Lexus has evolved since its inception in 1989, offering not just luxury exports to the U.S.—hence the name, L-Ex-US—but by setting new standards for build quality, refinement, and durability in the years since. Many people are right in saying that the bulk of their models are rebadged Toyotas, but people also forget a car is more than just the sum of its parts. So, we set off in the 2025 Lexus NX 350h Executive to experience what this rebadged RAV4 has to offer.
Within the first few hundred metres of driving, the NX nails the traditional Lexus vibe. It’s a bit boring yet smooth and serene to operate—“Hey Lexus, play Smooth Operator by Sade”—but rewards snail-paced driving with excellent gas mileage, as the electric motor does most of the work, so long as you keep it in Eco Mode and barely breathe on the throttle. It is officially rated at 5.7 L/100 km city, 6.4 highway, and 6.0 combined. Our stint for the week in real-world commuting returned 6.1 L/100 km combined, even with occasional stints of driving like a gorilla. Some short jaunts around town returned numbers as low as 4.3 L/100 km—impressive for this class of vehicle, and especially one that weighs around 3,900 pounds.
Powering this fuel-miser is a 2.5-litre inline four-cylinder, paired to two electric motors and an e-CVT, making 240 horsepower and 232 pound-feet of torque all-in. The powertrain combination is adequate, but the gas engine starts groaning out of reluctance as soon as you demand extra passing power, much preferring a more relaxed pace than my demanding right foot. It still gets the job done, but in the same vein as asking your teenager to do house chores and then rolling their eyes. Power junkies can have their cake and eat it, too, with the NX 450h+ plug-in hybrid. It offers a stout 304 hp combined power output, as well as 61 km of EV-only range.
Finished in Nori Green Pearl, our tester’s colour has an understated wow factor in the right light, especially as it glistens in the sun. If one were to judge this car solely on its looks, the NX 350h is a Toyota RAV4 that graduated with honours from Ivey Business School, has a Movati gym membership, and wears tailored outfits from Suitsupply. Compared to the previous-generation NX, this NX350h Executive looks a lot more buttoned-down by ditching some of the side profile creases in favour of smoother surfaces and a more cohesive headlight and taillight design. The front end still retains the familiar spindle grille that is still in-your-face but distinctly Lexus. It is a love-it or hate-it design element.
Before stepping inside, you first notice the electronic door handles and may think to yourself, “why reinvent the door handle?” Turns out, Lexus went with the electronic door actuation as a safety feature, preventing users from suddenly opening their door to oncoming vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians that are in close proximity to the car. Paranoid about getting trapped inside your NX? Thankfully, Lexus added a redundant physical release toggle in the event the electronic push-button actuator becomes inoperable. It is gimmicky, but an indication that Lexus is trying to get with the times.
Door handles aside, the interior is distinctly nicer than the RAV4, with excellent use of materials and great build quality that Lexus has perfected over the years. The Macadamia White synthetic leather upholstery—which Lexus calls NuLuxe—may look like a pain-in-the-butt to upkeep, but it feels soft yet durable despite what the looks may suggest. A lot of the interior plastics are matte-textured with the exception of the dreaded piano black trim surrounding the gauge cluster, infotainment screen and centre console. The interior space thankfully still retains a lot of physical switchgear, but with more emphasis on minimalism, especially in the infotainment area.
The infotainment is no longer controlled by the dreaded touchpad, but rather a 14-inch touchscreen that, aside from the piano black trim, is nicely integrated into the dash. The majority of the climate controls have now been relegated to the touchscreen, but temperature adjustment is still done through physical dials for the driver and front passenger. The Linux-based software is a big leap forward in terms of response and overall user experience, and allows for over-the-air updates rather than forcing you to drive to the dealer for software updates. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard, though I did experience occasional glitches with music playing over my phone calls or music cutting in and out while driving. Glitches aside, the Mark Levinson sound system provides nice clarity and depth, making me want to Cherish the Day of listening to Sade for hours on end.
Although the overall vibe of this NX 350h centres around leisure and comfort, the driver inputs proved to be quite the opposite. The steering, although very light, felt very sensitive and unnatural along with the brake pedal feel. Due to the nature of the brake-by-wire system in conjunction with it being a hybrid, there were many times when I would apply consistent pedal pressure when all of the sudden the system adds more pressure, making brake pedal modulation a challenge especially if you are coming to a stop from a higher rate of speed. As with most vehicles fitted with run-flat tires, the 20-inch wheels with the original-equipment Bridgestone Alenza tires made for a choppy and stiff ride—slightly unbecoming of a Lexus. The overall suspension compression and rebound is very good, giving hope to prospective buyers that adding better tires will solve the shoddy ride quality issue. One notable redeeming feature in terms of the NX’s driving experience is the semi-autonomous driving capability, with great adaptive cruise control capability and a lane-tracing system that does not make the car wander within its lane. This gave me confidence in having these systems on for a short period of time on the highway.
Getting into a Lexus NX 350h is an expensive proposition. It starts at a reasonable-enough $56,415, but our top-trim Executive tester comes in at an eye-watering $69,808 as-tested, but before taxes, destination, and other fees. Considering a lot of the competition with better driving dynamics and more features undercuts the price of our tester, the NX is a bit of a hard sell, considering its front-wheel-drive-based architecture goes up against rear-drive-based competitors like the Genesis GV70 and BMW X3. Playing the devil’s advocate, however, one can argue Lexus’ higher price of admission will outweigh the potential long-term running costs that some of its competitors may encounter.
Despite our gripes with the sensitive driver inputs and high price of admission, the 2025 Lexus NX 350h Executive is overall a well-executed compact luxury crossover that will satisfy not just the Lexus faithful, but for those looking to graduate from entry-level vehicles. With loads of tech features, aesthetically pleasing colour combinations, and more than a few powertrain options, we will continue to see this model being a volume seller for Lexus, as the go-to for suburban real estate agents.
