2026 Lexus NX First Drive: This Is Unpresumptuous Modern Luxury

Once you graduate from mainstream brands and start shopping upmarket, a dichotomy happens. The offerings typically either lean sporty like BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche or luxurious like Genesis and Lexus. And Lexus—despite its offerings’ sleek lines and squinty faces—has quietly been perfecting unpresumptuous modern luxury, and there’s now a model for virtually every need. Those looking for something bigger than the UX but smaller than the stalwart RX would do well to consider the 2026 Lexus NX.

There’s no shortage of competition in the compact luxury SUV space, but the NX stands out with its three powertrain options, standard all-wheel drive, and serene cabin.

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What’s New for 2026?

For 2026, the NX isn’t hugely different than before. Lexus dropped the base NX250 from the lineup, making the NX350 AWD your entry-level offering; if you want the option of front-wheel drive, the hybrid NX350h offers it. Three powertrain options remain: the non-hybrid turbocharged four-cylinder, the standard hybrid four-cylinder, and the plug-in hybrid.

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As an Occupant

For a two-person household with the occasional third guest or full-time dog, the NX is perfect. The smaller dimensions likewise yield a tighter cabin, but the trunk will happily handle an impulse-driven Costco run. Seats remain supportive and comfortable throughout, though there won’t be enough front and back legroom to go around except for the most petite passengers.

Cabin leathers are soft and supple and especially attractive in our test car’s blue-on-saddle color scheme. For the driver, good ergonomics come in the form of easy-to-reach controls and unimpeded visibility. The big, easy-to-read screen hosts a pleasing color backdrop and is responsive to inputs. Its low placement is also appreciated, as that keeps it from being too distracting. There are physical knobs for volume and temperature control, but the rest of the climate is adjusted via the touchscreen’s bottom section. Not our favorite layout, but it’s at least straightforward.

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The NX loses some of its luxe sheen when the piano black trim around the screen and gear selector nub starts to get smudgy. The pebbly black plastic found on the upper door cards and cowl panel also catches dirt easily. Finally, we wholly reject the electronic door release buttons. Dear automakers: This wasn’t something that needed updating!

Hitting the Road

The Lexus we drove came as the plug-in hybrid NX450h+, so we were able to enjoy this powertrain’s low-end power. The SUV scooted away from stops with playful urgency; there’s good power for highway passes and merges. The steering wheel feels nice and natural, and it connects the driver with the road via a neutral though rather numb and anonymous steering feel. Braking is progressive despite the hybrid’s regen characteristics. Combined with the compact body, the NX is highly pleasant as a daily driver.

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There’s little body roll during cornering, but the ride is flinty over bumpy sections, with sharp impacts feeling like they shake the entire SUV. Furthermore, under hard acceleration, the sound of the four-cylinder’s labor permeates loudly into the cabin as a reminder this is a Toyota underneath.

A head-up display is always nice to have, but in this case, even light and accidental brushes on the steering wheel’s haptic buttons triggered a settings menu on both the driver cluster and head-up display. We hope future NX versions will lower button sensitivity, but for now you must be a bit more mindful about triggering those functions.

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Fully charging the plug-in battery using a standard wall socket happened overnight, and the next day we were ready to roll in battery-only mode. This is the perfect setup for local trips and running errands. The battery offers usable driving range, and there’s always the gasoline engine to fall back on for longer trips. Acceleration remained peppy under EV-only mode, too.

Wall charging is the best way to replenish the battery, by the way. We observed little charging happen when we put the car in charging mode—meaning, letting the gas engine charge the battery.

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Sum It Up

We personally love a plug-in hybrid but understand a wall plug isn’t available to everyone. In addition, PHEVs tend to be more expensive than non-PHEVs. Case in point, the 2026 Lexus NX450h+ has a starting price of $59,505, which is considerably higher than the base hybrid’s $46,570. The car we drove came in the midgrade Luxury AWD trim, and after options, its final MSRP came to $67,289. That’s a lot of money for an SUV on the compact side of compact.

Still, we much enjoyed the NX’s polite road manners and aesthetically functional cabin. While the PHEV might not be necessary for all, we think going hybrid is still the best and most efficient way forward. As mentioned above, the 350h starts at a very reasonable $46,570 for the FWD version.