Chose the ZDX for a weekend golf/wine trip up to Paso Robles (aka Bachelorette Party City, as we found out) with some friends. Love the adaptive cruise control heading up the freeway -- it's truly set and forget. Lock in a suitable max speed, set the trailing distance to medium, and you're off. You won't exceed the max that's been set and and the ZDX slows with ease when traffic gets in the way. I had the brake pedal covered the entire way, but not once did I feel I needed to intervene. The downside is that the system can be a little aggressive, slowing with more braking force than is necessary, and there is an audible 'beep' every time the system diverts or reverts to/from the set speed. Still -- not bad.
Interior room up front is fine, even though headroom is a little cramped. Not an issue for my six-foot frame, but probably would be for taller folks. My rear seat occupants were less than impressed though -- complaints of difficult entry, dangerously sharp-looking door corners, and limited headroom. Sunroofs front and rear definitely eat into noggin space. Cargo room is also compromised in the rear, with barely enough length to fit two sets of golf clubs diagonally. Start stacking more luggage in and it's not long before the rear window is completely obstructed.
Interior room up front is fine, even though headroom is a little cramped. Not an issue for my six-foot frame, but probably would be for taller folks. My rear seat occupants were less than impressed though -- complaints of difficult entry, dangerously sharp-looking door corners, and limited headroom. Sunroofs front and rear definitely eat into noggin space. Cargo room is also compromised in the rear, with barely enough length to fit two sets of golf clubs diagonally. Start stacking more luggage in and it's not long before the rear window is completely obstructed.
The ZDX feels peppy enough on the freeway and the six-speed gearbox is welcomed over Honda's typical five-speed units. The ride is also a great compromise between comfort and sport (I never touched the ride selector knob, leaving it in comfort mode the entire time). The center stack is completely overwhelming when you haven't been in a Honda in a while. After a couple hours, it starts making sense again. Every time my front seat passenger was switched out the learning curve began anew, resulting in plenty of gentlemanly cursing. The ZDX is attention-getting, with most admiring stares coming from the drivers of luxury sedans and coupes, plus several 'WTF??' type glances from older folks.
Photos by Jessica Germiller