Sport Modified: 2011 Acura ZDX

2011 Acura ZDX

2011 Acura ZDX

The ZDX was introduced last as an all-new model for Acura.

2011 Acura ZDX , WHAT'S GOOD? Sinister-looking Batmobile styling, especially in black. Superb craftsmanship, trim and detail touches. Gadgets galore; a technophiles' dream. Prices start about $11k below the BMX X6 ($56,500).

2011 Acura ZDX , WHAT'S NOT SO GOOD?A Corolla can carry more people; back seats are is Batcave-like and can be awkward to get into and out of. Heavy; could use more power to live up to Batmobile image. Lots of buttons. Maybe too many buttons. An Infiniti FX35 starts out around $2,600 less ($42,850).

2011 Acura ZDX, UNDER THE HOOD The ZDX comes standard with a 3.7 liter, 300 hp V-6 and six-speed automatic with normal and sport shift modes, as well as available manual control of gear changes via steering wheel-mounted pushbuttons. This is about the same, power-wise, as the BMX X6 with 3.0 liter turbocharged in-line six (300 hp) and the Infiniti FX35 with 3.5 liter V-6 (303 hp).

However, both the X6 and the FX can be ordered with considerably more potent V-8 engines, while the ZDX doesn't offer an optional engine. Still, it manages to reach 60 mph in the mid-six-second range, which is redible performance, especially given a curb weight of more than 4,400 pounds. Acura's Super Handling All Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) is standard in the ZDX.

This AWD system is more sophisticated - and performance-minded - than most AWD systems in that it can modulate power delivery to individual wheels, rather than just front to back. It's set up to make the front-wheel-drive-based ZDX feel more like a rear-wheel-drive car when driven aggressively, while still providing the traction advantages of a conventional front-to-rear AWD system.

ZDX Fuel economy is not terrible; 17 city and 23 highway. These figures are actually better than the six cylinder-equipped BMW X6 (15 city, 21 highway) which at 4,896 lbs. is even heavier than the ZDX - and about the same as the V-6 powered (and several hundred pounds lighter) Infiniti FX35's 16 city, 23 highway.

The ZDX's maximum tow rating is just 1,500 pounds. (This is odd because the MDX - upon which the ZDX is based and with which it shares an underlying chassis as well as the same engine - is rated at a much more manly 5,000 pounds.)

2011 Acura ZDX ON THE ROAD Given those tall tires, nearly eight inches of ground clearance and more than two tons of curb weight, the ZDX manages to feel reasonably sporty, both handling-wise and acceleration-wise. It's by no means a corner burner or a tire-fryer (not even possible with the AWD system) but it feels peppy enough in a straight line, with enough guts to execute a respectable fast pass - and it will corner faster than most people dare to drive.

The optional adjustable shocks (included with the Advance package) let you dial in more firmness and the SH-AWD system does an impressive job of making this FWD-based vehicle behave very much like the RWD-based BMX X6 and Infiniti FX if you're really pushing it hard.

Subjectively speaking, I think the ZDX would be a lot more interesting if it had a bit more juice than the MDX on which it's based. Maybe even an available manual transmission. But it ought to have more gumption than the MDX - and it'd be nice if Acura offered an optional engine that could hang with the V-8s available in the X6 and FX.

2011 Acura ZDX , AT THE CURB Just looking at the ZDX - with its ski-slope roofline and sharply tapering squinty side glass - you'd expect visibility to be terrible. But it's actually not. The rearview is pretty decent, actually - thanks in part to a flat section of glass built into the lower tailgate. You don't notice this from outside, because of the dark tinting, which maintains the visual effect of a solid rear section - but it nonetheless greatly improves your sight-lines to the rear.

The side view is acceptable, too - notwithstanding the broad-shouldered rear quarters and side glass that's rakishly tapered backward as well as canted inward. The driver sits in front of an uber-modern dash layout finished in taut, hand-fitted leather stretched tightly over each major trim panel. Brushed nickel trim plates and plush velour finish it all off. A neat touch is the "monolith" center stack, which goes dark when not in use. Again, very Batmobile-like.

Critics have screeched about the ZDX's lack of space, but this is only partially true. It's true the back seats are difficult to access. The doors cuts down into a very narrow "v" at the bottom, leaving not much room to swing legs in and out. But once you're in, it's actually not so bad. The seats are canted backward in a semi-reclined set-up, so even a six-footer like me has some daylight between the top of his head and the car's headliner - as well as between his knees and the back of the front seat. The real issue here is age - and agility. For younger people with plenty of flexibility, getting into and out of the ZDX is not a big deal; but for older people who aren't that flexible, accessing the ZDX's back seats may be a serious problem.

Older folks may also find the ZDX's array of little buttons and mouse-type controller intimidating.

Raise the liftgate and you'll find about 56 cubes of cargo capacity - plus three very nicely finished hidden cubbies (one in the floor, underneath a cover supported by gas-charged struts; the other two on the side panels). It's not as much room as in the MDX (83.5 cubic feet) but it's very close to the X6 (60 cubic feet) and Infiniti FX (62 cubic feet). This is not small by any means, either. Keep in mind that a current full-size car such as a Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan only has a a 16 cubic foot trunk. So while the ZDX may not have as much cargo space as a large crossover SUV like the MDX, it nonetheless has almost four times as much cargo capacity as an S-Class Benz!