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2025 Acura ZDX First Drive Review: First electric Acura or alternative Cadillac?

MONTECITO, Calif. Í– The 2025 Acura ZDX not only looks like an Acura, but it’s arguably one of the best-looking Acuras ever. If weÂ’re talking SUVs, whatÂ’s going to topple it from the podium? The original ZDX? Beneath that skin, however, itÂ’s no secret that the new ZDX rides on General MotorsÂ’ Ultium electric platform, has an interior constructed with General Motors parts, and is even built by General Motors in Tennessee. Ultimately, though, the most GM thing about the ZDX may be this overall assessment of it: This electric SUV provides more performance and features for the money than competitors, but the interior is a real letdown. Sure sounds like any performance Cadillac from the past two decades to me. The trouble for the ZDX is that the competitor it most closely aligns with in terms of price, feature content and EV specs is literally a Cadillac Â… but things have changed. Specifically, the Cadillac Lyriq doesnÂ’t suffer from that whole “interior is a real letdown” thing. Far from it, itÂ’s a reason to buy a Lyriq. Furthermore, the two EVs not only share the same Ultium platform, but their motor offerings are basically the same with power outputs and ranges that closely align. ItÂ’s therefore impossible not to keep coming back to comparisons between the two. Even if the ZDX is a decent value, complete with its $7,500 federal tax credit, why get one instead of the more luxurious Lyriq? In short, it comes with even more features for the money, and boasts the sort of chassis upgrades and handling acumen Cadillac has moved away from with the Lyriq.   So thatÂ’s where that comparison rests, and although IÂ’ll get back into that whole “not really an Acura” angle, letÂ’s take a closer look at the specs that more objectively let the new ZDX stack up well to vehicles that arenÂ’t mechanically related. There are three versions of the ZDX, with no options apart from color and a summer-tire option. Starting at $65,850, including destination but not the federal tax credit, the base ZDX A-Spec becomes the only other rear-wheel-drive Acura besides the first NSX. It produces 358 horsepower and 324 pound-feet of torque, and achieves an EPA-estimated range of 313 miles from its 102-kilwatt-hour battery pack. These specs are roughly equal to the rear-motor Lyriq and Chevy Blazer EV, but they amount to a stronger proposition than anything offered by Hyundai/Kia/Genesis, while comparable luxury models are considerably more expensive.

Acura Integra will return in 2022 after a long hiatus

Putting a modern spin on much-loved classics is a growing trend in the automotive industry. Ford resurrected the Bronco, Lamborghini is bringing back the Countach, and Acura unexpectedly announced a new Integra for 2022. Acura has done a perfect job of keeping the next-generation Integra under wraps. There have been no leaks or rumors, and our spies haven't even spotted pre-production prototypes out and about. We consequently know very little about the car; the firm simply promised it will offer "the same fun-to-drive spirit and DNA of the original." Spring 2022. pic.twitter.com/4JsuLDj8b9 — Acura (@Acura) August 13, 2021 The crunchiest crumb of information that we have is a sketch that shows part of the front end. It's enough to tell with a high degree of certainty that the Integra won't wear a retro-inspired design; sorry, fans of pop-up headlights. Instead, it looks like it falls in line with recent additions to the Acura range thanks to sharp lights with LED accents and an angular grille. There's also a new interpretation of the Integra logo below the driver-side headlight. Beyond that, the Honda-owned carmaker simply confirmed the Integra will land as a compact premium car, which is exactly what the nameplate has denoted since its introduction for the 1986 model year. While this is pure speculation, it wouldn't be completely unthinkable for Acura to build the next Integra on an evolution of the platform that underpins the 11th-generation Civic unveiled earlier in 2021. Many of the earlier Integra models were based on or related to the Civic, and there was even a Civic sold as an Integra in a handful of overseas markets. More details about the 2022 Acura Integra will emerge in the coming months. Storied past Acura arrived on the automotive scene in 1986 with a range made up of two cars: the Integra (which was offered with two or four doors) and the bigger Legend. While both were aimed at the premium end of the market, the original Integra (shown above) put a far greater focus on performance than on luxury, and it never strayed far from this positioning. It was peppy, nimble, fun to drive, and reasonably affordable; pricing started at $9,859 in 1986 (roughly $24,600 in 2021). As time went on, many buyers realized that the little Acura was also stunningly durable. The second-generation Integra arrived for 1990 with an updated design and more powerful engines, and the four-door model received a more conventional three-box design.

Junkyard Gem: 1988 Acura Integra LS Liftback Sedan

Years before Toyota and Nissan brought the Lexus and Infiniti brands to North America, Honda created its Acura luxury division. When the first Acuras showed up here in 1986, there were two models: the Legend midsize luxury sedan, developed in partnership with Rover, and the Civic-based Integra. Today's Junkyard Gem is one of those first-generation Integras, found in a Northern California self-service yard recently. The 1986-1989 Integra was available here as a liftback with two or four doors (Japanese buyers of the Honda Integra could get a sedan version). It was based on the fourth-generation Civic chassis but got a more powerful engine and snazzier interior. The U.S.-market 1988 Integra got a 1.6-liter DOHC engine rated at 113 horsepower and 99 pound-feet. This was eight more horses and one more pound-foot than the most powerful new Civic available here that year. The first-generation Integra was quick for its time, especially with the base five-speed manual transmission. This car appears to have been bought as a comfortable commuter machine, however, because it has the four-speed automatic. Note the Hondamatic-inspired D4/D3/2 shifter positions. The emissions sticker tells us that this is a "49-state" car, not originally sold in the Golden State. It drove 293,237 miles during its career, which is decent for a late-1980s Honda but nowhere near as good as others I've found from the same era. At the moment, the highest odometer reading I've found in a discarded Honda product was 626,472 miles in a 1988 Accord. The highest-mile Acura-badged Junkyard Gem so far is a 1995 Integra with 342,768 miles. This car is a high-zoot LS model, and its MSRP with the automatic transmission would have been $13,144 (about $34,966 in 2023 dollars). The 1988 Civic LX sedan with automatic listed at $10,205 ($27,148), and it had the same excellent build quality. The Integra got a bunch of standard comfort and convenience options that cost extra on the Civic, however, and of course the 1988 Civic sedan had a trunk instead of a hatch. Air conditioning was not base equipment in this car, but the original purchaser opted for it. That was a wise move for those long Central Valley commutes during summer. Formula 1 technology… aaaand it's street-legal. Soichiro Honda's love of racing paid off in the showrooms. Not bad for a guy whose first couple of factories were destroyed by B-29s and an earthquake. It was known as the Honda Quint Integra in Japan, at first. Michael J.