Acura RDX versus Jaguar F-Pace
How much does the badge really matter in luxury-crossover challenge?
Welcome to Dude Said, Punk Said, a special series devoted to skewering the automotive ramblings of young punk Nick Tragianis with the infinite wisdom of old dude Brian Harper. This week, the duo sees if Acura’s all-new RDX can out-luxe the Jaguar F-Pace.
Brian Harper: As much as I have spent many years enjoying the tasty and sporty automotive morsels that inhabit the compact luxury-car segment — think Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, Cadillac ATS, and a dearly departed personal favourite, the Infiniti G37, among many others — they’re losing the approval of consumers, who are migrating to compact luxury crossovers in increasing numbers. And, admittedly, many of the 15 or so models occupying this segment are doing a fair job of duplicating many of their car siblings’ better attributes, just in wagon-styled, jacked-up form.
Which brings us to two of the better examples, Jaguar’s 2018 F-Pace (in 25t Prestige trim) and the very new, third-generation 2019 Acura RDX (in top-line Platinum Elite trim). The F-Pace has been out for a little more than two years and within months of its debut became the British automaker’s best-selling model.
The previous RDX has done very well for Honda’s upscale brand, also establishing itself as a top seller. So, young Nick,
a couple of questions for you: Is the 2019 RDX significantly better than its predecessor, and is it sufficiently sporty and luxurious enough to be thought of as equal to the Euro brands — or at least, the F-Pace?
Nick Tragianis: It’s certainly sporty enough. For 2019, the RDX ditches the V6 and goes back to a turbo-four. This time, it’s a 2.0litre pumping out 272 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. That’s sent to all four wheels through a 10-speed automatic transmission. Personally, I don’t miss the V6 and six-speed auto from the previous RDX; the new powertrain is smooth and quite perky, and the transmission operates almost invisibly. Even the growl the engine makes sounds a bit Teutonic, too, though it’s likely synthesized. The F-Pace, on the other hand, falls a bit short. As equipped, the Jag’s 2.0-L turbo-four puts out 247 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque and is hooked up to an eight-speed automatic. It’s smooth enough, delivers plenty of scoot, and returns excellent fuel economy numbers; I averaged 9.7 L/100 kilometres thanks to plenty of highway mileage. But the engine isn’t well matched to the F-Pace’s mass. Something tells me the up-level, 296-hp turbo-four should be the base engine.
BH: I agree. The last F-Pace I drove was fitted with the 340-hp, supercharged 3.0-L V6, and it had plenty of zip. Dropping 100 horsepower on a crossover weighing 1,760 kilograms — which, admittedly, is fairly light for a vehicle of its size — does tend to dull things, though 6.8 seconds to hit 100 km/h from zero isn’t exactly sluggish. But kudos to Jaguar for offering a comprehensive choice of powertrains, everything from a four-cylinder turbodiesel, the two gas turbo-four engines, boosted V6s in 340and 380-hp configurations, and the screaming, 550-hp supercharged V8 for the overthe-top SVR version.
The downside is that the more powerful the engine, the higher the cost, and the F-Pace we tested — at $63,600 before PDI and taxes — was already over $8,000 more than the RDX.
Now, the RDX’s engine choices begin and end with the new turbocharged 2.0L. That said, it is very well suited to the redesigned crossover, with plenty of power to tap; it goes to 100 km/h from rest in just six seconds.
Yet I was less than enthused about the 10-speed automatic transmission. Smooth for the most part, it could stumble or surge if one got on and off the gas too quickly. And really, do we need 10 forward gears in any vehicle short of a long-haul rig? It’s starting to get ridiculous. What about styling? The F-Pace is clean yet conservative; the RDX is bolder and edgier, especially when compared with its predecessor. Too much?