2025 Lexus NX F Sport: New car reviews

When I arrived to pick up the Lexus NX F Sport from the Newark airport park-and-fly lot, the first thing that struck me was the styling. The exterior shape, in my opinion, gracefully balances sport and luxury with its angry eyebrows, large grille and sleek curves.

The color, which Lexus calls Copper Crest, was a delightful surprise–I had been expecting something gray or near gray, and this thing was as pink as a salmon filet.

Color-shy consumers need not fret: The Lexus NX F Sport also comes in all the classic shades. Gray, grayer gray, white, black, red and blue. Take your pick. Photo courtesy Lexus.

Getting into the car, I was in an anxious rush with a long drive through heavy traffic ahead of me. The weird shifter made a bad first impression. The infotainment system made a worse one.

In my rush, I didn’t connect my phone before taking off. I soon learned that the built-in nav was about a quarter mile behind my actual position on the road, causing me to miss my first exit.

The helper cameras automatically filled the screen any time I touched the turn signal or brake pedal. Dear reader, you may recognize that these are times when a driver might really just want to look at the map to see where they’re going next.

I eventually got fed up and pulled over to connect my phone, and with the sweet familiar countenance of CarPlay shining upon me, I was able to proceed much more comfortably.

I started to notice the good things in life, like the head-up display, heated and air-conditioned seats, and adjustable lumbar support.

And gee, how nice: The essential adjustments like volume, climate control, mirror position, windshield wipers and lights were not trapped in the screen zone. They were given knobs and switches in all the places you would expect them to be.

The average person buying this car is not going to have the same problems I had finding and using the bells and whistles in this luxury crossover. They also won’t have the same problems disabling the ones they don’t like or need. A sales rep will probably explain how everything works before they even get behind the wheel. For that reason, I won’t hold the Lexus’s unintuitive user interface against it.

What I will hold against the NX F Sport is the slow acceleration. For a car with sport badges, that left a lot to be desired.

But if you’re just looking for smooth handling in your luxury crossover and don’t really care about the zero-to-60, the Lexus NX provides. Once it reaches speed, it handles curvy roads like a champ and never feels unsafe or off balance. It even held its own during a few parade laps at Watkins Glen International.

What it lacks in sport it makes up for in utility. Comfortable seating for five adults, sufficient cupholders, a spacious center console storage area and lots of cargo space in the back. With the rear seats folded down, it swallowed two full-size coolers along with other boxes and bags. With the rear seats up, it easily carried a soccer-mom-sized load of groceries.

Overall, for a vehicle with a lot of bells and whistles and modern comforts, I was expecting a much higher price tag. The average new car sits right around $50,000 nowadays, and this specimen’s MSRP is listed at $56,835.

If I were in the market for a crossover and looking for something a little flashy, I would give the Lexus NX F Sport some serious consideration. After all, the $10-30K difference between the NX and some of its competitors can buy a lot of other nice things.

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