Lexus NX Tops in Motor Trend’s Luxury Crossover Test

By adpock - March 19, 2015

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There’s no shortage of luxury compact crossovers out there, so Motor Trend didn’t have any trouble wrangling a darn good quintet for their latest road test, although they apparently had the darndest time finding a white MKC.

Color aside, the 2015 Lincoln MKC 2.0 AWD was still well-suited for a comparison test against the, the 2015 BMW X3 xDrive28i, the 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, and the 2015 Volvo XC60 T6. Unfortunately for all of them, the 2015 Lexus NX 200t F Sport was also involved in the road test.

Spec-wise, all the CUVs are well-suited to compete against the NX, but Motor Trend wasn’t testing the crossovers on paper. And when put to the test of pavement, they just discovered what we already know: the 2015 Lexus NX is simply the best car in its class.

Number 1. Champs. Danny Larusso-esque.

There’s lots of nitty gritty in the well-written article, and you should read every word of it, especially if you’re in the market for a new luxury crossover… actually, no. You get the gist: the 2015 Lexus NX is number one! Which, I believe we just covered above.

Here’s the final rankings, and the main reason each car placed where it did…

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5. Volvo XC60 T6: Unfortunately, Motor Trend hates Swedes. Who the heck hates Swedes, you ask? Motor Trend, I answer. Or maybe they just couldn’t get over the fact that Volvo couldn’t get them an AWD with the 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder needed for the test, or that the car they got had 6,000 miles on it. Either way, no one was very impressed.

4. Lincoln MKC 2.0 AWD: Apparently the “magic” wasn’t there for Motor Trend in this ride, which makes us think blue was the wrong paint job. Perhaps there might have been more magic if Matthew McConauhey was doing the test driving.

3. Land Rover Range Rover Evoque: MT didn’t seem as irked as I am about the repeating Rovers in the name, since they liked the ride over all, especially the fact that it really could crossover onto the off-roads. But even though it’s a good $10k more than the rest of the field, the Evoque still couldn’t hang with the big dogs.

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2. BMW X3 xDrive28i: We knew the Bavarian mainstay would be the toughest competitor of the bunch, but Motor Trend just didn’t think the Germans were having enough sex with the leather, if I’m reading this sentence correctly: “Scary days await the competition if BMW ever decides to sex up its interiors.”

1. Lexus NX 200t F Sport: The winner, and still champion. The most “well-rounded” vehicle of the day, as far as ride and handling, efficiency, cockpit/cabin, safety, value, notable features, and cost of ownership are concerned. In other words, the greatest ever. Nonpareil.

*Please note, the Mercedes GLK and Audi Q5 were unable to perform in this test for reasons that seemed a bit sketchy to me. But the NX is still the best. Number 1. Numero Uno. Champion of the World (or at least the luxury compact crossover world)!