Compare the2023 Acura MDXVS 2021 Toyota Land Cruiser

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Acura MDX 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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row 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 MDX are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The MDX offers an optional Low-Speed Braking Control that use rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the MDX uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Land Cruiser uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the MDX and the Land Cruiser have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger 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.

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 MDX its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 81 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Land Cruiser has not been tested, yet.

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

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

As tested in Car and Driver the MDX Type S 3.0 turbo V6 is faster than the Toyota Land Cruiser:

On the EPA test cycle the MDX gets better mileage than the Land Cruiser:

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

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the MDX’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The MDX 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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Acura MDX higher (5 out of 10) than the Toyota Land Cruiser (3). This means the MDX produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Land Cruiser every 15,000 miles.

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Acura MDX, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Land Cruiser.

For better stopping power the MDX Type S’ front brake rotors are larger than those on the Land Cruiser:

The MDX stops shorter than the Land Cruiser:

The MDX’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Land Cruiser’s standard 60 series tires. The MDX Type S’ tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Land Cruiser’s 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the MDX has standard 19-inch wheels. Only 18-inch wheels are available on the Land Cruiser. The MDX Type S has standard 21-inch wheels.

The MDX 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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Having a flat tire is dangerous, inconvenient and expensive. The self-sealing tires available on the MDX can automatically seal most punctures up to 3/16 of an inch, effectively preventing most flat tires. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

For superior ride and handling, the Acura MDX has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Toyota Land Cruiser has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The MDX 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 Land Cruiser’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The MDX Type S has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The MDX’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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the MDX’s wheelbase is 1.6 inches longer than on the Land Cruiser (113.8 inches vs. 112.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the MDX is 2.9 inches wider in the front and 3.1 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Land Cruiser.

The MDX Type S handles at .87 G’s, while the Land Cruiser pulls only .74 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The MDX SH-AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.7 seconds quicker than the Land Cruiser (27.2 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.9 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the MDX Type S has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Land Cruiser (9.4 vs. 8.9 inches), allowing the MDX to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Acura MDX may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1050 to 1450 pounds less than the Toyota Land Cruiser.

Unibody construction lowers the MDX’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Land Cruiser uses body-on-frame design instead.

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

The MDX’s cargo area provides more volume than the Land Cruiser.

The MDX’s cargo area provides more volume than the Land Cruiser Heritage Edition.

The MDX’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The Land Cruiser’s tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the MDX Advance’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its tailgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Acura service is better than Toyota. J.D. Power ranks Acura 6th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 23% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 20th.

The MDX offers a 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 Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Land Cruiser, the MDX offers an optional 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 MDX Advance has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning, navigation instruction and incoming text message readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The MDX’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Land Cruiser has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

Consumer Reports rated the MDX’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Land Cruiser’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the MDX to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Land Cruiser doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The MDX’s power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Land Cruiser’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

The MDX Type S Advance has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Land Cruiser.

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

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Acura MDX and the Toyota Land Cruiser, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Acura MDX outsold the Toyota Land Cruiser by over 12 to one during the 2021 model year.