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Acura

Sometimes it’s amazing how one automaker can introduce a vehicle that is so unique it single-handedly starts its own segment. The Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class practically invented the term “four-door coupe” while BMW applied this sometimes polarizing design element to create its X6 sport activity coupe. Now Acura is looking to use the sleek, popular design cues on its latest crossover with the 2010 Acura ZDX, and with the BMW X6 square in its sights, the all-new ZDX will go on sale on December 15, 2009 with a starting MSRP of $45,495.

By far, the ZDX’s most unique feature is its design. While there are many crossovers to compete against, the sporty, coupe-like ZDX definitely has a styling that stands out from the crowd. The basic design of Acura’s newest crossover came from the 2009 Acura ZDX Concept that made its debut earlier this year at the New York International Auto Show. Acura’s controversial new design language (mostly just the grille) looks at home on the angular ZDX. The large headlights lead back to widely flared fenders and shape of the lower fascia air intakes are mimicked by the dual exhaust outlets in the rear. The sweeping roofline and squatty haunches help bring the crossover close to Acura’s label of a four-door sports coupe. Giving the sleek crossover the styling of a true coupe (one with two doors), the ZDX features hidden rear door handles and well-placed body seams to make the rear door opening less apparent. The pull handles are concealed above the beltline within the greenhouse using black trim, while the rear door cut line matches up with the rear liftgate seam for a smooth, uninterrupted line.

Inside, the ZDX has a cabin that falls much more inline with current Acura models than the attention-grabbing exterior design. The shape and design of the instrument panel is almost a dead ringer as what can be found in the Acura MDX except with a narrower center console. The angular center stack matches the exterior lines, while the four-gauge instrument cluster helps to give the cabin a sporty look and feeling. Adding a more open atmosphere to the passengers, Acura says that the panoramic glass roof that is standard on all ZDX models is the world’s longest. The glass roof stops above the rear seat, but the liftgate features two glass panels (similar to the Honda Insight) to help improve rearward visibility. Technically speaking, the Acura ZDX is a five-passenger vehicle, but Acura says that the rear seat accommodates two adults comfortably and three passengers for short rides. As expected, the sloped roof hampers cargo capacity, but not as much as would be expected. With the rear seats up, the ZDX can hold up to 26 cubic feet of cargo, and folding the seats down increases cargo space up to 56 cubic feet.

Like the MDX with which the ZDX shares its chassis, the only drivetrain available for all ZDX models is the 3.7-liter SOHC VTEC V-6 paired up with a six-speed automatic and Acura’s Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) system. For improved handling and performance, the SH-AWD system is able to transfer up to 70 percent of the engine’s torque to the rear wheels under heavy acceleration, and it is able to direct as much as 100 percent of that torque to a single rear wheel. The resulting fuel economy from this setup is an EPA estimated 16 miles per gallon in the city and 23 mpg on the highway.

Available in three trim levels, the ZDX has looks and power that are comparable to a base BMW X6, the surprising part is that its $45,495 starting MSRP is $10,805 less than the BMW’s starting price. The middle trim, the ZDX with Technology Package, adds a navigation system, upgraded 415-watt premium audio system with a 15-gigabyte hard drive, keyless entry and push button starter and dual zone automatic climate control with solar sensing abilities as standard equipment with a $49,995 starting MSRP. Stepping up to the top trim level, the ZDX with Advance Package adds ventilated front seats, blind spot detection, adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation system and active suspension dampers as standard equipment with a $56,045 starting MSRP (which is still $255 cheaper than a base X6). All listed MSRPs for the 2010 Acura ZDX do not include Acura’s $810 destination charge.

It's inevitable: At some point in time, the auto industry is going to have find a practical, affordable alternative to petroleum-based fuels. But until then, OEMs will need to continue discovering new ways to squeeze more efficiency out of plain old gas- and diesel-powered engines.

At General Motors, for one, it looks like turbocharging will be a big part of that effort. News continues to trickle out about the upcoming Buick Regal (pictured left), which is scheduled to go on sale in the second quarter of 2010, and among the latest factoids is that the up-level engine on GM's new "sport sedan" will be a turbocharged four-cylinder engine capable of producing 220 hp.

According to the General, the turbo Regal also will be good for 29 mpg on the highway, just off the 30 mpg highway expected from the non-turbocharged four-cylinder that will be standard on the entry-level model.

General Motors is really playing up the Regal's "bred on the autobahn" origins as marking a sea change in Buick's direction, and it really could have been — but not for the reasons GM is telling us.

Yes, the new Regal built on the same platform that underpins the 2009 Opel Insignia, which has won a ton of awards overseas and is currently, per GM, the best-selling midsize sedan in Europe. (Needless to say, the ability to develop a platform like this is a big part of the reason GM decided to hold on to Opel.)

But what could have really set the new Buick apart from its competition would have been a decision from GM to give up on the horsepower arms race, at least in this segment. I mean, if the 2010 Regal were designed to have best-in-class fuel efficiency, the fact that it is well under-powered compared to its rivals wouldn't necessarily be a problem. A Regal that could out-handle other entries in the segment and outperform them at the pump would be something to brag about, and it would certainly attract customers.

It would be going the Mazda MX-5 Miata strategy one better. The Miata, along with the Mazda RX-8, don't win fans because they're necessarily the fastest vehicles in their segments, but because they're among the best handling and provide a class-leading driver experience. If the Buick Regal could stake out this positioning among sport sedans — an admittedly tough task — it would offer a nice "hook" with which to pull in buyers. And if the Regal did that while also providing great mileage, so much the better.

Except that's not going to happen. Let's bring the Acura TSX into the picture for comparison's sake. (The TSX and Volvo S60 are both named by GM as key rivals to the Regal. However, the current S60 is soon to be replaced, so it doesn't make sense to compare the Regal with the outbound Volvo, and full specs aren't available for the new one.)

In base-level trim, the Buick offers less horsepower (182 for the Regal; 201 for the TSX) in a heavier package (3,600 lbs. vs. 3,470 lbs.) that gets slightly worse gas (20/30 vs. 21/30).

Moving up to higher-performing entries, the story gets a little better for the Buick. The TSX uses V6 power in its upper-level trim, which adds enough weight to bring the Acura up above the 3,600-lb. mark; but that's offset by an engine that delivers 280 hp, 60 more than in the Regal turbo. And on the mpg side of things, the V6 Acura is rated at 18/27, two mpg shy of the Regal's highway number. (GM isn't talking city mpg for the Buick yet.)

Put it all together and, on paper at least, the Buick gets the worst of this comparison in both measures of performance: power and efficiency. On the hand, the Buick will offer some cooler tech toys than the Acura and it certainly will look a whole lot better. But it's also going to look like a missed opportunity, at least IMHO.

And as long as we're looking at sport sedans today, we better see what BMW is up to — and the surprising answer is: 68.9 mpg. That's the combined fuel-efficiency number the new BMW 320d achieves on the European testing cycle. The key here is that that little "d" on the end of the car's name stands for "diesel." Well, that and the fact that this diesel power will find its way over to the U.S. in the not-so-distant future.

Yep, the Bavarians are now on record as saying future U.S. versions of the popular BMW 3-Series will offer four-cylinder diesel engines, and that will be exactly the kind of "hook" that the Regal claims to offer but doesn't. Even though it could.

Because it turns out that — over in Europe — the Opel Insignia happens to be offered with a diesel of its own. True, it "only" gets 54.7 mpg on the European cycle, but I'm betting that's a number that Buick owners could live with.