Compare the2022 Lexus RXVS 2022 Toyota Venza

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Lexus RX 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 Toyota Venza doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

The Lexus RX 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 Venza doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The RX has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Venza doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the RX and the Venza 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, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

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

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

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

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

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 13th.

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus first in reliability, above the industry average. With 17 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked fourth.

The RX 350’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 76 more horsepower (295 vs. 219) than the Venza’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The RX 450h’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 hybrid produces 89 more horsepower (308 vs. 219) than the Venza’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the RX 350 3.5 DOHC V6 is faster than the Toyota Venza:

The RX Hybrid’s standard fuel tank has 2.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Venza (17.2 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The RX’s standard fuel tank has 4.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Venza (19.2 vs. 14.5 gallons).

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

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

For better traction, the RX has larger tires than the Venza (235/65R18 vs. 225/60R18).

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

The RX 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 Venza’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The RX has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Venza doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the RX’s wheelbase is 3.9 inches longer than on the Venza (109.8 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the RX is 1.4 inches wider in the front and .2 inches wider in the rear than on the Venza.

The RX 350 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Venza Limited (27.1 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the RX has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Venza (8.2 vs. 7.68 inches), allowing the RX to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The RX has .8 inches more front headroom, 3.2 inches more front legroom, 2.2 inches more front hip room, .4 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, .2 inches more rear legroom, 10.9 inches more rear hip room and .7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Venza.

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers or raises the RX’s optional rear seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The Venza doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The RX offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity. The Venza has no towing capacity.

Optional Trailer Sway Control on the RX 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 Venza doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The RX uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Venza 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 Toyota. J.D. Power ranks Lexus second in service department satisfaction. With a 49% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 20th.

The RX has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Venza doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The RX’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 Venza’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the RX offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Venza doesn’t offer cornering lights. The RX 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 RX to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Venza doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the RX 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 Venza’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The RX’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 Venza offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

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

The RX offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Venza doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The RX is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Venza doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The RX will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the RX will retain 57.1% to 58.62% of its original price after five years, while the Venza only retains 56.16% to 56.27%.

The Lexus RX outsold the Toyota Venza by almost five to one during the 2021 model year.