2022 Lexus NX

2022 is the launch year of the second-generation NX (AZ20), and Lexus quotes 239 combined system horsepower for the NX 350h — a 2.5L A25A-FXS four plus front and rear motor-generators, up about 20% on the outgoing NX 300h but modest against an SUV band that runs to 550 hp.

Lexus does not publish a combined system torque figure for the NX 350h, so US spec listings carry the engine's 167 lb-ft; the electric rear axle contributes additional torque that never appears in a single number. Either way it sits near the floor of the SUV band, well below the 317 lb-ft of the NX 350 turbo.

Lexus quotes 7.2 seconds for the 2022 NX 350h — adequate rather than quick, about half a second behind the 275 hp NX 350 turbo (6.8 s) and a second behind the 450h+ PHEV (6.0 s), but a full 1.5 s quicker than the first-generation NX 300h it replaced.

Launch-year reviewers describe the hybrid system as smooth and quiet with immediate low-speed electric response and no turbo lag; the 2.5L only announces itself with a low roar under sustained hard acceleration. Solidly above the segment midpoint without reaching the seamless-under-all-conditions top band.

The planetary e-CVT has no discrete gears to hunt between and errs deliberately toward smoothness and efficiency, but it lets revs flare into audible drone when the accelerator is pinned — the standard trade-off of this hybrid architecture rather than a fault specific to the NX.

A 2,000-lb rating covers a small utility trailer or a pair of jet skis and nothing more — typical for a unibody compact luxury crossover but close to the floor of the SUV band, which runs to 8,000 lbs.

Every US-market 2022 NX 350h is AWD — Lexus's E-Four system drives the rear axle with a dedicated electric motor rather than a driveshaft, so there is nothing to option and no FWD hybrid is sold here. Operation is on-demand and basic: Trail Mode and brake-based torque steering, but no low range and no locking differentials.

Unibody crossover with 7.7 in of ground clearance, road tires, no skid plates, no locker and no off-road grade anywhere in the 2022 lineup. The new-for-2022 Trail Mode brakes a spinning wheel and redirects torque, which handles a wet launch ramp or a snowy driveway — the full extent of the brief.

The second generation arrived for 2022 with four genuinely distinct powertrains in one compact SUV — naturally aspirated gas, turbo gas, full hybrid and the brand's first plug-in hybrid — two of them electrified. Few rivals at any price offered that spread in 2022.

EPA rates the 2022 NX 350h AWD at 39 MPG combined — 11 MPG better than the non-hybrid NX 250 and 14 better than the NX 350 turbo, from the same body and the same launch year of the second generation.

City is the hybrid's strongest figure, as expected from a power-split system that runs on electric drive at low speed and recaptures braking energy — 16 MPG clear of the NX 250 in the same conditions.

Highway trails city by 4 MPG — the usual hybrid inversion, since there is less braking energy to recover at speed — but 37 MPG still beats the NX 350 turbo's 29 MPG highway outright.

EPA publishes 566 miles of total range for the 2022 NX 350h, matching the 14.5-gallon tank at the combined rating. That is long-legged for a compact SUV and is the practical everyday payoff of the hybrid alongside the MPG figure.

EPA puts annual fuel cost at $2,000 for the 2022 NX 350h. The hybrid's premium-gasoline rating eats into what 39 MPG would otherwise save, which is why a car this efficient still lands in the lower half of an SUV band calibrated on dollars rather than MPG.

Lexus recommends premium unleaded and the EPA files the 2022 350h under 'Premium Gasoline', so part of the hybrid's efficiency is handed back at the pump — notable because the mechanically related Toyota RAV4 Hybrid runs on regular, as does the NX 250. Premium is recommended rather than required, which keeps it in the middle band.

NHTSA crash-tested the second-generation NX but never ran the rollover resistance test, so no overall star rating was computed for the 2022 car (or for any later year of the generation). The published subtests are strong on the side but only four stars frontal, so the provisional value sits between the two rather than being presented as a five-star US result.

The 2022 NX is an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ with Good in every crashworthiness test run on it — both small overlap fronts, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraints — and it clears the award's headlight condition on every trim rather than only the loaded ones.

Lexus Safety System+ 3.0 is standard on every 2022 NX trim including the volume 350h Premium, and Lexus adds Blind Spot Monitor with rear cross-traffic alert and Safe Exit Assist as standard rather than package content — so AEB, full-speed adaptive cruise, lane keeping/centering, BSM and RCTA all arrive on the base car. Only the 360-degree camera, front cross-traffic alert and lane-change assist are held back to the optional Vision package.

IIHS rates the NX Superior in every front crash prevention test it runs — vehicle-to-vehicle plus pedestrian in daylight and at night — which is the top result in all three, and the pedestrian runs were outright avoidances rather than speed reductions.

Blind Spot Monitor with rear cross-traffic alert is standard across the range and Lexus pairs it with Safe Exit Assist, which extends the same radar coverage to occupants opening a door into traffic or a passing cyclist — coverage most compact luxury rivals still charge for. It falls short of the top band because the base coverage is alert-only: rear cross-traffic braking and front cross-traffic alert are optional.

Lane Departure Alert with steering assist and Lane Tracing Assist centering are both standard, and LSS+ 3.0 adds emergency steer assist for in-lane avoidance. Reviewers describe the centering as functional minor-correction assistance rather than a confident hands-light system, and it works only with the adaptive cruise engaged — enough for the middle band, not the top one.

Dynamic Radar Cruise Control is standard, operates through the full speed range with stop-and-go in traffic, and adds curve-speed management that eases the car through bends instead of holding set speed. It integrates cleanly with Lane Tracing Assist, but owners report speed-holding hesitation around large vehicles, which keeps it just short of the refined top band.

No hands-free highway system is offered on the 2022 NX at any trim or price. Lexus Teammate Advanced Drive launched that same model year but was restricted to the AWD LS 500h flagship; the NX tops out at hands-on Lane Tracing Assist.

Every headlight configuration IIHS tested on the 2022 NX rated Good, so the volume 350h Premium gets the same rating as a loaded Luxury — the trim-dependent headlight penalty that costs most compact luxury SUVs points here does not apply. Intelligent High Beam auto high-beam control is standard across the range.

Forward and over-shoulder sightlines are reasonable for the class, but the second-generation NX carries a high beltline and thick rear pillars with a shallow rear window, and owners raise it as a complaint. Standard blind-spot and rear cross-traffic monitoring cover the worst of it, while the fixes that would earn a top score — the panoramic view monitor and the digital rearview mirror — are both optional rather than standard on the volume trim.

IIHS rates the NX's LATCH hardware Good and notes extra usable positions beyond the required two, which is the top hardware grade — two full outboard sets plus a center tether anchor, easy to reach without digging into the cushion. It sits below the very top of the band on space rather than hardware: the NX's rear bench is class-average width and three seats across is a squeeze.

The second-generation NX launched for 2022 as a strictly two-row, five-seat compact crossover, with no third-row option on any trim or powertrain including the 350h.

First-row headroom for the all-new 2022 NX body; the moonroof — standard content once you tick the Premium Package — costs 1.2 in.

2022 is the launch year of the GA-K-based second generation, which Lexus says added head and legroom — 41.0 in up front is nonetheless only a fraction above the SUV band floor of 40 in.

Second-row headroom is the NX's strongest published interior dimension, sitting comfortably above the compact-SUV midpoint even before the moonroof penalty.

The 2022 redesign spent its extra wheelbase on the front seats: rear legroom is adequate for two adults but reviewers repeatedly flag it as cramped for the price bracket.

The 2022 NX is a two-row SUV with no third row on any trim or powertrain, so it scores in the low band by definition rather than for a poor third row.

Below the 25 cu ft SUV normalization floor; the hybrid pack sits under the rear seat so the 350h loses nothing to the gas cars, but the short body and sloping tailgate leave the whole NX line trailing its class.

Maximum cargo falls below the 55 cu ft SUV band floor — the clearest practical weakness of the 2022 NX against compact rivals, several of which clear 58 cu ft.

Competent everyday storage — a usable console bin, door pockets and an open shelf under the floating centre stack — with one genuinely clever touch in the stowable wireless charger, but no underfloor trick storage and no onboard AC power anywhere in the range.

Launch-year reviewers single out the front seats as a high point — 10-way power driver and 8-way passenger adjustment are standard on the 350h — but the rear bench is short on legroom and ventilation and memory require the Premium Package.

Ride compliance is the headline comfort strength of the new-for-2022 platform — plush and well damped over broken pavement, with reviewers comparing it to the larger RX — though it stops short of true luxury-car isolation over the worst surfaces.

Very well isolated at a cruise, helped by long electric-only stretches at low speed; the one intrusion is the 2.5-litre four flaring against the e-CVT under hard acceleration.

Unusually generous for the segment at launch: dual-zone automatic climate control AND heated front seats are standard on the base NX 350h, with ventilated seats, a heated wheel, heated rear seats and remote climate pre-conditioning all available — only the rear seats get a full climate zone of their own, which they do not.

The all-new second-generation NX launched for 2022 with the naturally aspirated NX 250 as its entry point at $37,950 plus $1,075 destination — under $40K delivered and several thousand below a 2022 X3, Q5 or GLC, making it the cheapest way into the compact luxury SUV class that year.

The hybrid is AWD-only for 2022 and Premium is its volume grade — the step that adds heated/ventilated front seats and the hands-free liftgate most buyers in this class expect — landing at roughly $44,600 delivered. Base 350h is $42,125 with destination and the Luxury grade tops the hybrid range at about $49,000.

Published estimates for this powertrain disagree by a factor of five — CarEdge projects $2,488 for an NX 350h while Edmunds True Cost to Own runs far higher by pricing scheduled service at Lexus dealer labor rates — so the mid-$5Ks is the fair read: genuinely low repair incidence for a Toyota-derived hybrid, offset by luxury-dealer service pricing. Set just under the $5,800 carried on the mechanically identical 2023 NX to reflect 2022-era service rates.

The NX is the strongest value-holder in its segment and the 2022 cars have tracked above even that: four years on, KBB shows a 2022 NX holding roughly two-thirds of its original price, helped by the inflated used market these cars were sold into. Sources span the high 50s to high 60s, so ~64% is a defensible central estimate for a 2022 NX 350h — a touch above the 61% projected for the 2023 car.

Lexus's 4-year/50,000-mile basic coverage on 2022 model-year vehicles is exactly the luxury-segment norm — level with BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Acura — and mid-band for the framework.

Six years/70,000 miles beats the German rivals' 4/50 but sits far below the 10-year plans that anchor the top of this band. On this hybrid the meaningful backstop is the separate battery term, which runs to 10 years/150,000 miles on 2020-and-newer Lexus models and covers the single most expensive component in the powertrain.

LexusCare covers only the first two scheduled services — 6 months/5,000 miles and 12 months/10,000 miles — which is short next to BMW's 3-year/36,000-mile plan, but it is paired with four years of unlimited-mileage roadside assistance and multi-year connected-services trials on this generation's new Lexus Interface system. Solid rather than generous, and scored level with the identical program on the 2023 and 2026 NX.

$44,600 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (64% retained, or about $28,544) leaves about $16,056 in depreciation. Add the projected $5,600 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $21,656 in total.

Consumer Reports rates the 2022 NX — and the NX Hybrid specifically — as more reliable than other vehicles of the same model year, and it places ahead of the X3, Q5 and XT5 in the segment; the deduction is for 2022 being the launch year of the all-new AL20 generation, where CR's own trouble spots (A/C condenser and compressor, premature brake wear, cold-start transmission thump) and widely reported Lexus Interface software bugs are first-year teething rather than a settled record.

The 2022 model year is exactly the cohort J.D. Power's 2025 Vehicle Dependability Study measured at three years, and Lexus finished first of all brands by a wide margin for the third straight year; the brand was also runner-up among premium marques in the initial-quality study covering these same build dates.

Launch-year recall activity is clearly heavier than the Lexus norm — four NHTSA campaigns touch the 2022 NX 350h, including missing spot-welds at the front shock absorber mounts, which is an assembly defect on the body structure rather than a component supplier issue — and a service campaign plus a later rearview-camera recall extend the list; none is a powertrain or fire defect on this hybrid variant, so it lands as elevated-but-not-systemic rather than in the bottom band.

The NX 350h's 2.5-liter A25A-FXS four paired to Toyota's planetary eCVT is the single most widely deployed hybrid powertrain in the US market — in the RAV4 Hybrid and Camry Hybrid since 2017–18 — and it is naturally aspirated, timing-chain driven and thermally understressed, with the electric rear axle providing AWD in place of a driveshaft and transfer case; the only reason it is not at the ceiling is that this specific application was new for 2022.

The AL20 redesign replaced a cabin reviewers had criticized for a decade — soft-touch surfaces at nearly every touchpoint, real stitching, and the Lexus Interface screen in place of the old touchpad controller — and it reads as a genuine step up for the class; owner reviews are the dissenting voice, with scattered complaints that some plastics and trim feel ordinary for a $45,000–$55,000 vehicle.

This is the weakest part of the 2022 NX's quality case: an NHTSA recall for spot-welds that were simply missing from the front shock towers is a straightforward assembly-line escape, and owner reports of uneven interior and exterior panel alignment, cabin rattles and squeaks, and shaking mirrors cluster on the launch-year cars — held up by Lexus's still-strong brand initial-quality standing rather than by the model's own record.

Roughly 240 US stores is a thinner footprint than a mainstream brand, but Lexus posted the best service satisfaction of any premium marque in the year this vehicle was built, and the NX 350h's hybrid hardware is shared with the RAV4 Hybrid, so routine mechanical work is also within reach of the far denser Toyota network.

Running costs sit at the low end of the luxury compact SUV class and the hybrid drivetrain shares its major components with the volume RAV4 Hybrid, so wear parts are ordinary Toyota pricing rather than German-luxury pricing — but the AL20's distinctive hardware is dealer-only and not cheap, with the e-latch outside door handle assembly the recurring example, and RepairPal has no cost dataset for the NX 350h yet.

The volume NX 350h AWD ships with the 9.8-inch screen; the 14-inch display is not a standalone box to tick — it arrives with the Luxury Package or as an option on top of the Premium Package.

2022 is the debut of Lexus Interface, and it was widely judged a generational leap over the outgoing Remote Touch trackpad — fast, touch-first and cloud-connected — but the redesign pushed climate and several everyday functions onto the screen, which launch-year reviewers found distracting on the move.

Both wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto are standard on every 2022 NX including the base NX 250 and the volume NX 350h — there is no wired-only entry point and no package gate.

The hardware is genuinely modern — cloud-based navigation with Google points of interest and a 'Hey Lexus' natural-language assistant — but on the volume 350h the brochure lists it as Drive Connect *capability* requiring a subscription; the actual trial is bundled with the 14-inch screen, the Premium Package option or the Luxury Package.

A 10-speaker Lexus Premium Audio system is standard rather than an upgrade, and the optional Mark Levinson PurePlay is one of the strongest premium systems in the compact luxury class — though reaching it means buying a package first.

A 7-inch Multi-Instrument Display is the cluster across the 2022 NX range — crisp and modern, but small and far less reconfigurable than the 12-inch-plus full-width clusters German rivals were fitting at this price in 2022.

Lexus Interface delivers over-the-air map and media updates, and 2022 carried one documented case of a genuine feature being switched on after delivery — the Remote Park half of Advanced Park was shipped as a vehicle software update in spring 2022 — but the scope is still infotainment-and-adjacent rather than whole-vehicle.

The connected-services stack is standard on the base 350h — Safety Connect, Service Connect, Remote Connect and a Wi-Fi hotspot — covering remote start, climate pre-conditioning, lock/unlock and locate; the marks come off because each runs trial-then-subscription and phone-as-key sits behind a package.

Four USB ports are standard across both rows, which is adequate rather than generous, and the stowable wireless charger is bundled into a package with Digital Key instead of being standard. No household AC outlet is offered on any 2022 NX.

Proximity smart-key entry and push-button start are standard, and 2022 introduced the e-latch electronic door releases as standard equipment across the range; phone-as-key is available, while the hands-free power tailgate is held back to the Premium Package.

A rear camera is standard and the ladder above it is capable — parking sensors with auto-braking, a Panoramic View Monitor, and Advanced Park automated parking offered specifically on the 350h — but in 2022 the surround-view camera required the top Luxury Package, a steeper gate than most rivals imposed.

A large 10-inch colour head-up display is offered and is well regarded, but a 2022 NX 350h buyer reaches it only through the Luxury Package or as an option stacked on the Premium Package — not something the volume configuration carries.

LATCH hardware is among the best-rated in the class and the new-for-2022 e-latch doors open wide and easily, but 36.1 in of rear legroom and 22.7 cu ft behind the seats make a rear-facing seat plus a stroller a genuine squeeze.

A 2022 Top Safety Pick+ where the safety content sits on the trim families actually buy — Lexus Safety System+ 3.0, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert and Safe Exit Assist are all standard on the base car, with nothing important behind a package.

Quiet, plush and long-legged on roughly 565 miles of range, with rear console vents and optional heated rear seats — but there is no rear entertainment, no separate rear climate zone, and with four aboard the 22.7 cu ft boot is the binding constraint on a week away.

This is the NX 350h's core competence: seamless electric creep away from stops with a selectable EV drive mode, no perceptible lag, light controls and a hushed cabin make it an unusually low-effort commuter.

39 MPG combined is outstanding for a luxury compact SUV, but Lexus specifies premium gasoline for the 350h, which hands back part of the advantage — the EPA still lands annual fuel cost at $2,000, and Lexus consumables price above mainstream.

A compact 183.5-in footprint and a roughly 38-ft curb-to-curb circle make it easy to place in town, and Advanced Park is specifically offered on the 350h — but in 2022 the Panoramic View Monitor required the top Luxury Package, so the volume car parks on a rear camera and optional sensors.

A 2,000-lb tow rating that itself needs optional equipment, in a unibody luxury crossover with 22.7 cu ft of boot and no bed — enough for a small utility trailer and nothing more.

The Toyota hybrid-electric drivetrain underneath is one of the most durability-proven powertrains on the road and carries an 8-yr/100,000-mi hybrid system warranty, but everything around it — NuLuxe or leather trim, low unibody, optional 20-inch wheels — is specified for a luxury owner, not a fleet.

Essentially no work provisions: cargo tie-downs, an all-weather cargo mat and an available hitch are the extent of it, with no onboard AC power, no washable surfaces and no upfit ecosystem.

A strong mile-eater for its size — roughly 565 miles between fills, a plush and quiet cabin, and full-speed adaptive cruise with lane tracing standard on every trim; the limits are rear-seat space and luggage room rather than the driving.

Standard electric-rear-axle AWD and 7.7 in of ground clearance handle gravel, trailheads and snow, and Lexus sells roof cross bars — but with no low range, no locking differential, road tyres and a 2,000-lb tow limit this is a fire-road vehicle, not an adventure platform.

A 60/40-split folding rear bench, accessory roof cross bars and an available hitch cover normal luggage, but 46.9 cu ft maximum is well short of the class and the sloping tailgate limits what bulky items will actually go in.

The all-new 2022 platform is secure and predictable and corners better than the first-generation NX, but it is tuned firmly for comfort and the 350h cannot be had with the Adaptive Variable Suspension that sharpens the F SPORT cars.

The electric rack is accurate and consistently weighted enough for confident placement, but feedback is essentially absent — a recurring note in launch-year reviews.

Regen blending is better resolved than most hybrids in the class — reviewers specifically note the pedal feels conventional rather than spongy — though outright stopping power is adequate rather than a strength on a car around 4,080 lb.

The best part of how the NX 350h drives: transitions between electric and petrol power are imperceptible, the engine restarts through the motor-generator so there is no stop/start shudder, and tip-in is immediate with the e-axle filling in at the rear.

Near-silent at light loads and on electric power, but the 2.5-litre four flares and drones against the e-CVT under hard acceleration — the classic Toyota hybrid signature, and the 350h does not get the Active Noise Control fitted to the NX 350 turbo.

Taken from Lexus's own 2022 NX specification sheet, which publishes turning radii rather than diameters; the 40-ft figure aggregators list is the wall-to-wall measurement, not curb-to-curb.

A comfortable, well-adjustable seating position — 10-way power driver's seat standard — with a commanding forward view and the new floating centre stack putting the screen in easy reach; undercut by the 2022 redesign moving climate and other everyday functions onto the touchscreen, and by thick rear pillars.

Competent and refined but deliberately unexciting — no enthusiast reviewer recommends the 350h on driving enjoyment, and a 7.2-second 0–60 with e-CVT character reinforces that.

A 2022 NX opens at $39,025 delivered — the cheapest entry in the compact luxury class, several thousand under a 2022 X3, Q5 or GLC — and every grade carries Lexus Safety System+ 3.0, the 9.8-inch Lexus Interface touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, cloud navigation, Safe Exit Assist and NuLuxe upholstery. It stops short of the top band because the 14-inch screen, Mark Levinson audio, leather, head-up display, heated seats and hands-free liftgate all sit behind the Premium and Luxury grades, so the volume 350h Premium lands near $44,600.

The hybrid is the strongest money argument in the 2022 range: $42,125 delivered buys a 39-MPG AWD luxury crossover with an IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ and the best retained value in the class, which is a genuinely favorable cost-per-year story against the Germans. It lands just below the 2023 car because the money buys neither pace nor space — reviewers put the NX's dynamics and cargo hold behind the X3, RDX and GV70 — and in 2022 almost nobody transacted at sticker.

Four distinct powertrains arrived in one nameplate for 2022 — naturally aspirated NX 250 (the only FWD option), turbocharged NX 350, hybrid NX 350h and plug-in hybrid NX 450h+ — crossed with base, Premium, Luxury and F SPORT Handling grades across roughly a dozen configurations from $39,025 to the high $50Ks. That is an unusually wide, well-spaced ladder for the class, with a real entry point at the bottom rather than a single loaded starting grade.

2022 was the NX's soft year, not its breakout: the generation changeover plus the chip shortage cut US volume to roughly 49,000–51,000 units, down about 13% from 58,514 in 2021, leaving it behind the BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLC and Audi Q5 in the class. It stays well above mid-band because the absolute volume is still large, the NX remained Lexus's second-best seller, and the launch set up the 50% surge to 74,526 in 2023.

Lexus holds the strongest residual and dependability reputation of any luxury brand — it took Kelley Blue Book's 2022 Best Resale Value luxury-brand title, edging Porsche — and in 2022 buyers were paying for that reputation rather than negotiating against it. It sits below the aspirational top band because Lexus trades on reliability and quiet comfort rather than the performance halo BMW, Porsche or Genesis bring to the same segment.

2022 was the worst of the shortage years for a buyer of this car: the redesigned NX was allocation-constrained, the hybrid most of all, and dealer addendums above MSRP were routine rather than exceptional — paying sticker counted as a win. With essentially no cash on the hood and negotiation running the wrong way, this belongs in the bottom band the framework reserves for cars that sell at or over MSRP.

2022 is the launch year of the second-generation AZ20 NX — an entirely new body, interior, GA-K platform, powertrain lineup and the debut of Lexus Interface multimedia — so a buyer got the newest thing in the class with zero redesign risk ahead. The first-generation car ran seven years before replacement, so the runway was long.

Reviewers welcomed the redesign without ranking it near the top of a deep class — U.S. News scored the 2022 NX 7.4/10 and placed it 12th among 2022 luxury compact SUVs, praising the new infotainment and low ownership costs while calling it comfort-first rather than sporty, and Car and Driver found the 350h 'unexciting and in some areas unpolished.' The hard credential is safety: IIHS named both the NX and the NX plug-in hybrid TOP SAFETY PICK+ with Good ratings across all six crash tests and a Superior front-crash-prevention rating. No 10Best, NACTOY or comparison-test wins.