Compact luxury crossovers are red hot – how does the 2019 Acura RDX stack up?
We’ve said it until you’re blue in the face: luxury crossovers are red hot right now. We wouldn’t have to keep saying that, but you all keep buying the things, so it’s only true. That’s why engineers and designers took a lot of time and energy developing the 2019 Acura RDX. It doesn’t exactly have the segment to itself. Packing a fresh new design and a fashionable 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, it’s ready to take on the competition. It also leaps into the foray armed with 272 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque. That makes it one of the most powerful contenders in its class, at least when compared apples-to-apples against its 2.0-liter competition.
Acura flew us out to Whistler, near Vancouver, British Columbia to test out the 2019 Acura RDX. They’re confident in their new crossover’s ability that they also provided some of the competition. Not just one competitor, not just two, but four of the Acura’s European competition. There’s the 2018 Audi Q5, BMW X3, Volvo XC60 and Mercedes-Benz GLC, all vying for the same space as the 2019 Acura RDX.
Power and pricing
When it comes to power, the 2019 Acura RDX tops its competitors. The Audi Q5 pushes out 252 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque from its 2.0-liter turbo engine. Mercedes-Benz, on the other hand, extracts 241 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque from – you guessed it – a 2.0-liter turbo engine. BMW, with their four-pot, manages 248 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. The Volvo XC60 is the least powerful of the bunch, with 240 horsepower, but pulls even with the X3 on torque, at 258 lb-ft.
All these SUVs fall within a few thousand dollars of each other on price as well. The 2019 Acura RDX rings in at $40,295 for an all-wheel drive model, including destination charges. Its European and Japanese competition falls in the same relative price bracket, between $38,350 and $42,650:
| Make/Model | Trim | Base MSRP (excluding destination charges) |
| 2019 Acura RDX | AWD (base) | $39,300 |
| 2018 Audi Q5 | Premium | $41,500 |
| 2018 Volvo XC60 | Momentum | $41,500 |
| 2018 BMW X3 | xDrive30i | $42,650 |
| 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLC | GLC 300 SUV | $40,050 |
| 2018 Lexus NX | NX 300 AWD | $38,580 |
| 2018 Infiniti QX50 | Pure AWD | $38,350 |
Check out the video above to find out more about our impressions of the 2019 Acura RDX against its competition. Check back to TFLcar.com for more updates! Subscribe to The Fast Lane Car and TFLnow for more news, views, and real-world luxury crossover reviews.
