General Motors Makes a Great Electric SUV … for Acura

The Acura ZDX is the Honda-owned luxury brand’s first electric vehicle, but it had some help with it. And not just from Honda.The ZDX is designed on the same platform as the Cadillac Lyriq and built alongside it by General Motors at the factory in Spring Hill, Tennessee, that used to manufacture vehicles for the import-fighting Saturn brand. Talk about coming full circle.It’s part of a broader collaboration between the two automakers that also sees the Honda Prologue and Chevrolet Blazer assembled together in Mexico, but today we’re focusing on the ZDX.If the name sounds familiar, that’s because it was previously used on a short-lived Acura SUV that was sold from 2010-2013. The original ZDX was considered radical in its day with a coupe-like roofline and dramatic grille that were ahead of the times, but would fit right in with today’s styling.The ZDX Type S has a range of 278 miles per charge. Courtesy AcuraThe new ZDX is a five-passenger model with two rows of seats just like the Lyriq, but it looks nothing like the Cadillac. It resembles the rest of the Acura lineup and pairs a tri-tone color scheme with a faux grille that juts forward like the bow of a ship.Prices start at $65,850 for an entry-level ZDX A-Spec model with rear-wheel drive and a 358 hp motor while the top-of-the-line and sportier ZDX Type S that I tested is $74,850 and comes with a 499 hp all-wheel drive powertrain. U.S. manufacturing qualifies the ZDX for the $7,500 federal tax credit on electric vehicle purchases.The ZDX has a long wheelbase to help accommodate the 102-kilowatt-hour battery pack installed in the floor between the axles, which allows for a very roomy passenger compartment. The styling is very straighforward, nothing intentionally futuristic here, but it does have a digital screen for the instrument cluster and another touchscreen display for the infotainment system, which is augmented by a row of buttons and knobs.One functional departure from the Lyriq is that the ZDX is equipped with the popular Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration systems. GM has stopped using them in its electric models in favor of Google built-in, which the ZDX also gets and requires you to download apps into the car itself.The ZDX seats five passengers in two rows. Courtesy AcuraThe trimmings feel slightly low rent at the ZDX Type S price point, but all of the things that you touch are top notch, including the very comfortable seats, which are heated and ventilated.The ZDX Type S comes fully loaded with features like a 360-degree camera system, front and rear automatic emergency braking and an 18-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system. However, it’s best feature is an air suspension system that is not availble on the Lyriq. It can raise the vehicle about an inch for snow or dirt roads and lower it to improve its aerodynamic efficiency on the highway, which contributes to an range of 278 miles per charge.More important, the air springs and conputer controlle shocks smooth out the ride and turn the ZDX into a magic carpet, even on rough pavement. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a vehicle that rides as well at any price, and that includes the Lyirq.Despite weighing three tons thanks to the battery, the ZDX Type S also feels light on its feet and can accelerate to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds while firmly pressing your back into the seat. It’s handling is surefooted, but if you push things too hard in a curve the physics of all that weight will eventually win.The original ZDX’s styling was considered radical in 2010. Courtesy AcuraAll ZDX models also come standard with the General Motors Super Cruise hands-free highway driving system, which Acura has rebranded as simply Hands Free Cruise. It uses camera, radar and GPS maps to allow for hands-off adaptive cruise control on more than 750,000 miles of roads in North American and works very well. It can also check for traffic and change lanes to pass slower cars automatically, if you like.All things considered, the ZDX isn’t just an excellent electric SUV, but I think it’s better than the Lyriq, thanks largely to the air suspension. Sadly, it is a dead end like the original.Acura and Honda’s relationship with GM will not continue beyond the ZDX and Prologue as they prepare to launch their own electric vehicles in 2026. Will the ZDX name return once again? Acura hasn’t said, but you can enjoy the current one while it lasts.

General Motors Makes a Great Electric SUV … for Acura

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