2024 Lexus NX Review and Test Drive
A compact luxury SUV offering plenty of comfort, utility, and complex technology.
Beverly Braga
QuickTakes:
For an October trip to San Francisco, I had a choice of two vehicles for traversing Northern California's boondoggle of bridges and byways. One was an extra-large luxury barge complete with a cozy wool, cashmere interior. Although tempting, in a rare bout of prescient decision-making, I opted for something utterly mundane in comparison: a hybrid crossover SUV in dull gray.
After arriving in California, I realized how smart my decision was. Fuel prices at some stations exceeded $7 for premium fuel, which the luxurious boat would've chugged. Thankfully, the 2024 Lexus NX 350h hybrid I elected to drive boasted a fuel economy rating of 41 mpg in the city.
Beverly Braga
The 2024 Lexus NX Hybrid Is Priced for Practicality
Lexus redesigned the NX in 2022, and it remains much the same for 2024. It is available in four models — NX 250, NX 350, NX 350h, and NX 450h+ — each with a different powertrain. The NX 250 and NX 350 feature gasoline engines, the NX 350h has a Lexus Hybrid Drive system, and the NX 450h+ is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). All-wheel drive (AWD) is standard on all but the NX 250, which is front-wheel drive (FWD) but can be optioned with AWD.
The 2024 NX comes in base, Premium, Luxury, and F Sport Handling trim levels depending on the model. Prices span from the low $40,000s to the low $60,000s, including the destination charge to ship it to your local dealership from the Ontario, Canada factory that builds it.
For this NX review, I test-drove a 350h AWD with Luxury trim in the San Francisco Bay Area. It came with nearly a dozen add-ons, including a digital rearview mirror, power-folding heated rear seats, premium audio, an advanced safety package, 20-inch alloy wheels, and extra-cost paint. The manufacturer's suggested retail price was $56,430, including the $1,150 destination charge. Lexus provided the vehicle for this review.
Beverly Braga
Lexus Style Remains a Love-hate Relationship
There is little distinction between the NX models, at least on the surface. Much of what sets them apart is under the hood. Only the F Sport Handling trim adds notable flourishes to the exterior design, but my NX 350h displayed no such flashes of athleticism. The boldest thing about it was its massive spindle grille, a Lexus signature design characteristic. Not even my test car's dark-gray suit, which cost an extra $500 bucks, could hide that.
My test vehicle's Rioja Red leather contrasted sharply against the charcoal interior. A quick poll among friends resulted in a majority favoring the dual-tone color scheme. Rioja Red is the flashiest of the available dyes, which also include neutral shades of black, tan, and beige.
Color notwithstanding, the interior layout was simple. Some might call it clean, others will say it's plain. Either way, I liked the back-to-basics vibe. The large center display was the main event, but there were also plenty of buttons and knobs to limit interaction with the screen.
Beverly Braga
Lexus NX Interior Is Comfortable But Complicated
NuLuxe artificial leather and heated front seats are standard, but the test vehicle's Luxury packaging upgraded the NX 350h to genuine perforated leather with chevron-pattern quilting. The seats were supportive and comfortably cushioned — even in the back, where passengers suffer no shortage of amenities such as air-conditioning vents, charging ports, and available heated seats. A power moonroof is optional, but I wish it were of the panoramic variety.
Ergonomics are hit and miss, but I loved the easily accessible position of the drive mode selector on the center console. In addition, the center touchscreen was easy to reference and reach. Unfortunately, while I liked the size of the steering wheel-mounted controls, I found it easy to change a setting or menu accidentally while turning the wheel or resting my hands at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions.
My biggest gripe pertains to the NX's electronic door handles. I was so flustered by them I actually referred to the owner's manual.
From the exterior, there is no "click" sound or tactile feel when opening the door, which gives the impression that it wasn't latched, inducing mild panic. From inside, exiting a vehicle should be as easy as pulling a handle, right? The NX thinks otherwise. You could do that, but its door handle operates as either a push-in once or a pull-out twice. It's also mounted flush within a nook, so there's less of a handle to grip physically.
Lexus NX Goes Extra on Utility
The NX makes the most of its compact size. Like many modern vehicles, it has no spare tire for weight savings. While I was disappointed with that choice, finding the underfloor space converted into additional storage with cubbies of various sizes was a nice surprise.
The cargo area is a more-than-sufficient 22.7 cubic-feet behind the second-row seats. With the second-row seats folded flat, that area expands to 46.9 cu-ft. But like the door handles, Lexus had to make the fold-flat seats complicated.
In addition to in-seat latches and cargo-area quick-release buttons, you can operate the optional power rear seats via the touchscreen. Unfortunately, this party trick fails in speed, usefulness, and operation. It could be helpful when waiting for a store employee to bring your online shopping order to your car during inclement weather.
Beverly Braga
2024 Lexus NX Includes Lexus Interface Multimedia, but Features Are Pay-to-Play
The 2024 NX comes with a Lexus Interface multimedia system featuring a standard 9.8-inch touchscreen and available 14.0-inch touchscreen. Both include wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility and offer access to connected services such as a Wi-Fi hotspot and Drive Connect. Drive Connect includes a cloud-based navigation system and an Intelligent Assistant natural voice recognition system. Unfortunately, I couldn't test them because they require an active subscription to use them.
Without Drive Connect access, I relied on Apple CarPlay. Connecting my phone was easy enough — once I found out how to do it. The infotainment screen offers superb graphics and quick processing speeds, but the organization of menus and controls was confusing. For example, Lexus files the head-up display controls (HUD) under Car/Vehicle Customize rather than Settings/Display. As for phones, that was found under another Settings sub-menu.
You can pair up to five devices, but having two smartphones connected proved annoying enough. For example, whenever I restarted the NX, it was anyone's guess as to which phone CarPlay paired with. This required deep diving through the menus again to reconnect, but I left that job to my co-pilot.
When we weren't irritated by the "convenience" features, we enjoyed the 17-speaker 1,800-watt Mark Levinson surround sound stereo. If you can afford it, get it.
Beverly Braga
Lexus NX has an Abundance of Screens and Customization Options
For all its complicated gizmos, the Lexus NX keeps things graphically simple. From the infotainment screen to the HUD, colors are soft, and fonts have proportioned kerning for easy readability.
Customization is equally important. For example, you can dim the digital instrument cluster and center touchscreen brightness to darken the cabin almost completely during night drives when bright interior lights can make seeing in the dark difficult.
In contrast, the shifter's gear indicator light is a fixed blue. Unnoticeable during the day, it's reminiscent of a TV's harsh standby light at night. This was bothersome enough to warrant resting my hand on the shifter to block it.
When using the head-up display, there are three settings: Full, Standard, and Minimal. Polarized lenses won't wash out the display as long as they are a premium pair. When I wore a generic brand, the HUD information essentially disappeared.
My test vehicle also had an optional digital rearview camera. Although it offers an unobstructed view, the digital image is low resolution, has no zoom option, doesn't eliminate blind spots, and caused me trouble refocusing between the image and the real world. In addition, the digital feed is useless once the cameras get dirty due to glare or blurred images.
Beverly Braga
2024 Lexus NX Keeps You Safe in Unnerving Silence
Lexus Safety System+ 3.0 is standard on all NX models, and with the HUD, it's easy to know what safety features are turned on and in active use. For example, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) such as Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist will appear as white icons. They turn green when the ADAS actively monitors road conditions and driving inputs.
Steering Assist offered too much assistance, however. On curvy roads, I found myself fighting with the steering wheel often enough to turn the feature off. Lane-centering assist was much smoother in operation. When safe, I let the vehicle drift, and LTA recentered the NX with zero pinball-bounce effect.
The adaptive cruise control (ACC) was another story. On wide-open highways, the system worked as intended and would shut off about 15 seconds after it last sensed your hands on the wheel. Since I was in the Bay Area, freeway travel was more stop and go than full speed ahead. That seemed to make the system nervous.
The cruise control would brake late even when set to the farthest following distance, becoming a problem when entering and exiting tunnels. Suffice it to say I turned it off in these instances.
Another frustration is the lack of audible warnings. Unintentionally leave the lane? Have a vehicle in your blind spot? Took your hands off the wheel? Silence. I don't necessarily want safety nannies screaming at me, but I do want to know that they exist and are working properly.
The Lexus NX Offers Multiple Choices in Powertrains
Beverly Braga
Alt: Engine bay of a 2024 Lexus NX
The NX is offered with gasoline, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid powertrains. My NX 350h hybrid came with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine partnered with two electric motors and a continuously variable transmission (CVT). Combined, these components produce 239 horsepower when using the recommended 91-octane fuel, and Lexus says the NX hybrid boasts a zero-to-60-mph time of 7.2 seconds.
Beverly Braga
The 2024 Lexus NX Floats Like a Butterfly
Unlike its design, there is no sting to the NX hybrid performance. The cabin is quiet, and the ride is comfortable, but dynamics are non-existent. My NX 350h test vehicle featured Eco, Normal, Sport, and EV driving modes. Normal is the default, and it resets to that mode with each drive.
Eco mode prioritizes fuel economy, Normal specializes in comfort, and Sport aspires to performance. EV mode runs the NX solely on electric power, working only at low speeds to crawl silently. However, EV mode has limitations. For example, it won't activate during cold starts, in low temperatures, or on a hill.
Beverly Braga
As for the others, Sport was my favorite thanks to the heavier and slightly more accurate steering, but the changes were subtle and hardly qualified as sporty. Still, after downgrading to Normal while driving through the Santa Cruz hills, the NX immediately felt sluggish, like it was on the first day of a 30-day fitness challenge.
Regardless of the drive mode, the NX 350h wasn't a confident companion on curves or corners. Whatever the speed limit was, I felt safer going slower. The NX's 4,080-pound curb weight converted any would-be exuberant drive into a belly-heavy drag-a-thon. But as a grand tourer, the NX is a chill cruiser.
Fuel efficiency was a high point. The NX hybrid fuel economy ratings are an EPA-estimated 41/37/39 mpg in city/highway/combined driving. From the Mission District to Manteca and parts in between, I added 400 miles to the odometer, and my combined average was 37.8 mpg. That's fair, considering the elevation changes, driving conditions, and occasional lead footedness.
Beverly Braga
The Lexus NX Offers Big Comfort, Efficiency, and Utility in a Small Package
The Lexus NX ranks high on comfort but also complexity. There is no shortage of technology — from infotainment to safety to utility — but much of it is either subscription based or unnecessary. However, real-world fuel economy, smart use of space and utility, and laid-back driving manners make the NX a quality commuter crossover, which is what most buyers are looking for.
