Compare the2023 GMC AcadiaVS 2022 Lexus RXL

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
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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The Acadia Denali’s optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The RXL doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front shoulder belts of the GMC Acadia are height-adjustable, and the middle 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 RXL doesn’t offer comfort guides on its middle 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 Acadia are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The RXL doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Acadia has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The RXL doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Acadia and the RXL 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

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

	Acadia	RXL
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	21%	33.2%
Neck Stress	191 lbs.	412 lbs.
Neck Compression	29 lbs.	60 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	129/383 lbs.	433/719 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.7 inches
Neck Stress	203 lbs.	267 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	210/60 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 GMC Acadia is safer than the Lexus RXL:

	Acadia	RXL
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	36 G’s	44 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

There are almost 7 times as many GMC dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Acadia’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Acadia has a standard 660-amp battery. The RXL’s 580-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

Engine

The Acadia’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 2 more horsepower (310 vs. 308) than the RX 450hL’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Acadia
	FWD	3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/27 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy
RXL
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.5 DOHC V6	18 city/25 hwy

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

Regardless of its engine, the Acadia’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 RXL Hybrid.

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

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

The Acadia 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 RXL doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

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

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the GMC Acadia, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the RXL.

Brakes and Stopping

The Acadia stops shorter than the RXL:

	Acadia	RXL
60 to 0 MPH	126 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Acadia AT4’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the RXL (255/65R17 vs. 235/65R18).

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

The Acadia 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 RXL doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The Acadia 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 RXL’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Acadia’s wheelbase is 2.7 inches longer than on the RXL (112.5 inches vs. 109.8 inches).

The Acadia SLT AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the RX 350L AWD pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Acadia SLT AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the RX 350L (26.9 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 28.5 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Chassis

The GMC Acadia may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 400 pounds less than the Lexus RXL.

The Acadia is 3.5 inches shorter than the RXL, making the Acadia easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Acadia FWD 4 cyl. uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The RXL doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

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

Passenger Space

The Acadia has 26.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the RXL (143.8 vs. 117).

The Acadia has .2 inches more front headroom, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 8.8 inches more rear legroom, .9 inches more rear shoulder room, 2.4 inches more third row headroom, 6.2 inches more third row legroom and 8.6 inches more third row shoulder room than the RXL.

The front step up height for the Acadia is 2.5 inches lower than the RXL (18” vs. 20.5”). The Acadia’s rear step up height is 1.8 inches lower than the RXL’s (19” vs. 20.8”).

Cargo Capacity

The Acadia’s cargo area provides more volume than the RXL.

	Acadia	RXL
Behind Third Seat	12.8 cubic feet	7.5 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	41.7 cubic feet	23 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	79 cubic feet	58.5 cubic feet

Towing

The Acadia’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the RXL’s (1000 vs. 0 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Lexus RXL is only 3500 pounds. The Acadia offers up to a 4000 lbs. towing capacity.

Ergonomics

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

The Acadia’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The RXL’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Acadia owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Acadia will cost $315 to $5755 less than the RXL over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Acadia is less expensive to operate than the RXL because typical repairs cost much less on the Acadia than the RXL, 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 GMC Acadia will be $2588 to $7706 less than for the Lexus RXL.