Lexus TX 500h Drags and Rolls Mazda CX-90 PHEV, But an Acura MDX Type S Dares to Intervene

This reviewer always has a nice mix of cars on his YouTube channel, but what makes Sam a standout – at least among his North American peers – is his unrestricted access to a nice stretch of tarmac. The area once served as the take-off and landing strip for a small airport but has since been converted to agriculture – there are crops of corn and loads of windmills on location, so he's not worried that a small airplane might get angry at him using the strip for impromptu drag and roll races.

Sam is also down to Earth when it comes to his 'dragstrip' encounters – you'll see from time to time ritzy stuff like a Jaguar F-Pace SVR or Porsche Macan GTS, but more often than not, it's Explorers, Durangos, F-Series, Golf Rs, Integra Type S, Accord, Camry, and Mazda CX-90s on the premises, not exotic stuff. Kind of like what you and I have money to drive, right? So, that's the hook – people not only enjoy his quarter-mile skirmishes for the thrills but also because of their accessibility.

Anyway, since we spoke about the Mazda CX-90 about a month ago, an example fought side-by-side with the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander and a Ford Explorer ST for mid-size three-row family crossover SUV supremacy. Now it's back, this time around in PHEV form, for another set of races – this time around against the Lexus TX 500h and, if it wins, against a traditional V6-equipped Acura MDX Type S. The stats are simple to observe – Sam throws them on the screen, and we can easily see the CX-90 is supposedly the most economical of the bunch.

It's not the most powerful of the bunch, though, as its combined system output of 323 hp sent to all wheels through an eight-speed auto box is lower than the 3.0-liter turbo V6-equipped Acura MDX Type S (ten-speed with SH-AWD) packing 355 hp and both are below the inline-four-equipped TX, which has 366 combined ponies delivered through a six-speed automatic transmission. Sam decides to pit the hybrids against each other first, but it turns out that the TX 500h almost doesn't deserve the F Performance moniker because it loses all drag races, and one of the two rolls against the less powerful and way cheaper Mazda CX-90 PHEV.

As such, the latter advances into the finals, where its electrified powertrain is pitted against a classic turbo V6 assembly. As it turns out, the Acura MDX Type S shows that nothing beats displacement in this case, and it's the fastest of the bunch – it's gone in 14.2 seconds, followed by the CX-90's best quarter-mile time of 14.6s and the luxurious, comfy, and slower TX boasting a 14.8s time.