zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
At $15,999, Could This Rare But Flawed 2012 Acura ZDX Get You to Crossover?
At $15,999, Could This Rare But Flawed 2012 Acura ZDX Get You to Crossover?-November 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:43

Image for article titled At $15,999, Could This Rare But Flawed 2012 Acura ZDX Get You to Crossover?

The attempt by car makers to appease the rabid demand for crossover cars has resulted in some startlingly odd category entrants. One of those is today’s Acura ZDX, a car that never seemed to know what niche it wanted to fill. Let’s see if time—and other factors—have been kind to it.

Do you ever think of the term Gran Turismo Omologato and then picture a two-ton, six-seat station wagon? No? I didn’t think so. Someone did make that rainbow connection, and the result was yesterday’s . The car was pretty cool, however as pointed out by many of you in the comments, probably a polarizing product depending on your age.

There was nothing polarizing about the custom car’s $29,500 asking, as it fell in a decisive 72 percent Crack Pipe loss.

The GTO nameplate may still hold some cachet within the auto enthusiast realm, but what about certain other three-letter identifiers? More succinctly, what’s you opinion about the ZDX?

Image for article titled At $15,999, Could This Rare But Flawed 2012 Acura ZDX Get You to Crossover?

I know what you’re thinking: “the what now?” The ZDX was yet another of Acura’s alphabet soup nameplates that mean nothing and hence carry little reason for the car buying community to conscript it to memory.

Acura started replacing their model names with letter designations supposedly at the behest of their brand stewards. The company had determined that their model names—Legend, Integra, Vigor, etc.—were crazily more recognizable than the parent Acura name. That was seen as detrimental to Acura’s long-term brand positioning goals and hence we got TL and CL and RSX and whatever else made little to no sense. Today, Acura carries on that tradition. It has also sort of become Honda’s Lincoln in that the parent company doesn’t really know what to do with the brand.

One thing they tried to do to overcome that marque malaise was to offer a model that seemingly encompassed every car trope popular at the the time in one single model. Let’s see how that panned out.

Image for article titled At $15,999, Could This Rare But Flawed 2012 Acura ZDX Get You to Crossover?

This represents that model, and just like Stacy’s Mom, it’s got a lot going on. The car is first and foremost a light crossover. No, it doesn’t exhibit the chunky dark plastic trim as do most soft-roaders, but it does sit up high and actually offers AWD. It’s also a four-door coupe, and as much as people with sense despise that entire trope, this Acura actually seems to pull off the masking of its true four-door nature with aplomb.

That design is likely one of the main reasons that the ZDX was so wildly unpopular during its production run. A mere 7,200 cars popped out of Honda’s Alliston, Ontario plant before the line was cancelled after just four model years. Some of the blame could be assigned to those mysterious back doors.

Image for article titled At $15,999, Could This Rare But Flawed 2012 Acura ZDX Get You to Crossover?

First off, as I noted, Honda did a really good job of hiding the fact that the back doors actually exist. The handles are hidden in the C-Pillar and with panel gaps being Honda-tight, the doors are almost invisible. Then there’s the space for egress once you pull off the party trick of actually opening one of them—it’s also almost nonexistent. There’s barely any foot gap in back making getting in and out a bit of a pain in the ass.

Image for article titled At $15,999, Could This Rare But Flawed 2012 Acura ZDX Get You to Crossover?

Aside from those issues, the ZDX was plenty competitive. The only engine offered was Honda’s 3.7-litre SOHC V6, but that was good for 300 horsepower. A six-speed automatic took orders from that and parsed out power to all four wheels through Acura’s questionably named “Super-Handling All Wheel Drive.”

This particular ZDX comes to us in Aspen Pearl paint over a taupe and black interior. The car shows 44K on the clock and comes with the technology package. That includes such niceties as a built-in navigation system and voice control. Yes, you can get both of those on pretty much anything today, but back then it was da bomb. A panoramic roof and all the fancy power accessories—including the hatch—are also along for the ride.

Image for article titled At $15,999, Could This Rare But Flawed 2012 Acura ZDX Get You to Crossover?

The car looks to be in great shape with paint that seems to be without flaw, and an interior that shows little to no wear for its age. Tires are said to be almost new, while the battery is in fact a recent replacement.

It’s not all roses on your piano and tulips on your organ however. I noted at the outset that this ZDX had a flaw, and it’s a pretty big one. No, it’s not the aggressively beaky nose. Nor is it the weird fender line.

No, the major issue here is the car’s title, which is listed as rebuilt. The seller commits the further sin of not bothering to explain the reason for that, an omission that bodes even more poorly for the car’s consideration.

With the mystery title, the seller asks $15,999 for the car, and you now need to either tell him he’s doing a good job or asking where he gets off.

Image for article titled At $15,999, Could This Rare But Flawed 2012 Acura ZDX Get You to Crossover?

What do you think, is this rare from lack of interest Acura worth that $15,999 asking with its bad title? Or, is that scarlet letter on the pick slip the final nail in this ZDX’s coffin?

You decide!

St. Louis, MO , or go if the ad disappears.

Help me out with NPOCP. Hit me up at and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
The 2021 Volkswagen Jetta GLI: What Do You Want To Know?
The 2021 Volkswagen Jetta GLI: What Do You Want To Know?
You may have heard of the Volkswagen Golf GTI, which is a gateway drug for so many car enthusiasts, relatively affordable and classic as it is. Less fanfare is afforded the Jetta GLI, which is a living testament to . I’m driving a 2021 GLI this week. What do...
Nov 25, 2025
At $13,000, Could This 1973 VW 181 Be Just The Thing?
At $13,000, Could This 1973 VW 181 Be Just The Thing?
The Corvair wasn’t the only car that Ralph Nader considered questionably competent, he also railed against the VW Thing for its own safety shortcomings. Today’s 181 may not be Nader’s cup of tea, but will its price prove palatable for one risk-bearing new owner? At $10,000, yesterday’s was certainly...
Nov 25, 2025
The 2022 Subaru WRX Is A Sport Sedan That Looks Like A Crossover
The 2022 Subaru WRX Is A Sport Sedan That Looks Like A Crossover
Subaru is known for two things in the U.S.: SUVs with a flair for adventure, and the WRX. SUV fans like their SUVs, and WRX fans sure as hell like their vape pe- er, WRXs. With the 2022 WRX, which is truly all-new for the first time in a...
Nov 25, 2025
At $22,000, Will This 2000 BMW M5 With ‘All Maintenance Done’ Prove An All-Done Deal?
At $22,000, Will This 2000 BMW M5 With ‘All Maintenance Done’ Prove An All-Done Deal?
It’s said that time heals all wounds. The hurt of not being able to afford cars like today’s M5 back when it was new can be particularly stinging. Let’s see whether time and its current price offer sufficient healing. There is little chance of healing from crashing at speed...
Nov 25, 2025
A Classic Car Dealer Is Asking Six Figures For A Low Mileage Cadillac ELR
A Classic Car Dealer Is Asking Six Figures For A Low Mileage Cadillac ELR
Here we go again with another example of how bad the car market is right now. Cars that would sit unsold at most used car lots are being priced into the stratosphere. in Morgantown, PA decided to swing for the fences when they adde this 2014 Cadillac ELR in...
Nov 25, 2025
2022 Hyundai Kona N: Great Things Come In Small (N) Packages
2022 Hyundai Kona N: Great Things Come In Small (N) Packages
I had a chance to review the standard Hyundai Kona a few weeks prior to driving the Kona N, and I have to admit: I wasn’t super impressed. It was a decent little car to putt around in, but it never quite accelerated so much as it sighed and...
Nov 25, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved