Compare the2022 Volvo XC40VS 2021 Lexus NX 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
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volvo XC40 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Lexus NX Series doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

Both the XC40 and NX Series have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The XC40 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The NX Series’ child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The XC40 has standard Automatic Braking After Collision, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The NX Series doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Both the XC40 and the NX Series have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Volvo XC40 is safer than the Lexus NX Series:

	XC40	NX Series
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	200	209
Neck Injury Risk	30%	46%
Neck Stress	209 lbs.	509 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	361/380 lbs.	480/609 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	343	355
Neck Injury Risk	31%	42%
Neck Stress	156 lbs.	295 lbs.
Neck Compression	66 lbs.	70 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 flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Volvo XC40 is safer than the Lexus NX Series:

	XC40	NX Series
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	78	192
Hip Force	320 lbs.	352 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	119	317
Spine Acceleration	48 G’s	49 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	15 inches
HIC	237	542
Spine Acceleration	33 G’s	38 G’s
Hip Force	411 lbs.	828 lbs.

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

Warranty

The XC40’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the NX Series’ (12 vs. 6 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC40 for 2 years and 26000 miles longer than Lexus pays for maintenance for the NX Series (3/36,000 vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 15 percent more Volvo dealers than there are Lexus dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the XC40’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the XC40 has a standard 800-amp battery. The NX Series’ 580-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

Engine

The XC40 T4’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 22 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 199) than the NX 300h’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The XC40 T5’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 13 more horsepower (248 vs. 235) than the NX 300’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the XC40 T5 is faster than the NX 300 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

	XC40	NX Series
Zero to 60 MPH	6.2 sec	7.1 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	16.4 sec	20.5 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	7 sec	7.7 sec
Quarter Mile	14.8 sec	15.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	95 MPH	89 MPH
Top Speed	131 MPH	126 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the XC40 gets better mileage than the NX Series:

			MPG
XC40
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/32 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/30 hwy
NX Series
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy
		F Sport 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy

Regardless of its engine, the XC40’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip with its optional disable switch. Lexus only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the NX Series 300h.

The XC40 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 NX Series doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Volvo XC40, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the NX Series.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the XC40 T5’s brake rotors are larger than those on the NX Series:

	XC40 T5	NX Series
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	12.9 inches
Rear Rotors	13.4 inches	11.1 inches

The XC40 stops much shorter than the NX Series:

	XC40	NX Series
70 to 0 MPH	173 feet	183 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	111 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	135 feet	142 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the XC40 has larger standard tires than the NX Series (235/55R18 vs. 225/65R17). The XC40’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the NX Series (245/45R20 vs. 235/55R18).

The XC40’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the NX Series’ standard 65 series tires. The XC40’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the NX Series F Sport’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XC40 has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the NX Series. The XC40’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels optional on the NX Series.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the XC40’s wheelbase is 1.7 inches longer than on the NX Series (106.4 inches vs. 104.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the XC40 is 1 inch wider in the front and 2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the NX Series.

The XC40 T5 R-Design AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the NX 300 F Sport AWD pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The XC40 T5 R-Design AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the NX 300h AWD (27.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the XC40 has a 1.6 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the NX 300h (8.3 vs. 6.7 inches), allowing the XC40 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The XC40’s minimum ground clearance is 1.4 inches higher than on the NX 300 (8.3 vs. 6.9 inches).

Chassis

The Volvo XC40 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 350 pounds less than the Lexus NX Series.

The XC40 is 8.5 inches shorter than the NX Series, making the XC40 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The XC40 has 26.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the NX Series (98 vs. 71.6).

The XC40 has .8 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more rear headroom, .7 inches more rear hip room and 1 inch more rear shoulder room than the NX Series.

Cargo Capacity

The XC40 has a much larger cargo volume than the NX Series with its rear seat up (20.4 vs. 17.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the XC40 easier. The XC40’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 29.7 inches, while the NX Series’ liftover is 31.2 inches.

Towing

The XC40’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the NX Series’ (3500 vs. 0 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The XC40 has a maintenance free battery for long life without checking the battery’s water level. The NX Series doesn’t have a maintenance free battery, so the water level in the battery’s cells must be checked often to prevent damage.

Ergonomics

The XC40’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The NX Series’ power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The XC40’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The NX Series’ standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the XC40 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The NX Series doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The XC40 offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The NX Series doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Both the XC40 and the NX Series offer optional heated front seats. The XC40 also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the NX Series.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volvo XC40 offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The NX Series doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The XC40 R-Design/Inscription’s optional Park Assist Pilot can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The NX Series doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Volvo XC40 will be $446 to $5623 less than for the Lexus NX Series.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Volvo XC40 and the Lexus NX Series, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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