Performance
Winner: Acura
Acura claims its first point in the performance category. Its seven models arrive at an average performance score of 8.3 out of a possible 10 points.
Acura’s vehicles tend to be decent performers, overall, but if you’re looking for standouts, check out the NSX luxury sports car, which scores 9.1, and the redesigned 2019 RDX luxury compact SUV, which carries an impressive score of 9.0.
Lexus isn’t far behind Acura in terms of performance. The 16 Lexus models considered in this category had an average score of 8.0, and the brand also has exemplary individual performers. The LC luxury sports car, for example, earned a 9.2, the highest performance score in this comparison.
Interior
Winner: Acura
Acura’s average interior scores, calculated based on seven models, come out to 7.7, high enough to edge out Lexus and take the point in this category. The redesigned 2019 RDX, a luxury compact SUV, deserves much of the credit here, since this fresh and modern vehicle earns an interior score of 8.4, giving a nice bump to Acura’s average score.
Lexus’ average score of 7.6 comes close. It’s based on 16 models, the best of which is the 2018 LS super luxury car with an interior score of 8.5.
Lexus earns major plaudits for its interior design and quality. However, its infotainment systems use a clumsy touch pad controller, which hurts its interior score.
Though their interiors aren’t as sumptuous, Acuras tend to offer a lot of space for the money.
Price
Winner: Acura
For each major car class, we determined which automaker has the lower-cost option. In four out of the six car classes in which they compete head-to-head, Acura had the cheaper model than Lexus, giving it the win.
Acura offers cheaper options in the small sedan, midsize sedan, large sedan, and 3-row SUV classes. Lexus offers cheaper sports cars and small SUVs.
Interestingly, Acura has the most affordable car, the ILX ($28,100), and the most expensive, the NSX ($156,000).
Reliability
Winner: Lexus
Reliability data gets updated over the course of the model year, and scores are subject to change as U.S. News receives new information. As of this writing, Lexus has 14 out of 16 models with reliability scores, which average out to 3.6 out of a possible five points. The Lexus LS, a super luxury car, stands out, with a predicted reliability score of 4.5, and six other Lexus models contributed scores of four to the tally.
Acura’s reliability average came out to three out of five. This indicates overall reliability for the brand that is just about average.
Safety
Winner: Acura
To determine the safest brand, we took the average of each brand’s models that had a score for this category, disregarding those that don’t have scores (usually because they are too new to have enough data to determine a score).
Of the seven Acura models that currently appear in our rankings, six of them have safety scores, which average out to 9.8 out of a possible 10 points. Standouts include the RDX luxury compact SUV and RLX luxury large car, both of which contributed a full 10 points to the total.
Of the 16 Lexus vehicles that have appeared in our rankings, the 10 with safety scores as of this writing averaged out to 9.5. The RC luxury small car and GS luxury midsize car both carry a safety score of 10.
Fuel Economy
Winner: Lexus
This is a close call, but Lexus takes the point for fuel economy. This category was evaluated using the EPA numbers for both brands’ 2018 lineups and calculating an average. Lexus comes in at 23.97 miles per gallon, just edging out Acura’s average of 23.86 miles per gallon.
Luxury Small Cars
Winner: Lexus
Between the 2018 Lexus IS, with an overall score of 8.2, and the 2018 Lexus RC, with an overall score of 8.1, it’s clear that Lexus is the better brand in the luxury small car category. These models both have a midpack ranking because this class is so competitive, but they’re generally well-rounded, likable cars.
Acura’s sole entry in this class, the 2018 ILX, lands near the bottom of our rankings with an overall score of 7.5. It’s affordable and efficient, but otherwise fails to impress.
Luxury Midsize Cars
Winner: Lexus
With an average overall score of 8.3, Lexus beats Acura on the luxury midsize car front. The fully redesigned 2019 ES earns a score of 8.2, while the ES Hybrid has a score of 8.1. The 2018 GS and GS Hybrid each earn a score of 8.5. Whether you prefer a traditional gas powertrain or a more efficient hybrid, Lexus has you covered with these elegant yet practical sedans.
Acura’s 2019 TLX is its only entry in this class, and its overall score of 7.8 and 12th place in our rankings are due largely to the fact that performance is underwhelming and the interior just isn’t up to luxury standards.
Luxury Large Cars
Winner: Lexus
This is an easy win for Lexus. The Lexus LS, a glamorous sedan, is completely redesigned for 2018 and boasts an overall score of 8.6. Furthermore, the LS holds the fourth spot in our super luxury car rankings, on the tail of heavyweights like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Porsche, and tying with Audi.
The 2018 Acura RLX, their most upscale sedan, isn’t stellar, with an overall score of 7.4 and a dead-last class ranking in the luxury large car class.
Luxury Subcompact SUVs
Winner: Lexus
Lexus offers both the UX and UX Hybrid – brand new models for 2019 year. They make their debut with identical scores of 7.8 that place them firmly midpack in our ranking of luxury subcompact SUVs. These Lexus crossovers are fuel-efficient and have comfortable rides, but they fall short of some rivals due to their finicky infotainment controls and weak acceleration. Still, with no competing model from Acura, Lexus picks up the win in this category.
Luxury Compact SUVs
Winner: Acura
The redesigned 2019 RDX gives Acura an easy win, with an overall score of 8.9 and a second-place class ranking. In fact, its only real drawback is that the infotainment system could be more intuitive.
Competition from Lexus comes in the form of the 2019 NX and NX Hybrid, with scores of 7.9 and 7.7 and bottom-third class rankings. These SUVs are comfortable and efficient, but not as well-rounded as the Acura RDX – or most other vehicles in the class, for that matter.
Luxury Midsize SUVs
Winner: Acura
Acura slightly edges out Lexus in the luxury midsize SUV category with average overall scores of 8.4 to 8.13. Acura offers the 2019 MDX, with an overall score of 8.5, and the 2018 MDX Hybrid, with an overall score of 8.2. Both SUVs are efficient and well-equipped, even in base trim, resulting in rankings in the top half of the class.
The 2018 Lexus RX and RX Hybrid are actually superior to their competition from Acura, with ratings of 8.6 and 8.5, but Lexus has a third vehicle in this space, the GX, with a score of 7.3. The GX’s thirsty yet underpowered engine and outdated cabin drag down Lexus’ average score and give Acura the advantage.
Luxury Large SUVs
Winner: Lexus
The 2018 Lexus LX is the only entry from either brand in this category. It has a sixth-place ranking amongst luxury large SUVs and an overall score of 8.0. The Lexus LX is immensely capable and is an especially great choice for off-roading, but fails to rank higher because of its below-average cargo space and hard-to-use infotainment system.
Luxury Sports Cars
Winner: Lexus
Both brands have an entry in the luxury sports car category. The Lexus LC, a sleek coupe, impresses with a second-place ranking and an overall score of 9.1. The Acura NSX, also a slick-looking coupe, has a cool hybrid powertrain but a disappointing interior, contributing to a relatively low overall score of 8.3 and a spot in the bottom half of our rankings for this class.
The Winner Is …
Lexus
With wins in the majority of the categories and vehicle classes in which these brands compete, Lexus is a better brand for most consumers. Lexus has superior predicted reliability ratings and slightly better fuel economy than Acura. Furthermore, the Lexus brand’s offerings in the luxury small car, luxury midsize car, luxury large car, luxury subcompact SUV, luxury large SUV, and luxury sports car categories help establish Lexus as a leader in those areas.
All is not lost for Acura, however, with wins in several important categories. Acura has a slight advantage over Lexus in terms of price, performance, interior features, and safety. Furthermore, Acura’s offerings in the popular luxury compact and luxury midsize SUV categories have higher average ratings than Lexus’ models.
If you plan to shop for a vehicle from either of these brands, take another look over these slides to decide which attributes and vehicle classes are most important to you. Chances are, a Lexus might suit your needs better than an Acura. However, Acura has a well-earned reputation and a lot of solid offerings. If Acura excels in any of the areas you prioritize in a new vehicle, you really can’t go wrong.
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Learn more about Acura and Lexus by visiting their brand pages and checking out the full reviews for each of the models mentioned here
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Lexus vs. Acura: Battle of the Brands
- Performance Winner: Acura
- Interior Winner: Acura
- Price Winner: Acura
- Reliability Winner: Lexus
- Safety Winner: Acura
- Fuel Economy Winner: Lexus
- Luxury Small Cars Winner: Lexus
- Luxury Midsize Cars Winner: Lexus
- Luxury Large Cars Winner: Lexus
- Luxury Subcompact SUVs Winner: Lexus
- Luxury Compact SUVs Winner: Acura
- Luxury Midsize SUVs Winner: Acura
- Luxury Large SUVs Winner: Lexus
- Luxury Sports Cars Winner: Lexus
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Which Japanese Luxury Automaker Is Right for You?
If you have ever shopped for a luxury car or SUV, you’ve probably taken a look at an Acura or a Lexus. These two luxury brands tend to fare well in their class rankings, earning their premium prices by providing a combination of style, sportiness, and practicality. The question is, which one of these brands is more worth a trip to the dealer?
Lexus is Toyota’s luxury brand, and as such, it carries Toyota’s reputation for quality and reliability, along with impressive performance and sophisticated design. Toyota’s expertise in hybrid vehicles is another strength that carries over to the Lexus brand. In addition to Lexus’ rivalry with Acura, other notable competitors include Infiniti, BMW, and Cadillac.
Acura, which is owned by Honda, also makes good luxury cars and SUVs. One of Honda’s major strengths is the value provided to customers in terms of price and features, and that approach carries over to the Acura brand. Acuras tend to be less expensive than rival luxury vehicles, and the cabins of Acura vehicles tend to be chock-full of the latest features and user-friendly technology.
If you are deciding between either of these brands, here you’ll learn which has a better lineup based on U.S. News scoring in individual categories. We’ll take a look at criteria and individual vehicle classes that are most important to new car buyers.
(Keep in mind that the scores on our site are updated constantly as new expert reviews and data become available. Therefore, the scores mentioned in this slideshow may not match the scores in our reviews.)
Read how Lexus and Acura stack up on the following pages.