In September, Lexus will turn 30. And, as history tells us, Lexus hit the ground running, turning the luxury car world on its head with its ideas on what constitutes a luxury automobile: solid engineering, quality materials, and value.
Thirty years on, we got our hands on a 2020 Lexus NX 300 F SPORT. Everything you’d expect from a Lexus is still there more or less, but we should add that the F-Sport package doesn’t add any more power—it’s all appearance—save for a shorter final gear ratio in either FWD or AWD guise. What does the F SPORT package add? Well, mostly interior upgrades, but also some interesting things: F SPORT tuned suspension, race-inspired paddle shifters and G-force and turbo-boost displays. Also worth noting is this little gem from the press kit: “Enjoy the sound of an engine revving? The Lexus NX 300 F SPORT obliges with Active Sound Control (ASC), which brings some of the engine note through the speakers and enhances it, with volume adjustable by the driver.” The premium F SPORT package tacks $2865 onto the base price.
Fuel economy for the turbocharged 2.0 Liter—the only engine option for the NX 300 F SPORT—is 22 city and 27 highway for the AWD version like our tester. It does put out 235 horsepower, though.
Pricing for the 2020 Lexus NX 300 starts at $40,025, with our F SPORT tester coming in at $51,358.
Wish there was a fancy version of the tried-and-true Rav4? Lexus can make those wishes true with their NX series–but this isn’t going to be a fast-casual meal as our F Sport tester started at $38,960.
This is another one of the fancy tall wagons offered by Lexus and, we admit, it’s a growing, crowded market. What separates this one from the rest? It looks and feels like a Lexus. The controls have a familiar click to them. The interior touch points might be a bit nicer.
Outside, there’s Lexus's unmistakable DNA. Is it for everyone? Maybe, maybe not. But no one will confuse it for a Rav4.
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