Compare the2022 Lexus RXLVS 2022 Dodge Durango

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Lexus RXL 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 Dodge Durango doesn’t offer pretensioners for the middle seat belts.

The Lexus RXL has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Durango doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The RXL offers optional Auto Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Durango doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The RXL’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Durango and is not available with SXT.

The RXL offers an optional Panoramic View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Durango only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The RXL’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Durango doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the RXL and the Durango 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, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available all wheel drive.

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Lexus RXL is safer than the Durango:

	RXL	Durango
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Restraints	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Steering Column Movement Rearward	2 cm	9 cm
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Femur Force R/L	1.3/2 kN	5.3/2.5 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	6%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Tibia index R/L	.71/.66	1.53/.59

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the RXL the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Durango is not a “Top Pick.”

Warranty

The RXL comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Durango’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

Lexus’ powertrain warranty covers the RXL 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Dodge covers the Durango. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Durango ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The RXL’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Durango’s (6 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the engines in the RXL have an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the 5.7 V8 in the Durango.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the RXL’s reliability 42 points higher than the Durango.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the RXL first among midsize premium suvs in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Durango isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Dodge vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus first in reliability, above the industry average. With 44 more problems per 100 vehicles, Dodge is ranked 17th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Dodge vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Lexus third in reliability. Dodge is ranked 10th.

Engine

As tested in Consumer Reports the RX 350L 3.5 DOHC V6 is faster than the Dodge Durango V6:

	RXL	Durango
Zero to 30 MPH	2.9 sec	3.1 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	7.7 sec	8.3 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	5.3 sec	6 sec
Quarter Mile	16 sec	16.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90 MPH	87.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the RXL gets better mileage than the Durango:

			MPG
RXL
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.5 V6 Hybrid	29 city/28 hwy
		3.5 DOHC V6	18 city/25 hwy
Durango
	RWD	5.7 OHV V8	14 city/22 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/25 hwy
		5.7 OHV V8	14 city/22 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the RXL Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Durango doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

Transmission

The RX 450hL has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Durango doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The RXL stops shorter than the Durango:

	RXL	Durango
60 to 0 MPH	136 feet	144 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	139 feet	160 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The RXL has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the RXL flat and controlled during cornering. The Durango’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The RX 350L handles at .76 G’s, while the Durango GT 4x4 pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The RX 350L AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Durango GT 4x4 (28.2 seconds @ .6 average G’s vs. 28.8 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the RXL’s turning circle is 2.2 feet tighter than the Durango’s (38.8 feet vs. 41 feet).

Chassis

The Lexus RXL may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 450 pounds less than the Dodge Durango.

The RXL is 3.9 inches shorter than the Durango, making the RXL easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Lexus RXL amounts to more than styling. The RXL has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .33 Cd. That is lower than the Durango (.36) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the RXL get better fuel mileage.

Passenger Space

The RXL has 1.1 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more rear hip room, .1 inches more rear shoulder room and 1.4 inches more third row hip room than the Durango.

Cargo Capacity

The RXL has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Durango doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers or raises the RXL’s optional second and third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The Durango doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the RXL’s available liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Durango doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Lexus service is better than Dodge. J.D. Power ranks Lexus second in service department satisfaction. With a 71% lower rating, Dodge is ranked 26th.

Ergonomics

The RXL’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. An easy entry system costs extra on the Durango, and is not available on all models.

The RXL offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Durango doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The RXL’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Durango’s parking brake has to released manually.

The RXL’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Durango’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The RXL’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 Durango’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The RXL’s available headlights were rated “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Durango’s headlights are rated “Marginal.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the RXL offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Durango doesn’t offer cornering lights. The RXL also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the RXL to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Durango doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

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

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the RXL owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the RXL with a number “5” insurance rate while the Durango is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the RXL is less expensive to operate than the Durango because it costs $18 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the RXL than the Durango, including $57 less for a fuel pump and $296 less for front struts.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® chose the Lexus RXL as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Dodge Durango isn't recommended.

The Lexus RX Series outsold the Dodge Durango by 83% during the 2021 model year.

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