Photo: vburlapp / Instagram
Acura just released the pricing details for its new ZDX and ZDX Type S high-performance EV. Unfortunately, it feels like DOA (dead on arrival) because it's way too costly to compete with fellow premium crossover EVs, let alone the dominating Tesla Model Y.
Luckily, around the same time they announced how they shot themselves in the foot with a huge MSRP for their first mass-market EV, American Honda was busy reminiscing about the great sales of 2023 on the US market and announcing their lofty goals for 2024. With the news also came the first pictures of the refreshed 2025 Honda Civic in Touring Hybrid sedan form and details about what's coming this year from both Honda and Acura.
Regarding the latter, the MDX and RDX will be upgraded to face the opposing forces from their rivals better, and the Integra entry-level model will get a sibling across the crossover SUV segment. That's big news and is finally paying off the tip about Honda's US design patent for an Acura CDX compact crossover SUV no less than six years after it was initially uncovered!
It took them long enough, and even if the upcoming entry-level premium crossover SUV is named CDX, it will indeed have a distinctive design compared to the early sketches that were attached to the patent filing. No worries; the imaginative realm of digital car content creators watches and quickly turns the CGI brush on Acura's next model.
Some think that it will subtly mix the CUV design DNA of the MDX and RDX with the sporty front end of the revived Integra five-door fastback, but at least one pixel master has a different opinion. Vince Burlapp (aka vburlapp on social media) is a prolific virtual artist who loves to dream of all the latest models across the wide-ranging automotive realm, and he also doesn't believe it will look anything like the Chinese-built CDX that was produced as a counterpart of the Honda Vezel/XR-V between 2016 and 2022.
Instead, his vision for the upcoming Acura compact SUV is more like a step above the American-market Honda HR-V (sold as the ZR-V internationally) – one that uses the same underpinnings but comes with a much more premium design plus a completely different powertrain. Whereas the HR-V has a basic 158-hp 2.0-liter engine and the Civic makes do with a 1.5-liter turbo mill producing 180 hp, this new Acura model could easily borrow the newly announced Civic Hybrid's electrified powertrain to make it stand out in the crowd that buys Lexus UX or NX models.
So, what do you think – does Acura stand a better chance to prevail with a compact crossover SUV aimed at regular buyers than the all-new ZDX that seems doomed even before hitting nationwide dealerships?
Regarding the latter, the MDX and RDX will be upgraded to face the opposing forces from their rivals better, and the Integra entry-level model will get a sibling across the crossover SUV segment. That's big news and is finally paying off the tip about Honda's US design patent for an Acura CDX compact crossover SUV no less than six years after it was initially uncovered!
It took them long enough, and even if the upcoming entry-level premium crossover SUV is named CDX, it will indeed have a distinctive design compared to the early sketches that were attached to the patent filing. No worries; the imaginative realm of digital car content creators watches and quickly turns the CGI brush on Acura's next model.
Some think that it will subtly mix the CUV design DNA of the MDX and RDX with the sporty front end of the revived Integra five-door fastback, but at least one pixel master has a different opinion. Vince Burlapp (aka vburlapp on social media) is a prolific virtual artist who loves to dream of all the latest models across the wide-ranging automotive realm, and he also doesn't believe it will look anything like the Chinese-built CDX that was produced as a counterpart of the Honda Vezel/XR-V between 2016 and 2022.
Instead, his vision for the upcoming Acura compact SUV is more like a step above the American-market Honda HR-V (sold as the ZR-V internationally) – one that uses the same underpinnings but comes with a much more premium design plus a completely different powertrain. Whereas the HR-V has a basic 158-hp 2.0-liter engine and the Civic makes do with a 1.5-liter turbo mill producing 180 hp, this new Acura model could easily borrow the newly announced Civic Hybrid's electrified powertrain to make it stand out in the crowd that buys Lexus UX or NX models.
So, what do you think – does Acura stand a better chance to prevail with a compact crossover SUV aimed at regular buyers than the all-new ZDX that seems doomed even before hitting nationwide dealerships?
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