I'm Not So Sure That Acura's ZDX Can Escape Its Bad Luck Even in Zero Emissions Form

While the Bavarian CUV produced in the United States sparked an entirely new automotive niche that is still alive and well, the premium Japanese brand had to backtrack quickly, and the first generation ZDX was retired in 2013. A decade later, though, Acura is trying to give it a fresh jolt – in more ways than one.

Showcased during last year's scorching summer, the second-generation Acura ZDX is now a 'normal' mid-size crossover SUV in terms of styling but also the adopter of the novel EV lifestyle, a first for the brand. Afraid of the high development costs, Honda partnered with GM for the production of the Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX, and as such, the premium CUV is now offered with the exact same 'goodies' as the Cadillac Lyriq, Buick Electra E4, and E5, or Chevrolet Blazer EV.

Soon, it will have many more siblings – the Honda Prologue, but also cousins like the Chevrolet Equinox EV, the next Bolt EV, as well as the Cadillac Optiq or Celestiq, all made on the same GM BEV3 platform with Ultium hardware and Ultify software. None of these vehicles are up to a good start, if you ask around, as per numerous reports about software problems that plague every model released so far. Frankly, it's pretty easy to assume that Acura's ZDX won't escape them, either, so it already has negative hype surrounding it.

In this climate of mistrust regarding GM's zero-emissions proceeds, the Japanese automaker recently announced that the first deliveries of the ZDX are slated for early spring, and the ZDX A-Spec with a single-motor (rear-wheel-drive) powertrain has an MSRP of $64,500. If you want AWD, that's $68,500, and the ZDX Type S high-performance version with an estimated 500 hp on tap goes up to $73,500; thank you very much. Well, these prices aren't exactly impressive, frankly, especially if we put them into perspective against some direct competitors.

First and foremost, the main disadvantage of the Acura ZDX is that Honda will sell the Prologue at a much lower starting MSRP. However, that's not the biggest issue. Instead, two major factors may work against the Acura ZDX escaping the first generation's self-inflicted bad luck. Back in the days of the original, it was the design that doomed it. Now, the styling is done correctly, but it may have missed the note on the escalating EV price wars. For example, even the Cadillac Lyriq starts from 'just' $58,590 if you have already decided that a Tesla Model Y is too mundane for you.

A smaller Lexus RZ goes from $55k out of the dealerships if you want to lower your costs even further (but also your expectations, of course). On the contrary, if you want to go big and splash your status, the Audi Q8 e-tron could be an even safer bet – for example, the SQ8 e-tron has 496 hp and 718 lb.-ft. (973 Nm) of torque in boost mode, complete with a $89,800 starting price. Another potential foe is the Genesis GV60 if you want something small and agile or the upcoming Kia EV9 if you want something ready for the entire family.

However, there's no beating around the bush – the real problem with why everyone and their mother will think that Acura's ZDX is overpriced is simple. Out there, selling like hotcakes to the tune of becoming Europe's overall best-selling vehicle in 2023, is Tesla's Model Y. The mid-size battery-powered crossover has been around since 2020, and it's still going strong even though we should also prepare for a Tesla Model 3 Highland-like refresh sometime this year. Until then, the American automaker still holds command of the EV segment with the Model Y, which was also the fifth best-selling nameplate in the US last year.

Right now, you can purchase three types of Model Ys, just like Acura ZDXs – with rear-wheel drive from just $44k, offering 260 miles of range, 135 mph top speed, and a zero to 60 mph sprint time of 6.6 seconds. Next up comes the dual-motor AWD versions – Long Range and Performance. The former has 310 miles of range and a sprint to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds for $49k, while the latter is quite bonkers indeed, with 285 miles of range and 3.5 seconds to 60 mph for $52,490. So, with that in mind, is there any reason to imagine that too many people will choose a $64,500 ZDX over the Model RWD or the ZDX Type S when there's a tried and tested Model Y Performance out there? Yep, I'm afraid that Acura's ZDX nameplate is doomed – again!