2020 Acura RDX vs 2020 Lexus NX vs 2019 Audi Q5

Today I'll be comparing the 2020 Acura RDX A-Spec to the 2020 Lexus NX300 Luxury and 2019 Audi Q5 Premium. I am comparing these cars at the low $40,000 price point in seven different categories, ranked on a scale from one to ten. Total points at the end of the comparison determine a winner. If you'd like to see the video for this comparison test, click on the thumbnail below.  

Let's start with value. The 2020 Acura RDX A-Spec starts at $43,800. For that price, the exterior of the Acura comes with a panoramic moonroof, ‘Jewel Eye’ LED headlights, taillights, fog lights, daytime running lights and unique 20-inch gray wheels. Additionally, the A-Spec is different from other RDX trims with special front and rear bumpers, exhaust tips, and dark molding where chrome would normally be. On the interior, the A-Spec also has unique seats that come with premium Milano leather with contrasting stitching and suede inserts. The front two captain’s chairs are power-folding 12 different ways, and they’re both heated and ventilated. The interior temperature is controlled by a dual-zone climate control unit. A feature that sounds like an April Fool’s joke is the GPS linked climate control, which uses GPS to determine the location of the sun relative to the RDX and adjusts interior temperature accordingly. The RDX also has keyless access that unlocks the doors and sets driver preferences (like music, seat position and climate control) as they approach the car. Moving a foot under the rear bumper or pressing a button will activate the power tailgate. Then, obviously, they’re able to the start the car with a push of a button. On the leather-wrapped A-Spec steering wheel are controls for the voice recognition software, Bluetooth, and other multimedia interfaces. To change gears in the RDX, simply push the button of the gear you would like to be in on the center console. Automakers use this style to increase the usable room in the front of new cars, but some people don’t like it as much as a traditional shifter. Interior lighting in the A-Spec is red, and it has an auto-dimming, frameless rearview mirror. The A-Spec gets a fantastic 16-speaker 710-watt ELS 3D audio system. SiriusXM, HD Radio, and USB ports add to the audio entertainment. The touchpad on the center console corresponds directly to the 10.2-inch screen centered on the dashboard like a laptop computer mouse, except instead of dragging, you just press on the touchpad where the button on the screen would be. The gauges in the A-Spec are unique, but all RDX’s have a seven-inch color multi information display. For the smartphone savvy, the RDX has mobile hotspot capability, Siri Eyes Free, and Apple CarPlay support but not Android Auto. The final big-ticket feature of the RDX is the navigation system that runs on the screen in the dashboard.  

The 2020 Lexus NX300 Luxury, via allcarseveryday

The 2020 Lexus NX300 Luxury has a nearly identical starting price of $43,810. The exterior features roofrails, auto-dimming and power-folding heated outside mirrors, a power sunroof, LED DRLs, foglights and taillights, rain-sensing windshield wipers and 18-inch alloy wheels. On the inside, the Lexus has a WiFi hotspot, HD radio, Apple CarPlay and Amazon Alexa, voice command, Bluetooth and a variety of USB ports. The audio system, while not as good as in the RDX, is still decent with ten speakers. The climate control system doesn’t have the gimmicky GPS link, but it is dual-zone as in the Acura. The steering wheel and shift knob are leather as is the rest of the interior. Like in the Acura, there is a SmartAccess system that includes push-button start. The front seats are heated and ventilated, and the rearview mirror dims automatically. There is a memory function at this trim level that allows the driver's seat, mirrors, and steering column to remember where their position should be depending on who is driving. Like the Acura, the keyless access system allows you to wave a foot under the rear bumper to open the rear hatch. The Luxury trim line also adds the navigation package standard, which not only adds navigation to the vehicle but upgrades the eight-inch screen to a 10.3-inch unit. Finally, the Luxury package makes sure that the steering wheel is heated and there is black wood trim in the interior.  

The 2019 Audi Q5 Premium, via allcarseveryday

Let’s take a peek at the Audi, which happens to be the cheapest of the group at $42,950. Exterior features include LED DRLs and taillights, but the headlights remain Xenon. The exterior mirrors are heated but not power-folding, and the tailgate is powered as well. The five spoke wheels are 18-inches in diameter and the windshield wipers and headlights turn on when it starts to rain. The steering column in manually adjustable, whereas the Lexus has a powered one. The front seats are powered and heated, and the interior is leather and has wood inlays. The Audi is the only vehicle with a tri-zone climate control system and 40/20/40 rear seats, whereas the other vehicles only fold 60/40. The Audi has a seven-inch touchscreen in the center console and another seven-inch screen behind the steering wheel as the gauge cluster. The Q5 has a 180-watt sound system playing through ten speakers. Two USB ports are also part of the infotainment system, and the Audi supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, despite technically being the oldest model here in terms of when the Q5 last had a major update. Naturally, Bluetooth and push-button start also find their way into the Audi. The Acura gets a nine out of ten for value, as it has a very good sound system, 20-inch wheels and navigation. No other vehicle has that type of audio system standard, nor does any other vehicle have wheels that big. The Lexus also comes with lots of features standard, but not quite as many as the A-Spec, so I’ll give it an eight out of ten in this category. I think Audi in general is a slightly more premium brand than Lexus or Acura, so even though the Q5 is priced like the other two, it is missing a lot of features, like driver seat memory, a sunroof, power-folding mirrors, and SiriusXM. It does remain the least expensive of the group however, so it still manages a seven out of ten in the value segment.  

The 2020 Acura RDX A-Spec, via allcarseveryday

Safety: The 2020 Acura RDX is rated as a Top Safety Pick Plus from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety scoring ‘Good’ in every category, but headlights vary from ‘Acceptable’ to ‘Good’. I’m sure the A-Spec trim gets a ‘Good’ rating, however, because it has the best headlights in the RDX lineup. The active safety features on the RDX are as follows: a collision mitigation braking system, adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow, lane keeping assist, road departure mitigation, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, parking sensors, blind spot monitoring, a rear cross-traffic monitor, and automatic high-beams. 

The 2020 Lexus NX earns good ratings in every category from the IIHS but is not a Top Safety Pick. Strangely, the Lexus had earned that rating in years past, but must have fallen behind the times as the model aged. Standard on every Lexus NX is Safety System+ 2.0, which has a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, lane tracing assist, lane departure alert with steering assist, road sign assist, all-speed dynamic radar cruise control, intelligent high beams, and a blind spot monitor with rear cross traffic alert. 

The 2019 Q5 is rated ‘Good’ in all categories by the IIHS except headlights, where depending on the trim they are either rated ‘Marginal’ or ‘Poor’. The Audi comes with Pre-Sense Basic and city, which is a fancy term for pedestrian detection and automatic braking. As far as I can tell, there is no rear cross traffic assist, blind spot monitoring or lane keeping assist. It looks like these features come in the Premium Plus and Prestige models. In the safety segment, the two Japanese vehicles again take the cake, with the Acura performing phenomenally in both IIHS ratings and with standard active safety features. Ten for that, eight point three for the Lexus, which didn’t score as well and doesn’t have as many safety features, and seven for the Audi for missing the safety features and scoring poorly on headlights.  

Powertrain and performance: Though Acura is a Honda brand, even the RDX comes with a turbocharged engine, displacing two liters with its four cylinders. The A-Spec is supposed to be slightly sportier than the other trims, but that’s mostly a façade, as it makes the same 272 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque as the other trims. This power is routed through a modern 10-speed automatic that gives the driver the ability to shift their own gears using shift paddles. Front wheel drive is standard, though all wheel drive is an option. The front wheel drive model is good for a 7.1-second 0-60 run. 

The Lexus also has a turbocharged, 235 horsepower 2.0-liter inline four cylinder that makes 258 pound-feet of torque. It runs through a more dated six-speed automatic transmission, but the combination is still good for a 7.2 second 0-60 time. The 2019 Audi Q5 has—you guessed it—a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder making 248 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. 

The Audi comes standard with all-wheel drive, which is a huge advantage. It also has a seven-speed dual clutch transmission, and in total the Audi blows the doors off the other two reaching 60 miles per hour in 5.9 seconds. Eight point five for the Acura for having lots of power and a good transmission, seven point three for the Lexus for matching the Acura even with an older trans and less power, and ten for the Audi for the all-wheel drive and speed.  

Reliability: According to Consumer Report’s extensive testing, the 2020 RDX is rated as ‘Average’ reliability, the 2020 NX is rated as ‘Better than Average’ and the 2019 Audi Q5 is also rated the same as the Lexus. A step up or down in Consumer Report’s rankings is worth a point and a half each, so the Audi and Lexus get a seven point five and the Acura gets a six.  

Fuel Economy: The RDX A-Spec and Q5 Premium both get 22 miles per gallon in the city and 27 on the highway. The Lexus gets 22 again in the city but bumps up the highway figure one mpg to 28 on the highway. Eight for the RDX and Q5, 8.2 for the Lexus. 

Styling: The RDX is my favorite of the group on the exterior, I think it looks brawny and good looking even though it has no actual sporting pretension beyond other RDX trims, at least powertrain wise. This particular red really accentuates some of the finer body angles, and I think the 20-inch rims in smoked gray are fantastic. There are certain angles where I see the Honda CR-V shine through, like at the rear where the taillights meet the C-pillars, but I think the untrained eye won’t notice a thing. The Audi, while elegant looking, doesn’t stand out at all unless buyers pony up to the SQ5, which puts the ‘Sport’ in sport utility vehicle. Otherwise, the Q5 is sort of a wallflower, but thankfully it isn’t as ‘polarizing’ as the NX. Lexus is still in the beta phase of developing its spindle grille that started with the LC500 concept car, and I think they need to go back to the drawing board. In profile, the front looks like a weird insect, and I also am not a fan of the LED DRLs that make a sort of Nike swoosh under the main headlight. The rear isn’t as busy as the front, but I just can’t get over what looks like a complete disarray of styles. On the interiors, the A-Spec tries too hard to remain sporty where Acura should have just accepted that A-Spec buyers don’t care if the inside of their RDX looks like an S2000. The gauge cluster, while unique to this trim, is tacky and out of character with the rest of the car. The seats are busy, and the two-tone color scheme seems too boy racer and not enough upper-middle class empty nester, like it should. The Lexus clearly has the most dated interior, and I felt that way immediately when I stepped inside. Furthermore, having owned many a Toyota, I could tell some of the switchgear in the Lexus was taken from the corporate parts bin, which could be upsetting to NX buyers that have ever stepped foot in a late model Corolla. The analog clock placement, steering wheel design and tiering of the dashboard make me think it’s time for an update. Also, I have never seen the push to start button in such a sore spot. However, I still like the general design. The Audi has the best interior, by a lot. It’s clean, modern, and the TFT instrument cluster is executed perfectly. I think the shifter is beautiful, the steering wheel is perfect, and the woodgrain cuts through the otherwise somewhat drab feeling interior nicely. I’ll give the Acura an eight point five for styling, the Audi an eight-point four, and the Lexus a seven.  

Usability: The usability of each vehicle is how well the vehicle is packaged, and how well it seems put together, especially for a luxury car. The Acura RDX has 31 cubic feet of storage space with all seats up and 79.8 when down, and it has a low belt-line which makes it feel spacious in the interior. The Audi Q5 has the most luxurious back seat, but at the expense of cargo capacity, which is 25.1 with the seats up and 53.1 with the seats down. The NX has even less space with 17.7 cubes behind the rear seats, a number that some midsize sedans can achieve. With the seats down, there is a maximum of 54.6 cubes. The Acura has better storage space up front for phones, pens, purses and the like than the other two, which is beneficial to any family. The Lexus has this removable piece in the center stack is perplexing. Seems like something that would get lost. The volume knob in the Audi is a reach for the driver, as it’s on the passenger side of the bottom of the center console...a weird trend I have noticed in German vehicles. I’ll give the Acura an eight for the extra cargo capacity and real-world usable space, the Audi a seven point three and the Lexus a six-point eight. 

Final scores? The Acura gets a 58, the Lexus got a 53.1, and the Audi got a 55.2. The Acura dominated the group this year, dethroning the previous winner, the Q5. If you’re looking for quiet speed to cruise in understated style, the Q5 remains your vehicle. If you’re looking to turn heads for better or worse, grab the Lexus keys. But there is not a better proposition than an Acura RDX A-Spec out of these three, and it is our new king. Cadillac, BMW, and Infiniti are next. 

2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE vs 2019 BMW X5

Today I'll be comparing the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE450 to the 2019 BMW X5 xDrive 40i in seven different categories in which points can be assigned from one to ten. To see the final winner of this comparison test, click on the video here. 

The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLE, via allcarseveryday

Let's start with value. The GLE450 is the second highest of the three trims that the GLE comes in, and you could drive off the lot in one for $61,150. For that price, the exterior comes with 19-inch five spoke wheels, power folding and auto-dimming mirrors that also illuminate the Mercedes-Benz logo on the ground as you walk up to the car, and LED headlights, tail-lamps, and daytime running lights. Other exterior features include rain-sensing wipers, an alarm system, and remote start via a smartphone app. The interior has a multitude of luxury features including Linden wood trim, a Nappa leather steering wheel, heated front seats with a driver memory function, a power tilt/telescoping steering wheel, and dual-zone climate control. Though the steering wheel is leather, the interior is made from MB-Tex, which is a quasi-leather surface that isn’t quite cloth but definitely isn’t genuine leather. To me, this is unacceptable on a $60,000 car, when I evaluate Elantras for $30,000 with leather. I know that Benz would need to use higher quality leather than an Elantra, but I was surprised to see that leather was part of a package and not standard equipment, as I believe it should be. The rear of the vehicle has a power operated lift-gate with the ability to swipe a foot under the bumper should your hands be too full to pull open the latch. The rear seats fold in a 40/20/40 split, which allows for a wide variety of luggage and equipment to fit in the rear of the vehicle, while still retaining seating for the kids. The key can be used to unlock and start the car without ever removing it from your pocket, and it also has a button to close all windows after the driver has exited the vehicle. The final features of the interior that aren’t involved with the infotainment system are the power sunroof and brake hold feature for stop and go traffic. The Mercedes has a beautiful, giant 12.3-inch screen for the infotainment system that is flush with an identical 12.3-inch screen for the gauge cluster. Mercedes’ infotainment software is called MB User Experience, or MBUX for short. It has navigation, steering wheel mounted controls, Bluetooth, HD radio, Apple CarPlay and Android auto. MBUX also has over-the-air software updates like a Tesla does. Notably absent is SiriusXM satellite radio, which is nearly standard across the industry by now. The Mercedes has a pretty advanced voice recognition software that is queued when the driver says, ‘Hey Mercedes’ and it can respond to phrases like “I’m cold” by increasing the temperature of the cabin. The Benz also has three years of MeConnect, which is an app that allows you to start, lock, trace the GLE, and locate where you park all from an app on your phone or tablet. The final luxuries that round out the cabin are the auto-dimming rear view mirror and five USB-C ports in the cabin. That’s a lot of ports for sure, but for those of you unfamiliar with the tech lingo, USB-C ports are only used by a select few devices, and the Apple iPhone and most Android cellphones would need an adapter to connect to the ports, which I find extremely irritating and irrational. Besides that, and the missing leather, I think that the GLE450 is outfitted well and the interior has an opulent feel that I’ve come to expect from late model Mercedes Benz vehicles. 

The 2019 BMW X5, via allcarseveryday

Let’s look at the value proposition from the 2019 BMW X5. The naming disaster that is the BMW X5 xDrive40i starts at $60,700, undercutting the GLE450 by about $500. It has the same size alloy wheels at 19 inches, and it has LED headlights, tail-lamps and fog-lights like the Benz. Also like the other SUV it has heated, power folding exterior mirrors to avoid the feared parallel parking scrape, and rain-sensing windshield wipers. On the interior, things don’t vary much either. The seats are heated, powered and memory for the driver, the rear seats fold 40/20/40, it has wood-grain in the dash, and again, this $60,000 SUV is missing genuine leather. Instead it has SensaTec upholstery, which, like the GLE, looks good and does a decent job looking like real leather. The BMW uses a HiFi 10-speaker audio system unit. The steering wheel has leather and functions for the infotainment system, which consists of two 12.3-inch screens like in the Mercedes. Instead of being one giant head unit like in that car, however, one is reserved for the gauge cluster and is separate from the one on the center console, more like a traditional dashboard. iDrive is the name of the infotainment system, but the BMW also supports Apple CarPlay but not Android Auto. The X5 has ConnectedDrive services, like the Mercedes, where you can start your car and see vital information from your smart phone. Navigation is part of iDrive, as is Bluetooth, HD radio, voice recognition and a touch-pad controller. The Germans must think that USB-C is the new USB, as the X5 comes with these types of USB as well, but I did find one normal USB under the center console. As a value proposition, both of these vehicles come with nearly identical features for a nearly identical price. For the same money, you could have a better optioned sedan from the same companies, but I will give the GLE450 a seven out of ten and the X5 40i a seven point two out of ten in the value segment, purely for the $500 savings.  

The next part of the comparison will be the safety segment. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rates both the 2019 X5 and 2019 GLE as a Top Safety Pick Plus, which is the highest rating possible. Obviously, the 2020 GLE is a different SUV than the 2019, but it’s a very safe bet to assume that Mercedes-Benz didn’t decrease the crash-worthiness of the model in the new generation. To differentiate between the two models in terms of points assigned, let’s check out the active safety technology that each model offers. The GLE450 has brake assist with forward collision mitigation, an attention assist feature, blind spot assist, parking assist, Pre-Safe and Car-to-X communication, which allows the Mercedes to communicate with other vehicles on the road with this technology. BMW has a similar pre-collision system called Active Protection, daytime pedestrian detection, frontal collision warning with city collision mitigation, lane departure warning, active blind spot detection and rear cross traffic alert. Here, the BMW has more advanced safety features standard. Though Car-to-X communication is a brand-new technology and isn’t even available as part of an option on most other cars including the BMW, GLE buyers will have to pony up for a safety package to get some of the basic amenities that the BMW has, like lane departure warning. As such, I will give the GLE a six point five for missing industry standard features without a package and the BMW a seven for including those in its list of active safety features.  

Next up, let’s look at the powertrain of each of these Germans. The 2020 GLE450 has a turbocharged 3.0-liter straight six under the hood, which is an upgrade over the 2.0-liter four-cylinder in the GLE350. It makes 362 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque running through a nine-speed automatic with shift paddles. Engine Stop/Start is included on this six-cylinder. The 4Matic part of the name means that the Benz is all wheel drive, and—all in—the powertrain is good for a 5.5 second 0-60 sprint. The X5 also uses a turbo 3.0-liter straight six, in this guise making 335 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque. Power is routed through an eight-speed automatic with paddle shifters and a launch control function. BMW speak for all wheel drive is the ‘x’ part of xDrive40i. Even with a power deficit, amazingly the BMW knocks a half second off the 0-60 of the Mercedes, flying to 60 miles per hour in five seconds flat. I’ll give the Benz a nine for its powertrain and performance and the BMW a nine point five for being the Hot Rod of SUVs.  

Maybe the hottest trend in new vehicles is ever-increasing fuel economy, due to consumer demand and government mandates. The Mercedes-Benz gets 19 miles per gallon in the city and 24 on the highway for an EPA combined 22. The BMW tops the Mercedes at 20 in the city and 26 on the highway, despite the Mercedes having an identical displacement engine and one more forward gear for highway driving. Eight points for the GLE, nine points for the BMW. 

Next, let’s move on to the styling of each vehicle. Mercedes-Benz is mid-transition into a slightly different styling language ever since the 2014 S-Class came out, and this is just now getting to the SUVs. Anyway, the new GLE looks very good and I like both the interior and exterior. I think the front end is a tad boring on video or in pictures, but in person the vehicle is stunning. The BMW is a more analytical design, but I like it as well, save the 110% size front grille. The rear of each vehicle is the better angle, and I think the GLE really takes the cake here. The X5 doesn’t have a bad look anywhere, but BMW styling has not evolved in forever and I think once you’ve seen one kidney grille and Hofmeister kink, you’ve seen them all. On the interiors, I don’t dislike the BMW, but I’ve always been a sweetheart for Mercedes-Benz interiors, and they just keep improving. I think the BMW interior looks relatively dated right off the bat, at least compared to the GLE which looks sleek, premium, and athletic. In this category, I’ll give the BMW a seven for styling and the Mercedes an eight. 

Next, let’s check out how reliable these SUVs are. German vehicles aren’t exactly known for their reliability, but according to Consumer Reports the BMW scores better than the average vehicle in reliability, where the Mercedes-Benz scores average. I assign two points per car for each step up or down in these rankings, so the Benz gets a six for Average and the BMW gets an eight for better than average.  

Our final category is family friendliness and usability. Both SUVS had easy ingress and egress, and I thought both front seats and back seats were nicely appointed. Cargo capacity with the seats in the rear folded is almost 80 cubic feet in the Mercedes and 72.3 cubes in the BMW. The BMW also has at least one regular USB port, which I like, and a 20-foot turning circle compared to a 39-foot turning circle in the GLE. The switchgear in the Mercedes felt somewhat subpar to me, as the buttons didn’t have a definitive bump stop, so they felt sort of cheap. The volume control in the GLE is also infuriating, because instead of just using a regular knob like every other car for sale today, instead there is a scroll wheel mounted low on the center console. It’s small, hard to use, and blocked by the touchpad for the infotainment system. However, the Mercedes has a slightly bigger fuel capacity at 22.5 gallons, but the BMW still has a longer driving range even with 21.9 gallons because of its better fuel economy. I’ll give the Mercedes a six point eight for the extra storage space and the BMW a seven point five for the USB ports and turning radius.  

The final tally is fifty-one point three for the 2020 Mercedes Benz GLE450, and fifty-five point two points for the 2019 BMW X5 40i. Even though the BMW won this comparison with its relatively stellar MPG and reported reliability, I would have no qualms recommending either vehicle to a friend or family member. They’re both so good that your purchase decision could come down to personal gripes or which vehicle you think looks better. Oftentimes, I compare vehicles where there is a clear loser, or a car I just couldn't put my name behind, and this is not that comparison. That’s all for this week! Tune in shortly for more comparison videos!