2019 Acura RDX vs 2020 Toyota Sienna

Small luxury crossovers are among the hottest selling new cars today. Within that group, the Acura RDX has dominated as one of the most popular entrants, but like any successful, competitive company, Acura is not one to rest on past achievements: The RDX has been completely redesigned for 2019.

It appears one of Acura’s goals with the RDX revolves around perception. Sure, the RDX has been a sales success, but the folks at Acura want buyers to consider it alongside pricier options in the segment. While the 2018 RDX has been compared to vehicles like the Lexus NX and Lincoln MKC, Acura wants shoppers to view the 2019 model as a serious rival to the likes of the BMW X3, Audi Q5, and Mercedes GLC. So, how can Acura successfully make that pivot, while maintaining the values and attributes that have made it a success this whole time?

Since the second half of the 20th century, each decade has had a hot-topic family car, and, as we’ve noted in a number of reviews this year, the crossover is our current darling vehicle. Before the crossover, there were big, truck-based SUVs. Before that, there were station wagons.

And for the past 35 years, there's always been the minivan.

The Dodge Caravan has been widely considered the Patient Zero of the minivan segment. From there, seemingly everyone joined the party, including Toyota, Nissan, Ford, Chevy, GMC, Volkswagen, Oldsmobile, Ford, and more. Heck, even Mercury had a “Nautica Edition” version of the Villager.

The minivan was king once, the crossover is king now, and some other type of vehicle will likely dominate in the near future. But in all this, the 7- and 8-passenger minivans will always represent the ultimate in versatility. The crossover is an image-forward fad with a dash of usability, but the minivan continues to prove itself as the pinnacle of practicality.

The 2020 Toyota Sienna is neither the newest nor flashiest minivan out there, but when you absolutely need space for people and gear, there’s nothing better. Additionally, the Sienna is the only minivan to offer all-wheel drive (AWD), which is something specifically desired by many car buyers.