After a decade-long absence, Acura is gearing up to bring back the ZDX nameplate. The last ZDX was a radical-looking sportback SUV that drew heavily from the brand’s MDX platform. Though considered ahead of its time by some critics, it was ultimately not a sales success. Fast-forward to August 2022, when Acura officially announced that the ZDX moniker was being revived as the brand’s very first Battery Electric Vehicle. That announcement was significant because even though Acura hatched the NSX Type S, the world's first hybrid supercar, the brand has been hesitant to dive headfirst into the EV segment, much like its competitor Toyota.
And, now, Acura is teasing us with some images of a camouflaged pre-production ZDX testing on public roads. Size-wise, we can see that the ZDX will slot in between the current RDX and MDX. But what really warms our hearts is to see the ZDX test mule sporting Type S haberdashery, reinforcing Acura's commitment to performance, even in the age of EVs. While technical specifications of the ZDX are scarce, to say the least, we're going to bust out TopSpeed's crystal ball and make some predictions.
The ZDX Will Have General Motors DNA
One thing that we can say for certain is that the 2024 ZDX will utilize a version of General Motors’ BEV3 modular electric vehicle platform and Ultium battery technology, which GM and Honda worked on together. GM’s Ultium batteries, which were unveiled back in 2020, have a unique low-cobalt chemistry that uses up to 70-percent less cobalt than traditional EV batteries. Another benefit of the Ultium batteries is their wireless battery management system, which requires significantly less wiring, and associated labor, than previous batteries. For example, the Ultium uses 88-percent less wiring than the batteries in Chevrolet's own Bolt. Lastly, the Ultium’s cells are stackable, either vertically or horizontally, to accommodate many different vehicle shapes and body styles.
Although GM is already using the BEV3 platform to underpin its own SUVs like the Chevy Blazer EV and Cadillac Lyriq, Honda is purportedly making some proprietary engineering tweaks to the platform before it finds its way under the automaker’s vehicles. And of course, the interior and exterior design will be unique to Honda, so we don’t expect the ZDX to resemble its GM cousins too closely. Instead, the Acura ZDX and ZDX Type S promise to be the first production models to prominently incorporate Acura’s latest design themes. We saw a preview of these themes with the Precision EV Concept, which Honda famously said draws inspiration from luxury Italian power boats, of all things, which blend artistry, form, and function with performance. At some point in the near future, Honda will get its own dressed-down version of the ZDX, called the Prologue.
Expect The ZDX To Make Up To 500 Horses
The Ultium platform allows for front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, or all-wheel drive configurations. It’s tempting to reason that since Acura is Honda’s premium brand, the ZDX might only be offered in the top-shelf AWD guise, but keep in mind that Cadillac’s Lyriq, also a luxury SUV, comes with RWD as standard and AWD is optional. Taking that train of thought one step further, it's likely that the ZDX will have standard RWD and the performance-oriented Type S will get the sticky, dual-motor AWD setup.
One caveat to potential AWD buyers is that there will probably be a reduction in the range from the extra weight and current draw of the dual motors versus the single-motor RWD version. Speaking of range, the ZDX really needs to be capable of at least 350 miles to rise above the competition, which should be well within the realm of possibility since the platform can support battery sizes up to 200 kilowatt-hours. As far as power output, extrapolating figures from Cadillac's Lyriq once again, the ZDX should produce approximately 340 to 500 horsepower.
One of the biggest mysteries of the 2024 ZDX is whether it will have more sophisticated technology than Acura's current crop, as befitting a leading-edge EV. For example, a touchscreen. Acura's RDX and MDX are notoriously equipped with what Acura calls a “touchpad interface” in lieu of a true touchscreen. Or for that matter, will it have additional USB ports for rear-seat passengers, another critique of some existing Acura vehicles? One last question is since the ZDX will be based on a GM platform, will Honda/Acura have access to a rebranded version of GM’s Super Cruise, a Level 2 autonomous driving system that enables hands-free driving on certain freeways?
Could The ZDX Be A Stopgap?
Acura is expected to begin taking orders for the electric SUV sometime in 2023, and delivery in 2024. Like with all future Acura EVs, the ZDX and ZDX Type S will only be available for purchase online. It will be interesting to see how long Honda/Acura will continue using the GM platform, because there are already rumors about Honda developing its own in-house EV architecture.
Is it possible that Acura's current positioning in the EV market is akin to the Honda Passport SUV of the 1990s, which was really just a badge-engineered Isuzu Rodeo? By capitalizing on another manufacturer's product, that vehicle allowed Honda to cash in on the budding SUV craze right away with minimal effort. While at the same time, it was able to gauge the longevity of consumer demand and carefully perfect its own design, the wildly successful Honda Pilot.