SUV Review: 2022 Lexus NX 350 F Series

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David Booth: With so much emphasis within The Toyota Motor Corp. on hybrids and electrics, it’s easy to forget that the company remains committed to continually updating the internal combustion engine. So synonymous, in fact, is the company with hybridization that my significant other — and fellow autoscribe — Nadine Filion assumed she was driving a hybrid when she first picked up Lexus’ recently-revamped NX. 

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Only a quick run through the gears did it strike her that her assumption — cue dad jokes about making an “ass of you and me” — might have been presumptuous. For one thing, the non-electrified 2022 Lexus NX boasts a new eight-speed automatic transmission, paddle-shifting not normally part of the hybrid repertoire. Actually, in this case, crisp quick paddle-shifting since the NX’s PHEV version — the 450h+ — boasts paddles but it’s managing a slower-to-respond eCVT tranny.

Nor does it, once your right foot is firmly planted to floor, feel even remotely electrified. The instant grunt of an added electric motor, for instance, isn’t there, replaced by just a soupçon of turbo lag. That’s because this NX boasts 275 horsepower — and the substantial turbocharger that produces it — from just 2.4-litres of inline four. That may not make the 350 the most potent engine in the NX lineup — the aforementioned 450h+ model claims 304 ponies — but it is the sportiest. A little loud, eager to rev and more than a little rambunctious, the NX 350 is the one SUV in Lexus’ lineup that truly qualifies as a “driver’s car.” Quite how She-Who-Is-Always-Right mistook it for a hybrid is beyond me.

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Nadine Filion: In fact, you can make even more fun of me, Mister Big (Motor) Mouth, since when I realized that I was indeed driving a “regular” NX, I thought this new four-cylinder turbo sounded a little like, well, a diesel. Yeah, something coming from an era that does no longer exist, thank you, Volkswagen. Honestly, when pushing the NX 350 in its Sport or Sport+ mode, there was that familiar oil-burner clic-a-clic and a surprising deep groan that doesn’t feel like a normal gas engine, much less a Lexus four-cylinder.

But hybrid or not — and F series or not — I love this NX. Much more than I expected. Indeed, from the moment I sat behind its steering wheel, I felt cocooned in a sporty surrounding; the driver is obviously the focus of the cabin design. Although it’s essentially a dressed-up Toyota RAV4 with exactly the same wheelbase (2,690 millimetres) and more or less the same length and width, the NX’s silhouette has a notably lower height (73 mm) and a more down-to-earth ground clearance (196 mm versus 211 mm for the RAV4), for a slightly lower centre of gravity. Did you know that NX is the abbreviation for Nimble Crossover? Well, this vehicle is aptly named.

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DB: Diesel: Hybrid. Potato: Potahto. You’re right though, it does sound a little clattery, at least on startup. It was just starting to get chilly in Toronto when we drove the NX and, to be sure, there was a diesel-like valve-clatter when the 2.4L woke up in the morning. Oh, as soon as it reached full operating temperature, you had its full attention. But, at the first turn of the key, it really did sound like it needed a bit of a caffeine boost.

Nonetheless, once fully awake, the NX was a lot of fun to drive. Thanks to an improve torsional rigidity, there’s a tightness to the steering no other Lexus sport cute offers. The damping is firmish and, with the low(ish) profile Bridgestone Alenza P235/50R20 20-inch tires, body roll well contained. If you’re looking for a little fun-to-drive to go along with all that ‘tedious’ dependability, this is the NX model for you. 

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NF: Now that you’ve made your fun of me, let me show you what you missed while testing (for 10 days, quand même!) this second-generation of NX. I saw you were fussing with those door handles, inside as well as outside. Well, that’s because they are equipped with an all-new “Digital Latch” system. Not only does it make the opening smooth and effortless, but paired with the Safe Exit Assist that scan the surroundings, it alerts you if you to the potential of accidentally “dooring” a vehicle or a bicycle approaching from a blind spot. 

I also saw you fidgeting with the steering wheel controls. And honestly, they can be something to sort out… until one checks in the head-up display, at the bottom of the windshield. Did you notice that this head-up display, with its 10-inch display, was one of the biggest we’ve seen so far? Not only does it display, comme toujours, key driving information like speed and direction, etc., but it also duplicates the functions on the steering wheel, right up there on the road where your eyes should be. Brilliant.

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In this NX, there was a lot of stuff that, at first, might go unnoticed. But if you take a moment to go look around, you’ll notice a huge secret storage space hidden under the fold-away wireless-charging pad. Very convenient.

I’m sure if you would have taken the time to consult the owner manual, you would have discovered how the new digital mirror works, transforming the common glass rétroviseur into a full-screen digital image of the obstacles behind the vehicle, all without obstructions. Or the Digital Key that enables you to remotely lock or unlock the doors (and to start or stop the engine) from your phone. You would have also discovered, had you delved just a little beneath the surface that, if you’re into some Turo peer-to-peer car rental jive, you can share that digital key with up to seven “guests.”

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DB: OK, mea culpa. As usual, you’re right. I didn’t pay attention in class. I’ll write “Don’t ignore the head-up display” 100 times on the blackboard, even if, like most people, I never turn the damned things on. I’m still wrong though. 

I’m not incorrect, however, when I note that the Lexus’ infotainment system, despite having a fairly ginormous screen — the optional 14.0-inch screen display dominates any dashboard, more so for a smallish sport cute — and its graphics more pleasing than avatars past. Individual apps are also well choreographed and gloriously absent of deep-dive submenus. I still find managing all the functions from the homepage a little wonky mainly, because, well, there’s no home page, just some little column of functions listed on the left. On the other hand, if you want a now traditional tile-based selection of apps, you can always just use CarPlay (or, Android Auto if you must). Otherwise though, the NX’s cabin is as appealing as we’ve seen yet on a small Lexus, spacious and well-manicured with a touch of European elegance.

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And oh, by the way smarty pants, that Digital Key you mentioned is connected to the Cloud so that all your settings for this vehicle are stored forever. They can also be used to immediately perk up another Lexus Interface.

NF: I didn’t mention this last bit of info you’re bringing up because I wanted to focus, as you always instruct me, on the most important stuff. The NX’s cabin has, believe it or not, one of the most comfortable rear seats I have tried for quite a while. Yes, I’m talking about a compact (luxury) vehicle, one with a trendy sloping roof, no less. Headroom and legroom are commodious, if not quite prodigious, but the seats are so well padded and contoured, offering the comfort we usually find only in front seats, not on a rear bench.

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Now, let’s go back to your point about the Lexus Interface, to name this all-new infotainment system by its real designation, and let me say that I totally agree with you (hé oui!): It’s easy to look at, but not so easy to tame. I would even add that the heating system was not responding readily to my wishes, although I suspect this problem may have more to do with perhaps some incipient menopause than with the interface’s command structure.

Another point I would like to go back to: you started this review mentioning Toyota’s continually updating of the internal combustion engine, as well as its emphasis on hybrids. True to be told, I’m not impressed by the average fuel economy of 9.8 L/100 km the new four-cylinder turbo gave me while cruising the monotonous Highway 401, between Montreal and Toronto. 

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What impresses me, though, and not in the way you think, is the price tag. We just got the pricing list for 2023. And starting at $55,400, the NX 350 is roughly $5,000 more than for the NX 350 Hybrid, which is shy 35 ponies, but has an estimated combined fuel consumption almost one-third less than the regular NX (6.0 L/100 km versus 9.5 L/100 km).

Even more, this “regular” NX 350 can reach $65,000 if, as with our tested-version, it’s loaded with the ultimate F Sport Series 3 package and its active suspension. Now, do you know how much the plug-in NX 450h+ PHEV version — with 304-hp and 60 km of electric range — starts at? $59,950. If you insist, you can also equip it with the sporty F Sport #3 package. But that’ll set you back a healthy $76,350.

Nonetheless, that rechargeable version — built in Cambridge, Ontario, by the way —  would be my first choice amongst NXs, boasting both superior power and fuel economy. Argue with that why don’t you.

DB: A smart man learns when — and, more importantly, when not — to argue with his significant other. This time certainly fit into latter, not the former, category. And I do love me a plug-in hybrid. So, Cher Nadine, I’ll agree with you that the 450h+ is the ultimate NX. But I do like the NX 350. It’s the sportiest Lexus sport cute in quite some time.