The RX 350 F Sport is confused. The stiff suspension shouts, "I'm a performance crossover." But its on-road handling isn't nearly sharp enough to make up for its sometimes choppy ride quality. The jumpy throttle doesn't do the RX any favors either, as it never feels natural, even with the most delicate right foot.
In fairness to the RX, it is capable of some admirable performance. Its 62.4-mph slalom speed was best-of-test, though that was largely because its stability control system was the least intrusive of the three vehicles. The steering has heavy weighting and good initial turn-in, but there's precious little feel as you try to aim it around curves.
The abundance of body roll is surprising given the stiff settings. We also noticed that the front tires give up grip quickly in tight turns. And what was the most lenient stability control system in the quick transitions of the slalom turned into the most aggressive in steady-state cornering. As such, the MDX with its high level of driver feedback meant the Acura could slice away from the RX pretty much at will any time the road turned curvy.
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