2019 Acura RDX vs. Infiniti QX50 vs. Lexus NX300: SUV Shoot Out
The latest and greatest luxury SUV models from Japan throw down to see which is best.
To be frank, the luxury SUV segment of the automobile world is experiencing a proliferation unlike anything the industry has ever experienced before. Every single manufacturer now offers a well-appointed, comfortable, and luxurious two-ton rig to haul kids and groceries around in. Big wheels, fancy leather interiors, and a dozen acronyms for electronic wizardry and features that will never be used in the real world, are now par for the course.
As a result, consumers are saturated with options. If you have about $40,000 to play with, or at least if your bank does, you are spoiled for choice. That $40,000 figure is especially interesting to note as the median new car transaction price continues to raise. The average new car transaction cost is right around 36 grand, making that $40K figure not unreasonable for many families in the United States.
And now, in 2019, several new hotly anticipated rides are hitting the market. Fortunately, the manufacturers of three of those new rides agreed to bring them together for a comparison test. No requirements, no agenda, just go, drive and claim one to be the winner. Sounds easy enough, right?
Our Contenders
First up is the all-new 2019 Acura RDX. Technically in its third-generation, the new RDX returns to turbocharged power. Specifically, it’s packing the new K20C4 engine, which is good for 272 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. That engine is paired to another all-new item: A 10-speed automatic transmission. The base price is $37,300 before the $995 destination charge.
Also all-new for 2019 is the Infiniti QX50. This second-generation SUV is also packing turbo power, from a similar, yet totally dissimilar 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Infiniti calls it the VC-Turbo, and it may just be the turning point of the internal combustion engine. Backing that wacky engine is a continuously variable automatic transmission. The base price hovers rather dearly next to the Acura, at $36,550, and $37,545 after destination.
Looking like a concept car come to life, our last contender is the Lexus NX300 F-Sport. Formerly known as the NX200t, the Lexus gets a name change and a few updates for the 2018 model year. While slightly down on power, performance and gear from the two, it’s also the least expensive, starting at just $36,185 before the $1025 destination charge. Coincidentally enough, that number almost exactly matches the aforementioned median new car price down to the digit. Funny how that works.
Anyway, the stage is set, so let’s go driving.
Continue on to the next page to keep reading about these three luxury SUV models.
