2010 Acura ZDX Drive Test

2010 Acura ZDX

2010 Acura ZDX

2010 Acura ZDX

2010 Acura ZDX

What's the best-looking new model on the market this year? My vote could easily go to the all-new 2010 Acura ZDX, a rakish-looking crossover vehicle that Honda's (HMC) luxury car division describes as a "four-door sports coupe" (never mind that coupes, by definition, have two doors). The ZDX looks even better in reality than in photos. When I test-drove a couple of preproduction ZDXs through Manhattan recently, even jaded New Yorkers were stopping in their tracks and shouting questions about the new model, which will hit dealer showrooms in December.

The ZDX is designed mainly for affluent empty nesters, couples whose kids are grown and who no longer need the passenger capacity of a true SUV. It combines the good looks of a luxury coupe such as, say, a Mercedes CLS550 with enough luggage capacity to stow four golf bags behind its second row of seats.

The market for such vehicles will grow, Acura contends, "as the population matures, becoming couples again rather than large family units, and enjoying the fruits of their success through travel, second homes, and unique lifestyle activities." To put it more prosaically: As baby boomers age, Acura figures that a lot of active, affluent old geezers will be in the market for a vehicle that seems more stylish than an SUV but less sedate than a luxury sedan.

Pricing hasn't been announced yet, but the ZDX is expected to start at around $45,000, rising to perhaps $55,000 when you load it up with options. Its image is meant to be upscale and exclusive. Acura sees the ZDX competing with, in addition to the Mercedes CLS, such diverse models as Nissan's (NSANY) Infiniti FX35, BMW's (BMWG) X6, and the Porsche Cayenne. Acura only expects to sell about 6,000 ZDXs in 2010, and 8,000 to 10,000 annually in later years.

The ZDX is Acura's first truly North American model—engineered in Ohio, styled in California, and manufactured in Ontario, Canada. It has the oomph Americans like under its hood, provided by the same marvelous 3.7-liter, 300-horsepower V6 engine found in the Acura MDX SUV. Also in keeping with mainstream American tastes, the only available transmission is a six-speed automatic—though with a manual function for those who wish to do the shifting themselves, as well as the steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters that are now de rigueur on any North American model with pretensions to sportiness.

The ZDX's fuel economy—16 mpg in the city and 22 on the highway—is only slightly better than that of the '09 MDX and six-cylinder BMW X6 (15/20) and about the same as that of the Infiniti FX35 (16/23). However, it's markedly better than the six-cylinder Porsche Cayenne (14/16).

Behind the Wheel

The ZDX is meant to drive something like a conventional luxury car, and it comes close. The big difference is that the floor is a bit higher off the ground than a car's, giving the ZDX more of an SUV-like feel. The ZDX isn't intended to be superfast, but it's lighter and therefore somewhat quicker than the Acura MDX, which accelerates from zero to 60 in under eight seconds. That's plenty of speed for most people, and there's a ton of power when you punch the gas at highway speed. The cabin is luxury-car quiet.

I'm a big fan of Acura's new Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system, which comes standard on the ZDX.