Henry Payne Blog
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Payne: Behind the wheel of the Acura ZDX Type S, a high-powered, GM-charged EV
Posted by Talbot Payne on May 10, 2024
Santa Barbara, California — I pulled to the brief left passing lane on California Route 154 and — ZOT! — my 2024 Acura ZDX Type S tester exploded past a line of slower traffic down the Santa Ynez Mountains north of Santa Barbara. Merging into heavy Route 101 traffic along the coast, the ZDX’s Hands-Free Cruise system took over and I sipped a can of iced tea while riding hands-free at 70 mph. On the screen, I tapped the nearest fast charger and Google Built-In took me eight miles to an Electrify America station in tony downtown Santa Barbara.
Electric vehicles’ niche is the luxury market, and Acura’s first EV has found the sweet spot with its swashbuckling, high-tech $75,000 Type S entry. Call it the Type Sweet Spot.
Like its sister Honda Prologue, this is new territory for Acura. The brand captured American hearts in the 1990s with the Acura Integra Type R (Type S nameplate predecessor), a nimble, Honda Civic-based driver-centric pocket rocket that turned heads in town and turned on a dime on country roads. Forty years later and Honda-Acura is on a new mission to go all-electric — dovetailing with government mandates that will ban new internal combustion car sales here in California by 2035.
But EVs have flipped Acura’s marketing script. The giant 102 kWh battery the ZDX Type S requires to give you goosebumps carries an equally giant price tag. So Acura’s first performance EV — unlike its first performance ICE — is aimed at the upper-crust LA suburbs, not gritty LA parking lots where Acura tuners gather for weekend autocrosses in their Integra gas-burners.
The ZDX is more muscle car than pocket rocket.
Tipping the scales at over 6,000 pounds (nearly 1,600 pounds more than a similarly sized Dodge Charger R/T Scat Pack, and 1,200 pounds more than a gas MDX Type S SUV), ZDX is a rocket ship in a straight line like a Charger. The grunt suits Acura’s performance vibe, and Type S is a very different animal than the more domesticated 85-kWh battery Honda Prologue EV.
The 2024 Acura ZDX Type S boasts AWD and an impressive 544 pound-feet of torque. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
That muscle-car girth makes this a different Type S than the icons before it. Not far from Santa Barbara last year, I tested the Integra Type S and wrung its neck through the spaghetti roads of Oija, leaving sport bikes in the dust. We laid rubber marks across the landscape like Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote.
The luxurious, air suspension-clad ZDX is an ocean liner next to Integra through the curvy stuff, its three tons apparent. Drive the Integra Type S daily (or any of if its MDX or TLX siblings) and you’ll make the occasional two-minute stop at a gas station to fill up its 367-mile range tank. Drive the 278-mile-range ZDX Type S and you’ll make more regular 15-minute stops at supercharger watering holes like the busy, four-stall Electrify America charger in Santa Barbara where I stopped in — adding 100 miles in 17 minutes.
While I charged, other EVs — a Hyundai Ioniq 5, Lexus RZ, VW ID.4, Porsche Taycan — hustled in and out, topping up for 10-15 minutes to complete their daily chores. The Porsche driver unloaded on EA as we waited — complaining the charger never achieves the advertised 350 kW charge, and he’s had a regular dialogue with the company to get the chargers to work properly.
The 2024 Acura ZDX Type S gains GM’s hands-free, SuperCruise driving system. Acura calls it Hands-Free Cruise. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
I, too, was delayed an extra 10 minutes calling EA to wake my buggy charger. No wonder brands like Acura are rushing to adopt Tesla’s reliable charging network with plug adapters.
ZDX is assembled next to its midsize EV-competitor Cadillac Lyriq SUV (they share GM’s Ultium EV platform) in Spring Hill, Tennessee. But they give off very different pheromones.
While Caddy channels the Eldorado Broughams of old with its easy ride, gem-encrusted interior and blingtastic exterior, the Acura electrifies its athletic Type S personality. Acura has extracted another 100-pound feet of torque out of the same twin-motor setup as the Lyriq Sport for freight-train power.
Lyriq starts with a base, $52K model and tops out with the Sport at $65K. ZDX begins at $65K with its A-Spec model, then goes straight to the top-dog $75K Type S.
Type S is a premium value thanks to its GM parentship. Hitting dealerships now, it immediately sheds $7,500 — cash on the hood — thanks to the General’s locally sourced batteries and domestic production. That cuts the price $67,245 — a healthy $20K less than comparable, performance-minded BMW iX xDrive 50 and Audi e-Tron SQ8 electrics — and right on top of non-performance models Lexus RZ and Genesis GV70 that don’t qualify for government sugar.
The 2024 Acura ZDX Type S shows off Acura’s sculpted, modern design. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Acura’s nondescript tablet-screen interior won’t wow like the Caddy, BMW and Genesis. But get it in classic Acura red leather and it really pops. Cabin seating is palatial, with a healthy 40 inches of legroom in back. It’s all wrapped in Acura’s chiseled exterior design language — the menacing “heartbeat” LED running lights communicating its performance intent.
The biggest payoff of the GM partnership is shared tech. Google Built-in is Tesla’s equal in charting a charging course for road trips (right down to nearby restaurants/stores to visit while you fill up) — as is Acura’s version of GM’s Super Cruise, Hands-Free Assist.
Oooooh, Hands-Free Assist.
The system comes standard on the Type S with its comprehensive Acura Watch 360+ safety perimeter, including adaptive cruise control, blind-spot assist, emergency braking, 360-degree camera and electric force field to zap Sith invaders (kidding about that last one).
The roomy cabin of the 2024 Acura ZDX Type S. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Tesla pioneered hands-free driving, but GM has perfected it for divide highways. Its consistency, auto lane changes, and escalating warning steps separate ZDX and Lyriq from other premium brands.
Advantage Acura as it enters a stalled EV sales market. With EVs competing in a niche luxury space, brands must conquest sales to grow. From Tesla, primarily. Take my Model Y ride-share driver in LA, for example.
While he loves Tesla’s cutting-edge self-driving and charging network, he’s worried about maintenance and sales quality. Acura, Caddy, Genesis appeal to him — especially if Google Built-in can find him the chargers he needs.
But Honda-Acura isn’t alone in upstart brands who see electrification as an opportunity to capture new customers.
Detroit News auto critic Henry Payne charged the 2024 Acura ZDX Type S at a busy Santa Barbara charger. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Hyundai’s terrific midsize Ioniq 5 N SUV is priced at $67K, weighs a relatively light 4,800 pounds, corners on rails and screams like an F-22 fighter jet when you engage its 545 pound-feet of torque.
Honda-Acura is working on its own lightweight electric platform that will spit out cars at its East Liberty, Ohio, plant. Maybe one of them will be named Integra EV?
Next week: 2024 Volkswagen Golf GTI
2024 Acura ZDX
Vehicle type: Electric rear- and all-wheel-drive, five-passenger SUV
Price: $65,850, including $1,350 destination charge ($74,850 Type S as tested)
Powerplant: 102-kWh lithium-ion battery with electric motor drive
Transmission: Single-speed
Power: 358 horsepower, 324 pound-feet of torque (A-Spec RWD); 490 horsepower, 437 pound-feet of torque (A-Spec AWD); 499 horsepower, 544 pound-feet of torque (Type S AWD)
Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.0 seconds (Car and Driver est.); top speed, 150 mph (Type S AWD); towing, 3,500 pounds (A-Spec AWD)
Weight: 6,052 pounds (as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA est. range 313 miles (A-Spec RWD); 304 miles (A-Spec AWD); 278 miles (Type S AWD)
Report card
Highs: Sculpted exterior; high-tech performance
Lows: Modest interior; porky
Overall: 3 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
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Payne: Reborn Chevy Traverse offers a multiverse of goodness
Posted by Talbot Payne on May 6, 2024
Atlanta — It’s time for another edition of Design Your Perfect Car. Today’s feature: Chevrolet. OK. The perfect Chevy would be:
1) A bargain like a Chevy Trax.
2) Engaging performance like a Corvette.
3) Off-road capable like a Colorado Z71/Trail Boss/ZR2.
4) Tough like a Silverado pickup, dude.
5) Capable of seating six comfortably like a Tahoe.
6) Stuffed with cool self-driving tech like a Bolt.
Your wish is granted. Say hello to the 2024 Chevy Traverse Z71.
Whaaaaat? The Traverse?!!! The vanilla Soccer Mom SUV that’s been more miserly on standard features than Scrooge and had the face of … wait, what did it look like again? Yes, that Traverse.
For its third generation, the remade Traverse has gotten its act together. Call it the Multiverse. The big ute has always clocked in for work with the biggest interior in class, but it had fallen behind competitors in value (love ya’, Kia Telluride), style (oooh, that Ford Explorer is hot), interior design (Telluride again), and off-road chops (Explorer Timberline, Telluride X-Pro, Honda Pilot Trailsport, etc.).
The off-road oversight was particularly galling for a brand that produces some of the best trucks on the planet. Buy a Chevy pickup Z71, Trail Boss or ZR2 off-road model and you’ll want to take a detour to Holly Oaks ORV Park sandbox every day on your home from work to play.
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Payne: The Genesis G90 is cool just sitting in your driveway
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 25, 2024
Oakland County — Luxury cars are becoming Brookstone gadget stores on wheels. Who needs to drive them? They’re just fun to play with.
Take the 2024 Genesis G90 sitting in my driveway.
With the key in my pocket, I walked up to the Genesis and it rolled out the red carpet. Make that lit carpet. A Genesis logo splashed on the ground in front of the door and the handles moved outward to my waiting hand. Coldwell Banker, do your house tours do this?
I slid into the posh seats, pushed the brake pedal and the door softly closed next to me. Push the door button and it swings back open (sensing the distance to the car next to you, of course). Step out, lightly tap the door handle button and the door swings closed. Show it off to your friends; you’ll be the envy of the neighborhood.
Show-and-tell luxury accessories have been coming fast and furious in recent years. There’s the Tesla Model 3/Y that will follow you like a dog, the Genesis G60 SUV that you can remote parallel park, the GMC Sierra’s Multi-Pro six-way tailgate including a stairway-into-the-bed, the Ram 1500’s mega-screen, the Lincoln Nautilus’s 48-inch pillar-to-pillar display.
The G90 shows off its cutting-edge tech inside a stunning sedan. Remember those? Cadillac and Lincoln long ago exited the big sedan market, so the Genesis is left to compete with icons like the Audi A8, BMW 7-series and Mercedes S-class. In an SUV-mad world, these loooong land yachts remind just how elegant the sedan figure can be.
The imposing 2024 Genesis G90 is roomy, powerful and bears signature twin headlights. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The G90 debuted back in 2017 as an Audi knock-off and has since matured into its own style. The band’s signature dual lamps are on display — wrapped around the front end like racing stripes — and are both instantly recognizable as one of the most handsome designs in class. My G90 tester doesn’t come cheap at $100K, but that’s 5 grand south of the comparable BMW 7-series I tested last summer — and showcases classic lines compared to the German’s new techno-punk wardrobe.
Like the Bimmer, the Genesis sports those mesmerizing auto-shut doors — and lots more toys inside. No, our tour still hasn’t got out of the driveway yet.
Fall into the palatial backseat (just press the door button and it silently closes behind you) and slip your shoes off. Press a button on the door and your chair turns into a Barcalounger.
The posh interior of the 2024 Genesis G90 is knee-deep in technical controls. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The front passenger seat rolls forward to open up (even more) legroom while the backseat reclines. Out pops a thigh support so your legs can stretch out straight, my 6’5” drumsticks dangling in the air. Ahhhh.
Feeling sleepy? A center screen of controls is at your disposal so you can 1) close the rear sunroof (did I mention there are separate sunroofs for the front and rear passengers?), 2) cover the rear windows with blinds, 3) activate a massage, 4) heat/cool your seats, and 5) put on your favorite tunes (assuming the driver doesn’t mind).
Oh, yes, the driver.
The front thrones are not only beautifully designed (check out the concave steering wheel, flying buttresses bracketing the instrument display and butterfly console doors), but the cockpit can also be customized to your liking. Choose your graphic themes, font size, screen color, head-up display content. Three buttons on the steering wheel can be programmed with shortcuts to your most-used features — I performed mine for preset radio stations, audio mute and AM radio.
Hello. The door handles of the 2024 Genesis G90 pop out to greet you. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
While Genesis has come into it own on interior/exterior design, the brand seems determined to give you feature options you might find on other premium brands. The center console screen can be controlled by touch (like an Audi) or by remote rotary dial (like a Bimmer). Radio presets can be swiped though via a Mercedes-like steering-wheel touchpad. And volume and adaptive cruise speed controls are easily manipulated via raised toggles like a Cadillac or GMC.
Speaking of speed, you’ll eventually want to drive the Genesis after ogling its blizzard of features. The experience doesn’t disappoint.
Mash the pedal and the 409-horsepower, twin-turbo V-6 responds with a mighty roar — thrusting you into traffic with impressive velocity (a 48-volt battery provides extra oomph) despite the yacht’s 5,156-pound curb weight. Sixty mph blows by just 5.1 seconds while the all-wheel-drive system provides welcome stability. A SPORT mode is on offer — tightening the seat bolsters around you — but this is no sportscar.
Backseat passengers get their own rotary controller to adjust things like massaging seats in the 2024 Genesis G90.Henry Payne, The Detroit News
More enjoyable is adaptive cruise control, which automatically changes lanes on interstates. Parent Hyundai has been at the forefront of usable ACC systems, and the Genesis is no exception with lane-keep assist that is excellent for long drives.
I especially appreciated that Genesis had located the rotary shifter to the left of the rotary infotainment controller in the center console. Other Genesis models stack them, which can bring confusion — I’ve been caught out shifting the sister GV80 SUV into neutral, for example, when I though I was rotating between radio stations. Ugh.
Other ergonomics still need tidying, however. For all its technical wizardry, G90 still requires a cable to operate Apple CarPlay and Android auto — cluttering the console. The dreaded STOP-START switch is in the nether regions of the left dash rather than right next to the ignition button as in BMW and Mercedes.
It’s hard to be mad, though, when you have so many goodies at your fingertips.
The 2024 Genesis G90 shows off sleek proportions and fancy 21-inch wheels. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
I thrilled at the authoritative roar of the V-6 under my whip, but otherwise the cabin was whisper quiet during my week of cruising. Mrs. Payne and I conversed easily. In a sudden March blizzard, the all-wheel-drive system was unfazed and confident in the slippery conditions. Alas, that 48-volt battery cramps the cargo sub-space, meaning no spare tire should a tread come to grief.
Genesis competes with Bimmer and Merc with its 6-cylinder powertrain. The Germans up the ante to V-8s in their top-line models. Genesis is content to offer a 375-horse V-6 and the (48-bolt assisted) 409-horse mill in my tester.
After a haircut, my barber was keen to take a tour. She slipped into the driver’s seat, then beamed when the door closed at her press of the brake pedal.
I’m going to have to start charging for these tours.
Next week: 2024 Acura ZDX
2024 Genesis G90
Vehicle type: Gas-powered, all-wheel drive, five-passenger luxury sedan
Price: $90,450, including $1,195 destination charge ($100,695 e-Supercharged model as tested)
Powerplant: 3.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Weight: 5,156 pounds
Power: 375 horsepower, 391 oound-feet torque (base); 409 horsepower, 405 pound-feet torque (e-Supercharged)
Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.1 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 132 mph
Fuel economy: EPA est. 17 city/24 highway/20 combined (as tested)
Report card
Highs: Tech-tastic; handsome design
Lows: Wireless Apple CarPlay, please; gets pricey
Overall: 3 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
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