Is The Lexus NX Just A Fancy RAV4? Here's What You Need To Know

When a car manufacturer establishes a luxury division, this can inspire the thought that it just wants to charge you more money for slapping a thin veneer onto its vehicles. There is some truth to this idea, as many luxury vehicles are mechanical twins to more basic cars. Toyota's luxury arm is Lexus, and the Lexus NX is built on the same GA-K platform as the Toyota RAV4, which overtook the Ford F-150 as the best-selling vehicle in the United States in 2024.

The Toyota GA-K platform is also used on vehicles ranging from the Camry sedan to the Highlander unibody SUV and Sienna minivan. However, the Lexus NX and Toyota RAV4 are both compact crossover SUVs whose overall sizes are nearly identical. They share the same wheelbase measurement, and the Lexus is a tiny bit bigger than the RAV4. Both models use the exact same 2.5-liter I4 engine under the hood. They each have all-wheel and front-wheel drive options, and you can get either model as a gas-powered vehicle, a mild hybrid, or a plug-in hybrid. For all intents and purposes, the Lexus NX is a gussied up version of the Toyota RAV4, but there are still some real differences between the two models. Let's see exactly where they diverge.

For both the Lexus NX and Toyota RAV4, the standard engine you are going to get is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder. This holds true whether you are getting a model that runs purely on gasoline or is one of the two available hybrids. Of course, that engine is altered to accommodate the mild and plug-in hybrid systems. Net horsepower ratings are slightly different among the three powertrains. With the standard gas-powered engine, the NX 250 and RAV4 LE both have a maximum output of 203 hp. The mild hybrid RAV4 maxes out at 219 combined hp, while the NX goes up to 240 hp. 

The plug-in hybrids give you more with the RAV4 at 302 hp combined and the NX at 304 hp. Ultimately, these are the same engines, and you are going to get very similar results. Where there is a significant divergence between the two SUVs is that the Lexus NX offers an additional engine option. If you get the NX350 or any of its more premium trim offshoots, you will instead be getting a 2.4-liter turbocharged I4 engine that has a maximum output of 275 hp. While both the RAV4 and NX350 come in front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive versions, the NX350 with the turbocharged engine is only available with all-wheel drive.

The Lexus NX and the Toyota RAV4 may be similar in size, but how the two vehicles utilize that size is surprisingly different. They both share the exact same wheelbase at 105.9 inches. The exterior of the RAV4 is a little smaller, but these differences are minuscule. Their widths are less than a half-inch apart with the NX at 73.4 inches wide and the RAV4 at 73 inches. The 183.5-inch length of the NX is 2.6 inches longer than that of the RAV4. Of course, nobody is taking out a tape measure to measure their vehicles, so these small differences aren't going to mean much to most people.

Despite their near-identical sizes, their is a shockingly large difference in the amount of cargo space these two SUVs allot. If you get yourself an NX, you will be looking at a maximum cargo space of 46.9 cu. ft. For the Toyota, that  capacity is increased to a whopping 69.8 cu. ft. This is a function of the Toyota being presented as a more all-purpose vehicle than the luxury-focused Lexus. That distinction just furthers the notion that the NX is nothing more than a fancier version of the RAV4. Quite frankly, the biggest difference is the price. The RAV4 starts at roughly $30,000-$35,000 depending on trim, while the Lexus ranges from $42,140 for the base NX250 to just under 52,000 for the NX350 in Luxury trim with all-wheel drive.

The close alignment between these two models started with the 2022 model year for the Lexus NX, which was the start of the SUV's second generation. This vehicle originally came out for the 2015 model year, and back then, it did not have nearly as much in common with the Toyota RAV4 as it currently does. The 2015 Toyota RAV4 had a 2.0L I4 engine under the hood that made 176 horsepower, while the 2015 Lexus NX 200t came with a 235-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter I4. Although these engines have the same displacements, they are from two completely different engine families from Toyota. Toyota updated the RAV4's engine options in 2018, but it was another four years before the NX followed suit.

In those early years for the NX, the platform and size of the two models were still the same, though Lexus made a concerted effort to upgrade the suspension for the luxury version. When it comes right down to it, there is no escaping the fact that the Lexus NX owes a great deal to the Toyota RAV4. Yes, you can get nicer interiors, better sound systems, and upgraded technology with the Lexus, but these are mostly window dressing. It makes sense that one of Lexus' most successful vehicles is heavily indebted to its popular, less refined twin sibling.