2010 Acura ZDX

2010 Acura ZDX

2010 Acura TSX V 6

Unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show, the most powerful version of the Acura's premium sports sedan is fitted with a 280-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 that's coupled to a Sequential SportShift automatic transmission with steering-wheel mounted F1-style paddle shifters. And no, Acura did not equip the TSX V6 with its four-wheel-drive system as it retains the 4-cylinder model's front-wheel drive layout.

The V6 powertrain also brought along a sportier suspension tuning along with 18-inch, five-spoke aluminum wheels, fit with Michelin Pilot all-season tires. To distingush it from the 4-cylinder variant, Acura slightly revised the TXS's front fascia and added a V6 badge on the trunk.

First Drive: 2010 Acura TSX V6

Handout photo The V6 model adds sportier tuning to the Acura TSX as well as an advancd braking system

It's quite amazing what the addition of a single letter and a single number to the rear trunk area has done for the Acura TSX, already one of the better front-wheel-drive sport sedans around. Of course, it's not the affixing of the V followed by the 6 to the hind end that does the transforming but what the alpha-numeric designation signifies - that Honda has finally dropped a V6 engine into the compact four-door.

The V6 in question is a 3.5-litre SOHC unit that develops a robust 280 horsepower and 254 pound-feet of torque. Putting this into perspective, that's nearly 40% more horses for the TSX than the base, high-revving, 201-hp 2.4L four-cylinder. The added power, says Honda, comes courtesy of a high 11.2:1 compression ratio, VTEC valvetrain control and a dual-stage induction system contained within a lightweight magnesium intake manifold. And, while most won't give a care for the engineering explanation, what they will care about is the strong mid-range oomph instantly available with a prod of the gas pedal. It's a linear torque curve, Honda says, with emphasis on the rpm range most commonly used during day-to-day driving.

Indeed, where the four-cylinder TSX would best be described as balanced, the V6 definitely emphasizes the word sporting, with a healthy shove in the back seat and a rapid increase in acceleration when the pedal is mashed. Hitting 100 kilometres an hour from a standstill takes about six seconds, a good 1.5 seconds faster than with the four-banger. However, taking the car out for regular exercising exacts a penalty at the pumps. I averaged a thirsty 12.6 litres per 100 kilometres of premium unleaded during my week with the tester.

Review – 2010 Acura ZDX

The Acura ZDX is a sporty crossover designed to mimic the styling of a sports coupé. It is based on the same platform employed by Acura’s largest vehicle, the MDX. In the ZDX, the roofline sits a half feet lower than the MDX, and it sports five seats as opposed to the MDX, which can seat seven. It is longer than the MDX by a couple of inches. The ZDX falls into the newly created segment of cars, which was created by BMW with the X6. More and more manufacturers have started to venture into this previously unknown segment, with cars that offer the practicality and high driving position of an SUV while wearing a sporty design similar to a sports coupé.

Pros

• Excellent standard safety features
• Fresh and bold design
• Powerful engine
• Advance Package includes cutting edge features
• Fun to drive

Cons

• Unimpressive gas mileage
• Runs only on premium fuel
• Difficult ingress/egress
• Cramped back seats
• Lack of cargo space

Styling

The ZDX wears the familiar Acura chrome grille at the front, which now looks more aggressive than any other models made by the company. The Acura looks handsome from which ever angle it is viewed from, but looks especially brilliant in profile. The slopping roofline, blackened B-pillar, and the neatly hidden rear door handles make it look more like a large sports coupé. The 19 inch seven spoke wheels match the size of the car and add to the sporty appeal of the car.

Even though the car can seat five people comfortably, the rear seats are not as spacious as one would expect from a car of its size. The ZDX has by and far, the best interiors even seen in an Acura. The leather lined cabin and the elegant carpets gives rich aura to the interiors. The passengers are pampered with a long list of standard equipments. The list gets even longer with the addition of the optional packages.

Standard features include

• Panoramic glass roof
• 19 inch wheels
• Leather clad seats and dashboard
• Heated and power adjust front seats with memory for the driver’s seat
• 6-CD changer with Satellite Radio
• Tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment
• Reversing camera

The Technology Package includes

• Upgraded Milano leather upholstery
• Advanced satellite navigation system
• 8 inch LCD screen
• Premium stereo
• Keyless entry and start

The Advance Package includes

• LED ambient lighting
• Sports steering
• Ventilated front seats
• Adaptive cruise control
• Integrated Dynamics System
• Collision Mitigating Braking System

Performance

The car is powered by a naturally aspirated 3.7 liter engine that runs only on premium quality gasoline. The V6 that generates a healthy 300 horsepower is mated to a six speed automatic gearbox with sequential paddle shifters. The gearbox can be set to either drive or sports mode depending on the response that is required. The car features a permanent all wheel drive system. The ZDX can accelerate from zero to sixty mph in 6.5 seconds

• 300 hp V6 engine
• Runs only on premium fuel
• Six speed automatic gearbox with paddle shifters

  

Drive

Despite the huge size of this car, it handles more like a sporty sedan. The all wheel drive system aids the car’s handling, while the Integrated Dynamics System allows the damper and the power steering settings to be altered to be sporty or comfortable, depending on the mode selected. The IDS and the brilliant all wheel drive system makes this car amazingly fun to drive. The optional adaptive cruise control allows relaxed cruising though the motorways.

• IDS works brilliantly delivering best of both worlds
• Handles like a sporty sedan
• All Wheel Drive system aids handling

Safety

The ZDX leaves no stones unturned when it comes to safety. The car has a total of six airbags to protect its occupants in the event of a crash. ABS, brake assist, traction control and ESP are standards in the car. It has active head restraints for the front seat to reduce injury to the neck in the even of a rear end collision. The advance package includes a collision mitigation system that uses radar to prevent collision. The system warns the driver, and then prepares the seat belts and finally brakes automatically in order to prevent the car from crashing into the one in front.

• Six airbags
• Optional collision mitigation system is a potential life saver
• ABS, brake assist, ESP, traction control standard

Overall

The Acura ZDX is a brilliant car that is fun to drive, good looking and extremely safe. However, the fun is limited only to the front two seats as the rear seats lack in both legroom and headroom.

2010 Acura ZDX Pictures

2010 Acura ZDX Pictures
2010 Acura ZDX Pictures
2010 Acura ZDX Pictures
2010 Acura ZDX Pictures
2010 Acura ZDX Pictures
2010 Acura ZDX Pictures
2010 Acura ZDX Pictures
2010 Acura ZDX Pictures

2010 Acura ZDX Pictures

Acura sets price of 2010 ZDX at $45,495; On sale Dec. 15

Acura’s all-new 4-door sports coupe, the 2010 ZDX, has an official on sale date of Dec. 15 with an MSRP of $45,495, which does not include another $81o for handling and delivery.

Since it debuted at this past April’s New York Auto Show, the American designed and American-manufactured stands out with its styling and performance numbers.

“Acura dealers are seeing strong interest from customers for the ZDX well before its official on-sale date,” said Jeff Conrad, vice president of Acura sales in a press release. “The ZDX is like nothing you have ever seen before from Acura.”

The run down:

ZDX will be sold in 3 trim packages:

a well-equipped ZDX

a ZDX with Technology Package;

a ZDX with Advance Package.

Power for each package is generated from a 3.7-liter, 300 hp, V-6 VTEC(R) with 270 lb-fr of toque while producing EPA numbers of 16/23.

Also standard on each ZDX is Acura’s SH-AWD (R) or Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive that boosts handling and ensures heightened all-weather and all-season road-holding capabilities.

Standard fare includes what Acura bills as the world’s longest panoramic glass roof, concealed rear door handles, and a hand-stithced leather dash, center console and door panels.

The Technology Package adds an Acura Navigation System with Voice Recognition™, AcuraLink Real-Time Traffic™ with Traffic Rerouting™, AcuraLink Real-Time Weather™ with radar image maps, a full VGA display screen and an innovative new multi-view rear camera. It also includes an upgraded Acura/ELS Surround® 415-watt Premium Audio System with a built-in 15-gig media storage system, which Acura says could hold up to 3,500 songs; a GPS-linked, solar-sensing, dual-zone automatic climate control system and Keyless Access System (with Smart Entry and push button ignition).

The Advance Package adds the following to the Technology Package list, including: a new blind spot information system (BSI), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Collision Mitigating Braking System™ (CMBS™), an Integrated Dynamic System (IDS) active damper system, heated and ventilated front seats with Perforated Milano Premium Leather seating surfaces, premium brushed tricot headliner material and a sport steering wheel.

2010 Acura ZDX

The ZDX's ultra-rakish coupe profile is limned in a dark-tinted glass canopy that stretches from the hood all the way to the taillamp assembly. The sides of the greenhouse taper inward dramatically to the rear, creating outrageous rear haunches that might as well have been lifted from a Paris-Dakar Porsche. (Acura)

Birds and bats both have wings, for example, but they evolved from very different lineages. Like humans and other primates, Wall Street bankers have 10 fingers and toes, even though they evolved from disgusting, invertebrate slugs.

In the last couple of years, BMW, Porsche, Honda and VW/Audi have all separately arrived at a wagon/coupe/crossover solution because they are all dealing with the same retail ecology. For one thing, many buyers are maturing out of their cretinous SUVs and crossovers. They want something sporty and coupe-like but they still want the commanding outward view and some modicum of utility.

For another: Product development systems are now so streamlined that carmakers are able to cheaply riff off established chassis, offering subspecies of vehicles to make sure they have something in the showroom for everybody. BMW, for instance, has grafted a fastback rear end to its 5-series sedan to make the 5-series GT. To me it looks like the car has developed an egg sac.

The latest and, I assert, the greatest of these efforts is the Acura ZDX, a ferociously dynamic, red-in-tooth-and-claw styling exercise from Acura's Torrance design studio.

If only this major-league body didn't have a minor-league chassis to go with it.

This is the first Acura designed, engineered and being built in North America (Alliston, Ontario. That's Canada. Can you smell the bacon?).

The ZDX's Yankee designers -- all trained at Art Center in Pasadena -- have managed to transcend the dictates of the marketing weenies to make what I think is a lasting contribution to the designed world. Forget the modernism of the Tokyo skyline. The more you look at this thing the more you expect it to have a license plate from Alpha Centauri.