Different.<\/em>\u00a0No one will mistake an NX for a Mercedes, much less a Toyota RAV-4.<\/p>\nAcura\u2019s not there yet. I\u2019ve always liked the RDX\u2019s simple pentagon grille and 10-LED headlight ensemble up front \u2014 nicely balanced by lower fog lights openings. But those lower openings are just decoration \u2014 a stuck-on plastic mesh, unlike the Acura NSX supercar where every scoop is purposeful. The RDX shares the cool, \u201cjewel-eye\u201d headlights with the NSX \u2014 a brand signature … except they are now being shared by the Honda Accord as it seeks to compete in the dog-eat-dog midsize sedan class. So much for exclusive luxury.<\/p>\n
I kept narrowing my eyes and imagining the RDX with a new wardrobe inspired by the Acura Precision concept car shown at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show. It\u2019s a radical departure from the current Acura-Honda language. The concept car has a grille that thinks outside the beak, the much-maligned, chrome bottle-opener that disappears on the concept in favor of a more luxurious, mesh grille.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, the concept\u2019s sharp, multi-surface body styling is very similar to the sci-fi Lexus NX.<\/p>\n
As for drivetrains, Acura and Lexus follow their corporate siblings. Acura uses the Honda Accord\u2019s V-6 engine. Lexus shares Toyota\u2019s mixed menu of gas engines and hybrid electrics. My AWD 300h tester had the latter. Though in the Michigan winter, you wouldn\u2019t know it.<\/p>\n
Below 32 degrees, the batteries shivered and went into hibernation. Where the Lexus will glide away on battery in the warmer months, it immediately calls on the gas engine in colder temps. Turn the key, on comes the four-cylinder. Fuel economy? Just 24 mpg. Or about the same as a 2.0-liter, turbocharged, four-banger option for $5,000 less. Either way, the Lexus was a hair better than the Acura\u2019s 23 mpg.<\/p>\n
Though none could match a 27 mpg Honda CR-V. Oh. So we\u2019re back to justifying that $10K hole in your wallet and whether it\u2019s worth it. Will interior design tip the scales?<\/p>\n
Acura\u2019s two-shelf navigation\/audio system is a welcome departure from the German-popularized pop-up screens that dominate the luxury sector, including Lexus and Hyundai. By contrast, the Acura\u2019s system \u2014 already gone in Honda\u2019s Civic and Pilot \u2014 adopts the German pop-up screen for navigation, but without cluttering the console. The knob is elevated on the console, freeing up welcome space for cup holders, seat-heater buttons and a drawer where you throw your phone, change and receipts \u2014 all that stuff you horde in a car.<\/p>\n
Separate from the navi-screen comes a lower audio touchscreen complete with volume knob instead of the Honda sliders that are causing an epidemic of console shootings. Complicated, but much more workable than Lexus\u2019 remote touchpad controller which manages a twofer: It clutters the console\u00a0and<\/em>\u00a0distracts the driver.<\/p>\nHappily, both RDX and NX center consoles can be ignored thanks to excellent, steering wheel-mounted audio controls. For example, push the audio button to bark address instructions in the Lexus and you avoid entering it with the touch pad. Steering wheels have become as complicated as F1 yokes. And that\u2019s good because it keeps your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road.<\/p>\n
Still, the console complications cast further doubt on luxury\u2019s premium. Add the cost of stabbing the Lexus touch pad with an ice pick in a fit of rage and the cost really skyrockets.<\/p>\n
The questions continue round back. Buy a handsome Ford Escape SUV \u2014 10 grand cheaper than an RDX \u2014 and you can kick open the trunk and lay the rear seats flat. Not the Acura or Lexus.<\/p>\n
Service, presentation, interior design.<\/p>\n
My Pei Wei vs. PF Chang\u2019s test isn\u2019t as clear cut as it should be. Lexus throws in one more factor \u2014 handling \u2014 to makes its case. If the NX\u2019s Euro-like console is a mistake, then its German-inspired handling is not. The NX is X-tra stable. The RDX? Not so much. Were it not for all-wheel drive in SUVs, I would recommend a lower-center-gravity hatchback if handling matters to you. NX and RDX AWD in Michigan: Don\u2019t leave home without it.<\/p>\n
Except, um, the mainstream Honda and Toyota brands have it, too.<\/p>\n
2016 Lexus NX<\/p>\n
Vehicle type:\u00a0Front-engine, front- and all-wheel drive, five-passenger SUV<\/p>\n
Price:\u00a0$35,905 base ($50,505 300h AWD hybrid as tested)<\/p>\n
Powerplant:\u00a02.5 liter 4-cylinder with electric motor\/nickel metal-hydride battery assist<\/p>\n
Power:\u00a0194 horsepower (combined hybrid system)<\/p>\n
Transmission:\u00a0Electronically controlled continuously variable transmission<\/p>\n
Performance:\u00a00-60 mph, 9.1 seconds (manufacturer); top speed, 112 mph<\/p>\n
Weight:\u00a04,180 pounds<\/p>\n
Fuel economy:\u00a0EPA 33 mpg city\/30 mpg highway\/32 combined (AWD as tested)<\/p>\n
Report card<\/p>\n
Highs:\u00a0Radical styling; tight handling<\/p>\n
Lows:\u00a0Radical styling; hybrid system not as efficient in cold<\/p>\n
Overall:\u2605\u2605\u2605<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If Pei Wei started making its $10 Mongolian beef as tasty as P.F. Chang\u2019s $17 version, why would anyone go to the upscale eatery? Service, presentation, interior design, perhaps. But you\u2019re rolling your eyes because it ain\u2019t gonna happen. Cars are a different story. Thanks to digital technology and engine downsizing, the \u201cdemocratization of autos\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18154"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18154"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18155,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18154\/revisions\/18155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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