2022 Lexus NX Review _ All-Out on Updates.

The Lexus NX is the luxury automaker's answer to the Toyota RAV4, which is the best-selling non-truck passenger vehicle in the United States. Larger than the UX, but smaller than the RX, the NX falls right into that super, super popular compact crossover segment. It's been on the market since 2015 and was starting to look just a little bit outdated, until now. The new generation of the Lexus NX is here, and it's got more than just a makeover for 2022, bringing the Substance along with this new style. It's got new variants, new powertrains, an all-new multimedia system, new driving dynamics, and a couple of Lexus firsts. So today, we're getting a taste with the Lexus NX 350 F-Sport. We're also finding out how many times I can say new in 10 minutes. Stick around as we investigate, but first, please subscribe to the channel. And quick reminder, you can now sell your car 100% online with CarGurus. Just plug in a few details and let us do the legwork of sourcing an offer, picking up your vehicle, and getting you paid. My very first impression of this was that it's red. For some reason, that just really jumped out at me. This color is called Red Line, and although it does sound performance-oriented, it is not exclusive to the F-Sport trim, although some of the other colors are. You could get it on the new base model, the NX 250, if you wanted to. Because this is the F-Sport, we have these 20-inch gloss black wheels and a unique black mesh grille with a sort of horizontally-oriented honeycomb pattern inside of it. The spindle grille was updated across the lineup, and models without the F-Sport designation get a little bit more of silver coloring in here, and the pattern inside the grille framework flows more vertically. We've got some more substantial changes around back, like this taillight bar extending all the way across the rear end—very trendy—and this lettering that has replaced the Lexus logo badge. Spelling out the brand name does seem to be the modern luxury direction, and we are going to see it on all Lexus models soon. The interior on this new NX is also red. This circuit-red upholstery is exclusive to the F-Sport models. Now I'm not saying that red on red is bad, and I'm not saying it's good, but I am saying that it's a choice with a capital C. So why don't you tell us, what do you think of this color combo? The F-Sport seats have extra bolstering because they're sporty. They're pretty comfy, and they are 10-way power adjustable for the driver, 8-way for the passenger. Heated front seats are standard across the NX lineup, and adding the Premium Package will make those seats ventilated as well. Dual-zone climate control is standard, and it's one of the few basic functions that we do have physical controls for. I wish that we also had physical buttons for the seat heating and cooling functions because those are just the first things that I go for normally when I get in a car during Boston winters or heat waves, pretty much every time that I get in the car. The controls have this nice premium feel. They kind of give a little bit of resistance, which makes them feel nice and substantial, and I want to call out the key fob because I really like that it has a little heft to it. There's nothing like a $70,000 car with a key that feels like it came in a plastic bubble from a 50-cent vending machine at the grocery store. Headroom is fine for me, but it would be a little tight for most. Granted, we'd have a little bit more room without this moonroof, which is part of the Premium Package, but with the shade closed, the darkness actually makes the space feel more confined, so I'll sacrifice that extra inch of the fact that we can open it up and just have the sense of brightness in here. We have one USB-A and one USB-C port in front and two USB-C ports for the rear seat occupants. Legroom is surprisingly good back here, and then behind these rear seats, we have 22.7 cubic feet of cargo space. That's a 14% improvement over the 2021 NX, but still noticeably smaller than competitors like the Acura RDX, BMW X3, and Lincoln Corsair. With the seats folded down, you have 46.9 cubic feet of space. Arguably the biggest NX news for 2022 has to do with powertrains, where once there were two, now there are four. The new 2.5-liter naturally aspirated 4-cylinder powers the base NX 250 and makes 203 horsepower. The 2.4-liter turbo four that we get in the NX 350 makes 275 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque, and then there are your two electrified options. The NX lineup has always included a hybrid offering, but with this new generation for 2022, we're also getting a plug-in hybrid. It's actually the first one that Lexus has ever made, so if you don't want to rely solely on gas power, you can opt for either the hybrid NX 350h, which makes 240 total system horsepower, or the plug-in hybrid NX 450h Plus, which makes 304, making it the most powerful NX of 2022. The two gas models get an 8-speed automatic transmission, and the two electrified models get an eCVT. Lexus is making a real push to standardize the driving experience across the lineup, and the new NX is one of the first to get that treatment, so I'm looking at it as a harbinger of things to come. Now remember that on this NX 350, we've got the F-Sport trim, which is also available on the plug-in hybrid 450h Plus. Part of the deal with F-Sport is that it firms up the suspension, and yet the ride in this crossover is far from stiff. It definitely feels like comfort was the priority, perhaps at the expense of groundedness. If you go over a rough patch of road, there's no jolting, but there is a lot of residual movement. It's a little bit like if you're lying on a waterbed and then someone else hops on. It just kind of wallows a little bit. Body motion over bumps notwithstanding, the handling is pretty good. The steering is nice and direct, and the throttle is about as responsive as you would expect it to be, more so in Sport S mode. Because this is F-Sport, we also get a Sport S Plus mode, which affects steering and suspension in addition to torque, and then we have Eco, Normal, and Custom modes. With its more powerful engine, the new NX will do 0-to-60 in 6.6 seconds. The EPA estimates that it'll get 25 miles per gallon, and it does require premium fuel, but it's a premium crossover. The braking feels good, and the brakes are nice and linear. It is a little bit noisier in here than I would have expected, especially given Lexus's reputation for quiet cabins. The other big news for the new NX is the new multimedia system. It's called Lexus Interface, it's brand new, it was developed here in the U.S., and the NX is the very first model to get it. Lexus says that they really focused on making infotainment faster and more convenient to use, and I think it's working. This was the fastest Bluetooth pairing experience I've ever had. We have the 14-inch touchscreen as part of the luxury package. A 9.8-inch touchscreen is standard, but the key takeaway here is the word touchscreen. The touchpad that everyone loved to hate is gone. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, as is Voice Assistant, which applies natural language processing principles to try and make it more intuitive to use. I think Lexus is hoping that if voice command works well enough, you'll default to that and only resort to the touchscreen when you really need to. The wireless charger is optional, and so is the head-up display. If you have it, the head-up display will show a diagram of these four buttons on the steering wheel as you're using them, which is pretty cool because you can actually customize the button's functions in the settings, so it's a nice reminder. A 17-speaker Mark Levinson sound system is available with the Premium and Luxury packages. It's a $1,020 option, and I can't tell you exactly how it compares to the standard 10-speaker sound system, but I can tell you that it's not mind-blowing. Not only is the NX the very first vehicle to get the Lexus interface, it's also the first to get Lexus Safety System Plus 3.0. That includes all of the driver assistance features that you would expect in a luxury family vehicle, like automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and lane-keeping assist, but Lexus have really amped it up by adding some more advanced safety features like curve speed management and oncoming vehicle and pedestrian detection systems. There is a small handful of additional optional safety features that you can add if you like, but most people are going to be more than satisfied with what comes standard. Adding the 250 with front-wheel drive to the lineup lets Lexus keep the NX's starting price just under $40,000 for 2022. The NX 350 starts at $43,025, and ours, as tested, tops out at $55,325, which does include the $1,075 destination fee and the many options that I've mentioned. It's possible to spend even more on a 2022 Lexus NX, as the plug-in hybrid starts at $57,225. If you're a Lexus brand loyalist or if you're a Toyota fan who's looking to move up, you may very well end your search here. With the NX, you've got four great powertrain options, you've got a fantastic new infotainment system, and you have tons of safety tech. If you're not so committed to a manufacturer, you have a few more options to consider. The Acura RDX and Infiniti QX50 are priced very comparably. European rivals like the BMW X3, Volvo XC60, and Mercedes GLC-Class are a little pricier even without all-wheel drive, but the Audi Q5 starts at $43,300 and has all-wheel drive standard. As is the case with any super-competitive segment, the choice is ultimately going to come down to a question of your particular priorities. If you really need a lot of cargo space or if you really care about the sound system or about having a truly invigorating driving experience, you might want to also check out some of the alternatives. The CarGurus team has reviewed just about all of them, so this channel is going to make a great resource for you. Please subscribe. And if you want more information on the 2022 Lexus NX, head over to CarGurus.com to read our full written review, and check back soon because we'll be driving something else next week.