Compare the2023 Subaru OutbackVS 2021 Lexus NX Series

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Outback 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 Lexus NX Series doesn’t offer pretensioners for its 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 Outback are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The NX Series doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Outback. But it costs extra on the NX Series.

Both the Outback and the NX Series 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, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

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

	Outback	NX Series
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	158	209
Neck Injury Risk	26%	46%
Neck Stress	281 lbs.	509 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	230/249 lbs.	480/609 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	241	355
Neck Stress	147 lbs.	295 lbs.
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	70 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	161/137 lbs.	442/307 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 flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Outback is safer than the Lexus NX Series:

	Outback	NX Series
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	28	192
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.6 inches
Abdominal Force	101 lbs.	148 lbs.
Hip Force	247 lbs.	352 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	116	317
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	15 inches
HIC	146	542
Hip Force	674 lbs.	828 lbs.

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

Warranty

There are almost 3 times as many Subaru dealers as there are Lexus dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Outback’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Outback has a standard 620-amp battery. The NX Series’ 580-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

Engine

The Outback XT/Wilderness’ standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 25 more horsepower (260 vs. 235) and 19 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 258) than the NX 300’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Outback XT/Wilderness 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the NX 300 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

	Outback	NX Series
Zero to 60 MPH	5.8 sec	7.1 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	15.8 sec	20.5 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	6.5 sec	7.7 sec
Quarter Mile	14.6 sec	15.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	96 MPH	89 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Outback lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The NX Series doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Outback gets better mileage than the NX Series:

			MPG
Outback
	AWD	2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/32 hwy
		XT 2.4 turbo flat-4	22 city/29 hwy
NX Series
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy
		F Sport 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy

Regardless of its engine, the Outback’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 NX Series 300h.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Outback uses regular unleaded gasoline. The NX 300 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Outback has 3.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the NX Series Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (18.5 vs. 14.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Outback has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the NX Series’ standard fuel tank (18.5 vs. 15.9 gallons).

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru Outback higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Lexus NX Series (3 to 7). This means the Outback produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the NX Series every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

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

Tires and Wheels

The Outback Wilderness/Onyx XT has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the NX Series; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Outback’s wheelbase is 3.4 inches longer than on the NX Series (108.1 inches vs. 104.7 inches).

The Outback Wilderness executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the NX 300h AWD (27.2 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Outback’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the NX Series’ (36.1 feet vs. 37.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Outback has a 2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the NX 300h (8.7 vs. 6.7 inches), allowing the Outback to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Outback Wilderness’ minimum ground clearance is 2.6 inches higher than on the NX 300 (9.5 vs. 6.9 inches).

Chassis

The Subaru Outback may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 300 pounds less than the Lexus NX Series.

The front grille of the Outback 2.5i uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The NX Series doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Outback has 37.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the NX Series (109 vs. 71.6).

The Outback has 1.9 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front hip room, .8 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear headroom, 3.4 inches more rear legroom, .9 inches more rear hip room and 2.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the NX Series.

Cargo Capacity

The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the NX Series with its rear seat up (32.6 vs. 17.7 cubic feet). The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the NX Series with its rear seat folded (75.6 vs. 54.6 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Outback easier. The Outback’s trunk lift-over height is 28.4 inches, while the NX Series’ liftover is 31.2 inches.

The Outback’s cargo area is larger than the NX Series’ in almost every dimension:

	Outback	NX Series
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	42”/75”	36”/71.5”
Max Width	51”	53”
Min Width	43.3”	44.3”
Height	32.1”	27”

Towing

The Outback’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the NX Series’ (2700 vs. 0 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Lexus NX 300h AWD is only 2000 pounds. The Outback offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Outback is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the NX Series. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Outback’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Outback Base). The NX Series doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Outback’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 NX Series’ power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Outback to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The NX Series doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Both the Outback and the NX Series offer available heated front seats. The Outback Limited/Touring/Onyx XT/Wilderness also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the NX Series.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Subaru Outback (except Base) offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The NX Series doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Outback is less expensive to operate than the NX Series because it costs $245 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Outback than the NX Series, including $163 less for a water pump, $571 less for a muffler, $135 less for a starter, $373 less for fuel injection, $58 less for a fuel pump, $713 less for a timing belt/chain and $169 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru Outback and the Lexus NX Series, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Subaru Outback outsold the Lexus NX Series by over two to one during the 2021 model year.