Compare the2023 Ford ExplorerVS 2022 Lexus RXL

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
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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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 Explorer 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 Explorer has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The RXL 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.

Both the Explorer and the RXL have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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.

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

	Explorer	RXL
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
HIC	125	194
Neck Injury Risk	26.3%	33.2%
Neck Stress	167 lbs.	412 lbs.
Neck Compression	26 lbs.	60 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	230/210 lbs.	433/719 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	29.2%	40.1%
Neck Stress	187 lbs.	267 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	380/405 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 flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Ford Explorer is safer than the Lexus RXL:

	Explorer	RXL
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	86	165
Spine Acceleration	38 G’s	44 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	14 inches
Spine Acceleration	39 G’s	44 G’s
Hip Force	573 lbs.	685 lbs.

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 Explorer is 1.6% to 2% less likely to roll over than the RXL.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Explorer the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 55 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The RXL last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2022.

Warranty

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

Reliability

The Explorer has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The RXL doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Explorer has a standard 760-amp battery. The RXL’s 580-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

Engine

The Explorer has more powerful engines than the RXL:

	Horsepower	Torque
Explorer 2.3 turbo 4-cylinder	300 HP	310 lbs.-ft.
Explorer 3.3 DOHC V6 hybrid	318 HP	322 lbs.-ft.
Explorer 3.0 turbo V6	400 HP	415 lbs.-ft.
RX 350L 3.5 DOHC V6	290 HP	263 lbs.-ft.
RX 450hL 3.5 DOHC V6 hybrid	308 HP

As tested in Motor Trend the Ford Explorer turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the RX 350L 3.5 DOHC V6:

	Explorer	RXL
Zero to 60 MPH	6.2 sec	7.6 sec
Quarter Mile	14.8 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90 MPH	89.3 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Explorer
	RWD	3.3 V6 Hybrid	27 city/28 hwy
		Platinum 3.3 V6 Hybrid	25 city/26 hwy
		2.3 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy
	AWD	3.3 V6 Hybrid	23 city/26 hwy
		2.3 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/27 hwy
		Platinum 3.3 V6 Hybrid	23 city/24 hwy
RXL
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.5 DOHC V6	18 city/25 hwy

The Explorer can travel with zero emissions on a full charge for 3 miles. The RXL can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regardless of its engine, the Explorer’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.

The Explorer V6 Turbo’s standard fuel tank has a gallon more fuel capacity than the RXL’s standard fuel tank (20.2 vs. 19.2 gallons).

The Explorer 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.

Transmission

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Ford Explorer, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the RXL.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Explorer’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the RXL:

	Explorer	Explorer ST	RXL
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	14.3 inches	12.9 inches
Rear Rotors	12.4 inches	13.8 inches	13.3 inches

The Explorer stops much shorter than the RXL:

	Explorer	RXL
60 to 0 MPH	113 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Explorer has larger standard tires than the RXL (255/65R18 vs. 235/65R18). The Explorer’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the RXL (275/45R21 vs. 235/65R18).

The Explorer’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 RXL’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Explorer offers optional 21-inch wheels. The RXL’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

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

Suspension and Handling

The Explorer’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The RXL doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Explorer’s wheelbase is 9.3 inches longer than on the RXL (119.1 inches vs. 109.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Explorer is 2.5 inches wider in the front and 2.9 inches wider in the rear than on the RXL.

The Explorer ST 4WD handles at .85 G’s, while the RX 350L AWD pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Explorer ST 4WD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.1 seconds quicker than the RX 350L (26.4 seconds @ .72 average G’s vs. 28.5 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Explorer Timberline has a greater minimum ground clearance than the RXL (8.7 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Explorer to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The front grille of the Explorer 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 Explorer Hybrid 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 Explorer has 35.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the RXL (152.7 vs. 117).

The Explorer has .9 inches more front headroom, 1.6 inches more front legroom, 3.4 inches more front hip room, 3.5 inches more front shoulder room, 2 inches more rear headroom, 8.1 inches more rear legroom, 3.3 inches more rear hip room, 4.1 inches more rear shoulder room, 4.1 inches more third row headroom, 8.7 inches more third row legroom and 8.9 inches more third row shoulder room than the RXL.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Explorer	RXL
Behind Third Seat	18.2 cubic feet	7.5 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	47.9 cubic feet	23 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	87.8 cubic feet	58.5 cubic feet

The Explorer’s cargo area is larger than the RXL’s in almost every dimension:

	Explorer	RXL
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	20.8”/49.8”/83.9”	21.5”/48.5”/81”
Max Width	59”	51.8”
Min Width	48.1”	44”
Height	33.7”	30”

Towing

The Explorer’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the RXL’s (3000 vs. 0 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Lexus RXL is only 3500 pounds. The Explorer offers up to a 5600 lbs. towing capacity.

Trailer Sway Control is standard on the Explorer, using the AdvanceTrac® 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 RXL.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Explorer is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the RXL. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and 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 Explorer’s available exterior PIN entry system. The RXL doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Explorer ST/King Ranch/Platinum offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the RXL.

The Explorer ST/Platinum’s optional Active Park Assist 2.0 can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The RXL doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Explorer owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Explorer will cost $1990 less than the RXL over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Explorer is less expensive to operate than the RXL because typical repairs cost much less on the Explorer than the RXL, including $663 less for a water pump, $72 less for front brake pads, $531 less for a starter, $108 less for fuel injection, $1 less for a fuel pump, $1179 less for a timing belt/chain and $1107 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

The Ford Explorer outsold the Lexus RX by over two to one during 2022.