The EX feels better than either the Acura or the Bimmer on the road. Compared with the front-biased Acura, the EX is better balanced and doesn't feel like an upscale Nissan, while the RDX does, at times, drive like a tarted-up Honda CR-V. The BMW X3's mid-cycle refresh fixed a lot of that vehicle's problems, but it still suffers from an overly harsh ride. By comparison, the EX35 is just about as good of a handler, without sacrificing ride quality.

Our fingers are crossed for a 6MT EX37 Sport to fill that role, and think that it is very possible once the dust has settled and Infiniti has won over a few from the distaff side of the house. Until then, the EX35 will be the most enjoyable small luxury crossover on the market, and we'll recommend it to our moms, our sisters, even our football buddies. Sometimes, concessions to the masses aren't such terrible things.