mvl

Honda just posted a press release saying ZDX models arriving in dealers starting today. Anyone see one?

Supercruise with Android Auto, and an Acura dealership experience is intriguing.

sonyfever

I saw on Acura.com that one of my local dealerships already listed several A-spec as available. So you probably will see one soon in your area.
Looks like the first-wave delivery is A-spec only. Type-S seems to be late June at the earliest.

sonyfever

Correction: Looks like Type-S got pulled in to mid-late May.

mvl

I just took a look at the Acuracare online quote prices and they are cheaper than number's I've seen for other models. It's a no brainer to buy the fully refundable max 8yr 100k Acuracare for those of us who "question" GM build quality and first-model-year build quality.

I've always wanted to try Supercruise, and with Android Auto and the Acura dealer service conveniences, this model checks all boxes despite me not being interested in EVs. I'll probably testdrive out of curiosity - it's probably not the right thing to buy at this point in time, but a persuasive dealer sales rep might convince me....

mvl

And Acura dreamshop is up for the ZDX. The diamond pentagon grille is a separate part - so I could ask the dealer to install a black grille on a blue body. I think the colored diamond pentagon feels too much like the old beak, the ability to swap with a black grille crosses off a big appearance issue I have with it.

DJ Iceman

I see things like this quite often, and just want to point out one thing. Yes, it's great to have your repair costs covered by a warranty. But don't underestimate the PITA factor of needing to bring a vehicle in for service all the time, the inconvenience of getting stranded on the side of the road for breakdowns, or the nerve-wracking experience of just wondering when the next thing is going to go wrong.

All of those things happened to me with my nightmare BMW, and I've never been happier in my life that I leased that thing and was able to walk away from it at the end. I'm not saying the GM-built ZDX is going to be a nightmare, but don't fall into the trap of thinking just because you've got a warranty, you have guaranteed peace of mind.

TSX69

My local dealer has 2 A-Spec: silver & black. Saw them in person and they were ... OK. I wish that they were a little taller.
Interestingly, the silver was parked right next to a 1st Gen ZDX.

sonyfever

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sonyfever

Had a quick drive in an AWD A-spec.

Earlier, I complained about the unsophisticated steering wheel design, but the steering wheel turned out just fine, as in I didn't notice the missing contours while driving. The steering was very smooth and had a nice, somewhat hydrallic-like heft. Reminded me of the steering rack in 1G TSX without the vibration and roughness.

I thought the press had unrealistic expectation about the steering feedback - the steering seemed precise, and did provide feedback albeit a muted one. Basically similar to a BMW, which was a good fit to the personality of ZDX for me.

When driving it, the inferior interior bits and pieces faded away. The car had good visibility, and the front end was responsive at city speed. I felt the car drove a little smaller than its size, though nothing dramatic. The touchscreen was comfortable to reach to, and the controls (other than those on the steering wheel) were all in familiar places.

The turn-signal stalk had a surprisingly expensive weight to it. It was outstanding. However, the turn-signal sound and the GM chime came from the left AC vent area instead of from the instrument panel. It naturally drew my attention to the left, which was annoying. I wished GM put a little more effort to the switch gears so all of them had consistent feedback. That would go a long way into the perceived quality.

The ride quality was pretty good, but there was something inconsistent, as sometimes I felt the car bounced more than it should, while most of the time I felt it had a pretty luxurious ride. I did not have an opportunity to test the handling, but from what I glimpsed, the A-spec suspension was not intended for sporty driving. Besides, the car had a similar characteristics like MDX in that when steering input was quick, the front seemed to drag the rear. There was a noticeable delay in rotation response between the front and the rear. Worse than MDX, there was no torque vectoring to shovel the rear, so when the rear finally caught up, the accompanied weight transfer ramped quickly and was a little distracting.

Audio-wise, I figured out how to neutralize the EQ this time, and I could say with certainty that the sound stage was more expansive, and the highs and lows were slightly cleaner than ELS 3D. Mid-tone was about the same.

Tire noise was louder than I anticipated on broken pavement. I did not venture on highway, so no sample of the wind noise situation. I think I heard a rattle from the driver's door after riding over a stretch of broken pavement....

All in all, I think it is a good car in isolation. If you like your Acura, don't cross ZDX out just because it is made by GM. I have driven Model 3/Y, iX in UDE, so admittedly, I don't have a lot of references for a luxury EV and maybe my bar is too low. At least Acura know it is a tough market, so out of the gate, A-spec RWD lease has 7500 federal rebate +2850 incentive from Acura. Stacking on loyalty or conquest for another 1000, I think the discount is competitive. And I feel confidence that dealership can chip in a little judging by how fierce the EV market is these days.

sonyfever

These EVs are thick and tend to have a broad shoulder, so they really need large wheels for the design to pop. In particular, I feel Q8/ZDX/Polestar 3 suffer most with the base, smaller wheels. Type-S will look more attractive.