While Acura sells the ZDX as a "passionate getaway" for well-heeled couples, Ms. Christensen sees the car, which made its debut as a design study at the New York auto show last year, as more of an urban escape pod. She envisions it going from Los Angeles to Lake Tahoe - or farther, to the rugged mountains of Utah.
That's the route I decided to take for a test drive.
The notion of panoramic views is an important attribute of the ZDX's design. The designers tried to convey this with expansive windows, a glass-covered roof and a see-through rear hatch. Sitting inside, I was reminded of the City of Los Angeles Domeliner cars used a half-century ago by the Union Pacific Railroad.
The glass-swathed Domeliners once covered the route from Southern California to Salt Lake City and continued east, giving passengers picture-window views of landmarks that included the Hollywood sign in the hills above Los Angeles, the Mojave Desert, Las Vegas, Utah's red-rock Dixie region and the Wasatch mountain range.
The sleek Domeliners are only memories now, but Interstate 15 more or less retraces their route. The ZDX proved to be something of modern-day Domeliner on my drive along this scenic Interstate, but, I found, the sloping roofline and coupelike profile of this 5-passenger crossover had created some unwanted design compromises
Good to know that The Times auto reviewer knows some history. While I was astounded to see such, I once noted an article in Car and Driver, which I normally only read when "I'm in the market', reviewing an EMD SD-70.
But who knows; maybe this will be my next auto in view of the "technical difficulties' confronting my current brand.
Posts: 9975 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Gil, Consumer Reports just came out with their verdict that the Lexus LS460L is their "best in show" vehicle. Ready for it?
Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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