2022 Wheels Car of the Year contender: Lexus NX350

Lexus’s original NX may have become the brand’s best-selling model, yet the mid-sized luxury SUV disappointed in key areas including ride quality and refinement.

This presented plenty of opportunity for its successor to spring positive surprises at Car of the Year, with expectations raised by a new platform shared with the excellent Toyota RAV4.

The first surprise was the variant provided by Lexus. With the timing of the NX’s local launch – just a week before our test program – necessitating a wildcard entry, the model put forward was an NX350 rather than the anticipated NX350h hybrid that is expected to be the most popular with buyers. (Or perhaps, plucked from the top of the range, Lexus’s first-ever plug-in hybrid, the NX450h+.)

42

The NX350 F Sport wasn’t without its own intrigue, however, featuring a new 2.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine, adaptive suspension, and the same, all-new 14-inch infotainment display offered in NX350h Sports Luxury models and the NX450h+.

Lexus rarely fails the value test and the NX doesn’t deviate from that norm – even with the $77,900 NX350 F Sport that’s priced well above the $60,800 base NX250.

Well-equipped from the off, the NX range gives its 350 F Sport plenty of extras that include 20-inch wheels, drive modes, tri-beam LED headlights, colour head-up display, ventilated front seats, and panoramic view monitor.

42

Ticking off the Safety criterion in the process, NX driver-assist systems are bolstered by the arrival of Intersection Turn Assist, Emergency Steering Assist, and Safe Exit Assist that combines blind-spot sensors and electronically controlled door latching to prevent untimely openings when parked.

“Much improved, yet still stumbles in a few unexpected areas” – Dylan Campbell

Technological newbies include a digital rear-view mirror as part of an Enhancement 2 Package, though the judges were most curious to explore Lexus’s response to long-standing criticism of ergonomically flawed infotainment systems.

As part of the NX’s driver-oriented ‘Tazuna Cockpit’ concept, a touchscreen display is 9.8 inches in lower-spec models or a sizeable 14 inches higher up. There’s no doubt the larger display looks more naturally integrated and limits the amount of shiny black plastic for the surround, and it commendably retains physical temp/fan dials.

42

Subtle it is not, though there was agreement that the touchscreen approach was an improvement over Lexus’s fiddly trackpad-style Remote Touch system.

The judges just wished the interface had made a similarly big jump, with sentiments summed up by Dan: “The multimedia system didn’t get the badly needed overhaul.”

There was also little love for the 8.0-inch digital driver display, which lacks the sophisticated presentation found elsewhere in the segment – some sub-$60K mainstream SUVs included.

42

F Sport seats garnered plenty of praise, but the cabin’s overall luxury execution wasn’t considered an unqualified success. While nice finishes, quality materials and tactile switchgear were evident, so too were hard plastics more conspicuous than ideal in a segment containing impeccably presented rivals such as the Audi Q5 and the 2018 COTY-winning Volvo XC60.

Expectations that the second-generation NX would be better to drive than its predecessor were realised at the proving ground, with the NX350 F Sport showcasing sharp-ish steering and disciplined body control. This was ably supported by the strong turbo engine and plenty of traction from the
all-wheel drive system.

Refinement wasn’t a stand-out, however, with noticeable wind and tyre noise on the Highway Circuit. Curt cut to the chase in the final discussions, stating simply that the NX “doesn’t really benchmark anything anywhere”.