2024 Lexus NX: High On Luxury, Low On Adrenaline

The 2024 Lexus NX is not the star kid of Lexus by any chance. However, it does have something for every prospective buyer. 

The Lexus NX shares its platform with the RAV4, making a place for itself between the smaller Lexus UX and the bigger RX. Today, I’ll be reviewing the 2024 Lexus 350, which is the most popular powertrain choice in the F Sport guise, to see if it is a better choice than its German rivals like the Audi Q3, BMW X1, and Mercedes-Benz GLA Class. The 2024 Lexus NX 350 F Sport starts at $49,465. Is it worth the price tag? Let’s find out.

Aggressive And Sporty Aesthetics 

The exterior design is very much a signature Lexus. You have all the expected elements here with the NX, and of course, this is a pretty new model, so it looks quite fresh and up-to-date. The spindle grille is more prominent than the newer versions of the Lexus RX and Lexus TX models.

The F Sport adorns a more aggressive styling than other trims

Being the F Sport model, there’s a large black spindle grille here with this mesh inside, which is also going to give you some really aggressive-looking elements. You're going to have standard LED headlights. 

We have the optional triple beam LED headlights, and of course you've got your signature arrowhead daytime running light and LED turn signal indicator. Also, there are headlamp washers, and then down below, we have LED fog lamps. 

Talking about the rear design, the NX is actually one of the first Lexus products to kind of set the standard for their new design language.

Talking about tail lights, we have an LED brake light portion, an LED reverse light, and an LED amber turn signal indicator, which is kind of cool. Also, the connecting bar design looks pretty modern. 

Now, dropping down, we do have some matte black plastic on the bumper, and we also have a very aggressive diffuser design. You do have standard 18-inch alloy wheels, and 20-inch options are available. The NX 350 F Sport gets 20-inch alloys in a gloss black finish as standard. 

The blacked-out mirrors here on the F Sport have power folding, auto dimming, blind spot monitoring, and heating as well. The blacked-out roof rails and blacked-out window surrounds look sporty as well. 

Sumptuous Interior

Getting inside is easy with the standard smart entry, and there is an optional digital key as well. My test example came with the black Lux leatherette upholstery. As far as your color choices on the F Sport, you can also get circuit red, which is a very vivid red.

The Seats Do Get The F Sport Treatment

The seats themselves are special sport seats on the F Sport, so as you can see, there are really thick bolsters that hold you in place super well, and these are very comfortable seats.

The front seats are eight-way power adjustable with two-way lumbar support, and you do have available memory settings as well. Being a Lexus, the material quality is top-notch.

Even the door trim gets nice leather material over the armrest and the central section. The F-Sport door trim features a special aluminum section. The upper dash is all going to be soft-touch plastic. For 2024, the glove box cover and armrests will match the upholstery color. 

Every NX gets a partially digital-gauge cluster. The 7-inch gauge cluster doesn't have a ton of functionality, and that's because most of the models are going to come with a head-up display.

It’s an excellent head-up display. You basically have a ton of functionality. The steering wheel gets the latest Lexus design. It does have dedicated f-sport branding and is power-adjustable. 

For storage, there’s a big center console. It’s wide and deep for your storage needs. Also, there are two cup holders, and you have a little storage shelf right here—a nice storage area with an optional wireless phone charging pad.

The NX 350 F Sport gets a 10-speaker audio system as standard. However, there’s an available Mark Levinson 17-speaker sound system as well. Obviously, it sounds much better than the standard one.

In the infotainment system, there’s a 9.8-inch display as opposed to the 14-inch display, which is optional. It is found as standard on the latest Lexus models, but not on the NX.

However, the one in NX runs on the Lexus interface software and supports wireless Android Auto and wireless Apple CarPlay. However, there’s no integrated navigation system. 

You need to pay extra for the sunroof

For a more airy cabin, there’s an available sunroof for $1,100. However, if you want the bigger panoramic sunroof, then it costs about $1,600.

The rear seats are good but not the best in segment

Talking about the rear seats, there’s 36.1 inches of legroom and 38.5 inches of headroom. So, it's a little bit smaller than some of its main rivals, like the Acura RDX. Overall, the rear seats are pretty comfortable, and they even recline to a certain extent for more comfort.

 Even the cargo space falls short of the competition 

On the NX, we do have a standard power-opening tailgate, while the hands-free one is available with the Luxury Package. So, there’s about 23 cubic feet of space behind the second row of seats.

If we fold those down, we're going to be sitting in about 47 cubic feet of space, which is less than the Audi Q5 and less than the Acura RDX.

2024 Lexus NX 350 F Sport Make Do With A Single Engine 

The 2024 Lexus NX 350 F Sport gets a 2.4-liter turbocharged engine. It makes 275 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque. The power is sent to all four wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission.

German rivals are quicker

With a 0–60 time of just 6.6 seconds, the Lexus NX 350 is pretty quick for this segment of vehicles. However, some of the German rivals are quicker, but not by a large margin. So you won’t lose much on performance with the NX. 

Lexus’s small luxury SUV can tow as well

Despite its luxury heritage, the Lexus NX 350 can tow up to 2,000 pounds with proper equipment. Normally, luxury vehicles are not meant for towing, but this one isn’t shy of the same. It can also deliver 21 mpg city, 28 mpg highway and 24 mpg combined which is quite good.

Don’t Let The F Sport Moniker Fool You 

Despite the F-Sport badging, the NX 350 is not an outright performer in any way. However, the engine has enough pep to get you going, and you won’t ask for more. Under harsh acceleration, there’s not much delay, and it moves swiftly. 

Much of the credit goes to the smooth and responsive 8-speed automatic transmission. The 2024 Lexus NX has impressive ride quality right from the base NX 250 trim. The F Sport trim has adaptive dampers, and they do a very good job of making you have a very smooth ride quality. 

The adaptive dampers provide a little bit more adaptability when you're on a country road. Even handling is improved in Sport mode, and there’s less body roll. However, it’s no match for the BMW X1’s cornering capabilities. 

2024 Lexus NX 350: A Worthy Choice?

The 2024 Lexus NX ticks many of the right boxes in terms of build quality, upscale interior, and multiple safety features. However, it lacks enough cargo capacity, interior space, and adrenaline-inducing performance. It is not a driver’s car, but a decent car with more pros than cons.