Acura ZDX Type S, is it a worthy EV?
A visit to the Acura dealer loaded with deals and a fair comparison
The temptation began as it usually does, an oil change is needed on the vehicle I currently own or it’s the end of the year and there are good deals to be had on current model-year vehicles, which are soon to be outdated on dealer lots.
In this case, it was both. My Acura MDX was due for service and it is the end of the year. It’s a dangerous combo for someone who has owned 38 vehicles since age 15. All these years later, with thousands upon thousands of dollars wasted on vehicles, the urge is still the same. I love a new car, technology, and am a sucker for a good deal.
I’ve played with switching to a fully electric vehicle in the past, owning a few plug-in hybrid models in recent years, but I still suffer from the range and charging anxiety that has prevented me from going full EV.
This visit to the Acura dealer would be a test to see if I could overcome that anxiety, make the leap to EV, cash in on crazy manufacturer and dealer incentives, and collect the EV tax credits before they’re gone.
Oakland Acura advertised nearly ten 2024 ZDXs on the lot, and it was mid-December. They were advertising a dealer discount of $3,000, an Acura lease incentive of $9,150, a manufacturer rebate of $7,500, and a ZDX loyalty offer of $4,000. Totaling $23,650 off of the MSRP of $75,450 for the vibrant blue Type S model, and that was before stepping foot into the dealership.
A convenient loophole in the tax law allows vehicle manufacturers to claim the $7,500 EV tax credit if you lease a vehicle from them, therefore skirting any income requirements woven into the law, or if you don’t want to wait until tax time to retrieve your $7,500. You can then buy out your lease and you’ve pocketed the savings. The $7,500 manufacturer rebate listed above, is that tax credit being applied.
I arrived at the dealer, checked my MDX in for service, and a sales rep greeted me at the ZDX on the showroom with a sheet of paper with a lease quote on it of $350/month for 36 months, 10,000 miles per year. He was saddened to learn that I was more interested in the total price/cost of the vehicle than a monthly lease payment. He did the usual salesman dance of trying to get me to commit to buying the car that same day, before even driving the vehicle or receiving the numbers I was in search of.
The first thing I noticed about the ZDX was how low it sat compared to the MDX parked next to it in the showroom. At 6’2”, I tend to prefer taller vehicles for ease of putting our son in and out of his car seat, loading things into the trunk, etc. I had done my homework on the vehicle before arriving that morning and knew that the ZDX’s cargo space was 10 cubic feet smaller than the MDX’s trunk (with the 3rd row down), but I didn’t have a way to visualize what that meant.
I popped the tailgate on the MDX and had a perfect side-by-side comparison, of just how much room that 10cf really is. Even if we forwent the 3rd row that we currently have, the smaller trunk concerned me, since we keep our baby stroller in the car at all times, we have a dog, we take road trips around California, and we will have two children (and car seats) in the future. The cargo space of the ZDX was as concerning as the slope of the back window, which was identical to a few other vehicles currently for sale.
GM partnered with Honda for their first EV SUV, so the Acura ZDX, Honda Prologue, Chevy Blazer EV, and Cadillac Lyric are all the same (Ultium) platforms under their sheet metal, and therefore all share many similarities. The Acura ZDX happens to take the cake on being the most expensive of the bunch.
I hopped in the driver’s seat, acclimated myself to the strange layout of the controls (it wasn’t Acura’s normal layout), and off we went for a test drive. The salesman wouldn’t stop talking about the rear-view mirror, which could switch from a normal mirror to a live rear-view camera. It’s a neat feature but an odd thing to hang your hat on when trying to sell a $75,000 car.
The interior comfort was standard Acura, with comfortable yet firm supportive seats, Type S imprinted in the headrests and steering wheel, and texturally pleasing touches and door closures. For people who are recent Acura owners, the functionality of the large screen, shifter, and manner in which you can switch between normal and sport mode will throw you off a little.
The ZDX was undeniably quick, boasting 499hp and 544 lb.-ft of torque, coupled with the on-demand of an EV propelling the vehicle to 60mph in 4.3 seconds. Not bad for a 3-ton car. The SUV drove and felt like a sedan, but it lacked the thrill and feel that I expected from an Acura Type S product. Noticeable though, was the heavy steering. Maybe it was the absence of the Acura SH-AWD moniker, but it reminded me of driving cars in the 1990s that didn’t have power steering.
After a few rapid accelerations, I was done with the test drive and ready to dive into other things about the vehicle.
The range of the Type S is 278 miles between charges and the ZDX can get as many as 313 miles per charge, if you opt for the RWD only version. Those numbers aren’t awful, but again, at that price point, you would expect a little more.
I raised the air suspension to its max height and got out to inspect the vehicle, but it looked odd, given the 22” tires that it was sporting. It’d have to be left in the squat mode in all practicality, which called into question if it was deserving of being called an SUV vs the crossover that it felt and looked like.
By the time we parked the ZDX, my MDX was done with its service (kudos to the service department for their rapid oil change and car wash). I was able to grab the Uppa Baby stroller from the trunk of my car and see how it fit in the ZDX.
The stroller only fit in the trunk lying perpendicular to the car. Positioned in the vehicle like that eliminated any chance that our dog crate, luggage, and baby accoutrements would fit in there as well, for our next road trip. In the MDX, we’ve had no issue lugging all of our attachments anywhere we wanted to go.
For the parents out there, you cannot place your car seat base in the middle of the second row, like you can in the MDX. It does not have the hooks in the middle, so the base must be placed on either side of the vehicle but not in the middle where it is safest.
The other glaring concern was the loss of a 3rd row. We use that row for bi-monthly trips to Napa, when my family visits, and once the second baby seat is in the car, we’ll need a 3rd row if we hope to bring our parents or friends anywhere with us. The 28.7cf of cargo space is practical for most people, but for a growing family on the go, it just isn’t enough.
It was too much to overcome, even in the face of insane deals on the car. The dealer offered an additional 3K in down payment assistance, bringing the total discount to over 26K.
The other glaring factor was the vehicle itself. It was the same car as 3 others currently for sale, just with different badging, styling, and performance tweaks. For comparison, the top-of-the-line sibling’s MSRPs are:
Honda Prologue Elite $58,000
Chevy Blazer SS EV $60,000
Cadillac Lyric Luxury $61,000
The Acura ZDX Type S MSRP of $75,000 is far too high, given the other very viable options for those in the market.
The other models are also offering deals on theirs, which adds pressure on Acura to offload theirs ASAP before the lots are full of 2025s. If you are in the market for an EV, are an avid Acura enthusiast, and want a great deal on a ZDX, now is the time to acquire one.
For us, we’ll keep our eye out for an EV with a 3rd row and eagerly await to see what Honda/Acura come out with next, using their own technology.
