Family Car Review: 2024 Lexus NX 350h SUV

How big is the boot of the 2024 Lexus NX350h?

The 2024 Lexus NX350h's boot space is generous; it fits 13 shopping bags when empty, which is comparable to the BMW iX3  that also holds 13. The Volvo XC60 and Audi Q5 both hold 14 shopping bags.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Bub’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

The Thule Sleek, future-proof, multi-configuration pram with a single seat…

…will fit in the 2024 Lexus NX350h boot with six shopping bags.

The Thule Sleek, future-proof, multi-configuration pram with two sibling seats…

…will fit in the boot of the 2024 Lexus NX350h with three shopping bags.

The Thule Sleek, future-proof, multi-configuration pram with seat and bassinet…

…will fit in the boot of the Lexus NX side-by-side with no shopping bags.

The Thule Urban Glide 2 is the ultimate all-terrain stroller…

… with the back wheels on, it will fit in the Lexus NX boot with two shopping bags.

The Thule Spring, lightweight and one-handed folding stroller…

… fits in the boot of the Lexus NX with eight shopping bags.

You can also fit two 90L and two 40L Thule Chasm duffle bags in the boot of the Lexus NX.

Or a medium-sized dog.

If you have filled your boot and need extra boot space for your family, the Thule Force XT L Roofbox and Thule Wingbar EVO roof racks go really nicely on the Lexus NX.

The Thule Force XT L Roofbox is very spacious inside and is like having a second boot space, holding two 90L and two 40L Thule Chasm duffle Bags.

The 2024 Lexus NX350h's boot floor is nice and flat for an emergency nappy change, and underneath the floor is a little hidden storage area.

How good is storage in the 2024 Lexus NX350h?

The storage inside the Lexus NX cabin is really generous and practical, too.

On the back of both front seats are map pockets that will fit your kids' iPads or books and there are sockets in the back of the central console for charging their devices.

A fold-down armrest in the central seatback houses two cup holders. They will hold a child's drink cup or a reusable or disposable coffee cup fit in them, too.

The rear door bins are a good size and will hold a refillable water bottle and an iPad and there are storage wells in the handles too.

In the front of the Lexus NX, there are two cup holders in the central console that will hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup. In front of them is a wireless phone charging pad that acts as a retractable lid for a storage area underneath.

The central console box is generous in size and is lined so nothing rattles around, disturbing passengers.

The glove box is a good size and will hold a wallet and iPad with the manual. There is a first aid kit in there, too.

It's also good to see a lined glasses case in the ceiling, as a lot of manufacturers are no longer including them and it leaves drivers nowhere to keep their glasses where they won't get damaged.

The front door bins will hold your refillable water bottle, and an iPad and wallet fit, too. There are also storage wells in the front door handles.

How noisy is the 2024 Lexus NX350h, and how easy is the media screen to use?

The Lexus NX is not a noisy car to drive and it has few bells and warning alarms that would wake a sleeping baby!

The media screen in the 2024 Lexus NX350h is easy to use and navigate using the bar down the right-hand side.

You can customise the sound settings and other driver assist functions for the car easily.

Being a hybrid, there is a great Energy Flow screen where you can watch the to and fro of power, which my kids and I love watching!

The Lexus NX has built-in sat-nav that is easy to use…

… and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto so you can access your phone and Apps while driving.

The climate controls remain at the bottom of the media screen, so you can easily locate and use them while driving.

When you are reversing, the camera images are nice and large and clear, and you can turn the parking sensors off easily on the screen.

The Lexus NX has a 3D surround camera you can turn on easily, giving you a clear view of the vehicle. I find this really useful when parking in a school or playground car park to ensure there are no kids around the car and also to check the kerbs so I don't damage the wheels.

The indicator sound is not too loud in the 2024 Lexus NX350h and did not disturb my kids while they were sleeping in the back.

The windows and doors in the Lexus NX are not too loud or noisy to open and close and are not baby-waking!

The 2024 Lexus NX350h tailgate opens and closes with the press of a button, which is a great BabyDrive feature. You can carry your baby to and from the car and open and close the boot easily while your arms are full.

Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!

That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.

If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?

It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?

A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.

Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.

The Lexus NX is a quiet and smooth drive, and there is no real baby-waking noises!

How many child/baby seats can you fit in the 2024 Lexus NX350h?

When it comes to installing child seats in the Lexus NX, there are ISOFix points in both outer rear seats. They are not within plastic guides, but they are nice and easy to connect to.

All three rear seatbacks have top tether anchorages, which are easily accessible through the boot.

Three Infasecure child seats fit across the rear seats of the Lexus NX. I installed the Infasecure Attain More and Infasecure Liberty Onyx Booster Seat, both forward-facing and the Infasecure Coocoon Go Infant Capsule rear-facing behind the driver's seat. It is a bit of a squeeze so you'll need to check your combination of Infasecure child seats fit.

The Lexus NX has good legroom. With this combination of child seats, we could fit a 180cm driver in front of the rear-facing Infasecure Coocoon Go Infant Capsule or someone taller on the passenger side in front of the Infasecure Attain More.

With only one child seat installed, there is plenty of room in the back of the NX 350h to feed Bub. Posting Bub into their child seat from inside and outside the car was fine, too.

Australia being a country of weather extremes- blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!

How comfy is the 2024 Lexus NX350h?

Rear passengers are kept comfortable while you are driving, in the Lexus NX, with air vents in the back of the central console box and on the back of both front seats are map pockets that will fit your kids' iPads or books.

For rear passengers not in child seats, the rear seats are very comfortable. They are upholstered with perforated leather and stitch details. The perforations may trap any kids and pets spills so putting a protective mat over them is best. The front seats in the 2024 Lexus NX350h have the same upholstery as the rear.

There are four air-conditioning vents across the front of the dashboard, two underneath the media screen and one at each end of the dashboard.

The air-con controls are along the bottom on the media screen. They are easy to locate and use while driving.

The back of the central console box also has two vents for the rear passengers and charging sockets.

There are no built-in window shades in the 2024 Lexus NX350h, so you do have to add your own after-market rear window shades.

The Lexus NX's visibility is compromised with three child seats in the back. When there is only two Infasecure child seats in the back then you can see nicely out of the centre of the rear windscreen.

It is comfortable for passengers and good to drive for school drop-offs, around town and the 360-degree, 3D camera makes maneuvering and parking easy.

One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Bub has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually, I dread parking long cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the Lexus NX 350h is easy to reverse park!

The interior of the Lexus NX 350h is modern, with good storage.

How safe is the Lexus NX?

The Lexus NX has been given a five-star ANCAP safety rating. Scoring 89% for child occupancy protection and 91% for adult occupancy protection.

Of the child occupancy testing, ANCAP wrote:

In the frontal offset test, dummy readings indicated GOOD protection for all critical body areas of both child dummies, apart from the neck of the 10 year dummy where protection was rated as ADEQUATE.
In the side impact test, protection of all critical body areas was GOOD for both dummies, and maximum points were scored.
The Lexus NX is fitted with lower ISOFix anchorages on the rear outboard seats and top tether anchorages for all rear seating positions.
Installation of typical child restraints available in Australia and New Zealand showed the child restraints assessed could be accommodated in all rear seating positions.

Eight airbags are standard:

Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags, as well as a driver knee airbag, are standard. A centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes.

The Lexus NX 350h comes with adaptive cruise control (ACC), anti-lock braking system (ABS), autonomous emergency braking (AEB) – Car-to-Car and VRU, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), junction assist, automatic emergency call (eCall), blind spot monitor (BSM), child presence alert, electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), electronic data recorder (EDR), electronic stability control (ESC), emergency brake assist (EBA), emergency stop signal (ESS), fatigue reminder, fatigue monitor/detection, forward collision warning (FCW), lane departure warning (LDW), lane keep assist (LKA), pre-crash systems, rear cross-traffic alert (RCTA), reversing collision avoidance (camera), secondary / multi-collision brake, speed assistance – auto / intelligent speed limiter and speed assistance – speed sign recognition and warning as standard.

Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Bub’s asleep!