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The Acura ZD what?

Last year, the BMW X6 served as an automotive guessing game, and keeping us on our toes this year is the Acura ZDX. Acura calls it a four-door sport coupe, but we're not really sure what to make of it.

Wayne Cunningham
Wayne Cunningham reviews cars and writes about automotive technology for CNET's Roadshow. Prior to the automotive beat, he covered spyware, Web building technologies, and computer hardware. He began covering technology and the Web in 1994 as an editor of The Net magazine.
Wayne Cunningham
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1 of 5 Sarah Tew/CNET

Acura ZDX

Acura calls its new model a four-door sport coupe, but we find it occupies that same twilight zone of car design settled in by the BMW X6 last year. The ZDX brings in some elements of an SUV, such as a driver position higher than a sedan, but many of the elements that make Acuras other cars so enjoyable.

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Acura ZDX

At this point, Acura is only specifying a new V-6 for the ZDX, although 3.5 or 3.7-liters seem likely. It will also have Acura's all-wheel-drive system, designed for sport driving, and an all new six-speed automatic. We are looking forward to the latter, as Acura's current five-speed automatic doesn't let the company's engine realize its potential.

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Acura ZDX

Part of the unique styling of the car comes in the fastback design, although the bilevel rear glass, split by the spoiler, is familiar from the Prius and the new Honda Insight.

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AcuraZDX04.JPG
4 of 5 Sarah Tew/CNET

Acura ZDX

Although the ZDX is considered a prototype, Acura says it will have a production version in showrooms by fall of this year. The impending production date means the exterior must be nearly finished. The cabin doesn't show any radical technology, suggesting the car could be built very soon.

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5 of 5 Sarah Tew/CNET

Acura ZDX

The cabin tech is all familiar from the new TL, including a navigation system with weather and traffic and iPod integration. In fact, the switchgear on the instrument panel is all familiar from current Acura models.

Back to 2009 New York auto show coverage.

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