Compare the2022 Lexus NXVS 2022 Honda CR-V Hybrid

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Lexus NX have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Honda CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear 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 NX are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Lexus NX 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 CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The NX offers optional Intuitive Parking Assist with Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The NX offers an optional Panoramic View Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The CR-V Hybrid 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 NX has standard Safety Connect®, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the NX and the CR-V Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, 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 driver alert monitors.

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, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the NX its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 80 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The CR-V Hybrid is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.

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

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

The NX’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the CR-V Hybrid’s (6 vs. 5 years).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are better in initial quality than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 20 more problems per 100 vehicles, Honda is ranked 17th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are more reliable than Honda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus above average in long-term dependability. With 33 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Honda is rated below average.

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

The NX 350h’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 27 more horsepower (239 vs. 212) than the CR-V Hybrid’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The NX 350’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 63 more horsepower (275 vs. 212) and 85 lbs.-ft. more torque (317 vs. 232) than the CR-V Hybrid’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The NX 450h’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 90 more horsepower (302 vs. 212) than the CR-V Hybrid’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the NX 350h is faster than the Honda CR-V Hybrid:

As tested in Motor Trend the NX 450h is faster than the Honda CR-V Hybrid 2.0:

On the EPA test cycle the NX 450h running on electricity gets better mileage than the CR-V Hybrid (93 city/75 hwy MPGe vs. 40 city/35 hwy).

On the EPA test cycle the NX 350h running its gasoline engine gets better fuel mileage than the CR-V Hybrid (41 city/37 hwy vs. 40 city/35 hwy).

The NX 450h can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 37 miles. The CR-V Hybrid can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

For better stopping power the NX’s brake rotors are larger than those on the CR-V Hybrid:

The NX’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the CR-V Hybrid are solid, not vented.

The NX’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the CR-V Hybrid Touring’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the NX offers optional 20-inch wheels. The CR-V Hybrid’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires standard on the NX can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The NX has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The CR-V Hybrid’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The NX offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The CR-V Hybrid’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the NX’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the CR-V Hybrid (105.9 inches vs. 104.7 inches).

The NX 350 AWD handles at .81 G’s, while the CR-V Hybrid Touring pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The NX 350 AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the CR-V Hybrid Touring (27.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

The NX has .3 inches more front headroom, 1.2 inches more front hip room and 3 inches more rear hip room than the CR-V Hybrid.

The front step up height for the NX is 1.2 inches lower than the CR-V Hybrid (17.8” vs. 19”).

The NX offers up to a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The CR-V Hybrid has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the NX uses the Vehicle Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The NX uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The CR-V Hybrid uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Lexus service is better than Honda. J.D. Power ranks Lexus first in service department satisfaction. With a 62% lower rating, Honda is ranked 25th.

The NX’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 CR-V Hybrid has neither an oil pressure gauge nor a temperature gauge.

The NX 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 CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The NX’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 CR-V Hybrid’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

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

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

When the NX is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The CR-V Hybrid’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The NX’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The CR-V Hybrid offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the NX and the CR-V Hybrid have standard heated front seats. The NX also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the CR-V Hybrid.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the NX keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The NX 350h/450h+’s optional Advanced Park can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The NX is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The CR-V Hybrid doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.