5 things to Love About the 2022 Lexus NX 350
Jill Robbins
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The Lexus NX 350 is roomier than you might think at first glance. Here’s what I love. Photo: Jill Robbins
Wonderful things come in small packages.
Even though I’ve test driven several Lexus vehicles over the years, I never saw myself as a “Lexus kind of girl.” For me, the brand sits firmly on the unpretentious side of luxury cars, but until I drove this stunner for a week, I never saw myself permanently in a Lexus. This car made that very easy to visualize.
The 2022 Lexus NX 350 is a small crossover but don’t let its compactness deceive you. There’s a surprising amount of room here and the engineers have made excellent use of the available space. This one’s an all-around A+ from me. Here’s what really stood out.
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Me: I want all the car technology. Also me: I don’t want to have to spend a lot of time figuring that out. If this rings true for you, this might be your car. Photo: Jill Robbins
1. Intuitive technology for a more seamless drive
I want all the latest bells and whistles but I want it to be easy. If that sounds familiar, the Lexus NX 350 might be your car. I don’t want to spend hours reading manuals, trying to figure out car technology. I understand there’s always probably going to be that learning curve but I want it to make sense, and make sense quickly.
When I first jumped in this car the first thing I noticed was the 14 inch multimedia touch screen, which is a big screen for a car this size. I loved being able to use the car’s touch screen the same way I use my phone. I’m a big Apple CarPlay user and I like the ease of just plugging in my phone – I mean placing my phone on the Lexus’ wireless charging pad – and connecting to my familiar profile. I made more robust use of this car’s multimedia system than I do on my typical test drives and found it to be a game changer. Everything was just easy and that made me happy.
This car was also equipped with Drive Connect, which is a subscription service you can add on if you purchase one of these for yourself. Imagine the convenience of saying “Hey Lexus” to adjust your volume or temperature controls or find where to grab coffee. If you love the convenience of Alexa and Siri, you just might love Drive Connect, too.
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While the look of this 2022 Lexus NX 350 slick, sporty and urban, it can make a practical car for smaller families. Photo: Jill Robbins
2. Luxury at a not-so-luxury price point
If you want a to drive a luxury SUV but want to stay on budget, the Lexus NX 350 allows you to do that. The 2022 Lexus NX 350 AWD Luxury I drove has an estimated MSRP of $54,150.
If you’re interested in a Lexus NX, there are lots of trim levels and options to explore but you can get one nicely loaded for well under the $60K mark, which is pretty sweet pricing for a luxury vehicle.
This particular car had the luxury add on package, which includes upgraded wheels, quilted leather seating, 4 way lumbar support for the driver (awesome), thematic ambient lighting and more. These little touches definitely upped the glam level for me but if they’re not in your budget, you can still buy this car for a pretty reasonable price point – starting MSRP is $41,550. I have to tell you though, that luxury package really added a lot to the overall look of the car and the experience.
I loved the upgraded touches throughout the cockpit. This sleek red and black was so elegant. Photo: Jill Robbins
3. The red interior
I’m a neutral colors girl but I like a pop of color in my accessories. Black goes with everything, but I really appreciated this bold red interior. Even though everyone who admired this car – and yes, you better believe that was happening – couldn’t see its snazzy interior, I knew it was there and it made me happy. I guess you could compare it to wearing pretty lingerie that isn’t on display to the public but still makes you feel special. It was that kind of feeling.
Lexus has lots of paint options for their NX series – the color you see here is called Caviar (doesn’t that sound posh?) and is a lovely black with some sparkly sheen that adds a touch of bling without being gaudy. The interior in my test car is called Circuit Red and it really makes the car. The contrast between the black and the red really did it for me.
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Plenty of room back here for my kids, plus this nice in between console to keep them separated. I mean…hold their drinks. Photo: Jill Robbins
4. It’s a family car – yes, really
When the Lexus NX 350 showed up in my driveway, I thought to myself “This will be fun to drive for a week.” And don’t get me wrong, it totally was. But this car actually worked as a people mover.
The rear seat was comfy and roomy for my kids (who appreciated the rear seat controls and seat warmers) without sacrificing my own leg room up front. I’m 5’10 and sometimes when driving smaller cars, I have to push my seat further up than I like in order to give the back seaters enough room. Not so with the NX 350.
My kids are 11 so they don’t sit in child safety seats but there’s ample room to put two in. Full disclosure, I didn’t give child seats a test run but I’ve been a “two car seat mom” for a while and I am confident there’s plenty of space here for two kiddos in car seats or booster.
The best thing: There’s room for four suitcases in the rear of the 2020 Lexus NX 350. I’ve driven larger vehicles that don’t have rear space for luggage for our family of four, so this was a really nice surprise. I’m not sure what kind of wizardry Lexus employees to create all this space because the exterior of the car looks sleek, chic and urban and not “mom car.”
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The rear seat is roomy AND it’s roomy back here. I’m not sure how they did it but it works. Photo: Jill Robbins
5. The surprising amount of rear storage space
Every time I test drive a smaller vehicle (I own a minivan and mid-size crossover with third row seating), I automatically think “But this wouldn’t be big enough to handle our everyday lives.”
I’m always hauling something around. Whether it’s my kids’ school bags, groceries, sports equipment, or supplies for garden or home improvement projects, rear space is something that I pay attention to when I review a car. I know the amount of desirable space isn’t the same for everyone but it’s something I hone in on and the NX 350 impressed me.
While we didn’t do a Costco haul or put our sports wagon in the back of the Lexus NX 350, there’s room back here to get it done. There’s also an extra compartment if you want to make sure your valuables are well-hidden from anyone who might be peeking inside your car to see what you’ve got going on.
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I love this feature. I can store my purse or backpack while I’m in a park or hide things I don’t want my kids to see. Photo: Jill Robbins
I loved my drives in the Lexus NX 350 AWD Luxury, which I expected. What I didn’t expect was that I would walk away from the experience being able to see myself in this one full time.
Maybe I’m a Lexus girl after all. What do you think? Photo: Jill Robbins
Disclosure: Lexus provided the NX for my test drive; all opinions are my own.
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