Owning a 2022 Lexus NX: Six Months and 10,000 Miles Later

YouTuber Gary Hwang breaks down what it’s like driving his brand-new 2022 Lexus NX350h, revealing the quirks that only an owner knows!

Of all companies, Lexus knows luxury crossovers. After all, the RX effectively popularized the term “crossover” in common usage today. So it naturally leads that the compact brother, the Lexus NX, follows suit as a venerable, desirable luxury crossover on its own. According to one YouTuber’s breakdown, this statement certainly holds weight, though isn’t necessarily a guarantee. Like just about any vehicle, the NX features its own unique quirks and intricacies. You know the type, stuff that you only learn through owning and driving the car regularly. Thankfully, NX owner Gary Hwang opens up about his experiences with driving his NX350h for six months as of July 2022, sharing his perspective in his video breakdown.

Also, in case you’re not fully up to speed, here’s a quick run-through of a Lexus NX. Built on the same platform as a fifth-gen RAV4, the current NX represents the line’s second iteration. And while the NX superficially resembles a RAV4, Lexus stocks their crossover with its own in-house luxury features (for better or worse). Under the hood, both vehicles share most powertrain and running gear components. In the US, these powertrains comprise a total of three gasoline and three hybrid variants with either a CVT or the Hybrid Synergy Drive eCVT.

But ultimately, the long and short of it remains that a base NX is, more or less, a highly refined RAV4. Which, because it’s Lexus, means that you get that notoriously obsessive attention to detail coupled with Toyota’s reliability. But it also means you get all the weird quirks modern Lexus vehicles are known for. So without further delay, let’s take a look at what one NX owner has to say about his.

The Negatives

Let’s be real, though, it just wouldn’t be a luxury Japanese car without a few idiosyncrasies. In this case, the main annoyance remains that infamous infotainment system. While the latest software packages markedly improved over their 2010s counterparts, the system still has numerous bugs. In Hwang’s case, one such bug cuts out his music randomly from time to time. The system also isn’t entirely intuitive or user-friendly. For example, the vehicle’s GPS overlay doesn’t sync with your phone’s, requiring manual input each time. Or the voice command sometimes being iffy, an issue when typing is only possible when the vehicle is in Park.

More substantially, however, Hwang’s NX350h came with some functional issues. Lexus covers certain problems like his leaking tire pressure (with an additional warranty). But other issues may rear their head at the worst times possible. The main concern he has is with the lane-sensing feature. In his opinion, this assist acts more as an annoyance at times, being overly sensitive to lane changes. But in an emergency situation, it may fight against his input, leading to an accident. Although that’s by no means a given, as it’s just theorizing. But there’s a certain level of comfort that comes from knowing that your vehicle will behave predictably under any circumstance. For some people, that increased automation acts as a detriment to their driving experience.

The Positives

All that said, the NX has quite a lot going for it. One of the foremost reasons why many people purchase hybrids these days remains their fuel economy. And for its category, the NX boasts a very good number, indeed. According to Hwang, his NX attained up to 42 MPG in the summer months and retained over 30 in the winter. For over 4,000 pounds, that’s certainly not bad. And common to other hybrids, you get better city mileage where the engine may not run at all except to charge. A lot of this owes to Toyota’s decades-long history of producing hybrids, which also serves as a pedigree for reliability. Which in Hwang’s case rings true, as he describes his NX as being “super reliable.”

Another positive comes from its function as a crossover –namely, its utility. The NX sits on a fairly compact frame by comparison to the midsize RX. But that’s not immediately evident in the cargo capacity. Lexus has a habit of producing its cars with characteristics indicative of grand tourers. In this case, the NX inherited a grand tourer’s affinity for long road trips. With plenty of interior space and a good ride quality, Hwang’s shuttled several people plus their luggage for a longer-haul day-trip. That plus what he describes as a smooth ride allows the NX to fill the role of a long-distance people-mover effortlessly. Of course, more space also means more practical everyday uses like grocery-getting and carpooling.

While certainly not as glamorous as a more driver-oriented car, in terms of actual everyday usability, the NX remains a viable and practical option. Certainly for those seeking a more refined experience than a RAV4 without sacrificing that legendary reliability, the LX offers quite a lot.

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M.C. Cuccio

I've been an automotive aficionado since I had baby teeth. My path was set when I first leaned on my grandfather's classic Porsche as I learned how to walk. One of my first memories was my mother sitting me behind the wheel of her Pontiac and talking me through the instrumentation and controls. Even though I was a mere three or four years old, I was instantly sold, and filled notebooks with technical drawings, sketches, and collections of manuals of all sorts of cars. I've actively tracked developments in automotive and motorsport technology for well over 20 years, and pride myself on being intimately familiar with the functions and history of a wide range of vehicles.

My primary goal as a writer and enthusiast is to equally learn and share what I've learned in a constructive and interesting way. I maintain connections with people from around the world and can read technical manuals in Italian, Japanese, and Spanish, granting me access to a wide array of resources. My primary focuses are deep-dives into historical topics, motorsport discussion, and learning about the complex mechanical elements of such vehicles. As such, my research is never perfect; as anyone into cars will attest, the more you learn about cars, the more you realize how little you actually know. Therefore, I always welcome fresh knowledge and corrections to help me better my work in the future.