Compare the2023 Acura RDXVS 2022 Toyota Venza

The Acura RDX 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.

Both the RDX and the Venza have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, 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 Acura RDX is safer than the Toyota Venza:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the RDX its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 95 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Venza is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.

The RDX 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.

Acura’s powertrain warranty covers the RDX 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 RDX’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 53 more horsepower (272 vs. 219) than the Venza’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Acura RDX is faster than the Toyota Venza:

The RDX has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Venza (17.1 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The RDX has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Venza doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

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

The RDX stops much shorter than the Venza:

For better traction, the RDX has larger standard tires than the Venza (235/55R19 vs. 225/60R18). The RDX A-Spec’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Venza (255/45R20 vs. 225/60R18).

The RDX’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Venza LE’s standard 60 series tires. The RDX A-Spec’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Venza XLE/Limited’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the RDX has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Venza LE. The RDX A-Spec’s 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Venza XLE/Limited.

The RDX has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Venza doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The RDX offers an optional 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 RDX has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Venza doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the RDX’s wheelbase is 2.4 inches longer than on the Venza (108.3 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the RDX is 1.2 inches wider in the front and .9 inches wider in the rear than on the Venza.

The RDX A-Spec 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 RDX AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Venza Limited (27.2 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the RDX has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Venza (8.2 vs. 7.68 inches), allowing the RDX to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The RDX uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Venza doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The RDX has 5.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Venza (104 vs. 98.3).

The RDX has 1 inch more front headroom, .7 inches more front legroom, .6 inches more front hip room, 2.3 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear legroom and 4.7 inches more rear hip room than the Venza.

The RDX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Venza with its rear seat up (31.1 vs. 28.8 cubic feet). The RDX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Venza with its rear seat folded (79.8 vs. 55.1 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the RDX’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Venza doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The RDX has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Venza has no towing capacity.

The RDX 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 Acura service is better than Toyota. J.D. Power ranks Acura 6th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 23% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 20th.

The RDX offers a 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 RDX’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Venza’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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 RDX’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Venza’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

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

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

The Acura RDX has won recognition from these important consumer publications: