2010 Acura ZDXA Sport Crossover!
By Charles Donaldson
A recent trend in the automotive design world is to morph the sportiness of a coupe profile into a sedan. For example look at the silhouettes of the Jaguar XKJ, Mercedes CLS, and Porsche Panamera. Sure you have to be more careful when sliding into the rear seat as the roof line is racked sharply; however, the lines are beautiful and create that “coupe-like” contour. While this same trend is now merging into the crossover arena, someone must have asked the question, “How can we incorporate the sporty coupe DNA into a crossover?” The answer arrives in the form of the All-New 2010 Acura ZDX.
Let me take a moment to provide a brief definition of what defines a crossover. We are pretty familiar with SUV’s, which are basically the blurring of a station wagon on a tall truck platform. Providing a lot of room and better visibility due to the overall height of the vehicle, they are based on a rougher riding truck platform and deliver lower miles-per-gallon verses a car. A crossover takes all the benefits of an SUV, placing it on a smooth-riding car platform that typically generates better gas mileage.
Crossovers have replaced the sport utility vehicle (SUV), as the go-to form of transportation for the young and active buyer. The all-new Acura ZDX is a five-passenger crossover vehicle designed with a sexy, yet powerful figure. The roof line scoops down in the rear verses the more commonly “squared-off” rear end. The ZDX is based on the Acura MDX platform. This beauty powers down the road with the help of a 300-horsepower 3.7-liter SOHC V-6 motor mated to a six-speed automatic transmission with manual gear paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel.
The All-New 2010 Acura ZDX comes in one trim ($45,495) and with two main packages: Technology ($4,500), and Advance ($10,550). The base model comes with a long list of standard features including a panoramic glass roof with dual power-operated mesh fabric roller shades, solar-sensing dual-zone, and dual-mode automatic climate control system, with many more cool features.
The Technology package includes an upgraded interior trim with perforated full-grain Milano leather seating, navigation system with voice recognition, 8-inch high-resolution color display, real-time traffic with traffic re-routing, real-time weather with weather radar image maps, surround premium 10-speaker audio system with DVD and XM® Radio, 15 GB hard disk drive, keyless access system, and multi-view rear camera.
The Advance package includes the Technology package plus adaptive cruise control, integrated dynamic system, Collision Mitigation Braking System™, blind spot information system, front ventilated seats, premium brushed tricot headliner material, sport steering wheel and LED-ambient door handle illumination.
Acura labels the exterior styling as a new “Passionate Getaway” concept; defining the ZDX as a completely different style of personal luxury vehicle. The ZDX represents the first complete design to come out of the new Acura design studio in Southern California. From the front, the ZDX sports the signature Acura front grille, connecting to wide- sculpture front fenders with large molded head lamps. The face of the ZDX is aggressive with a rich presence.
The windshield is heavily sloped and rolls into the industry’s largest continuous glass panel housing two sun roofs. The door handles for the rear doors are mounted behind the door window close to where the doors meet the bugling rear shoulders of the ZDX. The angle of the rear profile reminds me a little of a Nissan 370Z. The power rear tailgate contains a secondary window between the rear tail lights providing extra visibility.
The handling of the ZDX is enhanced with the Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ (SH-AWD®) system, an Integrated Dynamics System that allows the driver to switch from Comfort to Sport suspension, Vehicle Stability Assist™ with traction control and torque-sensing variable power-assist rack-and-pinion steering. The ZDX was developed and tuned using Germany’s famed Nurburgring road course, which helped refine the excellent steering response and acceleration.
The driving characteristics as well as the internal confidence of the Acura ZDX become truly apparent when you manipulate it on a winding mountain road or on a road trip up through the snowy passes to Lake Tahoe. The ZDX does lean more towards the luxury category verses the sport classification. However, the Advance package does include a “Sport” mode that adds a spark to the steering responsiveness by making the suspension a bit stiffer.
I enjoyed its powerful 300-hp engine along with the road gripping and incredibly capable SH-AWD system that kept the vehicle planted firmly on the ground as I powered through turns. The steering was well balanced and the ZDX never feels top-heavy. The braking was predictable, yet preformed well on tight curves.
The interior is rich in soft-touch materials and technology. Since my test vehicle included the Advance package, I was fully equipped to continually find a new button or feature to test. The dash was elegantly designed with layered textures, colors, and components. Thanks to the Advance package, the level of elegance jumped with the addition of a premium brushed tricot headliner. The keyless access system included a pushbutton start/stop button. When a vehicle was in your blind spot a warning light would illuminate on either side of the front doors.
The seats were extremely comfortable and the front included both heat and cooling controls. The rear cargo area had three enclosed storage compartments to keep your valuables out of site. The rear seats could be folder flat to increase your cargo area. I found the navigation traffic re-routing system often wanting to take me on side streets, which was both confusing and out of the way. I wanted desperately to turn that feature off; not to say that it doesn’t have value. I would have appreciated the choice to stay on the main roads or take the side roads.
Room for improvement:· Limited head entry clearance with the small back doors
· Poor over-the-shoulder visibility on the driver’s left side
Cool Features:· Coupe styling
· Abundance of Safety features
· Large LED Screen
Safety is well incorporated throughout the ZDX. I have already mentioned a number of safety features, and will share a few more. They include the Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ body structure that more evenly distributes collision forces throughout the vehicle. Active Safety features include Vehicle Stability Assist™, anti-lock brakes with Electronic Brake Distribution and Brake Assist, and a tire pressure monitoring system. To help protect occupants during a crash, the ZDX has side curtain airbags and rollover sensors.
In Summary – The 2010 Acura ZDX offers so much in the way of features and technologies packaged in a beautiful body inside and out. An active population will benefit from the very versatile rear cargo area, the second row of seats when in a down position becomes bicycle friendly, a go-anywhere advanced AWD system, and the performance of the 3.7-liter V6 engine. The ZDX is a fun vehicle to drive that has a built- in confidence, with the help of its technological advancements.
For more information and a complete list of features and specifications go to http://www.autofastracks.com/.
Specifications
2010 Acura ZDX
Base price: $45,495 as driven: $56,855 (including destination and Advance
package)
package)
Engine: 3.7-Liter 6-cylinder
Horsepower: 300 @ 6,300
Torque: 270 foot lb @ 4,500 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic with steering wheel mounted paddles
Drive: All Wheel-Drive
Seating: 5-passenger
Turning circle: 38.4 feet
Cargo space: 55.8 cubic feet
Curb weight: 4,431 pounds
Fuel capacity: 21 gallons
EPA mileage: 23 highway, 16 city
Wheel Base: 108.3 inches
Warranty: 4 years/50,000 miles bumper to bumper
Also consider: BMW X6, Lincoln MKT, and Mercedes-Benz ML350
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