Compare the2022 Chevrolet BlazerVS 2021 Lexus RX Series

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front shoulder belts of the Chevrolet Blazer are height-adjustable, and the rear seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Lexus RX Series has only front height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Blazer are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The RX Series doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Blazer and the RX Series have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Chevrolet Blazer is safer than the Lexus RX Series:

	Blazer	RX Series
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	182	265
Neck Injury Risk	22%	42%
Neck Stress	178 lbs.	546 lbs.
Neck Compression	25 lbs.	135 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	104/435 lbs.	499/536 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	43%	53%
Neck Stress	124 lbs.	290 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	28/2 lbs.	403/259 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Chevrolet Blazer is safer than the Lexus RX Series:

	Blazer	RX Series
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
HIC	265	275
Spine Acceleration	39 G’s	44 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Blazer is .9% to 3.2% less likely to roll over than the RX Series.

Warranty

There are over 12 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Blazer’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Blazer second among midsize SUVs in their 2020 Initial Quality Study. The RX Series was rated third in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Lexus vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 18 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lexus is ranked 12th.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Chevrolet Blazer V6 is faster than the RX 450h:

	Blazer	RX Series
Zero to 60 MPH	6.1 sec	7 sec
Quarter Mile	14.7 sec	15.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	95.5 MPH	94.3 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Blazer gets better fuel mileage than the RX Series:

			MPG
Blazer
	2WD	2.0 Turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
	4WD	2.0 Turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy
RX Series
	2WD	3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/27 hwy
	4WD	3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Blazer’s fuel efficiency. The RX Series doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Regardless of its engine, the Blazer’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. (Start/Stop isn’t accounted in present EPA fuel mileage tests.) Lexus only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the RX Series Hybrid.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Chevrolet Blazer uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine for maximum performance). The RX 450h requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Blazer FWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the RX Series Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (19.4 vs. 17.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Blazer AWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the RX Series’ standard fuel tank (21.7 vs. 19.2 gallons).

The Blazer has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The RX Series doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Chevrolet Blazer, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the RX Series.

Brakes and Stopping

The Blazer stops shorter than the RX Series:

	Blazer	RX Series
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	123 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Blazer RS/Premier’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the RX Series (265/45R21 vs. 235/65R18).

The Blazer RS/Premier’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the RX Series’ optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Blazer RS/Premier offers optional 21-inch wheels. The RX Series’ largest wheels are only 20-inches.

The Chevrolet Blazer’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Lexus RX Series only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Blazer has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The RX Series doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Blazer’s wheelbase is 2.9 inches longer than on the RX Series (112.7 inches vs. 109.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Blazer is 2 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than on the RX Series.

The Blazer RS 4x4 handles at .83 G’s, while the RX 450h pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Blazer RS 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the RX 450h (27.1 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 27.5 seconds @ .65 average G’s).

Chassis

The Chevrolet Blazer may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 450 pounds less than the Lexus RX Series.

The front grille of the Blazer uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The RX Series doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Blazer uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The RX Series doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Blazer has .4 inches more front headroom, 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, 1.6 inches more rear legroom and 1 inch more rear shoulder room than the RX Series.

Cargo Capacity

The Blazer has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the RX Series with its rear seat up (30.5 vs. 16 cubic feet). The Blazer has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the RX Series with its rear seat folded (64.2 vs. 32.7 cubic feet).

Towing

The Blazer’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the RX Series’ (1500 vs. 0 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Lexus RX Series is only 3500 pounds. The Blazer offers up to a 4500 lbs. towing capacity.

The Blazer can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Blazer can be unhitched and driven around locally. The RX Series can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Ergonomics

The Blazer’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The RX Series does not have an oil pressure gauge.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Blazer LT/RS/Premier’s available exterior PIN entry system. The RX Series doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Blazer owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Blazer will cost $1000 less than the RX Series over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Blazer is less expensive to operate than the RX Series because typical repairs cost much less on the Blazer than the RX Series, including $683 less for a water pump, $80 less for a muffler, $362 less for a starter, $6 less for fuel injection, $862 less for a timing belt/chain and $1010 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Chevrolet Blazer will be $2901 to $8004 less than for the Lexus RX Series.

Recommendations

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Blazer first among midsize SUVs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The RX Series isn’t in the top three in its category.