Lexus NX350 F Sport review

The Lexus NX350 is tech heavy. Noticeably tech heavy for the Toyota/Lexus brands. In fact, I would say it’s experimentally tech heavy. If you tend to geek-out over tech-tricks & electronics, there’s a good chance you’ll find the new NX350 to be very exciting. But if not, you might wanna go ahead & look elsewhere.

Door Handles…

Outside, the door handles of the Lexus NX350 appear to be normal. But ah-ha, they’re electronic, meaning they don’t actually ‘pull’. Ok cool… but upon further consideration… like… why though? It’s not like Lexus concealed the handles for a sleeker appearance. It still looks traditional… but it’s not.

More door handle tricks…

Inside, the door handles are also electronic. You can push the handles inward to open them. OR you can pull on them (twice) like a normal handle. Honestly – I never knew that door handles needed so much attention? Then again I have a Jeep, so to be fair, I don’t really do doors at all lol.

Other interior gizmos…

The automatic gear shifter is just more extra than it needs to be… resulting in an unintuitive experience that sometimes had to be repeated twice to get the car into drive. Yeah you’ll get used to it. But in my personal opinion, if you want the gear selector to be an experience… drive a manual. PARK is a button in the new NX350. The steering wheel controls display on the car’s heads-up display (HUD) on the windshield… like some sort of X-Wing Starfighter. But this is a crossover, so it’ll only shoot Twinkies or spaghetti noodles lol jk.

Again: If you like tech, this is all gonna knock your socks off. And I’m happy for you lol. But for me, it seems like just tech for the sake of it. It doesn’t make anything necessarily better, faster, cooler, easier, sleeker, louder, quieter, or more reliable. It’s just tech that exists for the sake of existing.

The beeps & warnings…

The Lexus NX350 seemed to beep at me for anything & everything. It pulled on the steering wheel if I edged a white or yellow line without the turn signal on. The car sounds off warnings at intersections every time a car passed by in close proximity. And it also beeped in reverse anytime there was an anything anywhere. This Lexus is basically a little yappy dog that barks at the breeze trying to protect its owner. In one instance, the NX350 took over the controls & full-out jammed on the brakes as I was backing into a parking spot. It did so because a car was simultaneously pulling into the open spot next to mine. See I already knew that though… because I have eyes & I was using them.

In fact, the other car was traveling with me. We were parking together… to eat at a restaurant together… as humans often do outside of AI simulations. Yet the Lexus NX350 overrode me & give me a near heart attack by slamming on the brakes… ‘for my safety’. That crossed a line with me. It’s too much. What’s it gonna do next… not go into DRIVE until I put my mask on? Why on earth would I pay for nagging features that I absolutely do not want? These sort of features are not making better drivers in the world. If anything, it’s allowing drivers to be more incapable.

Expectations…

I was expecting the NX350 F Sport to be a crossover version of the IS350 F Sport. But it’s not. It’s really a different vision. More focused on features, wheras the IS350 is more focus on driving fundamentals.

Having said that…

The NX350 drives nicely. AWD keeps it prepped for the elements & the seasons. Power is plentiful enough with the turbo 2.4 making 275hp. And in the real word, the NX350 felt pretty economical to drive. However, I wouldn’t mind a little more horsepower. And also a little more exhaust note on the F Sport Model would be nice I think… even for the average buyer. Under heavier throttle, the 4-cylinder engine doesn’t necessarily sound amazing from inside the cabin (for the price point IMO). A Lexus-tuned exhaust for the F Sport model would remedy that nicely… again IMO. And it would compliment this bold/vibrant shade of Redline red with smoked-out trim.

The NX350 has a soothing quiet cabin. And in corners, the upgraded F Sport suspension has a lot of stability for being relatively narrow & tall. It performs very well in Sport & Sport+ modes. I feel like Lexus Sport & Sport+ modes have gotten noticeably better recently. It seems less manic than previous year models. In Sport & Sport+, you get all the good steering resistance, suspension feel, and throttle responses that you want… but in a less frantic/simulated way than before. The F Sport seats are dead-on perfect, as Lexus F Sport seats usually are. The sunroof is big/pano, which really opens up the cabin for rear seat passengers.

So there you have it. I don’t really have a conclusion for this car. Other than – if it interests you, go test drive it, and you’ll pretty immediately know whether or not the NX350 is your cup of tea.