Nissan Murano vs Lexus NX

The fourth generation of the Murano comes with a new powertrain and lots of new features, including tech and comfort options making their way into this lineup for the first time ever. Yet Nissan has also, for some reason, felt it necessary to take away certain desirable offerings that used to be more affordably accessible. It sits at the upper end of the automaker’s crossover and SUV range, above the Nissan Kicks, the Nissan Rogue, the Nissan Pathfinder, and the Nissan Ariya, but below the larger Nissan Armada.

Verdict: We’ve got a lot of good things to say about this new Murano. The downgrades stick in our craw, but in reality, they represent just a small handful of the many changes that are generally quite positive.

The NX is the compact crossover SUV of the Lexus lineup. It’s between the Lexus UX and Lexus RX in size and price, and competes with small luxury crossovers like the Acura RDX, Audi Q5, BMW X3, Genesis GV70, Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class, and Volvo XC60. This second-generation version arrived for the 2022 model year and receives minimal updates for 2026. The previous NX 250 base model is gone, but Lexus made some changes to the lineup to make the hybrid and plug-in hybrid NX models more affordable.

Verdict: The NX is a good value in hybrid form, but otherwise doesn’t feel like a true luxury vehicle.