Interior design award
http://www.motorauthority.com/wards-auto-announces-2009-interior-of-the-year-winners.html.

BTW I am disappointing about the new ZDX grill "its not like the TL grill "

 

yeah...the interior rocks. very nice looking. the 4g is definitely growing on me.

 

You mean you wanted it to look exactly the same? It's to the ZDX's advantage that it has a more subdued face. From the pics I'm looking at right now, the grill is integrated better, without protruding as much as the TL. The did stick with the same pointed back end which I love. Overall I like the ZDX, but need to see it in person. I wonder how much different the production model will be.

 

You're joking, right?

 

The ZDX looks like a Prius and Merc Cougar got it on.

 

The ZDX looks pretty good.

 

What's a ZDX?

 

Honda Adding ZDX Crossover to Aid Slumping U.S. Acura Sales

By Alan Ohnsman

April 8 (Bloomberg) -- Honda Motor Co.’s Acura division is expanding its U.S. lineup with a new crossover model the company hopes will help reverse sagging sales for the luxury brand.

The all-wheel-drive ZDX, derived from Tokyo-based Honda’s Acura MDX sport-utility vehicle, is a 4-door car and goes on sale late this year, said Mike Spencer, a spokesman for Honda. The vehicle was shown today at the New York International Auto Show.

Carmakers are introducing new exterior designs and features to spark sales amid the weakest U.S. auto market since the early 1980s. Acura car and SUV sales plummeted 35 percent in the first quarter, mirroring an industrywide 38 percent drop for luxury models, according to Autodata Corp.

The V-6 engine ZDX, the first Acura designed by a woman, will be built at Honda’s Alliston, Ontario, plant where MDX is produced, Spencer said. The new Acura competes with Bayerische Motoren Werke AG’s BMW X6 crossover, introduced last year.

The model will be priced “in between MDX and the RL” sedan, he said. The 2009 MDX is priced from $40,990 while the top-end RL sedan sells for as much as $54,100, according to the company’s Web site.

Honda’s U.S. Acura unit is based in Torrance, California. The New York show is open to the public April 10-19.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alan Ohnsman in Los Angeles aohnsman@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: April 8, 2009 11:00 EDT

 

I love that leather color!!

 

I wish the 4G TL had more of that fstyling, the front is nicer than the 4G, the tail looks better with those tail lights and the side profile is cool, ditch the slope hatch and drop it for acar height and I woudl love my TL looking like that. I do think they need to tone down the power plenum grill, I bet it is a company mandate now, it is like the Kohler facet commerical where the lady plunks down a faucet and tells the guy design a house around it, well I think Acura drops the power plenum on the desigers and says design a car around this....

 

So the ZDX is essentially a "RL Wagon." I like the front of the ZDX as well, esp. those cool LED headlights....which I doubt might make it to production. The rear reminds me of the BMW X6...a little too stubby but nice. The interior also looks better than the 4G.....less cluttered and more elegant. The car is obviously a response to the Toyota Venza and the new Volco XC60. Acura needs to bring the price down to under $45K or the ZDX will find few homes.

 

Gentlemen, please keep this on topic. There's a huge 'ZDX' thread in the Off Topic section.

 

maybe the mid cycle refresh TL will get the Ventilated seats of the zdx (staying on topic - to keep the interior awards coming)

 

Pete I thought you were not going to paint the front end it looks good though.

 

I actually bought it months ago (just the painted grill insert) but delayed installing it. I kinda grew to somewhat like the big silver beak. However, I said what the hell and decided to finally install it......now, I like it much better than before. (I also thought about painting the grill surround, but to me, that would make it look too much like the Camry).

 

Yeah since the TL appears to be enroute to the next class it definitely needs the ventilated seats and maybe rear and side sunshades to name a few things to keep it winning.