2021 Lincoln Navigator vs 2022 Lexus RX

The 2021 Lincoln Navigator was a significant departure from its predecessors, which often resembled dressed-up Ford Expeditions. While it shared some structural elements with the Expedition, the Navigator distinguished itself with unique design features, including a distinctive turn signal stalk. The Navigator Reserve, priced at $92,000, exuded luxury and elegance, impressing even those accustomed to high-end brands like Mercedes-Benz and Range Rover. Its exterior design featured simple rectilinear shapes, a body-color grille, and subtle chrome accents, creating a classy yet understated look. The Pristine White model with black wheels and an illuminated Lincoln logo was particularly striking during winter tests in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The Navigator also featured a small light show when locking or unlocking the vehicle, adding to its charm.

Inside, the Navigator's interior was equally impressive, offering seven color palettes, including the sophisticated Slate Gray. The wood trim, push-button gear selector, floating center console, and minimalist digital instrument panel all contributed to a modern and refined cabin. The materials used were of high quality, and the panel gaps were tight. The Black Label trims elevated the luxury further with more textures and softer leather. The Perfect Position seats, adjustable in 30 different ways, provided exceptional comfort. Overall, the Navigator's interior was one of the best in its class, rivaling even the more expensive Range Rover.

The 2022 Lexus RX continued to offer a modern and sporty design, having received a facelift in 2020. Available in base 350, F Sport, and L trim levels, as well as a hybrid RX 450h model, the RX featured aggressive styling with razor-sharp character lines and angular features. The F Sport trim, in particular, stood out with its performance-oriented appearance, including 20-inch wheels, black-housing outside mirrors, dark window trimming, and unique front fascia. The RX's exterior design was eye-catching and satisfying, even in understated colors like Nebula Gray Pearl. The F Sport trim added a touch of sportiness, making it look cooler than the base and L variants.

Inside, the RX's cabin offered luxury and comfort, with nearly a dozen color combinations available for the RX 350 and 450h models. The F Sport trim added a sporty vibe with model-specific badging, Scored Aluminum trim, and NuLuxe synthetic leather seats in black or dark red. Non-F Sport models could be optioned with a mix of NuLuxe or semi-aniline leather seats and various metal and wood trim pairings. The RX's interior featured plenty of soft-touch surfaces and high-quality hard plastics. However, the center stack felt a bit dated, and the NuLuxe seats in the F Sport trim were less comfortable than expected. Despite these drawbacks, the RX provided a quiet and comfortable ride, making it a pleasant companion for long drives.

The 2021 Lincoln Navigator was powered by a twin-turbo V6 engine, borrowed from the Ford Raptor, producing an impressive 450 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque. This engine, paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission, made the Navigator feel surprisingly sprightly for its size. Available in both rear-wheel drive (RWD) and four-wheel drive (4WD) configurations, the Navigator's 4WD system was smooth and responsive. It boasted a substantial towing capacity of 8,300 pounds for 4WD models and 8,700 pounds for RWD models. However, its fuel economy was less impressive, averaging in the teens and aligning with the EPA-estimated 17-mpg combined rating.

The Navigator's adaptive dampers provided a decent ride, but the suspension felt rudimentary compared to competitors like the Cadillac Escalade. The steering was looser, and the brakes felt soft on initial application, lacking the superior control offered by the Escalade. Despite these shortcomings, the Navigator's low-end thrust and quiet cabin made it a refined and powerful vehicle on the highway. The paddle shifters added a touch of sportiness with their quick reaction time and rev-matched downshifts.

The 2022 Lexus RX 350 featured a standard 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 295 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque. The hybrid RX 450h added two high-torque electric motors to the V6, resulting in a combined output of 308 horsepower. All RX models came with an eight-speed automatic transmission, with front-wheel drive (FWD) standard on the RX 350 and all-wheel drive (AWD) available. The hybrid RX models were exclusively AWD.

Despite its sporty appearance, the RX's performance was underwhelming. The engine note was more akin to a turbocharged four-cylinder than a V6, and acceleration was unimpressive. The F Sport trim, which included performance dampers and an adaptive variable suspension, failed to deliver a truly sporty driving experience. The drive modes, including Eco, Normal, Sport, and Sport+, did not significantly alter the vehicle's driving dynamics. The RX excelled in driving comfort and cabin quietness, absorbing rough patches and providing a serene ride.

The RX 350's fuel economy was respectable, with EPA estimates of 20 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, and 23 mpg combined. The RX hybrid models offered even better fuel efficiency, with the RX 450h achieving 30 mpg combined. However, the RX's performance fell short of expectations, making it more suitable for those prioritizing comfort over sporty handling.

The 2021 Lincoln Navigator offered ample interior space, resembling a small bedroom in terms of square footage. It could comfortably accommodate six adults, with a seven-passenger configuration available. The third row's middle seat was best suited for children. The Navigator's boxy shape contributed to its generous cargo space, with 19 cubic feet behind the third row, 57 cubic feet behind the second row, and 103 cubic feet in total. The long-wheelbase Navigator L provided even more storage capacity. The rear glass could open separately from the tailgate, adding convenience.

The Navigator Reserve featured heated rear second-row seats and a three-zone climate control system. The second row had an optional console with integrated climate and stereo controls. However, the Navigator lacked some features offered by German competitors, such as five-zone climate control and heated third-row seats. The front seats were exceptionally comfortable, with numerous adjustments and massage programs. The large windows and high driving position provided excellent visibility, although parking could be challenging due to the vehicle's size.

The 2022 Lexus RX, in its standard two-row configuration, offered 99.8 cubic feet of passenger volume, comfortably seating four adults. The rear middle seat was suitable for short trips. Headroom measured 39.4 inches in the front and 39.1 inches in the rear, while legroom was 44.1 inches in the front and 38.0 inches in the back. The three-row RX 350L had a tight third row, best suited for groceries rather than passengers.

Cargo space in the standard RX was 16.0 cubic feet behind the second row, expanding to 32.6 cubic feet with the second row folded down. The three-row models offered only 7.45 cubic feet of cargo space with all seats upright, increasing to 23.03 cubic feet with the third row down and 58.48 cubic feet with both back rows folded. The rear seats did not fold completely flat, and the load-in height was high due to the sporty bumper design. The RX featured thoughtful interior elements like a smartphone slot, adjustable-height cup holder, quick-access head-up display button, and a flat-bottomed cargo net.

The 2021 Lincoln Navigator featured a 10-inch touchscreen, which felt small compared to the advanced displays in competitors like the Cadillac Escalade. The Navigator's instrument panel lacked full-screen maps and different designs, and the cameras were low-resolution. The infotainment system did not support wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. However, the software was intuitive and easy to use, with fast and accurate voice recognition. The Navigator offered onboard 4G WiFi, wireless device charging, a smartwatch app, and the ability to use a smartphone as the vehicle's ignition key. The rear entertainment system included Roku media streaming and various connectivity options.

The 2022 Lexus RX came with a standard 8-inch touchscreen, with a 12.3-inch version available as an option. Despite being moved closer to the driver, the touchscreens were still ergonomically unfriendly. The design created a lip in front of the screen, obstructing access to icons and making it difficult to use. The touchpad controller was hypersensitive and unintuitive, adding to the frustration. However, the RX offered a range of quality tech features, including six USB ports, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration, wireless charging, Amazon Alexa compatibility, a WiFi hotspot, and premium audio systems. The Lexus App provided additional connectivity and personalization options.

The 2021 Lincoln Navigator received five stars overall from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), with five stars in every test except for rollover resistance (four stars for 4WD models, three stars for RWD models). The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) had not rated the Navigator in its current generation. The Navigator lacked knee airbags but offered optional inflatable rear seat belts for the second row. Standard safety features included automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and auto high beams. Adaptive cruise control was optional but did not offer advanced self-steering capabilities.

The 2022 Lexus RX came standard with the Lexus Safety System 2.0+, which included adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, lane-departure warning with steering assist, road-sign recognition, lane-keeping assist, lane-tracing assist, a pre-collision system with cyclist and pedestrian detection, and intelligent high beams. Additional standard safety features included blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, a head-up display, and Lexus Enform Safety Connect. The RX was named a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS when equipped with optional triple-beam LED headlights. The NHTSA awarded the RX four stars overall, with five stars in side crash tests and four stars in frontal crashes and rollover resistance.