Lexus NX Hybrid vs Lexus UX Hybrid

The 2021 Lexus NX compact SUV is showing its age. It’s not an inherently bad vehicle, but with a design that dates back to the 2015 model year, it’s struggling to keep pace with fresher competition—including the Acura RDX, Audi Q5, BMW X3, Infiniti QX50, Lincoln Corsair, Mercedes-Benz GLC, and Volvo XC60—and can’t justify its positioning as a premium product.

Lexus offers the gasoline-only NX 300 and the NX 300h hybrid, but we’ll focus on the latter for this review. The big news for the 2021 Lexus NX 300h is a new F Sport Black Line special edition, which adds sportier F Sport styling features that normally aren’t available on the hybrid. It also comes with a matching two-piece set of Zero Halliburton luggage. Other changes include additional standard driver aids and "low-profile" windshield wipers.

We tested the Black Line for this review, but with production limited to 1,000 units, it will likely be sold out by the time you read this. However, it’s mechanically similar to the regular-production NX 300h hybrid trim levels—base and Luxury.

The glossary of automotive terminology is quite elastic. Words like sedan, coupe, and SUV were once used to describe very specific types of vehicles. But as automotive genres have blended, so have the definitions of these words. It’s how Porsche and Mercedes-Benz can call four-door SUVs with limited cargo space “coupes.” And it’s how the 2021 Lexus UX Hybrid can be generously described as a sport utility vehicle.

The UX is considered a crossover SUV but, in reality, it’s a hatchback with a slight lift and added plastic wheel arches. You won’t be off-roading in the UX. Heck, even certain unpaved roads will be too much for the UX. But the smallest Lexus crossover is an incredibly refined commuter, and the hybrid is an efficient machine for daily driving. The UX also has underwhelming acceleration and is in desperate need of an infotainment system update. But the luxury hybrid small SUV segment is a small one. Will this extreme niche insulate it from its deficiencies? Read on to find out.