Acura explains the ZDX is really meant to be used in two-seater mode, with occasional backseat passengers, but the sacrifice seems too much compared to the vast, spacious MDX or even the BMW X6. Once those traveling companions are in, there's not much headroom for them, and the lack of knee room will force front passengers to move forward a bit. The ZDX's rear door openings are nearly vertical and not very wide, so passengers will have to fold their feet sideways to step in. The leather-trimmed front seats are superbly supportive, but the backseats are difficult to access and lack the room to truck adults for more than crosstown drives. The IDS' Comfort mode can come across as too loose on city streets, and Sport makes a country ride seem jittery and caffeinated the base setup strikes the best compromise.įor all its crossover heritage, the 2010 Acura ZDX loses passenger and cargo room in its gene-pooling experiment. The ZDX has conventional suspension and steering components (not electronic or fully active, as with some competitors), and adding dynamic control to those systems doesn't do much to improve the ride or handling. Base cars have a single suspension and steering setup, which 's editors feel is superior to the Comfort and Sport settings in the optional Integrated Dynamics System (IDS). It also can shift power side to side, which helps mitigate the big-SUV sensation behind the wheel and gives the ZDX some lightness at the helm, aided by a strut and multilink independent suspension. The SH-AWD system can shuffle power from a 90/10 percent split to the front, to 30/70 to the back, lending the ZDX a whiff of rear-wheel-drive feel. The power's routed through Acura's Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system for better handling and all-weather capability. Acura claims best-in-class fuel economy of 16/23 mpg-though the 5-Series GT will get a more efficient turbo-six next year. There's enough grunt to pull the ZDX to 60 mph in under 8 seconds, and the transmission's S mode allows you to choose and hold a gear up to the rev limiter. Here it's mated to a six-speed paddle-shifted automatic gearbox, and the duo's pretty dynamic. The basics are strong and powerful a 3.7-liter V-6 with 300 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque finds a home under the hood, same as it does in the Acura RL. There's more distraction in the ZDX's drivetrain and suspension, but it can be avoided. There's lovely French stitching and touches of wood as well as some compelling exoskeletal surfaces, but by and large the ZDX ditches function for form to the point of distraction. It's like waking an angry LED god when it's lit, the ZDX's dash goes gonzo with functions, screens, and a big center knob that make a recording studio look a Playskool toy. The cabin has a more dramatic flair inspired by destination hotels, with alternating concave and convex surfaces in plastic and real leather-but also a stark, monolithic center stack of black keys that "come to life" with white lighting when the car starts. On top of that, the ZDX has lots of cutlines on its side that disappear with dark paint colors, along with bumps in its fenders that disrupt the visual flow to the tapered rear end. But there's something about this class of vehicles that just doesn't work the sides stand too tall to be a real coupe, and the roofline crashes too quickly to be a true SUV. Up front, the big, controversial Acura shield grille gets its most attractive installation yet. There are bits and pieces that work well-the rear end has a muscular appeal, and the side view does all it can to convince you it's a coupe. Inspired by a "passionate getaway," the ZDX shares some mechanicals with the big MDX crossover, but gets a coupelike body more suited to its seductive mission. On sale this winter for about $42,500 base, the new ZDX slots between the Acura RL sedan and its big seven-passenger MDX crossover. Like the BMW X6 and the new BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo before it, the 2010 ZDX attempts to blend the all-weather capability of an SUV with the gentler ride and handling of a crossover and the sexed-up fender swells of a coupe. Acura calls the 2010 ZDX "one of a kind," but it's reaching the market a year or so after the BMW X6, the vehicle that pioneered this late, odd turn in SUV history. What is it? You might ask the same thing at first sight of the 2010 Acura ZDX, another of the recent rash of coupelike crossover vehicles. High Gear Media accepted travel expenses to be among the first to drive the 2010 Acura ZDX. Editors at also compared the ZDX with other crossovers and researched reviews from a wide range of reputable sources to bring you a comprehensive look at the new 2010 Acura crossover. drove the new 2010 Acura ZDX to bring you this hands-on road test review.
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