Acura ZDX first drive impressions

BY ANDREW UTTERBACK /  Multimedia Journalist

I’ve spent a bit of time now driving, riding in and racing the 2024 Acura ZDX: Acura’s 4-door, midsize, all-electric SUV. I say Acura because this SUV is technically an Acura, but the majority of the car is sourced from the same GM platform that the Cadillac Lyriq and Blazer EV share. 

This car seems very much like a placeholder for Acura until they can put together their own EV, but until then, this is what we get.

We’ve had the ZDX specs for a while now but in case you missed them, we are treated to a GM platform based 4-door SUV. The A-Spec trim has a single motor making 358hp and the performance oriented Type S has a dual motor setup making 499 hp. 

That package also adds Brembo brakes, all-wheel drive and 22 inch wheels. We get 304 and 278 miles of range on each trim respectively and an interior featuring built-in Google and Super Cruise. 

Upon hopping in the driver’s seat, you get hit with an interior that is undoubtedly GM. The steering wheel, infotainment, climate control buttons, it’s all pretty recognizable. 

I drove both the A-Spec and Type-S trim levels, the former being the sporty, mainly appearance package while the latter being the trim adding more performance. Both trims feel premium, as they should with a starting price around $65,000, but not luxurious by any means. Dare I say, it feels exactly like a brand new Chevy. 

The Infotainment screen has Google Assistant and Maps built in, and was right on par with most other brand new systems. The ZDX does have a full touchscreen, not a touchpad controlled system like its RDX and pre-2025 MDX cousins. The sound system in both trims sounded great and wireless CarPlay worked perfectly. Sailing was smooth.

The ZDX drives very well once you get it on the road. I prefer the ride its ride to that of the Mach-E and Model Y, both being similarly sized and priced. The straight line driving experience was quite good. The suspension was comfortable and handling was normal for an EV of this size, which means smooth but very little feeling communicated through the chunky steering wheel. Turn in precision is great for around town maneuvering, and it is, of course, fairly quiet even on the highway. 

The ride quality of the ZDX is by far the most impressive thing I noticed. Going over speedbumps was smooth and even when flooring it around a slight turn, it had the right balance of stability and softness. 

On the left-hand side of the steering wheel, the ZDX has a regenerative braking paddle. When you take your foot off the accelerator pedal when not in one-pedal drive mode (which turns regen on) the car coasts like a regular ICE (internal combustion engine) car. Holding the regen paddle will trigger the regenerative braking, which slows you down at a comfortable slow pace while charging your battery and not wearing the brake pads. 

Performance on the ZDX is perfectly adequate, if not a little overkill for everyday life, but definitely not on the level of Model Y Performance and Mach-E GT. Both of those SUVs pack significantly more performance than even the Type-S ZDX. This is not to say the ZDX is slow, if you pummel the accelerator pedal you’ll get pushed back into your seat just like we’ve come to expect from an EV. It’s just not quite as blistering as others. I was able to take the ZDX around a track and it performed about as you would expect: like a heavy electric car. 

This means the launch was nice and quick, but when I braked into the turn I definitely felt the almost 6000 lbs roll a little through the corner. I was able to get the tires to slip out a little bit, but it took quite a bit of effort. This SUV weighs more than a Chevy Suburban, but it certainly handles like a much smaller car than it actually is. I drove this as hard as the track permitted and the ZDX handled it like a champ. 

The pedal response tuning is also softened quite a bit when not in sport mode. When you floor the ZDX, the acceleration is a gradual increase up to 100%. It only takes about a second for you to hit peak power, taking away the “harshness” aspect of acceleration. That being said, that kind of soft feel is obviously suited for day-to-day driving, and better simulates the downshift delay and power band of an ICE car. When in sport mode however, the ZDX feels about as punchy as any other performance EV.

The 2024 Acura ZDX is solid, yet completely unsurprising, only because we’ve seen what is pretty much this same car before from two different GM EVs. I quite like the ZDX, but also can't help but think of the upcoming 2026 Rivian R2, as well as the Electrified GV70. If you opt for the Type S ZDX that runs you around $75k, you’ll be a couple thousand away from a Porsche Macan EV. 

The ZDX, as I said earlier, is a placeholder. It’s a car that lets Acura test the EV waters before pouring money into R&D for their own electric vehicle platform. Until then, keep an eye out for lease deals on all of these electric SUVs, which continue to become more and more enticing. 

And if you are considering the ZDX, definitely check prices of the Blazer EV and Lyriq. Because they’re basically, you know, the same car.