NX350h vs RDX vs Venza (specifically interior quality)
This will seem all over the place, but here goes...
TLDR - We are looking at 2 year old CPO versions of all three of these vehicles. My wife and I are looking to replace a 2013 family car to something more modern. We have looked at and driven the RDX Tech package and a NX350h. We have also driven the CX-50 Hybrid and CX-5. After long consideration we have crossed off the Mazda's. My wife does not like the RAV4 or CRV enough to even look at them.
Heading into the 4th weekend we are almost ready to buy an RDX. I've agreed to a price OTD and have financing (4.89% through my CU). The vehicle is getting some fluid services and will be ready around next Wed/Thurs.
We did not like the NX350h. I come from a long family line of Toyota ownership, my first car was a Corolla, I've owned a SW20 and my favorite car of all time is an MKIV Supra. I say all of that just to say I have a slight bias towards Toyota's. With all of that said we did not like the NX350h. It felt kind of cheap inside if I'm being honest. I know that technically the RDX is a more outdated infotainment platform and everything but we like the interior design language of the RDX much more, it didn't feel as cheap and I am not a huge fan of the push for large Ipad touchscreens in the industry, so the RDX's touchpad infotainment is actually a plus for me.
With all that said and the RDX seemingly the winner, I still have a huge concern over fuel economy. Averages over on Fuelly are 23 MPG combined, but over on r/RDX and r/Acura I see ppl saying they are in the high teens in the city.
Enter the Venza. I have shown my wife this vehicle time and time again and she says she just doesn't like the looks as much as the RDX. Fair, the RDX definitely has a more aggressive styling look to it. However I am more sensitive to MPG ratings than she is. Based on the difference in octane prices (87 in the Venza and 91 in the RDX) and difference in MPG (23 MPG in the RDX) vs (38 MPG in the Venza) I have calculated that we would save about $600/year based on our driving habits (about 7k miles per year).
Being it's the 4th weekend we cant go and look at a Venza inside until Monday so I am wondering if the interior of the Venza is similar to the NX350h? If so I don't know if the fuel savings would be enough for me to overlook the seemingly cheap feel for what is supposed to be a luxury vehicle.
It's worth mentioning that I have an OTD on a comparable Venza and it's only about $1,000 more than the RDX OTD price. An amount that would be recouped in fuel savings within two years. The NX350h we looked at is signicantly more expensive. Like 8k more. But we didn't much care for it so its a moot point.
If you made it this far I appreciate it. Does anyone have first hand experience will all of these vehicles? Specifically the interior of the Venza and the NX series.
