Forgot to mention MDX has superior body structure for safety. 5RX is pretty good but compared to the MDX- it comes up short. The TNGA platform needs a bit of re-work to match its higher performing peers. Particularly in side safety and interior padding resulting in elevated pelvis readings if most if not all of the tnga family. Also: My guess it like rest of tnga has subpar rear restraints too (to be seen)
If you are looking at Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) side-impact crash tests of the 2023 Lexus RX and the 2023 Acura MDX, yes the RX has a
Marginal (
M) rating for
driver pelvis, whereas the MDX has a better
Good (
G) rating for
driver pelvis/leg.
But, in fact, the
tests are different. The RX was tested using the
updated side-impact crash methodology, whereas the MDX was tested using the
original side-impact crash methodology.
The difference is that the
updated methodology uses a
4,200-pound barrier hitting the driver side of the vehicle at
31 mph, whereas the
original methodology used a
3,300-pound barrier hitting the driver side of the vehicle at
37 mph. The new test uses a heavier barrier at a higher impact speed, imparting
82 percent more energy than the original test, so it is not surprising that there is a greater severity of injury.
2023 Lexus RX side-impact test:
2023 Lexus RX 4-door SUV - midsize luxury SUV
www.iihs.org
2022/2023 Acura MDX side-impact test:
2023 Acura MDX 4-door SUV - midsize luxury SUV
www.iihs.org
About the test methodologies:
Learn how we conduct the tests that form the basis for our ratings.
www.iihs.org
www.motortrend.com
