The Best Value Luxury Car Brand Isn't Lexus Or Genesis (According To KBB)
It's having the same effect on shoppers, too, with the ADX already overtaking the RDX SUV — a past record-setter in its own right — in sales in July. As a result, Acura has seen sales jump by 4.4% through the first seven months of this year.
Those numbers play right into Acura's new trophy for Best Value Luxury Car Brand: KBB.com relies on "in-market car shoppers" for the data, which, in theory, showcases rides that "excite and attract" people looking for new vehicles. All that aside, we'll be honest here and point out that Lexus actually did win a couple of significant Consumer Choice categories, including Most Trusted Luxury Brand and Best Overall EV/Hybrid Brand. This does seem odd, considering when we checked out the only current Lexus EV, we said the 2026 RZ isn't quite there yet. Oh, well.
Read more: Consumer Reports' 10 Best Used Cars Under $20,000 Are A Great Way To Dodge Republican Tariffs
The Award-Winning Acura Lineup
Why are shoppers so enthusiastic about the Acura lineup? It might be because Acura puts a notable focus on driving dynamics without putting a huge price tag on the results. This is the same formula for premium value followed by the Acura NSX — in both generations — along with current cars like the 2025 Acura Integra Type S.
The compact sport sedan is kitted out with a high-revving 2.0-liter turbo engine that kicks out 320 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque, routing that muscle solely through a six-speed manual transmission. Brembo front brake calipers, adaptive dampers, an advanced Dual Axis front suspension, and a helical limited-slip differential make this a true driver's car, while the Integra Type S shows its luxury cred with upscale details like heated Ultrasuede front seats, an ELS Studio sound system, a head-up display, and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. In addition, even with all that and more, the Integra Type S is greater than the sum of its parts.
Looking at SUVs, the customers' choice is the Acura MDX — the brand's most popular sport-utility and its best-selling model all around. The MDX finally loses its fickle touchpad setup for 2025, adding a new 31-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system to the Type S trim in the process. As we mentioned, the new edition "is a great option for families who want style, safety, space, good value and entertaining driving dynamics made greater by its newly user-friendly infotainment system."
Other Consumer Choice Award Winners (That Still Aren't Genesis)
As mentioned, Lexus joined Acura as a KBB.com Consumer Choice on the luxury side of the ledger, and so did Porsche and BMW. The former was honored as the Most Refined Luxury Brand, the Best Performance Luxury Brand, and Best Overall Luxury Brand. BMW earned the nod for best Car Styling in the lux category, and keep in mind that the brand continues to innovate its design language for the future with concepts like BMW's Vision Neue Klass X.
Perhaps more interesting for our purposes were the results for the more affordable brands. Here, Dodge somehow led the way for Best Car Styling, with Honda — Acura's mainstream sibling, remember -- making a clean sweep of the other categories. Per KBB.com, Honda was the Best Overall Brand, Most Trusted Brand, Best Value Brand, Best Performance Brand, and the brand delivering the Best In-Vehicle Experience. And that comes after winning all the same titles in the 2024 edition of the Consumer Choice Awards.
Don't feel bad for Genesis, though, since it's earned plenty of acclaim from KBB.com in other areas. The Genesis G90 is currently ranked the site's Top Luxury Full-Size car of 2025 — in a tie with the ultra-lux Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
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