2020 Acura RDX vs. 2019 Infiniti QX50 at Ed Voyles Acura in Chamblee, GA

In the world of Japanese luxury Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV), the rivalry between Honda’s luxury line, Acura, and Nissan’s luxury offering, Infiniti, run neck and neck. At Ed Voyles Acura in Chamblee, Georgia, we wanted to compare the 2020 Acura RDX and the 2019 Infiniti QX50 Pure FWD (Front Wheel Drive) to see what separates these two SUVs.

The 2020 Acura RDX and the 2019 Infiniti QX50 Pure FWD are similar in some ways. For example, they both have the same powertrain warranty coverage, 6 years/70,000 miles, both earned the same 5-star “Overall Safety Rating” from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), both come with a 2.0L 4-cylinder turbocharged engine and both can be purchased in eight very similar colors; however; this is where the similarities end. 

Automotive Press Differences Between the 2020 Acura RDX & 2019 QX50 Pure FWD

Judging by the automotive press’ ratings of these two vehicles, the 2020 Acura RDX is vastly superior to the 2020 Infiniti QX50 Pure FWD.

In its Best Luxury Compact SUV category, US News and World Reports has ranked the 2020 RDX as #2, whereas the 2019 QX50 is far down the list at #8. Looking deeper into the US News and World Reports rankings, we find that the 2020 RDX beats the 2019 QX50 in every one of its ranking categories. 

When considering Luxury SUVs with 2-Row Seating, the 2020 Acura RDX is judged #3 by US News and World Report, while the 2019 QX50 falls further to #19. And, considering All Luxury Crossover SUVs, the 2020 Acura RDX remains #3, while the 2019 Infiniti QX50 falls even further to a much lower #26. 

Infiniti QX50 Transmission Very Suspect by Automotive Press

US News and World Reports was particularly distressed with the way the QX50s Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) shifted, stating “The CVT helps fuel economy, but for driving enjoyment purposes, a dual-clutch automatic might have worked better.”

This sentiment was echoed by others in the automotive press, especially Edmunds which said, “The awkward responsiveness of the continuously variable automatic transmission spoils the engine’s power.” Edmund’s also ranked the 2020 Acura RDX superior to the 2019 Infiniti QX50, 7.9 overall to 7.6, with driving performance separated by a full point, 7.5 for the Acura RDX and 6.5 for the lower Infiniti QX50.

About the QX50’s transmission, Car and Driver reported, “The engine is loud under heavy throttle, and the CVT made this worse.”

When you get competing automotive press outlets complaining about the same issue, you can be sure it exists and is very noticeable.

Other Differences Between the 2020 Acura RDX & 2019 QX50 Pure FWD

Not only does the 2019 Infiniti QX50 lad behind the Acura due to poor transmission performance, but it falls far short of the 2020 Acura RDX in other ways.

For comfort, the RDX has more front shoulder room and front legroom than the QX50. The Acura’s 2.0L 4-cylinder engine is more powerful than the Infiniti QX50 and the Acura’s fuel tank capacity is larger than the Infiniti’s.

Shop the 2020 Acura RDX at Ed Voyles Acura

When you’re ready to see just how good the 2020 Acura RDX is over the competition, especially the 2019 Infiniti QX50 Pure FWD, contact Ed Voyles Acura in Chamblee, Georgia.

If you’d like to see all the 2020 Acura RDXs we have in stock, just click the handy “View Inventory” button. 

Either way, we’ll show you just how refined a luxury SUV can be to drive.