Acura: ZDX News
09-24-2009 | 03:33 PM
#1163
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,067
Likes: 24
From: Richmond, BC
Just ignore the guy. He's been a walking advertisement for Audi for a while now.
09-24-2009 | 04:08 PM
#1167
Three Wheelin'
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 1,751
Likes: 69
from jalopnik
Although I didn't have a chance to drive the car — John's doing that as we speak — thanks to the nice PR folks, I did get a chance to sit inside the new big-assed Acura. The coolest feature I was able to quickly see inside is the center stack's big graphite black button-filled face plate. What's cool about that? Well, the buttons illuminate and glow upon need. So, for instance, if you're listening to the radio, the radio buttons are illuminated. HVAC on? The HVAC buttons are illuminated. All of it's pretty sweet. The leather's sumptuous-looking and rich in texture.
The back seat presents somewhat of a problem for anyone over, say, 5'10" — and the doorway (really, it's more like a hatch) — is somewhat claustrophobic with the easy-to-hurt-ones-ass door jamb readily accessible to smack your tailbone upon entry.
Still, the interior's hot — especially the dual-cockpit front seats — and the exterior? It don't look so bad up close. At least not nearly as bad as we'd initially thought upon the first look at the press shots.
More to come later.
The back seat presents somewhat of a problem for anyone over, say, 5'10" — and the doorway (really, it's more like a hatch) — is somewhat claustrophobic with the easy-to-hurt-ones-ass door jamb readily accessible to smack your tailbone upon entry.
Still, the interior's hot — especially the dual-cockpit front seats — and the exterior? It don't look so bad up close. At least not nearly as bad as we'd initially thought upon the first look at the press shots.
More to come later.
09-24-2009 | 04:13 PM
#1168
Thread Starter
The sizzle in the Steak
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 71,436
Likes: 1,877
From: Southern California
and the exterior? It don't look so bad up close. At least not nearly as bad as we'd initially thought upon the first look at the press shots
no, the interior of the MDX looks much better.
09-24-2009 | 06:12 PM
#1170
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 4,581
Likes: 64
your confusing edmunds test numbers with MT. Put numbers from same publications.
09-24-2009 | 06:48 PM
#1171
Not just a smell
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 354
Likes: 0
I really like the ZDX center console and the whole interior. Its another level above the current Acura's. And it totally shits on the other C/SUV's I test drove last week: Q5, XC60.
I think the ZDX will do very well in its niche, which I'm unfortunately not in at the moment with 2 young kids.
09-24-2009 | 08:22 PM
#1172
Moderator
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 29,869
Likes: 3,489
I thought the same thing too, I thought it might look at least a little better in person. Nope! The ginormous size of the TL is further exaggerated in person, and at least if it were smaller, then its lines wouldn't be as intimidating, but alas, it is huge. It looks UGLIER in person, believe it or not.
The TL and ZDX definitely have two of the best interiors in that price range though. Hands down.
09-24-2009 | 08:23 PM
#1173
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 4,796
Likes: 1,400
From: NC
USA 2day
By James R. Healey, USA TODAY
NEW YORK — Automakers say they are hearing this message from some important (well-heeled) shoppers: Give us the SUV's high seating position with such a nice view and handy cargo space and the foul-weather and bad-road capability that comes with all-wheel drive and ample ground clearance. But change the look, either to the mainstream appeal of a tailored sedan or the excitement of a sports coupe.
Replies so far include Toyota's Venza in the mainstream category and BMW's X6 in the coupe genre.
Come December, Honda's Acura luxury brand joins the fray with the 2010 ZDX.
Penned three years ago by Michelle Christensen — then 25, fresh out of design school and newly hired by Honda — ZDX's style is distinguished by a tucked and tailored roof covered in black glass panels and by rear-wheel bulges that would be striking even if the roof's taper did not accentuate them. It's three-dimensional drama. ZDX looks far less exciting in photos than on the road.
It's all but unique for a rookie designer to have sketches embraced by a car company and rendered almost literally.
ZDX is an Acura MDX crossover SUV underneath, though that's hard to believe because of the differences in looks, interiors and personalities. Same wheelbase and track width, similar suspension but retuned for ZDX, same engine. Transmission, developed for the ZDX, is shared, too, beginning with the 2010 MDX.
Acura views ZDX as a niche product: 6,000 sales the first year, maybe 10,000 in a hot year. Only way to make money on so few is such hardware sharing.
A morning in city traffic here, then a rural romp on parkways and lanes to the north, plus 250 hot-shoe highway miles back home to Virginia and a few more miles through suburban duty in two preproduction ZDXs left a crisp impression:
If you are willing to accept the compromises that come with the coupe styling — and coupes are all about style — ZDX is one terrific piece of work.
Acura says ZDX is meant not as a family vehicle, though it seats four or five adults. It's more for a couple with no kids at home and craving something exciting to see and drive. Able when necessary to tote back-seaters in relative comfort, but the front-seaters get the emphasis.
Compromises (as you'd find in any coupe, which typically is a two-door car with sleek styling):
•Awkward rear entry. There are back doors, but the low roofline means you'll duck and tuck like a suspect going into the back seat of a squad car.
Once in, leg and knee room are far better than suggested by the 31 inches of rear leg space in the specifications. That's due mainly to sculpting of the backs of the front seats. The curving roof, though, skirts the skull closely.
•Poor rear visibility. Fat rear roof pillars and a horizontal crossbar partway down the tailgate's glass panel mean you'll need the rear-view camera and the blind-spot warning system.
•Imperfect cargo space. To carry four golf bags, for instance, you remove side panels from the cargo area and put them under the cargo floor.
On the other hand, ZDX is:
•Exotic. That roofline, especially seen from above. And covering the roof in black glass, attached to a metal frame, is daring. On a black ZDX, the monochrome look is delectable.
A skylight covers both front and rear seats and includes a sliding sunroof over the front. The dashboard, including challenging convex surfaces, is covered in premium leather (inspired by leathered walls at the St. Regis hotel in San Francisco).
•Erotic. Dangerously close to a Cialis ad, Acura says ZDX is for couples who might like a weekend getaway to, uh, reconnect. Goes pretty much anywhere they'd like, any time they wish, Acura says.
The wide rear fenders are supposed to suggest wide, sexy shoulders, the automaker says, illustrating with a photo of a woman's shoulders graced only by narrow straps.
•Exciting. The 3.7-liter V-6 romps quickly up the rev range, catches a shrieking second wind between 4,000 and 5,000 rpm and the new-for-ZDX six-speed automatic snaps up to the next gear so quickly your senses almost don't notice.
The high-end model, Advance, has an adjustable suspension. The driver chooses "sport" for feisty moves or "comfort" when the road's a beast. Each setting automatically adjusts within a range. The test car with that system was a dream. Comfort was smooth, not sloppy; sport was firm, not harsh.
The less-than-handy configuration imposed by the dramatic style could be a turnoff, but those who can make allowances might find ZDX irresistible.
About the 2010 Acura ZDX
•What? Sleek, four-door, five-passenger, crossover SUV aimed at coupe lovers who don't need family-style passenger room but want the stance, capabilities of an SUV. To be marketed as a car but classed by the government as a truck.
•When? Mid-December.
•Where? Built at Alliston, Ontario.
•How much? Not set yet, but between the $41,000 MDX and $47,000 RL.
•What's the hardware? Acura MDX SUV chassis, retuned; 3.7-liter V-6 rated 300 horsepower at 6,300 rpm, 270 pounds-feet of torque at 4,500 rpm; new six-speed automatic; standard SH-AWD (Acura-speak for its performance-oriented "super-handling all-wheel drive); driver-selectable suspension (optional).
Rear camera with selectable views (normal, fish-eye, straight down); side-curtain air bags with separate chambers that inflate near the roof in the event of a rollover.
•How big? Midsize SUV outside, compact car inside. ZDX is 192.4 inches long, 78.5 in. wide, 62.8 in. tall on a 108.3-in. wheelbase. Passenger space is 91.2 cubic feet. Cargo space, 26.2 cu. ft. behind rear seat, 55.8 cu. ft. when the seat's folded.
Tows 1,500 lbs., weighs 4,424 lbs. to 4,462 lbs., depending on model.
•How thirsty? Rated 16 miles per gallon in town, 22 mpg on the highway, 18 mpg in combined city/highway driving.
Trip computers in the preproduction test vehicles showed 18.8 mpg and 19.8 mpg in two legs of brisk driving on rural parkways, 22 mpg in high-speed interstate highway driving, 14.2 mpg in spirited suburban use.
Burns premium, holds 21.7 gallons.
•Overall: Entertaining, exciting if judged (as Acura intends) as an all-weather, all-road sports sedan rather than as a family-oriented SUV.
•What? Sleek, four-door, five-passenger, crossover SUV aimed at coupe lovers who don't need family-style passenger room but want the stance, capabilities of an SUV. To be marketed as a car but classed by the government as a truck.
•When? Mid-December.
•Where? Built at Alliston, Ontario.
•How much? Not set yet, but between the $41,000 MDX and $47,000 RL.
•What's the hardware? Acura MDX SUV chassis, retuned; 3.7-liter V-6 rated 300 horsepower at 6,300 rpm, 270 pounds-feet of torque at 4,500 rpm; new six-speed automatic; standard SH-AWD (Acura-speak for its performance-oriented "super-handling all-wheel drive); driver-selectable suspension (optional).
Rear camera with selectable views (normal, fish-eye, straight down); side-curtain air bags with separate chambers that inflate near the roof in the event of a rollover.
•How big? Midsize SUV outside, compact car inside. ZDX is 192.4 inches long, 78.5 in. wide, 62.8 in. tall on a 108.3-in. wheelbase. Passenger space is 91.2 cubic feet. Cargo space, 26.2 cu. ft. behind rear seat, 55.8 cu. ft. when the seat's folded.
Tows 1,500 lbs., weighs 4,424 lbs. to 4,462 lbs., depending on model.
•How thirsty? Rated 16 miles per gallon in town, 22 mpg on the highway, 18 mpg in combined city/highway driving.
Trip computers in the preproduction test vehicles showed 18.8 mpg and 19.8 mpg in two legs of brisk driving on rural parkways, 22 mpg in high-speed interstate highway driving, 14.2 mpg in spirited suburban use.
Burns premium, holds 21.7 gallons.
•Overall: Entertaining, exciting if judged (as Acura intends) as an all-weather, all-road sports sedan rather than as a family-oriented SUV.
09-25-2009 | 08:15 AM
#1174
Go Big Blue!
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,700
Likes: 5
From: Orlando, FLA
"The 3.7-liter V-6 romps quickly up the rev range, catches a shrieking second wind between 4,000 and 5,000 rpm and the new-for-ZDX six-speed automatic snaps up to the next gear so quickly your senses almost don't notice."
That will be nice if true. The new 3.7 TL is a much better performing car than it's predecessor or anything else in the lineup. If the 3.7 / 6AT marriage works well, that will take away one of the few things I dislike about Acura's. I still buy them more times than not when shopping, but it's always a grit-and-bear-it compromise with the powertrain.
That will be nice if true. The new 3.7 TL is a much better performing car than it's predecessor or anything else in the lineup. If the 3.7 / 6AT marriage works well, that will take away one of the few things I dislike about Acura's. I still buy them more times than not when shopping, but it's always a grit-and-bear-it compromise with the powertrain.
09-25-2009 | 09:46 AM
#1175
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 14,380
Likes: 632
From: Alexandria, VA
Acura views ZDX as a niche product: 6,000 sales the first year, maybe 10,000 in a hot year. Only way to make money on so few is such hardware sharing.
09-25-2009 | 12:54 PM
#1176
Suzuka Master
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 6,802
Likes: 1,012
Not necessarily. They have two types of dies to create the sheetmetal. The 'low volume' dies have a lifespan of XXX stampings before they need replacing. However, these are less costly and you can amortize your costs sooner. The RL has been in production for 5 years and because most of the body panels are aluminum, the dies are probably still the original ones. I believe they alluded to this in a recent press conference.
09-25-2009 | 01:18 PM
#1177
Go Big Blue!
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,700
Likes: 5
From: Orlando, FLA
Plus lets not forget it's sold around the world (Honda Legend outside N.A.). Only the TSX shares that advantage. Granted it doesn't sell any better elsewhere, but I'm sure that helps somewhat.
09-25-2009 | 02:18 PM
#1178
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 14,380
Likes: 632
From: Alexandria, VA
Now that I think of it - don't most new models have their best sales early on? Why does Honda aim for 6K/yr but then think they can somehow sell 10K later on? Does Honda really think that once the economy turns around the numbers will be that much better?
09-25-2009 | 02:42 PM
#1179
Suzuka Master
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 6,802
Likes: 1,012
That's a really good question. The 99 TL was production limited to about 35K, the 2000 TL did closer to 50K. This and 04-05 TSX are the only two that I can think of where sales grew (maybe 1st gen MDX?). I think they realize they have a niche product. I could see offering this to many of my '05+ RL customers. Believe it or not, this is about 20. LOL only 5980 to go!
09-25-2009 | 02:59 PM
#1180
Go Big Blue!
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,700
Likes: 5
From: Orlando, FLA
I assume they assume this is an emerging market - like the car based smaller SUV's were years ago. They could be right but only time will tell. When the minivan crowd needed less flexible space they went for these car based SUV's. Maybe this is a natural progression for the tail end of the active baby boomer crowd
09-25-2009 | 03:08 PM
#1181
Suzuka Master
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 6,802
Likes: 1,012
I assume they assume this is an emerging market - like the car based smaller SUV's were years ago. They could be right but only time will tell. When the minivan crowd needed less flexible space they went for these car based SUV's. Maybe this is a natural progression for the tail end of the active baby boomer crowd
09-25-2009 | 07:56 PM
#1182
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 4,796
Likes: 1,400
From: NC
Jalopnik
The new Acura ZDX has a distinctive exterior, a sumptuous interior and both are strangely proportioned. So who, exactly, does Acura think is going to buy this thing? In a word: DINKs.
No, not dorks or dweebs, although there may be some who overlap into this bracket. We're talking DINKs, as in the acronym for Double Income No Kids. Your DINKs are people for whom no one else exists save that one significant other; couples with grown children or no plans to have children. This immediately distances the ZDX's mission from that of the soccer-mom and grocery-hauler SUVs. Acura's core concept for the ZDX was the "Passionate Getaway," meaning the car would be both vehicle and destination in itself. As it turns out, as odd-looking as it is outside, it's actually an extremely pleasant car for two people to be inside.
The cockpit of this Acura is one of the nicest we've seen, period. It doesn't really break any new ergonomic ground, although everything is right where it should be. What makes it truly stand out is the design, which puts the driver and passenger in comfortable and attractive "pods," and the quality and tactile feel of the surfaces. A lot of time and effort was spent in determining the best materials for surfaces in the ZDX, and it was time well spent. The leather, which Acura selects and applies by hand using techniques developed specifically for this car, is of especially high quality and is a tactile delight. Plastics are few but sturdy and soft-touch where they occur. Nighttime accent lighting gives a nice, subtle blue backlight to your surroundings. It's a great place to spend time with your companion/partner/spouse and your no-kids.
Your no-kids will also enjoy the back seat, which is just the right size for nonexistent children. To be fair, existing children will fit back there, but double-income couples with more than two friends, or only two friends who happen to be over five-foot-nine, will need to take another car for longer Passionate Getaways. These seats seem built specifically to fold down, which they do, nice and flat, giving you plenty of room for a double income's worth of active-lifestyle stuff on the cabin floor and in the many cubbies.
So you and your co-DINK have no kids and no friends, which means the two of you are splendidly isolated in that extremely nice cabin even before the Passionate Getaway. If that's what you like, the ZDX can give you isolation in spades. The already remarkable sound and vibration insulation is augmented to almost eerie levels by an ingenious, if invisible, active noise cancellation system, in which white noise is piped through Acura's legendary sound system to counteract background noises so you can hear yourself (and possibly one other person) think.
That legendary ELS sound system, plus the climate control and optional nav system, are controlled through the nifty "Monolith" center stack, which has no visible lettering on the switches until powered on with each set of switches only powering on when needed. Although not very practical, i's a very striking user interface. Once you can see what's going on, it's easy enough to use, and the familiarity of ownership may have DINKs playing it like a piano, but to the newcomer it may seem somewhat unwieldy.
It should, in all fairness, be mentioned that there's also a capable 300 HP 3.7-liter VTEC engine in front of this lovely interior. The ZDX puts that adequate if not exactly stirring power down through a paddle-shift 6-speed auto transmission which will actually shift down two gears with one pull if the revs are available, which is genuinely cool but may be wasted here. The drivetrain incorporates Acura's SH-AWD system with torque vectoring across the rear axle, which should allow DINKs to make their Getaways nice and Passionate in all kinds of weather. And while the ZDX is based on the big MDX platform, lots of careful and clever chassis engineering has been done on this SUV-like but coupe-esque-from-certain-angles vehicle. As a result it can do more than just getting out of its own way, delivering unobtrusive if not inspiring handling while delivering an extremely smooth ride over most surfaces.
We're assuming most potential buyers won't care about most of that. They'll care that the ZDX does everything a person, or two persons max, could want it to on a getaway, passionate or otherwise. It has all the connectivity luxury buyers have come to expect, and all the nifty gadgets like adaptive cruise control and ventilated seats are available. From the outside, the wide-haunched and glass-heavy exterior styling which looks good from the rear except for certain viewing angles which look almost Aztek-y, and that Acura grille that always makes us want to open up a really big bottle. But none of that stuff will be important to the DINKs who will be inside, enjoying each other, that marvelous interior, and little else while Passionately Getting Away from everything.
09-26-2009 | 01:15 PM
#1185
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 4,796
Likes: 1,400
From: NC
Jalopnik
09-26-2009 | 02:51 PM
#1186
Senior Moderator
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 14,667
Likes: 13
From: NY
^Thanks. Better, but still too close up so it's hard to get the big picture.
I have to say, I'm not feeling the overly huge chrome trim fog light surrounds on Acura's newer vehicles. The TL, MDX, and ZDX have them and I think it's stupid looking.
I have to say, I'm not feeling the overly huge chrome trim fog light surrounds on Acura's newer vehicles. The TL, MDX, and ZDX have them and I think it's stupid looking.
09-27-2009 | 12:00 AM
#1192
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 10,741
Likes: 0
From: Illinois
front, wtf?! looks like a bird's beak, a sharpened pencil, or pinocchio's nose! the grille is protruding out too much. back looks cool except i'm not feeling those exhaust tips.
i detest the side profile too because it looks weird with the missing/hidden door handles for rear passengers. you aren't fooling anyone thinking that this is a suv 2 dr coupe.
acura is definately getting attention over their cars now, but for the wrong reasons!
i detest the side profile too because it looks weird with the missing/hidden door handles for rear passengers. you aren't fooling anyone thinking that this is a suv 2 dr coupe.
acura is definately getting attention over their cars now, but for the wrong reasons!
09-27-2009 | 07:40 PM
#1194
I'm the Firestarter
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 12,072
Likes: 753
From: Ottawa
And yeah, I think it'll probably look "ok" after you get used to it. The thing is, the Audi grille was controversial at the beginning but after a couple of years people liked it. The Acura grille, I've seen it lots of times and I "tolerate" it but I still don't really like it. There's probably a way to make it look decent, maybe even good, but not on a nose-heavy FWD architecture.
09-29-2009 | 04:11 PM
#1197
Senior Moderator
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 167,675
Likes: 22,963
More impressions...from Business Week: http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyl...929_598236.htm
