Compare the2023 Lexus NXVS 2023 Toyota Venza

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Lexus NX have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Toyota Venza doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Lexus NX has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Venza doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the NX’s standard Downhill Assist Control allows you to creep down safely. The Venza doesn’t offer Downhill Assist Control.

Both the NX and the Venza 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Lexus NX is safer than the Venza:

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the NX its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Venza is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2023.

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

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

The NX’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Venza’s (6 vs. 5 years).

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Lexus NX Hybrid’s reliability 13 points higher than the Venza.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Lexus vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lexus above average in initial quality. With 15 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

The NX 350h’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 21 more horsepower (240 vs. 219) than the Venza’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The NX 350’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 56 more horsepower (275 vs. 219) than the Venza’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The NX 450h’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 83 more horsepower (302 vs. 219) than the Venza’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the NX 350h 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Toyota Venza:

As tested in Motor Trend the NX 450h 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Toyota Venza (base engine):

On the EPA test cycle the NX 450h running on electricity gets better mileage than the Venza (93 city/75 hwy MPGe vs. 40 city/37 hwy).

On the EPA test cycle the NX 350h running its gasoline engine gets better fuel mileage than the Venza (41 city/37 hwy vs. 40 city/37 hwy).

The NX 450h can travel with zero emissions for 37 miles. The Venza has to start its internal combustion engine after only 1.6 miles.

Both the NX and Venza have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. The NX (except NX 350h/450h+) has a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

For better stopping power the NX’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Venza:

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

The NX stops much shorter than the Venza:

For better traction, the NX has larger tires than the Venza (235/60R18 vs. 225/60R18).

The NX’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Venza XLE/Nightshade/Limited’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the NX offers optional 20-inch wheels. The Venza’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires standard on the NX can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Venza doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The NX 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 Venza’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The NX 350 AWD handles at .81 G’s, while the Venza Limited pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The NX 350 AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Venza Limited (27.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

The NX is 3.1 inches shorter than the Venza, making the NX easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The NX has .1 inches more front legroom, 1.9 inches more front hip room and 7.3 inches more rear hip room than the Venza.

Pressing a switch automatically lowers or raises the NX’s optional rear seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The Venza doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The NX offers up to a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The Venza has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the NX uses the Vehicle Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Venza doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The NX uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Venza uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Lexus service is better than Toyota. J.D. Power ranks Lexus first in service department satisfaction. With a 49% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 20th.

The NX has a standard 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 Venza doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The NX’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Venza does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The NX’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Venza’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

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

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the NX offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Venza doesn’t offer cornering lights. The NX also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

When the NX is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Venza’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The NX’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Venza offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The NX has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats are only available on the Venza XLE/Nightshade/Limited. The NX also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Venza.

The NX 350h/450h+’s optional Advanced Park can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Venza doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

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

Both are recommended, but Consumer Reports® chose the Lexus NX 350h as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Lexus NX outsold the Toyota Venza by 45% during 2022.