Performance

Outright speed is just one element of performance, and judging by the way former enthusiast-focused brands like BMW have moved towards a comfort-first attitude, it’s not the most important one. The Q50 is the far better driving car here, but that’s not an automatic win.

The combination of 328-hp 3.7L V6 and seven-speed automatic transmission combines with the rear-biased all-wheel drive for a confident, if not particularly inspiring drive. Sport models get magnesium paddle-shifters to stir up the transmission a bit, and a firmed-up suspension to go with lightweight 19-inch alloys. But not here.

Here we get an engine and transmission that feel plenty powerful, but steering and ride that are tuned softly enough to dull down any pleasure. As with the technology side of things, the mid-level Q50 manages only a pleasant demeanour, nothing to thrill.

The TLX isn’t much of a corner-carver either, but it does have a bit more scoot when the selectable drive system is set to Sport+, but in all other modes, this is a fairly mild car to drive. The 290-hp 3.5L V6 makes a great noise when stirred up, but the nine-speed automatic can be clunky when cold.

However, the TLX’s drive makes more sense for its target audience than the softened Q50 does. The torque-vectoring “Super-Handling” all-wheel drive handles power well enough to sling through a turn if you’ve overcooked it on entry, and has plenty of grip no matter how wet it gets.

Then there’s the other major characteristic of the TLX’s drive, which is that it’s much quieter than the Q50. As a car that represents a graduation move out of an old Integra or a Honda Accord it offers less of the connection of the former, but the unruffled aplomb of the latter. It’s less “sporty” than the Infiniti, but for most consumers, I’d call that an advantage.

Value

Both the TLX and the Q50 significantly undercut the German competition, especially when a few options are added. They come well equipped for the most part, aside from gaffes like the mid-level Q50’s missing seat heaters, and are both lease out and purchase well thanks to strong residuals.

The TLX range is broader than the Q50, thanks to an available front-drive four-cylinder version. The mid-range V6 SH-AWD version is within $50 of the Infiniti 3.7 AWD, and volume-selling models equipped with navigation are within several hundred dollars of each other. The Acura is a little more expensive in the latter case, but their Tech package includes not only navigation and premium audio, but driver’s aids like blind-spot monitoring and lane-departure warning.

At the top of the range, the $47,490 price tag on our Elite TLX would get you a Q50S with all-wheel-drive, with enough left over for a steak dinner. However, the Infiniti would still be missing some features; the same level of technology will require additional packages pushing the price of the Q50 into the low $50K range.

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