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2027 GMC Terrain ReviewHands on with the Lexus NX 350h F Sport
In a world of generic SUVs, the Lexus NX stands out with bold styling, smart design choices, and outstanding fuel economy.
The Lexus NX Stands Out in Sea of Beige
Compact SUVs are a dime a dozen these days, so if you’re going to buy one, there’s a case to be made for a model that stands out. Like, say, a Lexus NX 350h F Sport done up in Infrared. It’s a new color for 2026, and man is it sharp. With that gaping spindle front grille in a shiny black finish, matched on the wheels and F Sport addenda, this won’t get lost in the parking lot sea of gray-colored cars.
The Lexus NX sits above the UX in Lexus’ lineup of six SUVs that end with the letter X. An elegant little cruiser, the ‘h’ on the end of the moniker designates this one as a fuel-sipping hybrid, and the F Sport suffix brings a load of cosmetic updates and a sprinkling of performance touches. After a week behind the wheel of the compact NX hybrid, I came away mostly impressed with the careful blend of elegance and sporty aesthetic.
Bold Exterior Choices and Colors
Huge front grilles are a trend on modern cars that gets mixed feedback. Certainly, the spindle style found across the Lexus lineup jumps out at you, particularly when it’s gloss black and the paint is red. Personally, I like it as there’s no mistaking this NX for another compact SUV.
Infrared is a new color for 2026 and looks dynamite, especially in bright sunlight. In F Sport guise, the NX 350h also features 20” wheels, front door logo projectors, and color-keyed wheel arches.
That latter aspect elevates the elegance of this Lexus versus lesser trim lines that see simple black arch surrounds. Up front, the “Triple Beam” LED headlights signal that this is not your average mainstream vehicle, and down low, adjacent to the fog lights, are auxiliary bulbs that Lexus calls cornering lamps.
At night, they illuminate the dark corners to the side of the car when turning. It’s a small, but highly effective feature.
A Premium & User-Friendly Interior
A feature that threw me initially were the touchpad door handles that, unlike traditional car door handles, remain fixed in place until you squeeze the inner panel. It goes, ahem, hand-in-hand with the inner door handles as part of a thoughtful approach to mobility. Lexus refers to this handle system as Digital Latch. It is intended to ease the opening and closing of car doors for folks who struggle with traditional doors that require a fair amount of pushing and pulling.
To open it up from the cabin, you press a small lever on the door to digitally release the latch. I admit to being a bit confused at first, but it quickly makes sense, and incorporates the blind-spot monitoring and safe exit assist sensors to avoid “dooring” unsuspecting passerbys.
As for how the cabin feels, it’s a ritzy affair. NuLuxe faux leather spreads across everything and really, I’m not sure you could tell the difference against real animal hides. Soft-touch surfaces abound, and the F Sport comes with slightly more sculpted front seats that grip comfortably.
At 6-feet tall, I did find the driver compartment on the snug side, but the 36 inches of rear legroom translated to comfortable short trips around town with two teenagers back there and one up front with me. They appreciated the heated second-row cushions, and I appreciate the ability to fold said seats down using the infotainment screen, when needed.
Clever Designs with Lots of Technology
A quick hit of all the technology packed into the 2026 Lexus NX 350h: 14-inch central touchscreen, all-digital instrument panel, 10-inch head-up display, digital rearview mirror, wireless phone charging pad, and 17-speaker audio system from Mark Levinson.
I’m sure I missed a couple, but the point is, Lexus packs a ton of tech into this SUV, which makes our cut of the most reliable luxury compact SUVs on the market. The only downside I encountered was a bit of information overload from the gauge cluster. It measures nearly 10 inches, but squeezes in details about the vehicle, the hybrid system, and the advanced safety features, which can get busy.
A major upside is how Lexus blends the huge central display with physical controls for the automatic climate control, volume, and defrost functions. The steering wheel incorporates dual touchpads that take some getting used to, in terms of what they manage, but are an effective way to package a ton of controls into a compact space.
Clever designs include the wireless charging pad that can slide out of the way on a spring-loaded track, and using the rearview mirror toggle to switch between a traditional mirror and a digital live feed of what’s out back.
Lexus NX Driving Impressions
Lexus offers three powertrains for the 2026 NX. A turbocharged pure gas-powered model, a plug-in hybrid, and this one, the 350h, a traditional hybrid that competes in an increasingly popular segment.
The hybrid powertrain blends a naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine with a battery pack and two electric motors on FWD models, or three when fitted with AWD, like the version I drove. Combined output measures 240 horsepower and, according to the EPA, combined fuel economy measures 39 mpg. That’s nice in the context of today’s high gas prices, but also considering 91 is the recommended octane.
F Sport variants come with a sport-tuned adaptive variable suspension and lateral performance dampers from Yamaha. Fitted front and back, these Yamaha-sourced shocks are aimed at controlling micro deformations in the chassis, all in the name of improved ride comfort. It works.
Even with the relatively low-profile 20-inch wheels, the NX is a smoothie over rough road sections, and positively serene inside. I did find the four-cylinder ICE a bit noisier than expected when pushed, but it’s a hybrid, so you’re probably better off driving easy and enjoying that strong fuel economy anyway.
Final Thoughts
For 2026, the Lexus NX 350h starts at $46,570 with destination. In F Sport AWD spec, add $10,000, and with a few choice upgrades like the Infrared paint ($595), thumping audio system ($1,020), and heated, power-operated rear seats ($1,030), you can figure on about $60,000. That’s right in the same ballpark as other luxury-brand compact SUVs, but the NX is one of the few to offer the convenience and efficiency of a traditional hybrid powertrain.
For small families with small children, the NX would get the job done. But it’s arguably more suited to folks who simply want a more premium feel in their daily driver. On that front, the Lexus NX 350h shines. In Infrared-finished F Sport trim? It absolutely jumps out from the typical pack of small high-end SUV, with style to spare.
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