SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – The Acura ZDX Type S is a standout electric car. The first thing this reporter noticed when he hit the accelerator was the SUV’s sublime power. Turns out the dual motors deliver 499 horsepower. Despite the vehicle being a full-sized SUV, I was able to go from zero-to-sixty in under five seconds.
All that power is delivered silently, though a pleasing, almost musical tone is added to ensure the driver knows the engine is running.
The interior of the powerful car is handsomely appointed. The vehicle I drove had a red leather interior. I found the Google-based infotainment system easy to understand and use. During my first drive, I found myself saying the words out loud, “I am driving the Cadillac of EVs.”
Automotive journalist George Polgar explained to me that I was driving something pretty darn close to a Cadillac.
“This is built in a General Motors plant,” Polgar said during our weekly Zoom discussion. “It’s built in a Cadillac plant!”
This collaboration between GM and Acura is arguably the result of GM being out in front with its Ultium Platform. The Ultium Platform has been hugely successful for electric vehicles. It is the architecture for the Cadillac Lyriq, the Chevy Equinox EV, the Honda Prologue, and the Acura ZDX Type S.
Polgar offered a concise explanation of the Ultium Platform, “a solid battery platform that the whole car sits on,” Polgar said. “It resolves the problem of having this huge battery pack in some awkward spot in the car.”
The Ultium architecture gives the SUV a distinctly low center of gravity, giving it tight handling.
Rick Ferrara, the owner of Rick’s Auten Road in South Bend, Indiana, shares this reporter’s concerns about taking a fully electric car on a lengthy road trip, but says the nation’s charging infrastructure is improving exponentially.
Beginning in June, Honda and Acura EV drivers will be able to charge up at any of the more than 20,000 Tesla Supercharger stops. Nearly all EVs will adhere to the North American Charging Standard.
“They have told the electric vehicle manufacturers, ‘hey you guys need to standardize with one charger,’” said Ferrara.
The Acura ZDX Type S is sold exclusively online at a starting price of $73,500.
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