Compare the2022 Audi e-tronVS 2022 Lexus RX

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics

Safety

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The e-tron’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The RX doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the e-tron and RX have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The e-tron 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 RX’s 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 e-tron has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The RX 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.

To allow off-road and deep snow capability, Four-Wheel Drive is standard on the e-tron. But it costs extra on the RX.

An active infrared night vision system optional on the e-tron helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera and near-infrared lights to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The RX doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the e-tron and the RX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 and available around view monitors.

The Audi e-tron weighs 1025 to 1852 pounds more than the Lexus RX. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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

	e-tron	RX
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	3 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	23%	33.2%
Neck Stress	253 lbs.	412 lbs.
Neck Compression	16 lbs.	60 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	137/335 lbs.	433/719 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	38%	40.1%
Neck Stress	157 lbs.	267 lbs.
Neck Compression	67 lbs.	70 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	244/319 lbs.	403/457 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 Audi e-tron is safer than the Lexus RX:

	e-tron	RX
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	44	53
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	123	165
Spine Acceleration	44 G’s	44 G’s
Hip Force	579 lbs.	594 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	8 inches	14 inches
Hip Force	631 lbs.	685 lbs.

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 e-tron, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 7.2% to 8.7% less likely to roll over than the RX, which received a four-star rating.

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 standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the e-tron its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 76 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The RX is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2021.

Warranty

The e-tron’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the RX’s (12 vs. 6 years).

There are over 24 percent more Audi dealers than there are Lexus dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the e-tron’s warranty.

Engine

The e-tron’s standard electric motors produce 107 more horsepower (402 vs. 295) and 222 lbs.-ft. more torque (490 vs. 268) than the RX 350’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6. The e-tron’s electric motors produce 94 more horsepower (402 vs. 308) than the RX 450h’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 hybrid. The e-tron S’ standard electric motors produce 188 more horsepower (496 vs. 308) than the RX 450h’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi e-tron (base engine) is faster than the Lexus RX:

	e-tron	RX 350	RX 450h
Zero to 60 MPH	5.1 sec	6.8 sec	7 sec
Quarter Mile	13.7 sec	15.1 sec	15.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	102.4 MPH	92.7 MPH	94.3 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the e-tron gets better mileage than the RX:

			MPGe
e-tron
	AWD	Electric Motors	78 city/77 hwy
		S Electric Motors	72 city/75 hwy
		Black Optic Electric Motors	62 city/64 hwy
RX
			MPG
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/27 hwy
	AWD	3.5 V6 Hybrid	31 city/28 hwy
		3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy

The e-tron’s maximum EPA estimated driving range is 181 to 222 miles on a full charge. The RX has to start its internal combustion engine to move.

Regardless of its engine, regenerative brakes improve the e-tron’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. Lexus only offers a regenerative brake system on the RX Hybrid.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Audi e-tron higher (10 out of 10) than the Lexus RX (5 to 7). This means the e-tron produces up to 19.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the RX every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The e-tron’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The RX doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the e-tron’s brake rotors are larger than those on the RX:

	e-tron	RX
Front Rotors	15.7 inches	12.9 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	13.3 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the e-tron has larger standard tires than the RX (255/50R20 vs. 235/65R18). The e-tron’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the RX (265/45R21 vs. 235/65R18).

The e-tron’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the RX’s standard 65 series tires. The e-tron’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the RX’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the e-tron has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the RX. The e-tron’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the RX.

Suspension and Handling

The front and rear suspension of the e-tron uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the RX, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The e-tron has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The e-tron’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The RX doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the e-tron’s wheelbase is 5.3 inches longer than on the RX (115.1 inches vs. 109.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the e-tron is .9 inches wider in the front and 1.5 inches wider in the rear than the track on the RX.

The e-tron Chronos Edition handles at .80 G’s, while the RX 450h pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The e-tron Chronos Edition executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the RX 450h (26.6 seconds @ .71 average G’s vs. 27.5 seconds @ .65 average G’s).

Chassis

The design of the Audi e-tron amounts to more than styling. The e-tron has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .3 Cd. That is lower than the RX (.33) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the e-tron get better fuel mileage.

The front grille of the e-tron 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 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The e-tron has .8 inches more front shoulder room and 1.1 inches more rear legroom than the RX.

Cargo Capacity

The e-tron has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the RX with its rear seat up (28.5 vs. 16 cubic feet). The e-tron has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the RX with its rear seat folded (56.4 vs. 32.6 cubic feet).

Towing

The e-tron’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the RX’s (4000 vs. 0 pounds).

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system optional at extra cost in the RX, the e-tron Prestige has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

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 e-tron’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the RX’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

The e-tron has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the RX.

The e-tron Prestige has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the RX.