2024 Acura ZDX Type S First Drive: A Great Electric SUV, But Is It a Great Acura?
Acura’s first EV departs from the brand’s precision-engineering mantra, to (mostly) good ends.
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Acura has taken its time getting into the EV business: The 2024 ZDX is the brand’s first all-electric vehicle, and as one expects from a late entrant, it has learned from the mistakes of others. The ZDX is a high-tech powerhouse, a five-seat electric SUV that barely puts a tire wrong. Still, anyone who has driven Acuras before is going to find driving the ZDX (or letting the ZDX drive) to be a very different experience. Can an Acura be great if it’s not exactly an Acura?
Acura Skin Over Ultium Bones
The ZDX is a product of the (now dissolved) joint venture between Honda (Acura’s parent) and General Motors, and while its sheetmetal differs greatly from its Honda and GM counterparts, its proportions show a clear Ultium family resemblance to the Honda Prologue, Chevrolet’s SUVOTY-winning Blazer, and, to a lesser extent, Cadillac’s Lyriq. The styling is definitely all Acura, with cues borrowed liberally from the Precision EV concept. What strikes you in person is how darn big the ZDX is—the massive 22-inch wheels on the top-of-the-line Type S model pictured here mask its dimensions, which are similar to the MDX’s in length and width but with an 8.0-inch-longer wheelbase and 2.7-inch-lower roof height.
Overall, we like what we see. The forward-jutting nose with its illuminated grille surround looks fantastic, as does the long, flat hood—but if you were hoping it might conceal a sizable frunk, well, apologies, Charles, the nose is stuffed with control gear. Out back, the way the hatch panel juts from the rear glass is a nifty Renault-esque touch, even if we’re not sure what’s up with the chrome strip on the greenhouse. Is it meant to recall the shape of the first-gen ZDX? Problem is, when the sun is low, it lights up the character line just aft of the chrome, giving it a curlicue shape … and making the ZDX look uncomfortably like a hearse.
A General-ly Great Interior
If the ZDX’s Ultium relationship isn’t clear from the outside, it’s obvious on the inside, where, save for the Acura logos, the interior is pure General Motors—and that is a good thing. Sure, there are some cheap pebbly plastics around shin level, but most materials are pretty good. More important, the ZDX’s cabin is better organized than those of other modern Acuras, with climate controls grouped neatly together (still with lots of buttons; tradition dies hard) and a big, colorful center touchscreen.
The instrument panel is an 11.0-inch screen that can display a moving map from either built-in Google or a phone connection, and there’s a big, bright head-up display projected in the windshield. Credit GM for the pocket-type wireless charger, which keeps your phone from flying when the ZDX is driven quickly around curves. All of the above is standard in the ZDX, as are soft leather upholstery with contrasting stitching and a giant, opening panoramic sunroof.
Our one major complaint is the drive mode selector. In full-on Acuras, it gets star placement in the center stack; in the ZDX, it’s a rocker switch hidden away by the driver’s left knee, next to the parking brake.
Power: Whoa, Momma!
We traveled to Santa Barbara, California, to try out the Type S, the most powerful version of the ZDX. Its two motors deliver 499 horsepower and 544 lb-ft of torque when Sport mode is engaged. (Power output is lower in other modes, though Acura won’t tell us how much lower.) Acceleration? Whoa, momma. The ZDX pulls hard—best guess, 0–60 in the mid- to high 4s—and doesn’t trail off at high speed.
Regenerative braking works nicely, too; there’s a one-pedal mode with two settings plus a paddle on the steering wheel to add a little more braking. It’s almost a shame the regenerative brake works so well; one of the Type S upgrades over the A-Spec models is huge Brembo brake rotors. With regen as good as this, you’ll barely need ’em.
Another Type S exclusive is an air suspension with adaptive dampers, which provides a near pillow-soft ride without completely isolating the driver from the bumps beneath the wheels. (It also lowers the ride height 0.6 inch in Sport mode and raises it 1.0 inch in Snow mode.) Body lean is well controlled, though we’re surprised at how high the nose lifts on acceleration, something that reminds us of the distantly related GMC Hummer EV.
Takes Corners Like Mad—But Not Like an Acura
Our test ZDX was fitted with the optional Continental summer tires (a $1,000 option, they’re normally paired with black wheels, while the silver wheels on our ZDX denote all-seasons), and they gave the ZDX grip for days. With three tons of curb weight holding the Contis to the ground plus 50/50 weight distribution, the ZDX was a rocketship through the sweeping curves above Santa Barbara.
The disconnect is that Acura made its bones on cars that feel light and nimble, a hallmark of what it pitches as precision engineering. The ZDX doesn’t feel light at all, and not just because of its aforementioned mass. The steering is heavy. Like, way too heavy. The Normal setting is as weighty as the Sport settings in some cars, and driving though the curves in Sport mode actually made our hands sore. Most Acuras let you race through bends with a light fingertip grip on the wheel, but in the ZDX one must clamp down hard enough that you barely feel what little feedback there is. (Thankfully, there’s an Individual mode, so we were able to select sport-everything with the less heavy steering.)
We also disagree with the decision that one needs to select Sport mode (or set up an individual mode) to get maximum power from the motors. If the driver floors the accelerator, they ought to get full power no matter what, especially on the ZDX, where the odd position of the drive mode switch and its delayed response makes it difficult to switch modes in a heartbeat. Is this really a problem? It was for us when we found ourselves on one of Santa Barbara’s ridiculously short freeway on-ramps with a Peterbilt coming up fast from behind, frantically stabbing at the drive mode button to get full power.
Let the ZDX Drive
Once that little episode ended (happily, without us becoming a big rig’s hood ornament), we discovered one of the ZDX’s true joys: Hands Free Cruise, which is standard on the Type S. It’s basically GM’s Super Cruise, arguably the best semi-autonomous driving technology on the market. When engaged on a pre-mapped road, HFC lets you take your hands off the wheel, and unlike in a Tesla, whose so-called Autopilot saws its way around the curves, the ZDX follows the lanes accurately. When it can’t, a big red light bar on the steering wheel rim tells you it’s time to take over. HFC will do automatic lane changes with a flick of the turn signal, and if you come up on a slower vehicle, it’ll (usually, not always) change lanes, pass, and return to your original lane.
It's a brilliant system and one that makes long-distance drives so much easier; if we have any complaint, it’s that the system works so well it can lull you into thinking you’re a passenger. Stay alert, Hands Free Cruisers, but by all means use the time to enjoy the stupendous 18-speaker Bang & Olufsen stereo, which is also standard equipment. Or leave it off and enjoy the relative lack of wind and road noise, a traditional (though ever-improving) Acura weak point.
Everything Else Is Fine, Too
If there are other specifics we have not commented on, it’s probably because we found them to be perfectly satisfactory. The back seat is roomy and nicely appointed, the cargo area is reasonably roomy (28.7 cubic feet for the Type S, one fewer than in the ZDX A-Spec), and the turning circle is tight.
Range is decent, too. The Type S we drove is EPA-rated for 278 miles, while the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive A-Spec model with 490 hp and 437 lb-ft is EPA-rated at 304 miles. The single-motor ZDX A-Spec delivers 358 hp and 324 lb-ft to the rear axle, and it’s rated for 313 miles. All three versions support fast charging at up to 190 kW, enough, Acura says, to add 81 miles of range in 10 minutes, presuming the battery is at a low state of charge.
Like other Acuras, the ZDX is a decent deal, at least by luxury EV standards. The rear-drive ZDX A-Spec lists for $65,850, which isn’t cheap, but you get a lot: real leather, awesome stereo, panoramic roof, and a video rearview mirror, among other things. The all-wheel-drive A-Spec adds $4,000, and the Type S, with its air springs, big brakes, and Hands Free Cruise, lists for $74,850. All three models are eligible for the full $7,500 federal tax credit.
Acura knows some ZDX buyers will be EV newbies while others won’t, so it offers three charging packages in the price. Option 1 is a home charging station, $500 installation credit, and $100 public charging credit. Option 2: a portable Level 1 charger, $250 installation credit, and $300 of public charging. Option 3 is a $750 public charging credit. This is a well thought out program offering great flexibility.
A Likable Luxury SUV—If Not the Most Acura-ish
All in all, we really like the Acura ZDX. It’s handsome, posh, and packed with marvelous technology, and it seems like it’d be a lovely luxury SUV to live with. Our biggest issue is that while it looks like an Acura, it doesn’t really feel like an Acura. But for its athleticism, it bears more resemblance to a classic American luxury car, right down to the view out over the broad hood, a smaller version of what you’d see driving a ’70s land yacht. Diehard Acura fans might find too little of the character that drew them to the brand, but for everyone else, the 2024 Acura ZDX is a lovely electric SUV that is sure to please its owners.
After a two-decade career as a freelance writer, Aaron Gold joined MotorTrend’s sister publication Automobile in 2018 before moving to the MT staff in 2021. Aaron is a native New Yorker who now lives in Los Angeles with his spouse, too many pets, and a cantankerous 1983 GMC Suburban.
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