it in AND out)..this is exactly what acura needs (im not saying the vehicle type, nor am i saying the vehicle itself is crucial to the brand) but Acura needs to get knee deep in the lux market and put some real shit on the table. The ZDX is the first step, and a huge step at that. Its a showing to Acura customers, or it is at least to me, that Acura is listening, and is willing to give us some of the things that we've basically been shut out to by the brand unwilling to offer them.
What the ZDX represents, for the brand, means more to me than what the car will actually do, or who actually buys it.
also - yea, the traits that defined Acura worked 15 years ago. In todays market, its not enough that they offer just value, because basically, where is the value in the TL when i can buy an AWD G37 that will blow its doors off @ a similar price, with the same tech. Acuras marketing, position, and concepts are becoming obsolete year after year with the last few models...need proof...V6 TSX, or the SHAWD TL TECH, or better yet the RL - there are so many better vehicles out now, with all of the same technology, and MUCH MORE LUXURY, at basically the same pricing now.
the ZDX is a representation that acura is finally willing to give me a dual moonroof, ventilated seats, suspension settings, a REAL INTERIOR comparable to german vehicles, and luxury features that have never appeared in Acura clothing, till now, and basically at a bit lower price than the relative small group of competitors.
However, the value bullshit, altho relevant, is for the birds imo...Acura can not survive in todays lux market, making rebadged Hondas at prices that infringe on the german makers, while putting out vehicles that really dont perform to the competition or offer comparable lux...at least the ZDX has the luxury to back it up.
To me..the RDX, altho having a sticker that is shorter than the Q5, other than performance, theres nothing in or out that puts it in an upscale market. Im paying 36k +/- for a Honda with a turbo. Some people have a problem with that. Acuras recent vehicles have all taken hits in comparos, falling drastically from their usual top place finishings, yet their sticker prices seem to command a german following. Acuras value equation has been greatly diminished by its 09-10 models. That is a message in of itself. The RDX is a Honda that tells me its an Acura. The ZDX tells me, at least from the interior, that it has no idea who honda is....the outside im waiting to go see it at the dealer. That is the difference, and why the ZDX is important.
Recent comparos have left the RDX out...yea its for a reason...it would be coming in at the bottom of the pack, even with its top of the line performance. The RDX just does not fit in the same category as a Q5, GLK, X3 etc...im sorry. Performance, yes, it does all day, everything else....its not even on the radar, imo, it just has trouble competing in all other aspects tested. I think its akin to throwing a Rav4 V6 into a GLK, X3, EX, Volvo, comparo...it could fit, but why bother (i will take flack for this last paragraph, but thats just how I view our great RDX...mighty in performance, lackluster in just about everything else)
10-12-2009, 05:21 PM
#43
Burning Brakes
Ahem. "Girl" here chiming in. I do not think ZDX is a "girl car." Those flared out rear fenders are too macho for my taste. Reminds me of those pick-ups with 4 rear wheels - apparently driven by insecure pindick peabrain rednecks with something to prove when they pull into the trailer park. ZDX would likely appeal to the same type, only with more refined taste, a college degree, a bigger bank account, and a McMansion. So you see, it isn't just "girls" who are interested in "primping" as you call it. This "girl" drives an RSX-S and is also interested in the RDX for the same reasons you cited. You're misogynistic comment leads me to believe that you are intimidated by women (or in your case, "girls") -- rightly so, I'm sure.
I still think that the ZDX is too much fluff and not enough substance. A lot of us here are old enough to remember 70's Cadillacs, right? All show, no go. Lot's of luxury items, bells and whistles, but no real performance component. They got their heads handed to them by the Germans in the 80's. I see the same thing here. The ZDX performs no better than the RDX, is less practical, yet costs way, way more. Basically, more bells and whistles. I just do not see that as a long term plan for success. For a $50,000 player it just doesn't bring it on the performance front. In 2009, there is nothing special about a 6 something 0-60 in a ~$50,000 vehicle. They ALL should do that, even ones without performance aspirations at all.
One thing that happened to Acura is Infiniti came up with a better plan for platform sharing. One engine, one platform, and a slew of models. The G37 is cheaper than the TL despite not being based on a plebian (the Z is not really a mainstream car) Nissan model. With Infiniti stepping into the same niche with a better plan, Acura was doomed to lose sales. I think that Infiniti's recent success has come more at the expense of Acura than BMW or Lexus. If the EX35 had four inches more back seat room I would be driving one right now (or waiting for the EX37
). I don't see yet another even more expensive Accord platform (the ZDX platform's roots are in a transverse V6 Accord past) vehicle as something that can bust Acura out of the near luxury segment. Lexus does it, but they own the niche.
Last edited by brizey; 10-12-2009 at 05:25 PM.
10-12-2009, 05:30 PM
#44
Burning Brakes
One more point (I went past the edit time allowance). The ZDX puts you in striking distance on the soon to come M37 (awd version). There is no way I would pick the ZDX over that. I know it is sedan vs. uh, whatever the ZDX is, but they will be pretty close in price, seat four, etc. The hatch is useless on the ZDX, so the M doesn't lose points there, and the ZDX is not really very tall, so the easier ingress/egress is there but diminished.
Last edited by brizey; 10-12-2009 at 05:34 PM.
10-12-2009, 08:39 PM
#45
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Thanks for being so nice after I was such a douche.
If i put a smile on your face, my job is done here. Make sure you teach your daughter how to drive a stick, like my dad did for me. Hopefully you'll recover quicker than he did. 
10-14-2009, 02:07 PM
#48
Burning Brakes
I actually learned to drive stick from my mom--she was way more patient than my dad. Both of my children will be able to drive stick (if it exists in the 2020's).
10-16-2009, 11:41 AM
#49
http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/...acura_zdx.html
only suv to receive a first place vote ...MT is really hot on the ZDX.. their suv of the year article is a little more telling...they are in love with the looks of it...i really need to see this in person....calling it an Armani suit, for an ACURA...kinda wow
only suv to receive a first place vote ...MT is really hot on the ZDX.. their suv of the year article is a little more telling...they are in love with the looks of it...i really need to see this in person....calling it an Armani suit, for an ACURA...kinda wow
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