Lexus NX 450h review: offers a lot more than just cupholders
Lexus nx450h
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LEXUS NX 450h |
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★★★★☆ |
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from €58,130 - €70,900 as tested |
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a PHEV with a total output of 309bhp |
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pretty impressive all round |
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with the Government having failed to kill PHEVs off, this one is a good one |
I remember when the Lexus NX was launched late in 2015, but unfortunately I have little other memory of the car because – and there’s no easy way of saying this – it was never a very memorable machine in the first place.
The ‘Irish’ launch of the car was actually tied in to the UK unveiling and it was a static affair in some modest rented showroom-type place near Olympia and a battery of Lexus engineers and designers were flown in from Japan to tell the gathered hackery of the car’s many highlights.
I remember the chief engineer spent an inordinate amount of time telling us about how ingenious the design of the cup holders was, because not only did it expand or contract depending on the size of the cup being put in it, but its’ depth also decreased the amount of potential sloshing around there could be with the cup’s contents.
Given my propensity for and preference of a ‘no bullshit’ approach to all things cars, the fact that a Lexus Chief Engineer could spend twenty minutes waffling about such a thing left me a little confused. Was this all they had to talk about? Was there nothing more exciting about this new premium SUV than the cup holders?
In truth it did not bode well and it was probably just as well that the launch was a static one rather than the usual get-in-and-drive variety. Other than that there is very little I can remember about the NX, even after driving it early in 2016.
I can tell you it was it turned out to be a best-seller in Russia and was also the best-selling Lexus for while across Europe, but the latter fact was probably due more to good timing on behalf of the manufacturer rather than the fact this was a brilliant drive.
Whatever about the Russians, the SUV revolution was just gaining traction across western Europe at the time and Lexus was simply in the right place at the right time with their car. Oh, and just as a by-the-way, Lexus revealed to us that NX stood for ‘nimble crossover’ – as the Japanese do in their uniquely cute way of creating car nomenclature.
Other than that, there was nothing in any way striking about the NX whatsoever. It drove OK, it was nice to sit in and live with, and it looked decent enough at the time. But of the driving experience I have no recall whatsoever, which, even at this remove suggests to me that it was nothing, er, memorable.
Recently, however, I got my hands on the latest NX and not alone was I immediately struck by how handsome it was, I was also delighted that it was no longer a plain hybrid, but now came with a choice of plug-in hybrid technology as well.
Regular readers will know of the general disdain emanating from these quarters about hybrids, a dislike which has not stopped Toyota (and its’ Lexus sub-brand) from selling shed loads of them over the past 20 years and making a pile of cash top. But the fact that Toyota recently announced that its’ future will lie solely with battery-powered cars, suggests they knew a long time ago that the game was up when it came to the whole hybrid racket.
But that’s not to say that they will not sell many more hybrids in the years to come, because they most certainly will. With governments across the globe in total confusion on transport policy and spouting completely unreasonable claims that internal combustion-engined cars – petrol and diesel – will have to be history by 2030, there’s life in the old hybrid yet.
Most commentators will tell you that the future of the car is not only in BEVs (battery electric vehicles), but also those using hydrogen fuel cells and that petrol, diesel, hybrid and PHEV will be dead in the water ‘ere long. But with the decision-makers floundering around, unsure exactly what they want from manufacturers, it is the carmakers themselves who are redefining the rules.
That being so, and combined with the fact they know a thing to two about turning a shilling, you can be sure they will continue making diesels, petrols, hybrids and PHEVs until they definitely know they can no longer do so.
So, the new Lexus NX only comes as a hybrid or a PHEV and as a short-term strategy of sorts, it is not a bad one from the Japanese premium brand. The tester was the NX 450h+ with the ‘+’ denoting that it is the plug-in version. The standard hybrid version is sold as the 350h.
The tester was fitted – as is the standard model – with an engine and a battery, but in this instance the battery is much bigger and gives the cars a much greater range on electricity alone. The standard car will give you about 45 km, while this one will give you an official range of 76 km.
Some might cavil that this alone is not worth the entry price, but a 76 km range working of the battery alone is not a bad trick to have up your sleeve and particularly so if you’re in any way ‘electric allergic’ as so many people are. It might not sound like much but 76 km on electric power is handy for footling about town and generally farting about, while you have the engine there if you actually need to travel a distance.
The combination of the power sources gives this NX a total output of 309 bhp, a top speed of 200 km/h and a 6.3 second 0-100 km/h time, al of which is good. The official consumption figure of 1.1 l/100 km (256 mpg) is, of course, bunkum, but you should expect to average in the region of 5.4 l/ 100km (51.8 mpg) provided you’re not doing a Max Verstappen on it.
Four-wheel drive is an added bonus of this system – it does not feature of the 350h version – which also gives you some sort of go-anywhere ability, although I doubt many NX owners will have the stomach for the real dirty stuff. Those that do will find themselves somewhat hamstrung by the CVT automatic ‘box, which does not really lend itself to mountaineering.
In any event, its’ on-road capabilities are on the strong side and I didn’t find any particular holes in the ride/handling department and there was little to quibble about either when it came to the passenger comfort/space tests. The boot, though, was only just better than adequate.
There have been huge improvements on the infotainment front and the touchscreen set-up in a vast improvement on the old Fred Flintstone touchpad system and you just cannot but admire the classiness that Lexus lends to its cabins, of which this is an exceptional example.
So, in one fell swoop the NX has gone from being a completely forgettable Japanese SUV - albeit with excellent cup-holders - to being something that’s really good to drive, is not a completely humdrum driving experience and is nice to live with too. The ‘basking shark’ grille might take a little adjusting to, but in the heel of the hunt, it adds to the sharp look on offer here.
A new and very worthy take then on something which was neither of those things when it first appeared.
