We gathered three likely 2016 midsize candidates: the redesigned Lexus RX 350 F Sport, the very originator of the segment itself and the first winner of MT’s SUV of the Year; the Lincoln MKX, a finalist in our 2016 SUV of the Year contest; and an all-new Mercedes-Benz GLC300 that replaces the boxy (and smaller) GLK-Class with handsome styling and a generous helping of the celebrated C-Class sedan’s hardware, interior treatment, and tech.

 

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http://www.motortrend.com/news/2016-lexus-rx-mercedes-benz-glc-lincoln-mkx-comparison/

This has been up for a while on their site. I'm sure many people have read it.

 

Interesting results. They also had a post script about the new XT5 and how it might have fared against these 3 cars, though one of them, the GLC seems out of place. The Lexus has poor interior packaging or form over function issues (gasp!), given the Lincoln has a good chunk more cargo space, but is shorter in length.

 

I did not expect the Lincoln to be an equal in ride sophistication to any Mercedes, given no air suspension, but it was. The interior comments are fair, but I disagree on the comfort of the seats, which again is preference more than anything. Also, the Sync 3 issue is rendered moot. The Lincoln MKX early build vehicles were Sync 2 (MFT), but later 2016 builds were quietly changed to Sync 3. Since the new setup has new hardware, the press vehicle could not be updated to Sync 3.

 

I think the Lincoln did well, the Mercedes has the edge in terms of interior quality in almost every price and size class. But the RX is pretty good still. I mean, there's a lot to like there, expect the mouse control setup.

 

We can speculate why the XT5 was not there, but it would've finished mid-pack.

An obvious result, as one of these companies builds the Best or Nothing, the other two dress up Camrys and Fusions.  

 

Similar price, but the GLC is a small vehicle, it is sized more like the NX250 and MKC.   I guess that would have been feeding the lambs to the the wolves, so they went with the MKX and RX350. 

 

What is amazing is the MKX Ecoboost with 380 lb-ft of torque could only manage 6.2 0-60 seconds while a 4-cylinder GLC could do it in 6.3 seconds.   I can't wait to see what the GLC43 does, with an extra 100 hp, it has to be in the low 5's.  Plus they have a V8 on the way, I'd like to see Lexus put a V8 in the RX, but they won't ever do that because they are S-A-W-F-T..... Saaaaaaaaaawft.