The Acura ZDX Type S May Be the Best EV General Motors Builds

The Acura ZDX is the brand’s first electric model, but it had a little help making it. A lot of help, in fact.The midsize SUV is the product of a joint venture with General Motors and it is built by the American automaker at a factory in Spring Hill, Tenn.It shares its architecture with the Cadillac Lyriq, which is also manufactured there, but you would never know it seeing them parked side by side.GM’s electric vehicle platform was designed to accommodate distinct bodies — known in the industry as “top hats” — without much fuss. This allows a project like this to go far beyond the basic badge swaps of old. Honda and Chevrolet have a similar arrangement for the Prologe and Blazer EV, which appear as dissimilar as the ZDX and Lyriq do. The ZDX Type S has the Hands Free Cruise driving system. Courtesy AcuraThe ZDX looks very much like an Acura, with its pentagon-shaped grille and zig-zag “chicane” head and tail light designs. Its long hood gives it a classically athletic profile and its stretched wheelbase provides plenty of room for a 102 kWh battery pack and the large five-passenger cabin sitting on top of it.The ZDX starts at $65,850 for a rear-wheel-drive model with 313 miles of range, but our test car was an all-wheel-drive, high-performance Type S. It lists for $74,850 and has just 278 miles of range, but also a potent 499 hp to go with it. That makes it the most powerful Acura on sale today. Since it is built in the U.S., it also qualifies for the full $7,500 federal tax credit on electric vehicle purchases, for as long as that lasts.The ZDX’s interior is as different from the Lyriq’s as is the body. Cadillac went with a glitzy chrome-trimmed mid-century futuristic style that gives it the ambiance of a department store, but the ZDX’s is more conventional and could be from any model in its lineup. Some might not think it’s fancy enough for the price, but it’s comfortable and everything you touch has a quality feel.It has a digital instrument cluster and an 11.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system display, along with knobs and buttons for the climate control and audio volume. The Google built-in feature includes navigation, voice-activated controls and downloadable entertainment apps. Unlike Cadillac, Acura also provides Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration for those who would rather bring their own things.Rear-seat legroom is almost limousine-like, a full glass sunroof is standard and the cargo compartment is spacious, but could be bigger if not for one very important feature.The Cadillac Lyriq shares its platform with the ZDX, but not its style. Courtesy CadillacThe ZDX Type S comes with an air suspension system and the air tank required for it is mounted under the trunk floor in what would normally be a storage cubby. It’s a fair trade.The suspension system can lower the vehicle for improved handling and range-extending aerodynamic efficiency, or raise it for driving in snow. More important in day-to-day driving, it gives the ZDX a magic carpet ride. The Lyriq is nice, but the ZDX takes this to the next level. It literally rides on air.And moves with the greatest of ease. The ZDX Type S tips the scales at just over three tons but never feels like it, thanks to the immediately accessible power available from the electric motors. It doesn’t mind going around a curve, either, but weighs more than many full-size pickup trucks. Physics eventually gets the best of it, but only far beyond legal speeds.The cabin is dead quiet as long as you stay above 25 mph. Below that, there’s a pedestrian alert hum that’s louder in the cabin than most. At that or virtually any speed you can engage the Hands Free Cruise system, which is a renamed version of GM’s Super Cruise. Using cameras, radar, GPS and highly-accurate maps it allows for hands-free lane-centering adaptive cruise control on more than 750,000 miles of roads in North America. If you hit the turn signal it can check for traffic and negotiate a lane change on its own. You can also set it to do that automatically if there’s slow traffic ahead.The Lyriq’s interior aims to be glitzy and glamorous. Courtesy CadillacIt’s the best system of its type and I use it all the time when I’m in a vehicle with it. This time around, it worked for more than an hour between exits on the New Jersey Turnpike in traffic without missing a beat. A connectivity subscription is required for it to operate and stay updated, but the ZDX comes with three years of service included.Long trips like that mean stopping to charge. The navigation system can let you know when you’re running low on electricity, find a station, and pre-condition the battery to be the right temperature for optimal charging when you arrive. Figure on 40-minute stop if you are at a station that can take advantage of the ZDX’s maximum 190 kW charging rate.As good as the ZDX Type S is, it’s a dead car driving. Honda and GM have already announced they won’t be continuing this partnership beyond the ZDX and Prologue, as Honda gets set to start rolling out a new lineup of its own EVs in 2026. Too bad, they make a pretty good team.

The Acura ZDX Type S May Be the Best EV General Motors Builds

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