Huge D- pillars restrict rear visibility to a narrow, relatively high rear window, and the view over the driver’s left shoulder is fully obstructed. If you think a trailer would make up for the skimpy accommodations, know that the ZDX’s limit is 1,500 pounds. The ZDX clearly lacks the versatility we take for granted in crossovers. There’s a storage bin under the floor, too, but it doesn’t increase the overall height: You can’t leave the cover raised because it blocks the already limited rear visibility. The low roofline also makes for a short cargo area, so large items might not fit even with the backseat folded flat. It’s a reasonable workaround, but once again its necessity shows how limited the space is for a large vehicle. At first glance, the cargo area looks too small for golf clubs when the backseat is raised, though opening doors on the side walls reveals indentations that allow two bags to fit crosswise. No matter how serviceable you might find it, you have to acknowledge the disconnect between the ZDX’s interior and its large exterior. The TSX also has 3 cubic feet more passenger volume overall. Out of curiosity, I compared the ZDX with the TSX, Acura’s smallest passenger car, which gives occupants almost the same front-seat legroom as the crossover and substantially greater backseat legroom and headroom. The legroom is workable, too, but it’s only because the floor is high, which raises the knees - a position that numbs your hindquarters and gets uncomfortable pretty quickly. Once inside, I was surprised my head didn’t touch the ceiling the headliner is domed right where it needs to be, behind the standard rear skylight. The first obstacle is the roofline, which is low even at its highest point, so you have to duck and fold yourself just to get through the doorway. In actual use, I found the front seats plenty accommodating, with supportive cushioning and relatively aggressive side bolsters that larger occupants might find too restrictive. In most dimensions, the MDX beats the other two models by a wide margin. Backseat passengers pay the highest price, with 6.6 inches less legroom than in the RDX. Front legroom is the only dimension that’s greater in the ZDX, by 0.8 inch. To understand how much space you get inside, note that the ZDX has less passenger and cargo volume than the RDX, as well as less headroom in the front and rear seats. If Peter’s the guy inside the ZDX, he’s definitely been robbed to pay Paul, who’s outside appreciating the car’s sleek lines. Few new models do that - even when they’re the first ones anybody has seen. The Crosstour got some credit for uniqueness, but most people didn’t “get it.” The ZDX, on the other hand, practically emptied out the local coffee shop, which took me by surprise. When we drove the other coupe/crossover crossbreeds, reactions to the X6 were mixed, with more emotion on the negative side. Most important, with the exception of exhaust finishers low on the rear bumper, the rear end bears no other brightwork, which does the TL sedan no favors. The grille isn’t quite as dominant, and the matching trim around the fog lights offsets it nicely. I haven’t been wild about Acura’s styling direction lately, especially its silver shield grilles, which look their most gaudy against dark paint. See a side-by-side comparison of all the features and specs here. The ZDX is almost an inch longer than the MDX and roughly 10 inches longer and 5 inches wider than the five-seat RDX, which is Acura’s entry-level crossover. *Volume behind second-row seat with third row folded space behind third row is 15.0. The table below shows how the ZDX fits into Acura’s crossover lineup. It’s 4.4 inches shorter from bumper to bumper and 3.8 inches wider, sharing its platform with the MDX, Acura’s roomier but less expensive seven-seater. Honda is Acura’s parent company, but the ZDX isn’t a dolled-up Accord Crosstour. If you don’t like how it looks, there are many more usable and versatile options. Styling matters in all cars, but aesthetic acceptance is especially critical in one like the ZDX, which sacrifices interior space and versatility for its daring design. Soon we’ll be testing the BMW 550i Gran Turismo, based on the 5 Series sedan, which proves BMW is bullish enough to double down on the coupe/crossover design, though its $63,900 base price puts it in a league of its own. Now there’s the ZDX, which enjoyed something those other two lacked during our test period: more fans than detractors. First, I was surprised anyone at BMW thought its X6 would find buyers, which made it even more surprising when Honda introduced the Accord Crosstour. The 2010 Acura ZDX is the third model we’ve tested that combines crossover characteristics with those of a coupe, which triples the surprise.
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