I spent some time with the 2020 Lexus NX this week, and I’ve been able to put it through the paces as a family car. The model I’m driving is a 2020 Lexus NX 300 F Sport. This compact luxury crossover SUV sports a nice clean look. It’s extreme in a modern or fancy sense––if that’s what you’re into. For a compact crossover SUV, the Lexus NX sells itself well as an SUV rather than a glorified hatchback.

For my family of four, it served us well in terms of gas mileage, comfort, and relatively user-friendly features. I’ll admit the infotainment touchpad took me a minute to figure out and it never quite felt natural when operating the system that way. However, the package presented by the 2020 Lexus NX 300 F Sport proved itself by standing up to all the family fun.

Is the 2020 Lexus NX 300 F Sport a good SUV?

Even when I pushed it on country roads in sport mode I never saw the average miles per gallon dip below 20 mpg. In fact, I usually saw an average of about 27 mpg. Car seat installation for one Recaro child safety seat and a Chicco booster was a breeze. The LATCH system on the rear bench was easy to access and clip-in. Plus, the rear anchors were also easily accessible from the rear cargo. Although it’s worth noting that the tonneau did make reaching the rear anchors a bit more tricky than if the trunk is completely open.

Driving it was pretty fun. It wasn’t jumpy or extreme and––especially in eco mode––you do feel a slight lag in acceleration. If you are looking for a family SUV that feels more like a race car, the Lexus NX probably isn’t going to be your pick. I’d still say this practical luxury SUV is worth a test drive, though. In addition to our real-world testing, Consumer Reports, and J.D. Power also rank the 2020 NX 300 F Sport 5 out of 5 and 4.5 out of 5 respectively for predicted reliability.

A comfortable compact luxury crossover SUV

I have some mild back issues, so I’m a bit of a hard judge on car seats. One of my favorite elements of the 2020 Lexus NX 300 F Sport is the comfortable driver’s seat. The rear seat isn’t huge, but adults fit back there just fine. The driver’s seat was easy to set to my specifications. The sound system was clear whether I was listening to Metallica, Mozart, or the ABCs.

In addition to the comfort of the seats, the suspension felt pretty smooth. The 2-liter turbo-four moved smoothly through the 6-speed automatic transmission. Plus, the added optional engagement of paddle shifters felt totally unnecessary though still fun. I am a bit of a goody-two-shoes driver and I found that unless I set the adaptive cruise control it was difficult not to accidentally almost speed on the highway.

In the country and the city

I drove the 2020 Lexus NX 300 F Sport on both winding country roads and on city streets to practices and soccer games with both of my children and my husband––who is 6 feet tall––in tow. We all felt comfortable and the light steering of this compact luxury crossover SUV felt planted and secure in both scenarios. Plus, our gear fit easily in the ample cargo this small Lexus SUV offers. The 2020 Lexus NX 300 F Sport feels every bit a luxury SUV, and it performed more than adequately for our family of four this past week.