I recently spent some time test driving the Acura ZDX 24 while visiting Toronto and driving to Ottawa as well as Prince Edward Country for eats and coffee and to do some exploring.
This model was an electric vehicle that had 480 km battery range which works out great for driving around Toronto. As I was driving from Toronto to Ottawa I had to stop along the way to charge up the battery to get me to my destination.
I visited a bakery that my friend Steven Tran who is a Pastry Chef in the city suggested I visit and his suggestion was welcomed. Located in Thornhill, a Northern suburb of Toronto is Cafe Duo Patisserie (230 Commerce Valley Dr E #4, Thornhill), a beautiful patisserie that has a large selection of decadent French pastries in the glass case. I got a Flat White along with an Almond tart to go.
A message popped up on the car alerting me that I would need to stop to charge the battery along the way and noted the specific gas station to charge. I then stopped at a gas station in Woodbridge, Ontario and used a fast charger which had me back on the road in 45 minutes.
Upon arriving into Ottawa (5 hours driving from Toronto) I went straight to Taara Indian Restaurant for lunch a great eatery that specializes in Indian cuisine.
I had a Mango Lassi along with their sizzling Chicken Tikka as well as the steamed Momos, and the Paneer Tikka. Taara Indian Restaurant is located at 727 Churchill Ave N in Ottawa, you can follow them on Instagram @taara.ottawa
After lunch I checked out Happy Goat Coffee that is located at 35 Laurel St in Ottawa, a popular cafe and specialty coffee roaster that has a few locations around the city, they also wholesale their coffee beans to other cafes across the country including Chai Coffee Company in Surrey, BC where I first tried their coffee .While in their Ottawa cafe I had a Cortado. You can also find them on instagram @happygoatcoffee
For dinner that evening I drove to Restaurant Antonyme that is located over the bridge in Gatineau, Quebec and about a 20 minute drive from the Ottawa Marriott Hotel where I was staying.
I was solo that night and it was a nice drive outside of Ottawa to dine at the quaint house where I had a tasty Roasted Zucchini salad along with the Pan Fried Arctic Char with gnocchi. You can find them on instagram @restaurantantonyme
In the morning before leaving Ottawa, I headed over to Little Victories Cafe and enjoyed a Magic (their version of a cortado) in the hip Glebe neighbourhood, they are a speciality coffee roaster with a couple of cafes around the city. You can find them on instagram @littlevictoriescoffee
I was back on the highway and this time I was driving to Prince Edward County, specifically to Picton to see a friend that I hadn’t seen in a long time. As it was past the EV range, I stopped in Odessa and used a fast charger to get a quick charge and got me back on the road in minutes.
Made it to Picton and met up with Lenny who toured me around the town and we then had lunch at The Royal Hotel (247 Main Street, Picton and on Instagram @theroyalhotelpicton a beautiful boutique hotel where we enjoyed a delicious lunch on the patio, I had a Kale Salad.
Acura’s ZDX five-passenger SUV EV uses a GM Ultium platform as its basis. Output ranges from 358 to 499 hp, with rear-wheel drive standard and all-wheel drive available on the base A-Spec trim; all Type S models get standard all-wheel drive. All ZDX models come with two rows of seating and room for five riders. Leather upholstery is standard, and the A-Spec models come with 12-way power-adjustable front seats with heat and ventilation; Type S models get 16-way power-adjustable chairs with thigh extensions and heavier side bolsters.
An 11.3-inch infotainment display stands tall and proud on the center of the ZDX’s dashboard while an 11.0-inch gauge-cluster display is nestled in the binnacle in front of the steering wheel. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, but the infotainment interface is built on Google’s Android Automotive in-vehicle software and features Google Maps as the default navigation system. All ZDX models come with a Bang & Olufsen stereo system featuring 14 speakers, some of which are hidden behind handsome, brushed aluminum grilles.
Headed to downtown Toronto for dinner at Curryish Tavern (located at 783 Queen St W, Toronto and on Instagram @curryishtavern ) with my friend Kenji who was also visiting from Vancouver.
The restaurant specializes in modern Indian cuisine with a twist. I had the Curryish Spring Citrus Salad to start, then the Coconut stuffed Eggplant and Peanut curry; while Kenji had the Aloo Gnocchi and roasted Cauliflower curry; we both loved our dishes.
For dessert we drove to Gateau Ghost (located at 974 College St, Toronto on Instagram @gateau_ghost ) we had the Tiramisu Brownie, he had tea and I had the refreshing Yuzu Tonic. Here is a spot that I would like to go for dinner or brunch on a future visit.
This was a great car with many attributes including being an EV offering up a comfortable ride.
I really enjoyed the Acura ZDX was a great car to drive in and around Toronto as well as to Ottawa, Gatineau and through Prince Edward County.
By: Richard Wolak
Disclosure: Acura Canada provided me with the 2024 Acura ZDX for 5 days to test drive, and photograph.