For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Lexus RX are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW X3 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.
In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the RX are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The X3 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
The RX has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The X3 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.
The Lexus RX’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the BMW X3 does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.
Both the RX and X3 have rear cross-traffic warning, but the RX has Parking Support Brake (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The X3’s Cross Traffic Warning doesn’t automatically brake.
The RX’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The X3 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
Both the RX and the X3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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, 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 Lexus RX is safer than the BMW X3:
|
|
RX |
X3 |
|
|
Driver |
|
| STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
| Neck Injury Risk |
29.8% |
32.2% |
| Neck Compression |
17 lbs. |
30 lbs. |
| Leg Forces (l/r) |
353/469 lbs. |
546/448 lbs. |
|
|
Passenger |
|
| STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
| Chest Compression |
.6 inches |
.8 inches |
| Neck Injury Risk |
30.7% |
40.2% |
| Neck Stress |
160 lbs. |
168 lbs. |
| Leg Forces (l/r) |
454/389 lbs. |
495/536 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, results indicate that the Lexus RX is safer than the BMW X3:
|
|
RX |
X3 |
|
|
Front Seat |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| HIC |
58 |
60 |
| Chest Movement |
.3 inches |
.6 inches |
| Abdominal Force |
99 lbs. |
148 lbs. |
| Hip Force |
206 lbs. |
214 lbs. |
|
|
Rear Seat |
|
| STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
| HIC |
63 |
108 |
| Spine Acceleration |
43 G’s |
48 G’s |
| Hip Force |
640 lbs. |
866 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.