(© 2012 American Honda Motor Co., Inc.)
Acura has sunk a considerable amount of time, money and effort into the 2013 ZDX crossover, trying to make the oddly-styled Jack-of-all-trades vehicle more appealing to the general public.
The 2013 Acura ZDX will get a restyled grille; parking sensors front and rear; power folding mirrors and a suite of safety features that include Forward Collision Warning, and Lane Departure Warning. It also comes bearing a price tag of $51,815 (including the $895 destination fee), and an obituary from Acura.
Announcing the discontinuation of the ZDX after the 2013 model year, Acura’s vice president and general manager, Jeff Conrad, said, “Moving forward, we will continue to advance the Acura lineup with a focus on new core models, like the recently redesigned RDX and the upcoming all-new RLX flagship...”
The 2013 ZDX comes all-in, loaded to the gills with as much luxury and technology as the automaker can stuff between its flanks. There’s the superb Acura/ELS audio system to boast about, as well as standard navigation, comfortable leather seating and comprehensive safety features.
Fuel economy, however, remains a disappointing 16 mpg city and 23 mpg highway, largely due to the ZDX’s all-wheel-drive layout and thirsty 3.7-liter V-6 engine. Sure, it makes 300 horsepower, but that’s really overkill for a grocery-getter like the ZDX.
Given the car’s abysmal sales numbers (just 48 U.S. customers took home a ZDX in September, and only 642 have been sold year to date), it’s no mystery why the ZDX was discontinued. In fact, the only question in our minds is why did Acura even bother with a 2013 ZDX model refresh?