A little frustrating now that I test drove a Z, there is little activity or discussion on the Z forum.

9 years in a 6 speed CL Type S it is a very different experience. The Z felt detached and floaty and noisier than my CL. I hated the steering wheel grip and texture, and the non-round rim shape. also the seat and headrest were too firm. I wasn't that comfortable. So my tactile experience thru touch and seat was not very satisfying. I thought this was supposed to be a premium feel car?

Otherwise the 15 min drive was uneventful. It had good power, but I prefer the handling feel of my CLS. I walked away not overly impressed, but I do like the styling and the lux/tech features esp on the Adv model. I'd love to have the Z for half a day to get a real feel for it.

For 1/2 the orig price the Z offers a lot of value, esp to get the Tech/Advance features. This Tech model was a dealer CPO asking $28.9 with 25k mi.

????
- Is that real leather on the Tech steering wheel? Does the Advance have different material or rim? I read in Acuras info the Advance has a 'Sport' steering wheel? What's the diff?
- Does a lot of heat come thru the roof sunshades? It's hot here in TX. Has anyone covered the sunroof openings with blocking material to keep daylight out?

well I'd hoped for a better experience but I still like the Z's unique style and features.

 

If you don't like it after 15 mins, u probably won't like it later. Steering wheel of Advance is real leather and more girth at 10 and 2, possibly the "sport" wheel reference. I think its safe to say the ZDX is a crescent wrench....good at everything but not the best at anything, except maybe reliability and drop dead looks IMO. Excellent ride and my Advance is very quiet....love the Dynamic Suspension!

 

personally I love the Z's steering wheel (Advance pkg)
I've never tried Base and Tech but I think the steering wheel is the same

 

Sounds picky about the steer. wheel. the one in my CLs is nice quality worn leather, part perforated. The Z Tech one (like other recent Acuras) is this gritty texture but slippery artificial plastic feeling stuff. had no quality feel to it.
The things that most seem to hate about the Z don't bother me, the back seat, styling etc. I love the overall look and features. I guess I'm just so used to my CLS. May try a recent RL or TL to see how it feels.

 

i think its fresh leather and you will need to work it in. i bet over time like your cls it will soften up and feel more better. theres always a wood option.

 

I have to agree with this statement. If a car doesn't impress you, or at least be satisfied, after a 15min drive, it's probably not for you.

Fascination with a car's exterior styling will eventually wear out. Decent driving comfort should not be taking lightly; over time it may cause undue strain/stress on your body and cause you to hate the car and sell it. (It happened to my with a newly purchased Lexus IS250AWD; great styling, lux features, and badge I thought, but over time as I drove the car, it became too dam uncomfortable).

IMHO, based on your initial reaction with the ZDX, you may want to pass on the ZDX and give other vehicles a try.

 

 

I have to say that I disagree about the steering wheel and the seats... steering wheel is real leather and the thumb rests/ extra girth is good for keeping the grip. The leather on mine (about 2 years old) is great and has "worked in".

The seats on the other hand are very comfortable. My seats aren't hard at all and the leather has held up well with my daily going in and out of the car. I have taken the ZDX on a few road trips (3-4 hrs each) and it's just as comfy at hour 3 as it was driving at minute 1. Provides good support and I didn't feel fatigued at all after the long drives. (even with my 6 foot 2 inch frame)

But as someone else had put it... if it's not comfy for you in 15 minutes of driving then maybe you should pass on this vehicle.

 

Test driving a car is like going on a blind date. You know in the first few minutes if you ever want to do that again. Prolonging it doesn't make it better.

 

Thanks all, but I'm still liking the Z for many reasons. It's just such a big driving difference from my low and sportier CLS coupe. But I'm wanting a change. Having the sales guy with me, feeling rushed, sales guy had forgotten about an appt with a buyer and was getting calls to get back, and lots of holiday traffic did not help. I didn't have an appt.

I tried to testdrive the one other Z in my town and it was out on a drive and the driver bought it when he got back. This was the first day it was listed. Interesting, usually Zs sit on the lot for weeks or months here. THe other one sold too that week, but they had lowered the ask price to $29, for a CPO Tech with 22k miles.

 

Pre-owned Z's really seem to sell quick for the right price. One Z in Nevada I was going to check was sold before they added the pics to the ad on cars.com. Finding a bronze/umber 2010 ZDX advance seems barely possible now

 

My Color choices - most wanted to least
Interior - 1 Umber, 2 tossup- Sumatra or Taupe, 3 Ebony
Exterior- 1 Grigio, because it offers my top 3 interior colors.
maybe silver, white, Bronze. I'd have to see Bronze in person, afraid it will look dated quickly. Black too hot and hard to keep clean, cherry probably no.

but... I'll probably end with with silver with taupe or black, that's all I've ever seen for sale locally.

 

If you're looking for a particular color combo, keep a close eye on Carmax's listings. I found my Grigio/Umber ZDX in early December and paid for it to be transferred from GA to TX the same day it was listed. I saw another Grigio/Umber example listed on Carmax's site in FL but the ad was gone within 24 hours. Be prepared to pounce when you see what you want!