Does this even have a competitor? // 2026 Lexus NX350h Hybrid Review
We’ve got the 2026 Lexus NX. This one’s the hybrid. Mhm. That’s right. Okay. Quite nice. Quite nice. We’re going to get into any updates there are for 2026 in just a moment. Right now, Andrea, what’s under the hood of the NX? Well, a 2.5 L 4 cylinder with Lexus hybrid drive. It’s matched to an ECVT and gets a combined 240 horsepower. Front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive options are available in the US and in Canada standard all-wheel drive. So, it is the same hybrid system they use for RAV 4 except it has a larger electric motor. That’s why you get more power. Actually have a question about this and RAV 4 coming up a little bit later. Right now, key standard features of this hybrid. The base trim comes with a 7-in multi-information display, a 9.8 8 in touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 10 speakeraker audio system, new lux upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, eight-way power driver and passenger seats, driver seat memory, a heated steering wheel, a moonroof, power rear door, and Lexus safety system plus 3.0. Okay, we are already fast forwarded into 2026. Andrea, what updates? They’re kind of just packaging, right? Yeah, we’ve got a we’ve got some new trims. So, in Canada, it’s F-S Sport 2 and F-S Sport 3. And in the US, there’s a F Sport handling grade. Well, do tell. What do you get with that? These ones get an adaptive variable suspension, and you get front and rear performance dampers. There’s also a sport S and S plus drive mode, so you get a bit of a sportier suspension. We seem to get an NX hybrid every year. Mhm. Um, but even, you know, it’s only been a year, it’s still a nice, refreshing surprise to get into this and realize how laidback, chill, comfortable, and easygoing it is. I think that’s the key. This is tuned for refinement, smoothness, and comfort level. The steering actually feels pretty good. It’s not too light, and uh, I’m really enjoying it. But I said to Zach when I was driving around this city, man, this is just comfortable. And I referenced it a moment ago coming up in our hot topic. People are asking, is it different than the RAV 4? And yes, it is. It definitely feels quieter and more insulated from the outside world. And you definitely feel like you’re driving a Lexus and not a Toyota, especially when you look at all of the interior materials. It is nicer. Lexus quality. And you expect Lexus quality. you expect a little bit more. You’re paying more for this. Um, when you look at something like the Toyota Crown Signia, I think that Toyota’s done a really nice job making that not only refined, you’ve got this type of power in the Signia. Uh, but it’s still not as well insulated as this Lexus. Yeah, that’s more like a Camry developed car. This is the RAV 4 based car. Uh, but yeah, they’ve done a nice job selecting the dampers, selecting the insulation, the insulated glass, all of that comes together. Another thing that’s new for 2026 for the US is that every trim now has a front-wheel drive option. Um, of course, you can get all-wheel drive if you choose, but standard front-wheel drive. No, Andrea didn’t buy that sweater to match this. She has a closet for every car color on the planet. I do like this. Our neighbor got a Lexus GX in this Nory green. That looks that looks the business. Uh it’s amazing how a color can change the look of a car. I like this color a lot. G I would speck it exactly this way. Not only do I like the interior color, but I’m a huge fan of Nory green. It’s just beautiful. Remember when this new model came out? I guess it was 2022. And Lexus said they actually focused on making the design of it more aerodynamic. And you can see it. It’s quite sleek. I think it does have a bit of a sporty exterior design compared to other Lexus models. You know what it is? It’s well it’s wellstyled and it’s not going to age out. Like if you get some like avantgard looking cars, uh after a while they just age out. Look at it. Look at an Audi Q5 for example. They haven’t changed that design for 20 years because you know why? It works. And this one on this car works as well. Even the big um front grill, we’re used to that now from Lexus. The spindle grill isn’t too bad on this model. It’s not as bold as some of the other, so I don’t mind it. And like I said, it borders on sophistication, elegant, and yet sporty for an exterior design. [Applause] Now, unlike the larger RX, this doesn’t have the rear wiper tucked inside the upper valance. It’s an exposed rear wiper. Are you going to spend all that extra to get an RX just to have the hidden wiper? Probably not. But it is a nice feature. They maybe could work into this when it gets updated. Yeah. Now, pretty much everything’s done on the screen. They do have a big knob here, so you can put it in sport, but what else can you put it in? And put it in S for subscribe. And if you can hit that notification bell, you’ll be notified when all of our reviews drop and you can watch them. And we do this a couple car review twice a week. The first one drops on Wednesday. We put another one out on Saturday. And you know, all kinds of YouTubers that go on about most of the people who watch don’t subscribe, but it’s true. So, if you like what you do, all we ask is you subscribe. And it’s still free for the fall. All right, Andrea. foot to the floor in the NX. Now, you got to remember that’s a 2 and 1/2 L 4 cylinder doing doing the business. Gets a little bit louder, but acceleration is good. Hear a little bit of wind noise. Yeah, it’s tolerable. Mhm. I’m okay with that. Mhm. I think acceleration is fine. You’re going to find passing power to be great. This is an electrified vehicle. This does have run flat tires. I’m not really bothered by them. I thought that they would be a little bit louder, but they’re not bad. You know what, Andrea? A little update for you. Uh, I picked this up. They actually put the winters on already. So, winter tires are a little bit softer just by their compound. So, maybe that’s also helping with the ride. Uh, the thing is that’s where that larger electric motor comes into play when you want that launch off a light or that passing power, that little extra kick. That larger electric motor makes all the difference. And as for imperfections in the road, I would say it does a pretty good job with them. Um, it doesn’t feel like the cabin gets a lot louder when you’re hitting them and you’re in those grooves. The NX gets 7.7 in of ground clearance and comes standard with LED headlamps, available, triple beam headlamps, and cornering lamps, standard LED fog lamps, LED tail lamps, 18-in wheels available, 20-in. And as I mentioned, those run flat tires. F-S Sport models have F Sport enhancements to the exterior and interior, including mesh grills, painted wheel arch moldings, and larger wheels. So, when I picked this up the other day, all the way home, I keep pushing the seat thing down, hoping I’m going to get a little bit more headroom. I don’t remember this driving this in the past, but this time it really stood out to me that the seat goes up for shorter people, but it doesn’t seem to go low enough for tall people. I would say if you’re 6’4 uh and higher, you won’t fit in this. And like our unless unless you do this where you where you lie back, like that’s the way you can do it. Yes. And our son who has a very long torso and he’s 6’2, he would have a hard time with the headroom for sure. And then the pano roof, you’re getting less headroom than if you get one without it, just the way it is. You know, we drive so many different cars a year, like over a 100 cars a year. And we get used to all the new technology cuz we’re driving so many different cars. And there was stuff about this when it first came out I didn’t like, like the push button door release. I kind of got used to that. You know, the climate control on the bottom the screen. Kind of got used to that. You kind of get used to things if they’re if they’re okay. I think we were even complaining about the shifter, which I actually quite like it. Now you’re used to it. Yeah. So, as you review these models and they’re all a little bit similar within the Lexus lineup, then you go, I don’t mind it and I like the safe exit assist. And these door handles are just fine. And if you do want to um override it, you can. You just pull it out. It It’s all okay in the end. This really has a driver focused cockpit. Everything is kind of at your fingertips because it’s not a huge vehicle. Uh, this comes standard with a 9.8 in touchscreen. Zach and I have been in the base model and we actually thought it was pretty good. This is an available 14-in touchscreen. Whether you get the 9.8 in or this larger screen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is standard. I was okay with the base screen because I’ve said this many, many times. All a bigger screen does is take the same information, what song you’re playing on the radio or what phone call you’re on, and just makes it bigger. Um, the downside to that smaller screen is then you see more of the shiny hard plastic around it. But other than that, don’t kill yourself to get the bigger screen. If you can afford the base model, it’s just fine. And it comes standard with new Lux upholstery available leather on the NX. There is one thing that I really like and that’s the Mark Levenson sound system. We actually don’t even have it on our test model which is the Ultra Luxury. Why would Ultra Luxury not have Mark Levenson? No. Like when you have when you have Ultra in the in the name, you should have all the best stuff. No. Kind of. But they have more trims in Canada that you can uh do the great walk for your Mark Levenson sound system. But I do think, you know, if you can make the stretch, although this does get up there in price already, um, it is a great sound system. You know what, we we drove a few years ago now kind of like the basic one, and I was totally fine with it. I thought, you know, I could live with that, especially if you’re trying to just get into a hybrid and you don’t want to spend a ton of money. Um, at least that option is there for you to start saving at the pumps. As for storage, you can open this on either side, which is a nice touch. It is fairly deep, not huge, but pretty good for this compact class. Door pockets are not bad. You can put a couple water bottles in there. And then you got the wireless charger in front of the shifter and the cup holders, but it’s not that big. No, you know, side to side, it’s not that big. But that’s what people It’s easy to maneuver. That’s the upside. Nimble. As Andrea mentioned, there are more trims available. And other features include that wireless charger, a head-up display, panoramic view monitor, panoramic sunroof, heated rear seats, power folding and reclining rear seats, power back door with kick sensor, and an advanced park system. The F-S Sport models have F-S Sport exclusive details, F-S Sport badging, sport seats, a race inspired steering wheel, and aluminum pedals. Well, if you’re not aware, this is based on the same platform as the RAV 4, built in the same factory. You get in the back seat. Both are compact SUVs. You don’t get a ton of leg room or a ton of headroom, but Toyota and Lexus do use a nice quality foam, so the back seat is comfortable. Front row legroom is 41 in, and second row legroom is coming in at 36.1 in. Trunk is not huge on this. And when you lift the floor, you see there’s some extra cubbies there in on the left hand side. That’s where the 12volt battery is. How does this stack up? Cargo space behind the second row is 22.7 cubic feet. And overall cargo space is 46.9 cubic feet. This comes with a tire repair kit. No temporary spare tire is available. All right, some good questions. And we do talk about RAV 4 a little bit later. Time now for questions, coffee, and cars. Your questions from Instagram. My biggest pet peeve has started to become car makers moving their ventilated seats, fan controls into their screens, infotainment, as opposed to having physical buttons. It’s less safe and buttons are always timeless. But aside from that, the interior looks great. You’re preaching to the choir. Um, we agree. The good thing about this head unit is that you get the big um temperature controls with sticking through the screen. We saw that for the first time. I think it was on a Mache that had the integrated screen and knob, but all the HVAC controls stay on the bottom. They do. And we’re hearing more and more complaints about this from viewers, uh brands that are doing everything in the screen. BMW has a problem with that. There is a volume knob and drive modes. You don’t have to go into the screen for either of those. You do get used to it though. But I think the Koreans do the best job of combining high-tech. They’ve got high-tech screens and still physical buttons. I think that’s the way to go. How does it compare against the Genesis? Apart from the obvious difference in engine option, I’m torn between the Lexus NX 350, 350h, and the Genesis GV70. Which would you choose? The GV70 offers a nice blend of performance as well as refinement. And the interior is beautiful. What it’s lacking today is a hybrid option which is supposed to be coming. Um, so for me today it would be the NX hybrid. I like the fuel economy this offers and also the refinement. So this is actually pretty close in size to the GV70. The GV70 is also uh one in this category that isn’t that big. So this isn’t that big. That one’s not that big. But what it has going for it is it’s got turbocharged engines, upcoming hybrid, and a rear bias all-wheel drive system. A better handling vehicle in my opinion, and arguably a nicer interior. But this has the main thing going for it is the Lexus badge, which helps a lot of people sleep at night. And also, Genesis when it comes to resale value is just not as good as the Lexus. It’s just the way it is. People are willing to pay more for this. and the fact that it’s a hybrid. Hey, if you want to get a question in for any future videos, don’t be shy. Follow along on Instagram. It’s motormouth_andrea. You also see what’s going on behind the scenes. And for me, it’s motormouth_. The links for both are in the description. Still not sure who this car is for. Does it compete against the X3? It’s a hybrid, so it seems like it would be two different buyers. Yeah, I think you’re right on that. And it does compete against the X3. The X3 is bigger. As Zach had just mentioned, this is one of the smaller ones in the compact class. Uh, but if you want a hybrid, there really aren’t a lot of options. Okay, you know what? You know what BMW uh is like? They they sell lots of other gas powers. But Lexus is like, “Oh, okay. We have no competitors for the NX. It’s a it’s a compact luxury SUV. It’s a true hybrid. They only have one competitor, which is a Lincoln, and they’re like, “We’ll just harvest all of those people that are looking for a straight hybrid.” They’re like, “We’re glad we don’t have any competitors cuz they’re they can’t make enough of these things.” Yeah. And the the Germans as well as Volvo, they tend to do plug-in hybrids, which Lexus has, too, for the NX. So, if you’re interested in a plug-in hybrid, you’ve got that option. And now the Germans do as well as Volvo uh 48vt mild hybrid system, but it’s not the same. It’s not a traditional hybrid and it doesn’t deliver the fuel economy that this has. This is a popular choice in this category. And now it’s time for our hot topic. What’s this one, Andrea? How’s the ECVT? Hoping it’s not as motorboat sounding and droning as the one in the RAV 4. Well, you’re never going to get away from the fact that it is an ECVT and it is a Toyota/Lexus hybrid system. They do have a kind of a unique sound and feel to them that is, you know, in the family. However, with that larger electric motor and the better insulation, I think it’s better. I think it’s better, too. It It definitely has a more refined feel. The RAV 4 definitely gets louder, especially under harder acceleration. Um, but the Crown Signia is better than the RAV 4, but not quite as quiet as this. So, take that to the bank. Okay, let’s get into all the vital stats. Stick around. The fuel economy is excellent and more. Let’s start with pricing. We’ll do Canada first and then move on to the US. Pricing in Canada includes freight, PDI, and fees. The base model starts at just over $61,000 and that top F-S Sport 3 is just over $74.5,000. In the US, we’re using MSRP. The first front-wheel drive model starts at just under $45,000 and the F-S Sport handling front-wheel drive is just under $54,000. Add $1,550 for all-wheel drive. Well, here’s the very good fuel economy. 5.7 L per 100 km city, 6.4 on the highway. That’s 41 m per gallon in the city, 37 on the highway. This NX can tow 2,000 lb. And the warranty is 4 years, 80,000 kilometers or 50,000 mi. In the United States, you get complimentary maintenance covered for 1 year or 10,000 mi. Now, usually we do competitors, but there’s only one other hybrid in this class, and that’s the Nautilus. So, that’s out the window. Now we get right into two things we like, two things we like to see improved. I like the smoothness and kind of the luxury feel I get from this hybrid. This thing’s easy to live with. This thing gets really up there in price. Gets expensive on those higher trims. The baseball is actually not bad. Uh the only thing for me is I wish the seat went lower. You know, for shorter people, they you’re covered. For taller people, not so much. So there it is. It’s the Lexus NX hybrid. What do you guys think of that? Thanks for watching. And if you like what you see, subscribe. We’ll see you next time.
This is a Motormouth couple car review of the 2026 Lexus NX350h hybrid, compact SUV.
The 2026 Lexus NX350h is powered by a 2.5L 4-cylinder with Lexus hybrid drive, it’s matched to an eCVT and gets a combined 240 horsepower. In Canada, standard AWD and in the US, FWD and AWD options are available.
What’s New? In Canada, F Sport 2 and 3 grades have been added for a sportier hybrid option. In the US, Lexus has added FWD options to every trim for 2026, an F Sport Handling grade, a new exterior colour option called Infrared and Ultra White is available across the NX lineup.
2026 Lexus NX350h F Sport models turn up the driving dynamics with an adaptive variable suspension and front and rear performance dampers. In Canada, F Sport 2 and 3 models have active noise control, Sport S/S+ and custom drive modes for a firmer suspension.
2026 Lexus NX350h Standard features include a 7” multi-information display, 9.8” touchscreen, wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto, a 10-speaker audio system, Nuluxe upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, 8-way power driver and passenger seats, driver seat memory, heated steering wheel, moonroof and a power rear door. There is an available 14” touchscreen and a 17-speaker Mark Levinson sound system which sounds terrific.
There isn’t a lot of competition for hybrids in this class except for the larger Lexus RX and the Lincoln Nautilus. Most premium/luxury brands offer a plug-in hybrids instead.
2026 Lexus NX350h fuel economy is excellent, 5.7L/100 km, 41 MPG city and 6.4L/100 km, 37 MPG highway. The hybrid can tow 2,000 pounds.
In Canada, 2026 Lexus NX350h pricing includes freight, PDI and fees. Premium $61,038, Luxury $65,178, F Sport 2 $68,555, Ultra Luxury $69,145, Executive $73,891, F Sport 3 $74,746.
In the US MSRP, 350h FWD $45,470, Premium FWD $47,395, Luxury FWD $51,535,
F Sport Handling FWD $53,945. Add $1,550 for AWD.
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