2023 Lexus NX 350

MARK TAKAHASHI: In the seven years since Lexus introduced the Compact NX Luxury SUV, it has played second fiddle to other high rated rivals in the class like the Mercedes GLC, Volvo XC60, and BMW X3. Sure, it was comfortable, quiet, and boasted lots of advanced safety features but it always seemed like it was lacking something. It wasn't very fun to drive, its cargo capacity was limited, and it was hobbled by one of the worst infotainment interfaces ever put in a vehicle. With any luck that'll all change with the all new 2022 Lexus NX. And here it is. Before we jump into this review, please make sure to like and subscribe below and head over to edmunds.com/sellmycar to get a cash offer on your vehicle. When the NX goes on sale later this year, it'll be offered in four. Count them, four trims separated largely by what's under the hood. The NX 250 has a starting price of around $39,000 and gets at 203 horsepower, 2.5 liter four-cylinder, and you can get it in either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive for another $1,600. Lexus says it'll do 0 to 60 somewhere in the low to mid eight second range. Next up is the all-wheel drive NX 350 with a 2.4 liter turbo engine. That's good for 275 horsepower. It starts just over 42 grand, and it should hit 60 miles an hour and 6.8 seconds which is half a second quicker than its predecessor. This sounds like a fun one, and it's actually what we have right here. The more responsible middle ground is filled by the NX 350h with the h representing the hybrid model. Curiously enough, it costs $500 less than this regular 350. It'll make 239 horsepower, reach at 39 miles per gallon and reach 60 miles an hour in 7.2 seconds. An electric motor in the back powers the rear wheels making it all-wheel drive. At the very top of the range at over $56,000 is the 302 horsepower NX 450+. It's a plug-in hybrid with an estimated 36 miles of EV range. Sound familiar? Well, that's because it's similar to the Rav4 Prime on which the NX share some of its underpinnings. This should accelerate to 60 miles an hour in a very respectable 6 seconds, but charge times are on the slow side. Expect a full charge to take 2 and 1/2 hours using the optional 6.6 kilowatt onboard charge system or 4 and 1/2 hours with the standard 3.3 kilowatt system. The 350 and 450+ are eligible for the F SPORT package with an adaptive performance suspension and a bunch of cosmetic upgrades. I'll be concentrating on this 350 since Lexus considers it the volume seller and the lineup. I have to admit that Lexus hasn't quite won me over on the spindle grille yet. There's just something about the scale of it that sets me off a little. It's just slightly too big, and you've heard me complain about this with Genesis and other vehicles too. Otherwise, the overall design of this NX is pleasing. It has some nice sharp creases down the side. And especially in the back, it's a whole new take on styling for Lexus. First, we've seen this light bar going across from corner to corner on the IS. But new for all Lexus's going forward will be the Lexus badge spelled out across the back. Personally, I like it because a little more distinction gives it a little bit of a Land Rover feel, definitely upscale. The interior design overall is pretty pleasing. There's no weird shapes and it's just sort of well integrated. There are some shiny plastic materials, but for some reason, I haven't been blinded yet by any reflections coming off of them. So how are they angled them is something that maybe other car manufacturers should look into. Materials quality otherwise is pretty good as well with some soft leather and faux leather coverings. There's a wide variety of color palette you can get from racy red and other cool blues as well. One thing that sets this new NX apart from older Lexus's are actually the door handles. From the outside, you just gently reach for it. You don't really pull on the handle itself. There's a slight little button that with the slightest pressure just pops open the door. Same on the inside where it's a little push button here a little tap, and it pops open. Of course, that begs the question, what happens if there's a system failure or the battery is dead? Well, from the inside, you just pull the lever twice and it'll pop open. And from the outside, there's a hidden little latch that pulls down that gives you access. I think I've covered everything we need to cover up here. So it's time to check out the back seats. Here in the back seat I have a pretty good amount of room. It's not bad at all. This driver's seat is set for me. I'm 5' foot 10. And as you can see, I've got enough headroom. There's about an inch or two before it starts hitting the headliner. There is a nice airy feeling back here that's enhanced by this big panoramic sunroof. And this window cutouts back here help you feel not so constrained. Thigh support is OK. I mean, I can put my feet under the front seat easily without any obstructions, and it gives me plenty of thigh support. Of course, if I'm a little bit further back with my feet, they're kind of hovering over the seat cushion but that's fine too. Visibility out the front is OK. It's not quite as elevated as some other SUVs. But you still get a good idea of what's on the road ahead. You have vents in the back of the center console here to help you keep cool on a blazing hot Arizona day like today, as well as heated seats for the outboard positions. These rear seats are a 60-40 split folding. So you get a little more flexibility for passengers versus cargo. And speaking of cargo, behind these spare seats is 22.7 cubic feet of capacity, which is about average for the class. Some have more, some have less. Now these seats do fold flat. So it is a nice easy load if you have something long and bulky. Another big plus is the available power folding buttons back there. So with quick tap of the button, it'll fold these flat. It's a little more convenient. It makes it a little easier on your life. Right off the line, this NX 350 should have plenty of power for most drivers. It get to speed pretty well. The shifts are nice and smooth. It's not exactly what I'd call inspiring, but this is a entry level luxury SUV. It's not intending to be anything sporty despite the F SPORT badge. Once you're underway well, the ride is pretty nice especially, considering that this has the F SPORT package with the sport suspension. Oh, sure. We're feeling some bumps here and there but nothing to be concerned over. It's a pleasant and comfortable ride. I am hearing a little bit more road noise and some thumps from the bumps, but really it's not that intrusive. And all you have to do is turn up the volume on the stereo a little. It should drown it out with ease. As far as handling goes, it's a little tough to tell. I'm not really able to find any high speed sweepers or tight twisties. But overall, the car feels nice and composed. As for breaking, well, it's a rather soft pedal but still instills a decent amount of confidence. As for steering, feel well. There's really nothing there and the effort is super light. I mean, I've played video games with a little more feedback than this, but it's tuned for comfort not for sport. It is accurate. I don't feel that I need to correct midway through a turn. It's nice and intuitive. Effortless to drive, which is sort of what we expect from a Lexus. When it comes to seek comfort, these are pretty good. The padding is moderately firm, but should be good for long road trips. With the F SPORT, I think you get these sportier seats. But they are crowding in my shoulder blades just a little bit. So wider drivers might feel a little bit constrained. The NX line of SUVs are the first from Lexus to include the latest infotainment system, which honestly is a huge step up from their previous iterations. But it's also a very low bar to compare it to. The trace pad that I hated so much is gone. It's replaced with this massive touchscreen. And this stock touchscreen is a few inches smaller. This is I think the 14 inch touch screen. And it gives a great view. There's not a lot of reflections. It's easy to read. But not quite as intuitive some other rival systems out there. It's really not too bad either because they've worked in quite a bit of natural speech commands. So you can say something like, hey Lexus, set my temperature to 70 degrees. AI: Setting the driver's seat temperature to 70 degrees. MARK TAKAHASHI: Now, I haven't always been a fan of voice controls primarily because it takes longer for it to execute than just reaching forward and turning the dial. Of course, there are other functions that might be deeper in the menus that are easier to use with the voice activation, but all in all, if they had a few more physical buttons for shortcuts it might make the whole system just a little easier and quicker to use. One thing I do like though is the steering wheel buttons here. One side covers audio, the other side covers some of the driver assistance features. And they're not really labeled. You just get these arrows on here, but you can change the functions with this page button below. And it switches to things like the head up display settings. Hit it again, it goes into the adaptive cruise control. That's a neat way to work in more multi-functions with the same buttons aren't a lot of other vehicles that do that besides maybe Mercedes. Like a lot of other luxury vehicles, there are plenty of driver settings. But unlike other competing systems, this NX you can actually share your driver settings with other Lexus vehicles as long as they have the same infotainment system. That means if you have multiple Lexus's in your garage, you can bounce between one or the other and still have all your settings saved as far as seats and audio and navigation and all that good stuff. OK. So I managed to abscond with an NX 350 without the F SPORT package. And my suspicions were proven correct. The ride quality in this is much softer, much more comfortable over the ruts and bumps and stuff. Because of that, handling isn't quite as tidy. It's not quite as tight and sporty. But for the average luxury SUV buyer, and especially let's say Lexus buyers, that's not a problem. They're not buying these to get handling performance or getting them for comfort and luxury. So if you are definitely biased more towards comfort, don't bother with the F SPORT package. As I said a few times during the course of this review, this NX it's a big improvement over its predecessor. It's got better performance, better interior, better tech, definitely better infotainment system. Even has more cargo space. So if you're in the market for an entry level small luxury SUV, the NX line has you covered, whether you're looking for something to stretch your dollar, give you a little more performance, or even when you want to go the hybrid route. Hopefully, we'll get one in soon to the Edmund's test center and go through its entire evaluation process to see where it lands against other SUVs in the class. Personally, as much of an improvement as it is it still doesn't really hold a candle against the Mercedes GLC or BMW X3. But I would consider this against the Volvo XC60. For more information, news, and specs on the Lexus NX, head on over to edmunds.com. To see more videos like this, hit subscribe.