Compare the2023 Chevrolet BlazerVS 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
Economic Advantages

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front shoulder belts of the Chevrolet Blazer are height-adjustable, and the rear seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Lexus RX has only front height-adjustable 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 Blazer are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The RX doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Blazer and the RX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

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

	Blazer	RX
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
HIC	182	194
Neck Injury Risk	22%	33.2%
Neck Stress	178 lbs.	412 lbs.
Neck Compression	25 lbs.	60 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	104/435 lbs.	433/719 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Stress	124 lbs.	267 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	28/2 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 post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Chevrolet Blazer is safer than the Lexus RX:

	Blazer	RX
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
HIC	265	275
Spine Acceleration	39 G’s	44 G’s

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 Blazer is .9% to 3.2% less likely to roll over than the RX.

Warranty

There are almost 12 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Blazer’s warranty.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Chevrolet Blazer V6 is faster than the RX 450h 3.5 DOHC V6 hybrid:

	Blazer	RX
Zero to 60 MPH	6.1 sec	7 sec
Quarter Mile	14.7 sec	15.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	95.5 MPH	94.3 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Blazer gets better mileage than the RX:

			MPG
Blazer
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy
RX
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/27 hwy
	AWD	3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Blazer’s fuel efficiency. The RX doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Regardless of its engine, the Blazer’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. Lexus only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the RX 450h, and doesn’t offer a disable button.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Chevrolet Blazer uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine for maximum performance). The RX 450h requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Blazer FWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the RX Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (19.4 vs. 17.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Blazer AWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the RX’s standard fuel tank (21.7 vs. 19.2 gallons).

The Blazer 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 RX doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Chevrolet Blazer higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Lexus RX (5 to 7). This means the Blazer produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the RX every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Chevrolet Blazer, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the RX.

Brakes and Stopping

The Blazer stops much shorter than the RX:

	Blazer	RX
70 to 0 MPH	165 feet	178 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	123 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Blazer RS/Premier’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the RX (265/45R21 vs. 235/65R18).

The Blazer RS/Premier’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the RX’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Blazer RS/Premier offers optional 21-inch wheels. The RX’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

The Chevrolet Blazer’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Lexus RX only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Blazer has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The RX doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Blazer’s wheelbase is 2.9 inches longer than on the RX (112.7 inches vs. 109.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Blazer is 2 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than on the RX.

The Blazer RS 4x4 handles at .87 G’s, while the RX 350 F Sport AWD pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Blazer RS 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the RX 450h (27.1 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 27.5 seconds @ .65 average G’s).

Chassis

The Chevrolet Blazer may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 400 pounds less than the Lexus RX.

The front grille of the Blazer 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.

The Blazer uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The RX doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Blazer RS 4x4 is quieter than the RX 350 F Sport AWD:

	Blazer	RX
At idle	38 dB	42 dB
Full-Throttle	74 dB	77 dB
70 MPH Cruising	66 dB	67 dB

Passenger Space

The Blazer has .4 inches more front headroom, 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, 1.6 inches more rear legroom and 1 inch more rear shoulder room than the RX.

Cargo Capacity

The Blazer has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the RX with its rear seat up (30.5 vs. 16 cubic feet). The Blazer has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the RX with its rear seat folded (64.2 vs. 32.6 cubic feet).

Towing

The Blazer’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the RX’s (1500 vs. 0 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Lexus RX is only 3500 pounds. The Blazer offers up to a 4500 lbs. towing capacity.

The Blazer can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Blazer can be unhitched and driven around locally. The RX can’t be towed flat on the ground.

A Trailer Sway Control is standard on the Blazer, using the StabiliTrak® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. A trailer sway program costs extra on the RX.

Ergonomics

The Blazer’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 RX does not have an oil pressure gauge.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Blazer LT/RS/Premier’s available exterior PIN entry system. The RX doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Blazer owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Blazer will cost $1565 less than the RX over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Blazer is less expensive to operate than the RX because typical repairs cost much less on the Blazer than the RX, including $683 less for a water pump, $80 less for a muffler, $362 less for a starter, $6 less for fuel injection, $862 less for a timing belt/chain and $1010 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Chevrolet Blazer will be $691 to $6112 less than for the Lexus RX.