It took Lexus a while to enter the compact suv segment and with the perennial best selling luxury car RX in the stable it was somewhat understandable. But as vehicle generations get bigger and pricier, it was obvious that Lexus had some space to fill in underneath. In came the NX, based on corporate cousin platform mate to the Toyota RAV4. While the RAV4 moved to the a new platform for the 2019 model year, the NX was stuck on the old bones until 2022 and that outgoing NX felt every bit its age. Not great for customers spending $50K+ and an odd neglect of the brand’s second best seller…
Well, the NX is finally modern and up to date. Where the old model felt was lacking in overall rigidity and power, the NX350h is now serene, comfortable and quiet. All things you’ve come to expect in a Lexus. The drive and ride quality all exhibit a level of polish that was never really present in the prior generation. Benefits of the much improved cabin structure and added power and refinement.
The NX lineup is a bit of an odd bunch. Where the first generation had a turbo 4-cylinder standard, which is typical for the luxury segment, the second generation offers the same base RAV4 engine, a naturally aspirated 4-cylinder with 203 horsepower, along with a turbo 4-cylinder, the hybrid we tested and a plug-in hybrid variant up top. Are all those really necessary? I’d argue the as a luxury brand they should do away with that base engine.
While the exterior design is a bit more evolutionary, it took me a while to discern the new ones from the old ones, particularly in the side profile, the interior is a huge step forward in terms of technology with the updated multimedia system and nice screens (standard 9.8″ or available 14″) that balance persistent access to climate controls. I found some of the menu structures and access to things like drive modes a bit difficult, but maybe Lexus will have some updates in the pipeline via the oh so trendy over the air updates.
Speaking of trendy, our Luxury trim tester came with all the bells and/or whistles, ok neither actual bells nor whistles, but plenty of other gear! The first gen NX had available power folding 2nd row seats and that’s still the case here. I think it’s a bit overkill in something this small but I guess it’s a nice to have, similar with the digital rearview mirror, something I really like and value in long 3-row type vehicles but it’s present here as well.
Powertrain also benefits from the latest advancements to be significantly more powerful, now 240 horsepower vs 194, and more efficient, we saw 38 miles per gallon vs 31 in the old model. Lexus does still employ their eCVT transmissions with most of their hybrids, not the most engaging and still gets a bit of the rubber band and engine spin up on acceleration but it’s a bit more muted here than in the RAV4.
And therein lies part of the NX’s rub, the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. A fully loaded example comes in just under $44,000 or about $11,000 less than our slanted L tester. Is there enough interior refinement to warrant the premium? On one hand, you get the nicely connected Lexus infotainment system with wireless phone mirroring support, but so does the RAV4 now, with a slightly smaller max screen size. Same for tech pieces like the digital rearview mirror or the panoramic moonroof or luxuries like the heated rear seats and a heated steering wheel. The NX350h does have the aforementioned 240 horsepower whereas the RAV4 Hybrid makes do with just 219 so Lexus buyers can boast about that, and the electrically actuated door handles I guess.
Where the NX350h gets even more additional intracompany competition may be the new Toyota Crown Signia, which itself replaces the second coming (second going might be a more apt description now) of the Venza. The Crown Signia shares the 240 horsepower hybrid system and presents as a premium experience in design and half a size up than the NX and RAV4 cousins, and is actually a hair longer than the Lexus RX. Crown Signia’s price also undercuts the NXh by a good margin. So far in 2024 though, NX hybrid sales are up nearly 60% so the market is definitely responding to having new product and good hybrids.
So, are Lexus shoppers really cross shopping into the Toyota showroom? Maybe not. As it stands, Lexus still stands somewhat alone in terms of offering a “regular” hybrid within the compact luxury SUV segment. The Europeans and Lincoln have moved to offer plug in hybrid variants (which the NX does too!) and Genesis offers up full electric versions of its GV70 competitor (Lexus makes you take a RZ for that power route).
Lexus also doesn’t offer up the hotted up version of the NX yet. I guess that would be an F SPORT Performance these days since they’ve all but walked away from the full fledged F lineup. These days the Lexus lineup seems a bit too close to its mainstream brethren, would love to see them start to re-establish themselves and make something that shakes up the industry again like the first-generation RX did.
