Motor Trend Comparison: Lexus ES 350 vs. Acura TLX vs. Infiniti Q50 vs. Lincoln MKZ vs. Buick Lacrosse

Posted by Kevin on March 6th, 2019

Motor Trend has produced a curious comparison — an on-paper head-to-head with the new Lexus ES 350 versus the Acura TLX, Infiniti Q50, Lincoln MKZ, and Buick Lacrosse:

After a week in the Lexus I understand why the ES continues to outsell these four competitors by between 40 and 212 percent (Q50 and LaCrosse), and why its rate of sales decrease year-over-year was less than half what the others suffered from 2017 to 2018.

It’s a faithful automotive valet—solicitous, never argumentative, seen but not heard. Toss in a strong record for reliability and resale value, and what non-car enthusiast could resist?

So in a consumer-focused Big Test focusing on packaging, safety, reliability, refinement, and the like, I boldly predict that Lexus would grab the gold. Second place might be hotly contested by a heavily optioned 300-hp Q50 Luxe AWD and Acura TLX SH-AWD. I see a Lincoln MKZ 3.0 Reserve II AWD finishing a close third and Buick’s LaCrosse Avenir AWD bringing up the rear.

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Joaquin Ruhi
A better and more positive than I expected review of the ES 350 F-Sport (save for complaints of minor FWD torque steer and the Remote Touch interface) comes to us from Autoblog:

https://www.autoblog.com/2018/12/07/2019-lexus-es-350-f-review/
Joaquin Ruhi
A better and more positive than I expected review of the ES 350 F-Sport (save for complaints of minor FWD torque steer and the Remote Touch interface) comes to us from Autoblog:

https://www.autoblog.com/2018/12/07/2019-lexus-es-350-f-review/
Gecko
Joaquin Ruhi
A better and more positive than I expected review of the ES 350 F-Sport (save for complaints of minor FWD torque steer and the Remote Touch interface) comes to us from Autoblog:

https://www.autoblog.com/2018/12/07/2019-lexus-es-350-f-review/
I actually enjoyed driving it more than the BMW M550i, and I liked driving that car quite a bit. Seriously. No one is as surprised by that statement as the guy who typed it.
Gecko
Joaquin Ruhi
A better and more positive than I expected review of the ES 350 F-Sport (save for complaints of minor FWD torque steer and the Remote Touch interface) comes to us from Autoblog:

https://www.autoblog.com/2018/12/07/2019-lexus-es-350-f-review/
I actually enjoyed driving it more than the BMW M550i, and I liked driving that car quite a bit. Seriously. No one is as surprised by that statement as the guy who typed it.
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mikeavelli
Looks amazing on some bigger wheels and lowered. 20" Vossen HF-1 pictured... Lexus of Orlando...

View attachment 3147
mikeavelli
Looks amazing on some bigger wheels and lowered. 20" Vossen HF-1 pictured... Lexus of Orlando...

View attachment 3147
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that looks tight @mikeavelli
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that looks tight @mikeavelli
mikeavelli
spwolf
that looks tight @mikeavelli
I was shocked, thats a pretty sporty wheel and it didn't look out of place. I hope to have some different wheels and pics soon.
mikeavelli
spwolf
that looks tight @mikeavelli
I was shocked, thats a pretty sporty wheel and it didn't look out of place. I hope to have some different wheels and pics soon.
ThePenguin
F-Sport :heart_eyes:

The Triple-Beams are a must-have though.
ThePenguin
F-Sport :heart_eyes:

The Triple-Beams are a must-have though.
Tragic Bronson
Definitely noticed a lot of the new ESs, they definitely have been well received. Its the only Lexus sedan right now selling (sadly), I've seen more of them than even the new Avalon.
Tragic Bronson
Definitely noticed a lot of the new ESs, they definitely have been well received. Its the only Lexus sedan right now selling (sadly), I've seen more of them than even the new Avalon.
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Car Compare: 2019 Lexus ES 350 vs. TLX, Q50, MKZ, and Lacrosse
https://www.motortrend.com/cars/lex...-tlx-infiniti-q50-lincoln-mkz-buick-lacrosse/
In this on-paper comparison, we match up the best-selling Lexus ES against competitors we’ve previously driven

Conclusions
After a week in the Lexus I understand why the ES continues to outsell these four competitors by between 40 and 212 percent (Q50 and LaCrosse), and why its rate of sales decrease year-over-year was less than half what the others suffered from 2017 to 2018. It looks good from all angles except the front, and it goes about its business without any attention-grabbing engine or tire noises, automatically turning on its heated steering wheel and seats, then automatically turning them down about 10 minutes into a journey. It's a faithful automotive valet—solicitous, never argumentative, seen but not heard. Toss in a strong record for reliability and resale value, and what non-car enthusiast could resist? So in a consumer-focused Big Test focusing on packaging, safety, reliability, refinement, and the like, I boldly predict that Lexus would grab the gold. Second place might be hotly contested by a heavily optioned 300-hp Q50 Luxe AWD and Acura TLX SH-AWD. I see a Lincoln MKZ 3.0 Reserve II AWD finishing a close third and Buick's LaCrosse Avenir AWD bringing up the rear. Stay tuned to check these predictions against a future test—unless the category shrinks to complete insignificance before we get around to it ...
M
Car Compare: 2019 Lexus ES 350 vs. TLX, Q50, MKZ, and Lacrosse
https://www.motortrend.com/cars/lex...-tlx-infiniti-q50-lincoln-mkz-buick-lacrosse/
In this on-paper comparison, we match up the best-selling Lexus ES against competitors we’ve previously driven

Conclusions
After a week in the Lexus I understand why the ES continues to outsell these four competitors by between 40 and 212 percent (Q50 and LaCrosse), and why its rate of sales decrease year-over-year was less than half what the others suffered from 2017 to 2018. It looks good from all angles except the front, and it goes about its business without any attention-grabbing engine or tire noises, automatically turning on its heated steering wheel and seats, then automatically turning them down about 10 minutes into a journey. It's a faithful automotive valet—solicitous, never argumentative, seen but not heard. Toss in a strong record for reliability and resale value, and what non-car enthusiast could resist? So in a consumer-focused Big Test focusing on packaging, safety, reliability, refinement, and the like, I boldly predict that Lexus would grab the gold. Second place might be hotly contested by a heavily optioned 300-hp Q50 Luxe AWD and Acura TLX SH-AWD. I see a Lincoln MKZ 3.0 Reserve II AWD finishing a close third and Buick's LaCrosse Avenir AWD bringing up the rear. Stay tuned to check these predictions against a future test—unless the category shrinks to complete insignificance before we get around to it ...
R
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    RAL
  • March 4, 2019
MotoMan spells out the significant difference between the ES and Avalon ...

R
  • R
    RAL
  • March 4, 2019
MotoMan spells out the significant difference between the ES and Avalon ...

krew
Motor
Car Compare: 2019 Lexus ES 350 vs. TLX, Q50, MKZ, and Lacrosse
https://www.motortrend.com/cars/lex...-tlx-infiniti-q50-lincoln-mkz-buick-lacrosse/


Such a weird review, on-paper comparisons make no sense.
krew
Motor
Car Compare: 2019 Lexus ES 350 vs. TLX, Q50, MKZ, and Lacrosse
https://www.motortrend.com/cars/lex...-tlx-infiniti-q50-lincoln-mkz-buick-lacrosse/


Such a weird review, on-paper comparisons make no sense.

K