2025 Lexus NX 350 & RX 350 vs Mercedes, Acura, INFINITI & Lincoln SUVs

Up first we see the Lexus NX up against the Mercedes-Benz GLA SUV, a well-established rivalry in a hotly contested segment. Since one of the big strengths of the NX is a wide variety of powertrain options, we've chosen the NX 350h, a hybrid that's priced close to the GLA 250 4MATIC. Both vehicles come with all-wheel drive in these trims as well as 18-inch wheels and turbocharged 4-cylinder engines. The GLA has a slightly lower starting price while the NX has a bit more horsepower. That doesn't quite make them even though since the drastically better fuel economy in the NX will add up pretty quickly.

Looking at equipment, the NX also clearly offers much more for the money. Heated seats, something you definitely want in Ohio, don't even come standard on the GLA. You also don't get wireless smartphone integration as standard in the Mercedes-Benz and no matter how much you option up the GLA, the cargo space is lackluster at best. The infotainment touchscreens and stereos in these vehicles are really pretty revealing. Even optioning up the Mercedes-Benz, the premium versions of these things are barely an improvement over what comes standard on the Lexus and the upgraded Lexus equipment is something Mercedes-Benz just can't touch.

Turning to the midsize offerings from each brand, we have the Lexus GX 550 up against the Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 4MATIC. The GX comes in with a bit of a price advantage and a big engine advantage. Not only does the Lexus make more power, but the 3.4-liter twin-turbocharged V6 offers smooth and linear power delivery in a way you just can't get by cranking up the turbo on a four-cylinder. Adaptive cruise control is an innovative convenience feature included as standard on the GX. You’ll have no choice but to spend hundreds more at Mercedes-Benz to get the same technology on the GLE.

On the practicality front, the GX offers quite a bit more cargo space but that's only the start. This is a segment where a certain amount of off-road capability is expected and the GLE does come with an off-road mode. But it lacks the more serious features of the GX like a higher ground clearance and crawl control. The GX also has body-on-frame construction, much more rugged than the unibody construction of the GLE.

To compete with the NX, Acura gives us the RDX, a compact SUV with an almost identical price when similarly equipped. That price gets you a few more horsepower in the Acura but isn't quite enough to include the hybrid system that gives the NX such a massive advantage in fuel economy. And even with the slight power advantage, the RDX still somehow can't tow as much as the NX.

The Acura comes with an infotainment touchscreen that's very slightly bigger than the standard one found in the Lexus. But a 14-inch screen is available for the NX and is even standard for several trims. Also not available for the RDX is a digital rearview mirror which makes reversing much easier. Of course, as an alternative to reversing yourself in many situations, you can use the NX's parking assist feature, something else you can't find on the RDX.

Next up against the Lexus lineup is Acura's flagship SUV, the MDX. It faces off against the original luxury SUV, the Lexus RX. From the start, you can see that the Lexus has a price advantage over the Acura. While the MDX has a bit more horsepower, the RX has a lot more torque, an important feature for a midsize SUV. Also important is fuel economy, another area where the RX is noticeably ahead, adding to the savings you'll get from choosing the RX over the MDX.

When it comes to equipment, the Lexus is way out ahead of the competition, and it's no different in this comparison. Not only do you get a nicer stereo, a larger maximum cargo capacity, and rain-sensing wipers all as standard, the RX offers equipment that isn't even available on the MDX, like Safe Exit Assist, which helps prevent you from opening your door into another car or a cyclist.

Three-row SUVs have become quite popular in recent years, and for brands with smaller lineups like INFINITI, they’re often the most popular models. But even though the QX60 is the most popular INFINITI model, it is up against the Lexus TX, which is an exceptional offering in this segment, (although not the only 3-row SUV offered by Lexus). At the start, the QX60 has a slight price advantage, but if you choose to upgrade to equivalent-sized 20” wheels to match the TX - it will require an upgrade to a higher trim that’s immediately more expensive than the TX. And although that may even-out the wheels, the QX60 has a less powerful engine, and the lower torque figures are going to make that horsepower difference feel even larger.

The superior level of equipment on the TX doesn’t stop with the wheels and engine, however. Things like a remote start, a digital gauge cluster, and adaptive cruise control, all of which are standard on the TX, require a trim level upgrade on the QX60. But as we saw with the engine, there are some things that no trim upgrade will change, like the smaller touchscreen and smaller cargo capacity. Lastly, the TX comes with more speakers than the QX60, for a richer sound. This even remains true when you upgrade to the premium system in each vehicle, which is a 17-speaker system in the QX60 but a 21-speaker system in the TX.

While most of Lexus's competitors don't make a plug-in hybrid to compete with the NX 450h+, Lincoln actually does make a plug-in version of the Corsair so those are the trims we're comparing for this section. The Lincoln starts off with a bit of a price advantage but as you look down the list, it starts to become obvious why. The Lexus offers more power, giving you better acceleration. And despite that, you also get better all-electric range and a higher MPGe.

Optioning up the Corsair's wheels to 20 inches, the size that comes standard on the NX 450h+, will cost you $1,150, accounting for a good chunk of the price difference. But that’s not all, if you want ventilated front seats it will cost almost $3,000 more and the package that also includes a head up display is more than $8,000. The Corsair might cost less initially, but the NX 450h+ is clearly a much better value for money.