The 2024 Acura ZDX First Look: The Brand’s First EV Targets 325-Mile Range

• The 2024 Acura ZDX is Acura's first EV and will go on sale next year.
• Built on top of General Motors' Ultium battery platform, it also shares some interior design elements with GM EVs.
• A Type S variant (that's the fast one) will have 500 horsepower, the most of any Acura SUV so far.
• With the single-motor powertrain, the ZDX should be good for up to 325 miles on a single charge.

The ZDX will enter production later this year, with customer deliveries starting in early 2024. According to Acura, prices will start "in the $60,000 range" for the single-motor A-Spec, and in the $70,000s for the AWD Type S. It will join a growing field of well-regarded competitors, including the aforementioned Cadillac Lyriq, Genesis Electrified GV70, Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV and others.

What's powering the ZDX?

The Acura ZDX will offer both a single-motor rear-wheel-drive configuration and a dual-motor AWD layout. The single-motor A-Spec will offer an estimated 340 horsepower, while the dual-motor Type S delivers a more robust claimed 500 hp. Both models will use a 102-kWh battery pack, giving up to 325 miles of range for the A-Spec and 288 miles for the Type S. These figures are on the higher side of what we've come to expect from this segment, which should bode well for Acura with range-worried customers.

How's the ZDX's interior?

Likely owing to its GM underpinnings, the ZDX's interior is, for good and bad, highly differentiated from other Acura vehicles. Compared to its gas-powered siblings, the RDX and MDX, the ZDX's interior has a more uniform dash design with less ornate detailing. We'll wait until we spend time with the ZDX to say for sure, but at first glance, it feels a tad less elegant than some of its closest rivals like the Mercedes EQE SUV. Overall space inside should be similar to that of the Lyriq, which is to say good for an SUV this size.

The 11-inch digital cluster and 11.3-inch central screen appear to be sourced from General Motors, and the interface is a major departure from other Acuras. Like the Honda Civic-based Integra, the ZDX features a touchscreen rather than the touchpad-controlled display screens in the RDX and MDX. The ZDX will also feature Google built-in to help with things like range-optimized routes with charging stops. Thankfully, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard for the ZDX. (General Motors' future electric vehicles won't offer these popular applications.)

Acura's first EV will come with the most comprehensive tech the brand has ever offered, including hands-free driving for the first time with AcuraWatch 360+. Acura and General Motors aren't saying as much, but for all intents and purposes, this is a rebranding of GM's Super Cruise suite. Acura is also moving away from its signature ELS audio system in favor of a new 18-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system that will come standard on the ZDX.

Edmunds says

Though the ZDX shares much in common with other EVs on the road, Acura still put its stamp on the car to make it feel like part of the family. Stay tuned to this space as we learn more about Acura's first EV.