Acura’s ZDX is back. The nameplate returns to the lineup early next year attached to the automaker’s first full-electric vehicle and the most powerful SUV in the brand’s history. Meet the 2024 Acura ZDX A-Spec and the 500-horsepower ZDX Type S.
Acura’s first-generation ZDX was a short-lived crossover coupe, debuting in 2009 before being discontinued just four years later due to poor sales. These days there’s a coupeover in almost every automaker’s lineup; arguably the ZDX was just ahead of its time. Honda’s luxury and performance division gave us our first preview of the ZDX’s revival, when it debuted the Acura Precision EV Concept during Monterey Car Week 2022. Almost one year later to the date, the automaker has returned to Monterey to unwrap the production-ready ZDX EV today.
The ZDX’s second lease on life sticks with a traditional, upright SUV silhouette. Measuring 197.7 inches from bumper to bumper, its footprint is similar to that of Honda’s Pilot SUV or the Acura MDX. However, the 121.8-inch wheelbase — around 10 inches longer than its combustion-powered cousins — and the lower 64.4-inch roof make the SUV look even more planted, evoking a bit of the OG ZDX’s low-slung flavor.
2024 Acura ZDX Type S, A-Spec Debut at Monterey Car Week 2023
The all-electric ZDX, alongside Honda’s upcoming Prologue, is the fruit of a co-development partnership making use of General Motors’ Ultium battery and electrification technology platform.
325-mile ZDX A-Spec
The standard spec at launch is the ZDX A-Spec, which rolls out with a 340-horsepower electric motor on its rear axle. Powered by a 102-kilowatt-hour Ultium battery pack, the A-Spec should cruise for an EPA-estimated 325 miles between charges. It’s also available in a dual-motor configuration that promises increased traction, but a reduced 315-mile range. Acura also claims an estimated 3,500-pound towing capability for all ZDX specs, though approaching this maximum will likely impact range.
The SUV rides on a fixed-coil suspension matched with reactive dampers and 20-inch wheels wrapped in 265/50R20 all-season tires. The ZDX’s 12.6-inch front brakes are smaller than the standard 13.5-inch rear stoppers, an interesting backwards configuration likely made possible by the EV’s strong regenerative braking capability.
500-hp ZDX Type S
The high-performance ZDX Type S variant features the same battery as the A-Spec, but with much more potent e-motors and the addition of sportier drive mode software. Dual-motor all-wheel drive is standard for this trim with an estimated system total of 500 horsepower, making this the most powerful SUV that Acura’s ever built.
It still falls short of the hybrid NSX sports coupe, however, which recently ended its production run with a 602-hp Type S farewell.