2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer vs 2022 Lexus RX

The 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer shared its frame and body shell with the standard Wagoneer, resulting in a similar traditional SUV styling. It featured a tall hood, broad shoulders, trapezoidal wheel arches, and an upright profile. However, the Grand Wagoneer distinguished itself with a standard black roof, model-specific hood, front fascia, and grille. The grille leaned forward slightly with laser-etched knurling, and the wheel center caps had an acrylic glass covering to protect the “Wagoneer” logo. The vehicle's body-on-frame architecture allowed for independent front and rear suspension, with an aluminum hood and doors, and a composite tailgate to save weight.

Inside, the Grand Wagoneer shared styling features with the Wagoneer, such as an integrated infotainment touchscreen, a large rotary shift knob, and a two-spoke steering wheel. However, it offered more convenience features and higher-quality materials, including 24-way power front seats with memory, massage, lumbar support, and four-way power headrests. Heated and ventilated first- and second-row seats, a heated steering wheel, and Nappa leather upholstery were standard, with higher-grade Palermo leather available. The interior also featured aluminum and American Walnut wood trim, with seat controls placed high on the doors, and “Grand Wagoneer” spelled out on the passenger’s side of the dashboard.

The 2022 Lexus RX continued its modern and sporty design, having received a facelift in 2020. It was available in base 350, F Sport, and L trim levels for its gas powertrain, with a hybrid model under the RX 450h distinction. The RX 350 and F Sport offered seating for five, while the L trim provided a three-row, 7-passenger option. The RX stood out among its midsize luxury crossover competitors with aggressive styling, featuring razor-sharp character lines and angular features reminiscent of a boomerang. The F Sport trim was the most athletic in appearance, with 20-inch wheels, black-housing outside mirrors, dark window trimming, F Sport badging, and a unique front fascia.

Inside, the RX maintained a luxury appeal across all trims, with F Sport models adding a sporty vibe. Nearly a dozen color combinations were available, with the F Sport featuring model-specific badging and Scored Aluminum trim, pedals, and footrest, paired with NuLuxe synthetic leather. Non-F Sport models offered a mix of NuLuxe or semi-aniline leather seats with various metal and wood trim pairings. The RX interior boasted soft-touch surfaces and high-quality hard plastics, though the center stack felt dated. The RX F Sport's NuLuxe seats were less comfortable, with limited lumbar support and challenging driving position adjustments. The limited-edition Black Line trim offered high-end looks with exclusive black-colored features and contrast gray stitching.

The 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer was powered by a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 engine, producing 471 horsepower and 455 lb-ft of torque. It featured cylinder deactivation for improved fuel economy and was paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Grand Wagoneer could accelerate from zero to 60 mph in six seconds, despite its roughly 6,400-pound weight. It came standard with four-wheel drive, including the Quadra-Drive II system with a two-speed transfer case and electronic limited-slip differential. The Quadra-Lift air suspension system was also standard, offering height adjustability for off-roading, highway driving, and easier ingress and egress.

The Grand Wagoneer boasted 10 inches of ground clearance, a 25-degree approach angle, a 24-degree departure angle, and a 22-degree breakover angle. It could ford up to 24 inches of water and was equipped with skid plates. The cabin was quiet, and the air suspension absorbed bumps well. However, the vehicle felt ungainly at higher speeds, with a bouncy ride and imprecise steering. The Grand Wagoneer's size was a limiting factor off-road, and it did not receive Jeep's "Trail Rated" badge.

The 2022 Lexus RX 350 featured a 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 295 horsepower and 267 lb-ft of torque. The hybrid RX 450h added two high-torque electric motors for a combined output of 308 hp. All RX models had an eight-speed automatic transmission, with front-wheel drive standard on the RX 350 and all-wheel drive available. The hybrid RX offered all-wheel drive only. Despite the F Sport designation, the RX lacked sporty performance, with an unimpressive engine note and acceleration. The F Sport included performance dampers and an optional F Sport Handling package with adaptive variable suspension, sport steering, and a Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management system.

Drive modes included Eco, Normal, Sport, and Sport+, with hybrid models adding an EV mode. However, the differences between Normal and Sport/Sport+ modes were minimal. The RX excelled in driving comfort and cabin quietness, absorbing rough patches and isolating road noise. The RX 350 returned 20 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, and 23 mpg combined, with slight variations for AWD and L models. The RX 450h hybrid achieved 30 mpg combined, with 31 mpg city and 28 mpg highway.

The 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer offered seating for seven with standard second-row captain’s chairs or eight with an optional third-row bench seat. It provided more third-row headroom and second-row legroom than competitors like the Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, and Infiniti QX80. However, space up front was more limited compared to the Escalade and Navigator. The Grand Wagoneer offered 27.4 cubic feet of cargo space with all three rows in place and 70.9 cubic feet with the third row stowed. Folding all rear seats provided 94.2 cubic feet of cargo space, less than its rivals. The Grand Wagoneer had a maximum towing capacity of 9,850 pounds, slightly less than the standard Wagoneer due to its extra weight. Standard features included a sunroof, four-zone automatic climate control, and large storage bins. Forward visibility was limited, but the standard 360-degree camera system helped mitigate this issue.

The standard two-row Lexus RX had 99.8 cubic feet of passenger volume, comfortably fitting four adults. It offered 39.4 inches of front headroom and 44.1 inches of front legroom, with 39.1 inches of rear headroom and 38.0 inches of rear legroom. The three-row L models shared the same wheelbase, resulting in limited space for anything beyond groceries. The RX 350L had a 2/3/2 seating configuration, with optional second-row captain’s chairs. 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. The three-row models offered 7.45 cubic feet with all seats upright, 23.03 cubic feet with the third row down, and 58.48 cubic feet with both back rows down. The rear seats did not fold completely flat, and the load-in height was high due to the sporty bumper. 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 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer came with a standard 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, dual touchscreens, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a McIntosh audio system, and a 4G-LTE WiFi hotspot. Second-row passengers had a 10.25-inch center console touchscreen, and an optional rear seat entertainment system added two 10.1-inch screens. The Grand Wagoneer featured a larger touchscreen than the standard Wagoneer, with a second screen for functions like seat massagers. A row of buttons separated the screens for quick access to important functions. An optional 10.25-inch touchscreen for the front passenger controlled navigation and the rear-seat entertainment system. Amazon Alexa connectivity and Fire TV for Auto allowed passengers to stream content and share screens. The Uconnect 5 infotainment system, based on Android, offered over-the-air updates. However, the screen response was slow, and the instrument cluster graphics were plain.

The Lexus RX featured an 8-inch touchscreen display, with a 12.3-inch version available as an option. The touchscreens were moved closer to the driver in the 2020 refresh, but the positioning remained ergonomically unfriendly. The screen's placement within a cove created access issues, partially blocking icons and requiring downward tapping. The touchscreen was responsive, but voice commands and a touchpad were alternatives. The touchpad was hypersensitive and unintuitive, leading to frustration. The drive mode selector was placed next to the touchpad, causing confusion. Despite these issues, the RX offered quality tech features like six USB ports, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration, wireless charging, Amazon Alexa compatibility, a WiFi hotspot, premium audio systems, navigation, and heated and ventilated seats. The Lexus App provided remote engine start, vehicle settings, and service scheduling.

The 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer had not yet received crash-test ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) due to its recent launch. Standard safety features included a 360-degree camera system, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, intersection collision assist, and rear parking sensors. Optional features included a driver-attention monitor, night vision, traffic-sign recognition, and two levels of driver-assistance systems. Active Driving Assist combined adaptive cruise control with automated lane centering, requiring drivers to keep their hands on the wheel. A hands-free version was planned for certain highways, with driver monitoring to prevent misuse.

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, and a pre-collision system with cyclist and pedestrian detection. Additional standard safety features included blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, a head-up display, and Lexus Enform Safety Connect for GPS vehicle tracking. The Lexus app offered Collision Assistance for documenting and filing accident reports. The RX was named a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS when equipped with optional triple-beam LED headlights, but it missed the "plus" designation due to its headlights rating. The NHTSA awarded the RX four stars overall, with five stars in side crash tests and four stars in frontal crashes and rollover resistance.