Compare the2023 BMW iXVS 2022 Lexus RX

The iX’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The RX doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the iX and RX have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The iX has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The RX’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The iX has a standard PostCrash iBrake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The RX doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, Full-Time Four-Wheel Drive is standard on the iX. But it costs extra on the RX.

Both the iX and the RX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 and available around view monitors.

The BMW iX weighs 919 to 1547 pounds more than the Lexus RX. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The iX’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the RX’s (12 vs. 6 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the iX for 2 years and 26000 miles longer than Lexus pays for maintenance for the RX (3/36,000 vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 44 percent more BMW dealers than there are Lexus dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the iX’s warranty.

The iX xDrive50’s standard electric motors produces 221 more horsepower (516 vs. 295) and 296 lbs.-ft. more torque (564 vs. 268) than the RX 350’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6. The iX xDrive50’s electric motors produces 208 more horsepower (516 vs. 308) and 564 lbs.-ft. more torque (564 vs. ) than the RX 450h’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 hybrid. The iX M60’s standard electric motors produces 302 more horsepower (610 vs. 308) and 749 lbs.-ft. more torque (749 vs. ) than the RX 450h’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the iX xDrive50 is faster than the RX 350 3.5 DOHC V6:

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

The iX can travel with zero emissions for 274 to 324 miles (dependent on model). The RX can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regardless of its engine, regenerative brakes improve the iX’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. Lexus only offers a regenerative brake system on the RX Hybrid.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the BMW iX higher (10 out of 10) than the Lexus RX (5 to 7). This means the iX produces up to 19.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the RX every 15,000 miles.

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

The iX stops much shorter than the RX:

For better traction, the iX’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the RX (275/40R22 vs. 235/65R18).

The iX’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the RX’s standard 65 series tires. The iX’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the RX’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the iX has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the RX. The iX’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the RX.

The iX has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The iX’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 RX doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the iX’s wheelbase is 8.3 inches longer than on the RX (118.1 inches vs. 109.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the iX is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 3.2 inches wider in the rear than on the RX.

The iX’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (48.2% to 51.8%) than the RX’s (57% to 43%). This gives the iX more stable handling and braking.

The iX xDrive50 handles at .88 G’s, while the RX 350 F Sport AWD pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the iX has a greater minimum ground clearance than the RX (8.8 vs. 8.2 inches), allowing the iX to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The design of the BMW iX amounts to more than styling. The iX has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .25 Cd. That is significantly lower than the RX (.33) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the iX get better fuel mileage.

The front grille of the iX 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 iX has 2.1 inches more front headroom, 3.7 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, .9 inches more rear legroom and .7 inches more rear shoulder room than the RX.

The iX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the RX with its rear seat up (35.5 vs. 16 cubic feet). The iX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the RX with its rear seat folded (77.9 vs. 32.6 cubic feet).

Laser headlights, optional on the iX, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the RX’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

The iX has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the RX.

The iX offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the RX.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the BMW iX has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the RX.

The iX’s optional Automatic Parking Assistant can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The RX doesn’t offer an automated parking system.