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2021 Lexus NX Sees Blind Spot, Rear Traffic Alerts Among Standard Adds

2021 Lexus NX 300 parked in front of a sunset over a beach 2021 Lexus NX 300 | Manudacturer image

Lexus’ popular NX line of compact SUVs is getting a mild update for the 2021 model year. Toyota’s luxury arm is adding a few new standard features and cabin details as well as updating exterior color choices.

Related: What Are the Most Reliable Cars for 2020? (Hint: Genesis, Lexus Make ’Em)

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Light though updates may be, there are still reasons to think a 2021 model might prove more attractive than the outgoing version, starting with the additional standard features — though we can’t assess their added value until Lexus also releases pricing for 2021. In addition to standard blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, Lexus is adding standard power-folding, auto-dimming side mirrors with a reverse tilt feature. It’s also updating the NX’s windshield wiper blades to a new low-profile design and moving the included HomeLink feature to the navigation menu.

Exterior paint colors see the discontinuation of Blue Vortex Metallic, replaced for 2021 with Nori Green Pearl. Inside, there are modifications to the horn pad as well as to the “red zone” of the tachometer.

The NX 300’s powertrain carries over for 2021, with a 235-horsepower, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine paired to a six-speed automatic transmission. The NX 300h, meanwhile, uses the same 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and electric motor in combination for 194 total system hp, all mated to a continuously variable automatic transmission.

No word yet on when the 2021 NX SUVs will go on sale or how these minor changes will affect pricing.

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Road Test Editor Brian Normile joined the automotive industry and Cars.com in 2013 and became part of the Editorial staff in 2014. Brian spent his childhood devouring every car magazine he got his hands on — not literally, eventually — and now reviews and tests vehicles to help consumers make informed choices. Someday, Brian hopes to learn what to do with his hands when he’s reviewing a car on camera, and to turn his 2021 Hyundai Veloster N into a tribute to the great Renault mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive hatchbacks. He would daily-drive an Alfa Romeo 4C if he could. Email Brian Normile

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