Lexus NX
Compact luxury SUV · 2014–present. 74,488 units sold in the US in 2024
How it began
Lexus, Toyota's luxury division, with Takeaki Kato as chief engineer of both the first and second generations. For the original NX, Lexus names Atsushi Narita as interior designer and Momoko Okamoto as color and trim expert. The update unveiled in 2026 is led by chief engineer Kunihiko Endo of Lexus International.
It was developed in Japan and has been built since August 2014 at Toyota Motor Kyushu's Miyata plant; the first generation's turbo engine came from the neighboring Kanda plant. Since April 2022, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada has also built the gas and hybrid NX in Ontario. The NX models sold in the U.S. today come from Japan and Canada.
The LF-NX concept was shown at the Frankfurt and Tokyo motor shows in 2013. The production NX debuted on April 20, 2014, at the Beijing auto show and went on sale in Japan on July 29, 2014. It reached the U.S. in late 2014 as a 2015 model.
According to Lexus, NX stands for Nimble Crossover. The brand describes it as the point where a luxury midsize sedan meets a capable off-road vehicle.
In the early 2010s the compact luxury crossover segment was growing fast, and Lexus had no model there: its smallest SUV was the RX. The NX was its entry into that segment, slotted below the RX and developed to compete with the BMW X3 and Audi Q5. To stand out, Lexus bet on heavily sculpted styling, a turbo engine (the brand's first) alongside a hybrid, and handling tuned using the IS sport sedan as a benchmark.
Generation by generation
- Gen. 12015–2021
The first turbo Lexus and the brand's first compact SUV
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns from Latvia · CC BY 2.0 What changed. It had no predecessor: it was Lexus's first compact SUV. It came in two versions, the NX 200t with a 235 hp 2.0-liter turbo, and the NX 300h hybrid with a 2.5-liter engine and 194 combined hp. In the U.S. it started at $35,405 for the 200t and $40,645 for the 300h, destination included. For the 2018 model year it was refreshed: the 200t was renamed NX 300, Lexus Safety System+ became standard and an optional 10.3-inch screen arrived.
The innovation. The 2.0-liter 8AR-FTS, Lexus's first turbocharged gasoline engine, with a twin-scroll turbo and turbo-specific direct injection. It also debuted Lexus's first wireless phone-charging tray, inside the center console.
If you buy one usedNHTSA lists recall 20V012 for the 2015 NX 200t and recall 20V682 for the 2018–2019 NX 300: the low-pressure fuel pump could fail and stall the engine while driving. Ask for proof a dealer replaced it. Campaign18V085 includes certain2015–2016 NX300h hybrids whose airbag sensors could fail. A query under a different model name can return zero without ruling out campaigns. Still, run the VIN at nhtsa.gov before you buy. - Gen. 22022–present
The first plug-in Lexus and the start of a new chapter
Photo: Damian B Oh · CC BY-SA 4.0 What changed. It introduced the GA-K platform, with more than 95 percent new parts, a chassis 30 percent stiffer and a center of gravity 20 mm lower. It went from two to four U.S. powertrains: the 203 hp NX 250, the 2.4-liter turbo NX 350 with 275 hp, the 239 hp NX 350h hybrid and the NX 450h+ plug-in hybrid with an EPA-estimated 36 miles of electric range. It also brought an available 14-inch touchscreen and standard Lexus Safety System+ 3.0.
The innovation. The NX 450h+, Lexus's first plug-in hybrid, with an 18.1 kWh lithium-ion battery. And the e-latch, Lexus's first electronic door latch: it opens with a button and works with the blind spot monitor to help keep you from opening the door into approaching traffic; Toyota billed that feature, Safe Exit Assist, as a world first.
If you buy one usedNHTSA campaigns for certain2022 models include: 22V238 (all four versions: missing spot welds at the front shock absorber mount), 22V239 (350h and 450h+: stability control might not turn back on after a restart if the driver had disabled it), 22V661 (250 and 350: the electronic parking brake might not engage) and 23V478 (450h+: the DC-DC converter could short-circuit and overheat). For 2023–2024, recall 23V480 covers the NX 250, 350 and 350h for a steering-column spiral cable weld that could deactivate the driver's airbag. Ask for a record of each repair.
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