Compare the2023 Volvo XC60VS 2022 Lexus RX

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The XC60’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 XC60 and RX have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The XC60 Plus/Ultimate/Polestar 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 Volvo XC60 offers optional built in child booster seats. They’re more crash worthy than an added child seat because of their direct attachment to the seat. Lexus doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the RX. Their owners must carry a heavy booster seat in and out of the vehicle; XC60 owners can just fold their built-in child seat up or down.

The XC60 has standard Post-impact braking, which automatically apply 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.

Both the XC60 and the RX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear 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, 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 Volvo XC60 is safer than the Lexus RX:

	XC60	RX
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
HIC	125	194
Neck Injury Risk	22%	33.2%
Neck Stress	198 lbs.	412 lbs.
Neck Compression	15 lbs.	60 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	489/470 lbs.	433/719 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	178	305
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	28%	40.1%
Neck Stress	179 lbs.	267 lbs.
Neck Compression	55 lbs.	70 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	329/351 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 Volvo XC60 is safer than the Lexus RX:

	XC60	RX
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
Hip Force	190 lbs.	214 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	14 inches
HIC	237	275
Spine Acceleration	29 G’s	44 G’s
Hip Force	410 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 XC60 is .9% to 3.2% less likely to roll over than the RX.

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 “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the XC60 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 112 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The RX is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.

Warranty

The XC60’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the RX’s (12 vs. 6 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC60 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 15 percent more Volvo dealers than there are Lexus dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the XC60’s warranty.

Reliability

The battery on the XC60 is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the XC60’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The RX’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

Engine

The XC60 has more powerful engines than the RX:

	Horsepower	Torque
XC60 B6 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid	295 HP	310 lbs.-ft.
XC60 T8 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid	455 HP	523 lbs.-ft.
RX 350 3.5 DOHC V6	295 HP	268 lbs.-ft.
RX 450h 3.5 DOHC V6 hybrid	308 HP

As tested in Motor Trend the XC60 B5 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Lexus RX:

	XC60	RX 350	RX 450h
Zero to 30 MPH	1.9 sec	2.3 sec	n/a
Zero to 60 MPH	6.2 sec	6.8 sec	7 sec
Zero to 80 MPH	10.6 sec	11.2 sec	n/a
Passing 45 to 65 MPH	3.4 sec	3.6 sec	n/a
Quarter Mile	14.7 sec	15.1 sec	15.3 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the XC60 running on electricity gets better mileage than the RX:

			MPGe
XC60
	AWD	Extended Range Electric Motor	66 city/60 hwy
		T8 Electric Motor	59 city/55 hwy
RX
			MPG
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/27 hwy
	AWD	3.5 V6 Hybrid	31 city/28 hwy
		3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the XC60 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the RX:

			MPG
XC60
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/30 hwy
	AWD	Extended Range 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl. Hybrid	28 city/28 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
		2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl.	21 city/27 hwy
		2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl. Hybrid	24 city/27 hwy
RX
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/27 hwy
	AWD	3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy

The XC60 can travel with zero emissions for 19 to 36 miles (dependent on model). The RX can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regardless of its engine, the XC60’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 (not available T8). Lexus only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the RX 450h, and doesn’t offer a disable button.

The XC60 has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the RX Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (18.8 vs. 17.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The XC60 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 RX doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the XC60’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the RX:

	XC60	XC60 Recharge Polestar Engineered	RX
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	15.7 inches	12.9 inches

The XC60 stops much shorter than the RX:

	XC60	RX
70 to 0 MPH	165 feet	178 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the XC60’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the RX (265/35R22 vs. 235/65R18).

The XC60’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 XC60’s optional tires have a lower 35 series profile than the RX’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XC60 offers optional 21-inch wheels. The RX’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

Suspension and Handling

The XC60 Ultimate has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The XC60’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 XC60’s wheelbase is 3 inches longer than on the RX (112.8 inches vs. 109.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the XC60 is .7 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than on the RX.

The XC60 AWD 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.

The XC60 B5 Core AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the RX 450h (26.6 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 27.5 seconds @ .65 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the XC60’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the RX’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.8 feet).

For greater off-road capability the XC60 w/Air Suspension has a greater minimum ground clearance than the RX (8.3 vs. 8.2 inches), allowing the XC60 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The XC60’s minimum ground clearance is .3 inch higher than on the RX (8.5 vs. 8.2 inches).

Chassis

The Volvo XC60 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 200 pounds less than the Lexus RX.

The XC60 is 7.1 inches shorter than the RX, making the XC60 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Cargo Capacity

The XC60 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the RX with its rear seat up (24.4 vs. 16 cubic feet). The XC60 has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the RX with its rear seat folded (63.3 vs. 32.6 cubic feet).

Towing

The XC60’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the RX’s (3500 vs. 0 pounds).

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system optional at extra cost in the RX, the XC60 Ultimate/Polestar has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the XC60 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The RX doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The XC60 offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The RX doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the XC60 is less expensive to operate than the RX because typical repairs cost much less on the XC60 than the RX, including $661 less for a water pump, $205 less for a muffler, $131 less for a starter, $1686 less for a timing belt/chain and $1676 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the XC60 as the 2018 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The RX has never been chosen.