From 2009 through 2013, the luxury division of Honda built a hard-to-categorize car ahead of its time. It was called the Acura ZDX, and it combined the sleek styling of a sporty coupe with the high driving position and all-weather grip of a Sport Utility Vehicle.
It never sold particularly well and never saw a second generation. But it struck a unique balance of practicality and flair that won a small army of fans. You still see them sometimes, often surprisingly well cared for.
Acura abandoned the idea, but its rivals came around later. Today, SUV coupes like the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe are fashionable choices for luxury car buyers looking for a bit of panache with their all-wheel drive (AWD).
Acura, however, has moved on. It resurrected the name for a 2024 vehicle that I suspect, once again, will not be with us for many years. I say that not because there’s anything wrong with the 2024 Acura ZDX. I spent a week driving it and found it sporty, attractive inside and out, and ready to take on nearly any challenge. I even caught myself looking admiringly at it when I wasn’t driving it, much to my surprise.
But, for business reasons, this one will not likely last well into another generation. You see, the 2024 ZDX is Acura’s first electric car, and it’s not entirely an Acura. Honda was a bit late in developing electric vehicles (EVs) for the American market. Needing something fast, it signed a partnership with General Motors.
Back for Another Round — as Unique as the First Time
The 2024 ZDX is styled and tuned by an Acura team, but it’s built by General Motors, using General Motors batteries, motors, suspension, and so on. It shares most of its bones and the bits that make it go with the Cadillac Lyriq and other GM EVs.
I quite like the Lyriq and enjoyed what Acura’s designers have built from it. I might even prefer the ZDX to its GM siblings.
But I don’t think the arrangement will last. Honda has already designed its first U.S.-market electric vehicles from the ground up by Honda personnel. They could reach the market as soon as 2026, and Acura luxury versions are sure to follow. The company has no plans to continue the GM partnership.
So, the 2024 ZDX will likely be a short-term project for Acura. Based on my time with it, the ZDX is likely to be a cult favorite once again when it goes.
My tester was the high-performance Type S model in a lustrous white Acura called “Snowfall Pearl” with a glossy black roof. Better yet, it had bright red perforated Milano leather seats. The paint job was the sole added-cost option ($600) because Acura gives a Type S nearly every luxury the company knows how to build. It carried a sticker price of $74,100 (including a $1,350 destination fee).
Notably, that price qualifies it for the federal government’s full $7,500 EV tax rebate.
Acceleration Worthy of the Type S Moniker
“Type S” is Acura’s term for a performance-tuned version of an ordinary car. An Acura Integra is a little more fun than most compact sedans. An Integra Type S justifies track-driving lessons.
The ZDX Type S doesn’t quite live up to that hype. Acura is, after all, tuning Cadillac parts here, and Cadillac did not give them the Lyriq-V’s high-performance bones to work with.
But the ZDX accelerates like a genuine Type S car. It gets 499 horsepower from a pair of electric motors (one per axle for all-wheel-drive grip). Acura says that the instant-torque nature of electric motors means the ZDX Type S surges from zero to 60 mph in about 4.3 seconds. That feels right—these were Porsche 911 numbers just a decade ago, even if today’s 911 shaves nearly a second off that time. In a family SUV, they’re positively fun.
I would note, however, that the less expensive A-Spec model is also all-wheel drive and just nine horses shy of this livery. That’s likely the one to buy.
An active suspension with adaptive dampers keeps it fairly flat in the corners, though I can’t help but wonder if Acura engineers could have done better with their kit than with GM’s. Still, buy this, and you won’t be dissatisfied with the handling.
Bright yellow Brembo front brakes are, if anything, almost a touch grabby. You have to learn to treat them gingerly, after which they become pleasant.
It Even Has Super Cruise
Drive it sedately, however, and the ZDX is a serene highway ride. It’s a pleasant surprise—it even comes with GM’s Super Cruise hands-free highway driving system. Acura calls it “Acura Hands-Free Cruise,” but a representative confirmed it’s a licensed version of GM’s system. That’s good news, as Super Cruise is one of the few truly good hands-free highway systems on the market. In the ZDX, it changed lanes to find a faster route more often than I would on my own but never felt choppy doing so.
Acura predicts a range of 278 miles on a full charge from the Type S. I drained it nearly to empty, going 260, so that seemed accurate.
Lovely Inside and Out
If the ZDX is largely similar to the Cadillac Lyriq, what sets it apart?
Style is the most useful answer.
My tester came in black and white—perhaps the most boring color combination available. So why did I find myself staring at it out the window over coffee? Because the lines of the ZDX are quite lovely.
It has the same seven inches of ground clearance as the Lyriq, but its long, sleek lines make it look lower. Acura’s regular design language translates well to this platform, creating a car that looks both quick and luxurious. It’s simply prettier than the Caddy, and I say that as a fan of the Lyriq.
Surprisingly, the long hood hides no frunk despite what looks like plenty of space for one.
Inside, the driving position is especially good, and the option of red Milano leather lends this a flamboyance GM doesn’t offer at this price. Acura also sets its screens—the driver’s instrument screen and the central touchscreen—far apart rather than mounting them as one panoramic screen as Cadillac does. I prefer Acura’s approach, as the steering wheel never interferes with your view of anything important, and the central screen sits high enough to glance at it without looking away from the road.
A wireless charging slot for your phone is a clever design. It’s a well the phone slides down into, leaving just enough visible to verify successful charging but not enough for you to be distracted by the phone’s screen.
Buy This Over Its GM Cousins? I Might
The 2024 Acura ZDX is probably destined to follow its predecessor’s pattern. I suspect it will ultimately be a well-designed car that’s not on sale for more than a few years. In this case, that’s because of Honda’s business plans, not a car that’s too soon for the public.
Sure, it’s functionally a GM car. But it has attractive style inside and out, and gives you the well-regarded ownership experience unique to the Acura dealership network.
While it’s here, that’s worth a look.
