Yahoo Autos 2023 Lexus NX 350 F Sport Review: A Stylish and Comfy Crossover That’s a Bit Too Small
Compact premium crossovers are among the most popular vehicle types in the United States, which makes the segment one of the most hotly contested in the industry. Pretty much every luxury brand has a dog in this race and they all start off with relatively similar bases: a compact-but-not-too-compact chassis, transverse turbocharged four-cylinder engines, and Haldex-based all-wheel-drive systems. So how can the new 2023 Lexus NX 350 F Sport stand out from the crowd? And who is it for?
The Lexus NX is based on the same chassis as the Toyota RAV4 and Venza, so it has decent bones. Lexus then takes that base, gives it sharp, eye-catching styling, a slick-looking interior, all-new technology, and a much more comfortable ride.
During my week with the NX 350 F Sport, I took my family on a couple of long hauls and used it as a daily runabout to see if its style, tech, and comfort could overcome its lack of space and relatively demure driving demeanor.
2023 Lexus NX 350 F Sport Specs | |
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The Basics
The NX is the Lexus’ second smallest crossover, larger only than the UX Hybrid. It’s also currently one of Lexus’ newest crossovers and packs the brand’s latest technology and interior design. Lexus is beginning a new interior design language and the NX is the first car to bring it to the forefront.
There's a new touchscreen infotainment system that replaces the old trackpad setup, and it’s a massive leap forward. The old trackpad system was almost painful to use, but this new system is one of the better touchscreens I’ve used. Everything is laid out well, you don’t have to dig through several submenus to find most functions, and the climate bar at the bottom is fixed. Crucially, all of the climate buttons remain easy to use while driving.
As for the rest of its Circuit Red interior, the NX 350 is typical Lexus, which is a good thing. The design is sporty and interesting, every material is top-notch, and the build quality feels sturdy enough to withstand a drone strike. For years, Lexus’ pretty, comfortable interiors were pockmarked by a horrendous infotainment system but, since Lexus fixed that in the NX, the rest of its interior can be better appreciated.
Rolling around the neighborhood in the NX 350 F Sport is bound to turn heads. The NX keeps Lexus’ signature Spindle Grille, but it’s one of the cleaner uses of it yet. Its headlights are simple, with jewel-like LEDs, and its taillights are connected with a lightbar that spans the width of the tailgate. For a car based on the RAV4, the Lexus NX is sharp and expensive looking, especially in my test car’s Ultrasonic Blue Mica 2.0 paint.
The NX is available with a handful of powertrains: an unassisted 2.5-liter in the base 250, a hybrid version of that in the 350h, or a plug-in hybrid system with the 450h+. For this non-hybrid 350 model, however, Lexus borrowed Toyota’s new 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine from the refreshed Highlander making 275 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque. The punchy four-pot pairs with an eight-speed automatic and drives all four wheels.
Driving the Lexus NX 350 F Sport
Lexus claims zero to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds, which is quick enough, but the engine never felt particularly interested in achieving that. It’s coarse and grumbly, as it is in the Highlander, and never wants to work hard. There are no complaints with the eight-speed auto, though, which seamlessly swaps cogs.
My test car also had the Handling Package, which means it rode on adaptive dampers, sat our butts in sport seats, and wore 20-inch gloss black wheels. As far as I can tell though, the “Handling Package” is a bit of a misnomer. The NX 350 F Sport Handling is neither sporty feeling, nor does it handle especially well. Its steering is actually nicely weighted, but that unfortunately doesn’t translate to sharp front-end response, and its suspension is too soft and allows too much roll. I wasn’t able to find the limits of grip because nausea would set in from all the body roll well before the NX got to that point.
The flip side of this lack of sportiness is superior ride comfort. The NX 350 F Sport Handling is more of a comfy daily driver than a sports crossover despite its big wheels, short wheelbase, sporty looks, sporty name, and supposedly sporty suspension. It’s soft enough to handle big bumps with ease but still composed enough to eliminate any secondary vertical motion or nervousness. It’s quiet inside, too, so highway cruising is a breeze.
