Acura has just revealed its first all-electric model. The ZDX made its debut at the Monterey Car Week with an anticipated 500 km of range, up to 500 hp, plus available Hands Free Cruise driving.
We got a preview of the 2024 Acura ZDX last year with the Precision EV concept car, and the model that is coming to production brings most of the concept's design to life. It's a low, wide, and sleek shape that makes use of the long wheelbase common to EVs to help give it a cab-rearward appearance. The ZDX will have Acura family design characteristics including Chicane running lights, Jewel Eye headlights, and a Diamond Pentagon front end. The grille is closed off and will have an illuminated surround and an embossed 3D diamond pattern.
This is a two-row SUV that is 5,019 mm long and 1,994 mm wide. That gives it nearly the same footprint as the current gas-powered Acura MDX.
The 2024 Acura ZDX will be offered in two trim levels, each with different drive systems. The Acura ZDX A-Spec comes with a dual-motor AWD powertrain and is the one that gets a 500-km range estimate. Acura didn't reveal power figures, but a U.S.-only single-motor version gets 340 hp, so we'd expect more than that.
Acura's second trim will be the ZDX Type-S. This will be the most powerful crossover yet from the brand, with a dual-motor system that provides all-wheel drive and 500 hp. It will use the same 102-kWh battery pack as the A-Spec and is expected to get around 466 km of range. That big pack accepts 190-kW fast charging, so the ZDX will be able to add 120 km of range in around 10 minutes.
The Type-S will add a height-adjustable air suspension instead of the A-Spec's steel springs. It will also get performance-tuned adaptive dampers and 15.6-inch front brakes from Brembo. The 22-inch wheels on the Type-S are the largest Acura has ever fitted to a vehicle and will get 275-mm wide tires.
All ZDX models get a new Bang & Olufsen audio system including technology Acura says will help improve the sense of space and audio realism in the vehicle. The Bang & Olufsen system is part of a new partnership that will see that brand replace ELS across the Acura lineup.
You'll be able to control that audio system from the 11.3-inch centre screen. There's an 11-inch digital display for the driver, and the entire system will be based around a Google operating system that will let the driver display Google Maps on either screen, integrate charging into the navigation, and will have Google Play Store app availability.
AcuraWatch will be standard. The driver assistance suite includes collision mitigation braking, lane keeping, and the other usual systems. The Type-S will have AcuraWatch 360+, a new system that adds Hands Free Cruise adaptive highway driving assistant. It's basically GM's Super Cruise with a different name, since the ZDX uses GM's Ultium EV platform underneath.
To help customers who are making the electric transition, Acura will have an online marketplace that connects buyers with pre-vetted local charge system installers. More information about that program will come closer to the vehicle's arrival.
The 2024 Acura ZDX is set to go on sale in Canada in the spring of 2024. Pricing for the ZDX will start "above $80,000" with the Type-S above $90,000.
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