It had so much more potential.. I think with a stronger motor and better fuel economy and more tech, more people would have gotten one.


I wonder what a 2nd Generation would've looked like and if they would ever bring it back on the new MDX's platform later after they get everything else straightened out?

This also makes me realize just how many 3 letter names Acura is using up.

SLX, gone.
CSX, gone.
RSX, gone.
TSX, gone.
ZDX, gone.

We still have,
NSX
MDX
RDX
RLX
TLX
ILX

RL and TL moved into RLX and TLX.. so hopefully CL will move into CLX in the future and will be put on a true 2 door coupe.

But anyway, what is Acura going to do when they use up all of their 3 letter names? You can't just put any letter together, it has to sound right, and everything so far has.


Does this mean they will eventually go back to the Integra, Vigor and Legend names after they've run the 3 letter well dry?



R.I.P ZDX.

TL and TSX are next....

 

It was a cool concept but was not built into a practical vehicle. To me it was a car that could not make up its mind what it wanted to be. Too small and impractical to be even a crossover SUV, too awkward to be a sport coupe. Still of course it had its fans but in 5 model years it didn't even sell 6,000 units total. The RDX has for more practicality at a lower price point and more broad appeal and the sales numbers reflect that.

The BMW X6 is a little more practical, and of course it has the snob appeal that Acura does not. But even it only sells a few hundred a year.

It is a nice car, but it is just a niche market, not a lot of demand so it is not going to be a car that adds to the bottom line for Acura. I think a coupe version of the TLX would make a more appealing mainstream 'sports' car for Acura and better contribute to the appeal of the brand. In all these years I've only seen 2 ZDX's on the road. I doubt most people are even aware of this car.

If you were going to 'fix' this car for a 2nd gen, it would either look like the RDX to be more of an SUV, or it would be a TLX coupe, so I just don't see how you fix it. It is the market that needs fixing and that is just not going to happen.

 

RIP, ZDX.

I guess this means there will be even better deals on the leftover new 2013 and 2012 ZDX models that are available.

 

Besides, we are well into the year 2014 now. Why should they have a 2013 model on their website?

 

 

The ZDX's biggest error was being an SUV. The body shape and fastback look would have had a chance as a traditional coupe or even as a "four-door coupe" that is all the rage these days. However, putting it on an MDX chassis pretty much killed any chance of it being a sales success. The X6 was it's only competition and that is a severely niche vehicle. By contrast, the MB CLS and CLA have been phenomenal successes.

 

Yeah, I was hinting at the 2nd Gen being a 4 door coupe like what I thought it was supposed to be. Something to compete with Audi's A7.

 

I just hope there won't be problems with parts cus I plan to keep my Z's for a long while

 

I think you'll be safe. They usually make parts a few years after end of production so I've heard.

 

Luckily, most of the drivetrain components are shared with the MDX and they sold a lot of those. As far as interior parts, legally, they are required to continue to manufacture and maintain parts for at least 7 years following the discontinuation of a vehicle so you should be fine for the most part.

 

I agree that the ZDX probably should not have been based on the MDX platform. I was watching some old reviews of the ZDX last night and it seemed that many reviewers kept comparing the ZDX to the MDX. Well, the ZDX can't out "MDX" the MDX, so it will never live up to those standards.

To me, the ZDX is a conceptual descendant to the Acura CL. In fact, I would probably have preferred if the ZDX had been built on the TL platform, kept the 4-door coupe/hatchback configuration and called something else. However, I don't think that would have helped sales all that much. Mercedes can sell the CLS because it is Mercedes. BMW can sell the 6-Series Gran Coupe because it is BMW. Japanese brands simply don't have that kind of "pull," at least not in the eyes of luxury car drivers. I see it as a type of bias that is very unfortunate.

Still, I congratulate the ZDX drivers out there and hope to join the happy few someday. The ZDX might be dead, but it isn't forgotten (by me, at least).

 

I disagree. Being based on a sedan platform would have been a huge difference and would have kept the monthly sales from plummeting to the single digits so quickly. There are inherent expectations that we impart on SUVs that would not have applied to the ZDX if it had been a sedan/"4-door coupe" instead of a pseudo SUV. Style does count for something to most sedan buyers which is why cars like the Hyundai Sonata, Mazda6, and even the VW CC have done relatively well with their more sleek roof lines.

While there is certainly some bias in the marketplace from consumers, I think you are over estimating how much that bias accounts for poor sales versus how much the bad decision to use an SUV platform to launch coupe styling made an impact.

To be honest, I am still not sure where Acura's product planners got the idea that the ZDX would be anything other than a disappointment, especially considering that only other brand to try it, BMW, could not make their X6 sell all that many units.

 

I totally agree that the ZDX should have been based on a car platform instead of an SUV platform. However, let's look at what I called "bean counter's perspective."

Let's look at the numbers. Acura's sedans tend to sell near the bottom of their class relative to their competitors. By contrast, Acura's SUVs (MDX and RDX) sell near the tops of their class relative to their competitors. From a bean counter's perspective, "the numbers" suggests that it would be more prudent to base an experimental vehicle off of an Acura SUV than an Acura sedan. Of course, you and I know how that worked worked out

I like the way the Hyundai Sonata and Mazda6 look. However, those are cars with a base price well below $35,000 (USD). Even if the ZDX was based on a TL, the cost would be closer to the RL. And, quite frankly, the $50K+ sedan (and coupe/sedan mashup) market in the US belongs to BMW (5 series and 6 series) and Mercedes (E class/E class coupe/CL/CLS). Unfortunately, there is a bias against Japanese brands in that area. That's why the Lexus GS and Infiniti M (or whatever they are calling it now) have never sold anywhere near as many units in the US as their German competition.

I guess the only way the ZDX could have had a chance have been to base it on the TL, remove the glass roof and some of the leather to cut costs, and make SH-AWD optional. But such a car would have basically been a new Acura CL, but with four doors. I liked the CL and had both generations, but I was in the minority on that one, too.

 

I think the reason the ZDX did bad and was killed off is for the Same reason the X6 doesn't sell well. Most people walking into a dealer looking for an SUV that go for the ZDX or the X6 then compare it to the MDX or X5 and those are more practical and you get more for your money.

When the X6 originally dropped it was around a starting price of 70k X5 is usually starting around 50k once you start adding features a X6 would reach 80-90 easy with the X5 maybe 60-70K with way more options than the X6. They have just recently within the last 2 years dropped the X6 starting price to 60k starting which is still 8 more thousand than the X5.

Same with the ZDX the starting price wasn't far apart than the MDX but at the same time once you got into the better options once again you got more for your money with the MDX
And more room and practicality. Which most consumers are looking for when they are shopping.

People who want SUV's want an SUV.

Those cars are for people that really want those cars hands down and are willing to sacrifice something to have it. I don't think either was meant to be record selling sellers but that doesn't mean they shouldn't make the car. The people that want them buy them. There's always gonna be the option to get something better or more for the money and that's what most consumers go for.

You want a sedan go look at the 6 series grand coupe then here what it will cost you could've went with a decked out 535 or reasonably loaded 550 and still not reach the mark of the starting price of the 6 series grand coupe.

I like driving a car not everyone has and the people that buy them most likely feel the same way. Just think about how many X5's you cross or MDX's or 5 series as opposed to the ZDX X6 or 6 series grand coupe. People pay for the exclusivity.

We could say the same with the M models from BMW, AMG from Mercedes the cars like the M/Q or FX/QX from Infiniti with the V-8 models.

 

I guess it depends on how one defines more for the money. The MDX had more space than the ZDX. However, the MDX's interior looks cheap (in my opinion) compared to the ZDX. The MDX (2007 - 2013) used a lot of cheap hard plastics and fake wood, compared to the ZDX's use of leather and softer plastics. Also, the ZDX has an all-glass roof. I assume that glass roof added quite a bit to the cost of the car.

But you're right. If someone wants and SUV, they want an SUV. They don't want a "kinda" SUV like the X6 or the ZDX.

 

The main issue is the fact that it is built on an SUV platform but brought nothing to the table:
- rear passenger head room
- Rear passenger leg room
- Tow capacity is barely 30% of the MDX

But it is still sexy as hell, and now rare as hell. Like Sandro, I am keeping it for the long haul - 22k miles on my 2010, which is awesome. The kids are now in a booster and a front facing seat, so not as a pain to take on family trips like the carrier was.

 

I always wondered why ZDX has much less tow capacity than MDX, considering both cars have technically same drivetrain

 

I refuse to install a trailer hitch on my ZDX! I prefer the clean lines of the rear bumper without the hitch protruding from below.

As for Acura, their late products are disappointing. The new MDX's interior is a step down from the last generation, whose interior wasn't all that upscale to start. Fake wood, plastic everywhere. The TLX concept looks nice, but the spy photos of the production version (for whichever market) is a total let down.

 

I actually l like the interior of the new MDX better than the old one. Of course, the ZDX has my favorite Acura interior thus far.

 

zdx, x6 and the cts coupe are the only cars i would consider to buy, why?? because they are unique.