The most fun compact luxury SUV might be something along the lines of the Alfa Romeo Stelvio or Porsche Macan, while the most well-rounded might be the X3, but the best seller? None of those, instead it’s the Lexus NX. If you want something reliable, comfortable, insanely efficient, and now, thanks to the PHEV system, more fun than you might expect, give the NX a try. Also, it has a big screen in the dash, if you like that sort of thing….
Here’s why we don’t talk about reliability much: https://youtu.be/WicesuUvTXo
And resale value? Same thing: https://youtu.be/635cX7A3E_Y
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0:00 – Introduction
0:52 – Styling
2:05 – How big is it?
3:43 – Engines and transmissions
5:25 – Seat comfort
7:18 – Cargo area
8:38 – Interior
14:34 – 0-60, braking, handling
23:12 – Pricing & comparisons
28:40 – Conclusion
I am so glad I purchased the Mazda 30-CX S. It bouces the same at more than half the price. The side view looks identical. The grill on the Mazda looks much better. The dashboard on this Lexus is hideous. Guages always look better!
Made in J as well. No tax break on 2026 return. 3 to 6 months ago, buyers stopped buying the 450h+ around PNW but the 350h you had to wait for while when got ours it was a canceled order but there were at least 10 450h+ on the lot.
You can get the 450h+ with 18" rims and to me it handles better than the 20s – I have both versions as loaners from our local Lexus.
In Europe and Australia, the BMW, Benz and Ford/GM folks always run the hybrid batteries down to get a slower 0 to 60. My NX is quicker than I'd imagined. My UX 300h F Sport is quicker than they think and at least 1 second quicker with batteries at least half charged. 60 to 90 is quicker than almost all of the competition. They're gutless. It go through a particular mountain canyon on occasion on my return commute and it can handle better than my 8th generation Civic. I think the torque is better than all of the hybrids of that size.
I have a 450h from 2023. Drive train is great but seats and overall seating position is an issue. Very uncomfortable compared to Europeans. This will be for me the deal breaker if not drastically improved with new model.
It's oddly ugly.
I’ve been buying cars under invoice prices. I am not used to buying car over MSRP with markups which is ridiculous. I would like to know what lower demand cars with great deal.
Alex, have you heard any rumblings from Lexus in regard to an RX550H+ later this year?
I own a 2009 Lexus RX with over 210k km and it is still running smoothly. I can see myself driving that car for many more years. My next year will likely a Lexus, Toyota or Acura. If I need a car now, I would either get a 2022 RX, 2021 NX or 2025 RAV4. I want V6, not V4 Turbo. The last year of the generation is usually the best. The first year is usually the worst. Lexus, please bring back the legendary V6.
My wife test drove the NX hybrid and PHEV models and ended up with an Ionic 5.
Lexus and Toyota are clowning the consumers. $70k for an NX is insane!
This sounds good on paper if you are in a market that doesn't include Chinese E-Rev cars that can get well over 100 miles per gallon and offer premium interiors for much less than the $70k Lexus wants for this. The only market where the Chinese are not in is the US market. I would wait for the redesign instead of paying a premium for what will be outdated in a year.
$70k for a NX is INSANE
The battery in the cargo area with no place to store a spare is a very bad design. Deal breaker… Run flat tires are terrible. Noisy, bumpy ride, $400/tire, impossible to find outside of a city, not repairable after putting 50 kms on the flat. (Cracked on inside) What a Stupid thing to put on a vehicle or to give a customer. 2027 Lexus will have to do a redesign to get rid of this huge problem.
This design language is weird.
As much as I admire their hybrid philosophy, I couldn’t stand seeing this vehicle everyday in my garage.
If my memory serves me right the exterior handle also has a mechanical override, there should be a lever integrated in the handle under the touch sensor.
That better than EPA performance I think is at least partially due to the the plug in's much larger battery. I've had several Toyota hybrids and living in mountainous terrain. I'm always maxing out the battery on the long downgrades. The bigger plug-in battery, has much more headroom for more regeneration storage and that would definitely help with the fuel consumption.
$67k for what is really a sub-compact SUV? WTF, I thought only Porsche did stupid expensive and stupid small together? This is Macan-ish, without that verve, but more reliability. Right now, HARD pass on all Lexus "SUVs" since none are practical and too expensive mixed with very small (in each segment).
Brace yourself for that insurance quote
Most stolen and most shipped overseas
I have a 2020 Corsair 2.3t and for the car size it surprisingly has more headroom than everything on that chart besides the GLC and GV70 at 38.7 and combined legroom at 81.8 inches. And cargo space it beats out the Lexus in both cargo capacity specs. Sad the Corsair is being cancelled and it is the cheapest starting in the class at $39k
The NX 250 was discontinued for 2026. Was under powered and not worth the money.
Hi
Alex u'v been missed
I have owned my nx350H for 6 months. Executive trim. I can tell you this is a noisy car! It's sold and promoted as "quiet" because its a hybrid, but the sound dampening is poor, and this is very noticeable on the highway, regardless of what tires you have. This is not luxury. For city driving, its fine. But higher speeds produce considerable road and wind noise. The engine sounds awful when you accelerate. This is the truth!
Nice but it looks like a melted jelly bean.
the reason the gas only one exist is due to the demographic and brand image. Too many people would just look at it and say "they put an electric motor in my lexus, they ruined the car" and it would just get negative press. My college professor (in electrical engineering mind you) will only drive a toyota corolla non hybrid. I asked him about why he specified the non hybrid and he said the hybrid is just more shit to break. Thats the buyer they do not want to alienate quite yet, which is why only a few models have gone full hybrid, being the camry, rav4 and ES (granted the ES is chasing BYD more than anything else).
Also I think its fair you should be mentioning the cost of driving assistant systems that are not included in the vehicle (aka have a subscription) because the lexus subscription package is one of the most expensive in the industry, which makes their lower prices less appealing
Wonder who is paying Alex for these “reviews”?
This review is a tad dishonest. He removes Lexus products from the class categories and bumps them up into the higher class. This disguises the fact Lexus products are 25% more expensive than their peers.
$70,000 for a fancy rav4? That is lunacy!
Where are US Lexus NX made?
Nothing luxurious about Lexus. Cheap rebadge but people will buy because Toyota. Just get a RAV4
My wife and I recently test drove an NX 350h and were quite disappointed. The interior didn’t feel as premium as we expected, and the plastics creaked during the test drive. We actually ended up in a Crown Signia. Better price, all physical buttons for climate and heated/cooled seats, and honestly felt more premium to us in terms of interior design.