2024 Acura ZDX First Look: Electrified With a Little Help From GM

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 The first ZDX was a bit of a moonshot for a cautious Acura brand, jumping headfirst into the then-nascent SUV coupe genre with the underpinnings of a performance sedan (but not the engine, unfortunately). The idea made sense, what with the surprise success of the BMW X6, but it just didn't catch on the same way. Now, the brand is swinging for the fences again and applying the nameplate to its first EV, although the 2024 Acura ZDX is a more conventionally shaped SUV.

Billed as "the most powerful and quickest accelerating SUV" in Acura history, the ZDX is debuting in its Type S performance trim promising 500 total horsepower from an electric motor on each axle. At that power level, range from the 102-kWh battery is estimated at 288 miles. The base A-Spec model will be available with a single- or dual-motor powertrain with the single-motor making 340 horsepower and the dual-motor output not specified yet but likely greater. Range improves noticeably to 325 miles for the single-motor and 315 miles for the dual-motor. Single-motor models are rear-drive, which should imbue a sporty character.

Also helping in part is the front and rear multilink suspension, which Acura says has been tuned to balance refinement and handling performance. A-Spec models will ride on coil springs and passive adaptive dampers while the ZDX Type S will feature a height-adjustable air suspension with electronically controlled active dampers. It will of course also be tuned for performance driving and will feature multiple drive modes.

The Type S also gets Brembo six-piston front brake calipers clamping significantly larger 15.6-inch rotors, up from 12.6 inches on the A-Spec. Both share the same rear brakes. Encasing the brakes will be 20-inch wheels on all-season tires for the A-Spec and 22-inch wheels with either all-season or summer high-performance tires on the Type S. Getting the summer tires also swaps the machined-finish wheels for gloss black units.

The design otherwise hews closely to the Precision EV Concept of a year ago. In traditional Acura and Honda form, their concept cars are very close to production. Exaggerated elements have been pulled back a bit and the exterior LED lighting has been toned down, but the essence is still there. Unlike the original ZDX, the new one doesn't lean too heavily in the "coupe" roofline thereby preserving rear head room and cargo space. It's more or less a sleeker RDX with a solid grill that glows around all but the top edge.

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