Motor Authority Best Car To Buy 2025 finalist

• The Acura ZDX Type S is a Motor Authority Best Car To Buy 2025 finalist
• The ZDX is well controlled and pleasant to drive, though its design is divisive
• At $75,850 in Type S form it costs a pretty penny

Our experience with General Motor’s midsize EV crossovers has been a good one. We liked the Cadillac Lyriq so much that it was a real contender for the Motor Authority Best Car To Buy 2023 award. The Acura ZDX shares the Lyriq’s platform and Ultium battery and EV component set, and it offers a more powerful Type S model that the Lyriq lacks. It was only natural to choose the ZDX as a Motor Authority Best Car To Buy 2025 finalist.

A GM in Acura clothing, the ZDX boasts a 102-kwh battery pack that delivers up to 313 miles of range. That falls to a still sufficient 278 miles in the Type S, and it can charge at up to 190 kw, which will add 77 miles in about 10 minutes and a 10-80% charge in 42 minutes on a 350-kw fast charger.

The ZDX starts with the rear-wheel-drive A-Spec model that makes 358 hp and 324 lb-ft of torque. An all-wheel-drive A-Spec adds a front motor and ups the output to 490 hp and 437 lb-ft. The The finalist here is the Type S, which also gets a dual-motor powertrain, but here it makes 499 hp and 544 lb-ft. That motivates this 6,052-pound SUV from 0-60 mph in less than five seconds. The power is obvious from behind the wheel, with plenty of gusto at any speed and lots in reserve for highway passing.

The ZDX Type S doesn’t make much more power than the A-Spec, but its multi-link front and rear suspensions are also tuned differently. It upgrades to a standard air suspension with adaptive dampers and larger and stiffer front and rear sway bars. It also has a quicker steering ratio at 15.9:1 instead of 18.2:1, and its brakes are bigger with 15.3-inch front rotors instead of 12.6-inch rotors. Finally, it rides on larger wheels and tires, with a set of 275/40R22s replacing 265/50R20s. Acura also offers summer performance tires for the Type S exclusively. 

Even with its sport-tuned suspension, the ZDX Type S rides comfortably on the street. It also has some decent moves despite its three-ton curb weight. The steering is light but direct and fairly quick, and the ZDX doesn’t lean too much in corners. It’s well controlled and pleasant to drive.

The ZDX is sized much like the three-row MDX, but it has just two rows of seats. Its 121.8-inch wheelbase is about eight inches longer than the MDX’s, and that gives it a very comfortable rear seat with lots of legroom. It’s also wide enough to fit three across in the back better than most SUVs. It has a high level of fit and finish, too, and it gets standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto that the Lyriq and related Chevy Blazer EV lack.

Acura prices the ZDX Type S from $75,850, and it’s eligible for the $7,500 federal tax rebate. That’s a pretty penny, but it’s also well equipped with an 11.0-inch digital instrument cluster, an 11.3-inch touchscreen, a wireless device charger, 16-way power-adjustable front seats that are heated and cooled, Milano leather upholstery, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, and a panoramic sunroof. It also gets lots of standard safety equipment, including front and rear automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, active lane control, blind-spot monitors, a driver-attention monitor, front and rear parking sensors, automatic parking, and a surround-view camera system. GM’s Super Cruise is even available as an option.

Will ready power, good range, pleasant dynamics, and a comfortable interior be enough for the Acura ZDX to be named Motor Authority Best Car To Buy 2025 over a sporty Porsche EV SUV, a pair of electric off-roaders, an EV hot hatch, and a quick and comfortable gas-powered German cruiser? Check back on Jan. 6 when we reveal the winner, along with the champs from our sister sites, The Car Connection and Green Car Reports.