Road test review: Lexus NX 350h
Saturday, 20 August 2022
LEXUS NX 350H
Base price: $92,700 (RightCar estimated Clean Car Programme fee/rebate: neutral)
Powertrain and economy: 2.5-litre naturally aspirated inline four with electric motor, 179kW/239Nm, continuously variable transmission, AWD, combined economy 5.5L/100km, CO2 126g/km (source: RightCar)
Vital statistics: 4660mm long, 1865mm wide, 1640mm high, 2690mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 545 litres, 18-inch alloy wheels.
Safety: Five stars (Source: ANCAP)
We like: New interior leagues better, frugal engine means no Clean Car fee.
We don't like: Missing some kit for the price
The new NX has arrived and it’s quite an update. There’s a new interior, fresh exterior and every model in New Zealand is a hybrid of some sort thanks to a shift to a new platform. This is the entry 350h, a front-driver boasting low fuel usage and all the bells and whistles you need.
OUTSIDE
Exterior changes are evolutional, with similar angular headlights and large spindle grille as before. A crease runs along the doors, splitting at the rear door handle. Plastic cladding surrounds the wheel arches, while the headlights are now single units with the DRL dash now inside the headlight cluster as opposed to under it as a separate unit. Looks much better, in my opinion.
**READ MORE:
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**
Around the back an interesting almost-full-width LED strip, underlined at each end by the taillight design. ‘LEXUS’ is spelt just under the LED bar, while a fake diffuser sits under the bootlid.
The doorhandles are new, although they don’t look it. Instead of pulling them, you just sort of squeeze the inside and the door opens.
Other changes are pretty minimal, but that’s okay because the NX was always quite good-looking, and there are vastly more interesting changes inside the SUV.
INSIDE
Lexus has used the NX to debut a new interior, which is a big improvement on the old cabin.
There’s a new, larger 14-inch touch screen mounted in the centre of the dash, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. The new system also does away with the touchpad of older Lexii, which while being somewhat tolerable towards the end, was always beaten by rotary dials or just using the touch screen. It’s great too, the clean design looks fantastic and the screen is very responsive.
Beneath the screen is a new, stubby gear selector, and behind the wheel is a digital dash. Despite this being the entry model, there are still swathes of synthetic leather (which feels as good as the real thing), a wireless device charger, dual-zone climate control, powered front seats, and a powered boot with handsfree operation, although I’ve never managed to get that sort of thing to work…
Like the external doorhandles, getting out of the car is now electrical rather than mechanical. You push a button placed on the armrest to open the door, a change made to link the doors to a new safe exit system, which means the NX won’t open the door if it detects something in the blind spot, like a cyclist.
The whole cabin is a nice step-up over last generation, and quite the jump over the related RAV4, which is hardly a slouch in this department either. But that’s sort of what you expect for the price difference.
UNDER THE BONNET
The entry NX 350h is, as mentioned, front-wheel drive. It’s the only one of the range too, with the 350h Limited and 450h+ F-Sport PHEV both being all-wheel drive.
As the numbers indicate, the 350h and 350h Limited share the same powertrain, that being a 2.5-litre naturally aspirated inline-four with a single electric motor producing a decent 179kW/239Nm. It’s the same as in the hybrid Toyota RAV4, if it sounds familiar, and represents a bump in power of 23% over the old model.
It is paried with an electronically controlled CVT, which isn’t as bad as you might think. The typical low-speed drag a CVT usually carries is mitigated by the electric motor, and the nature of the transmission means it can stick at low revs until the end of time. It’s most happy on the motorway or driving around town.
Toyota’s hybrid systems are very good these days, and the NX will drive on electric power alone quite a lot, helping keep fuel around that 5.5L/100km claim and the CO2 at 126g/km.
Lexus has also moved the NX to its new GA-K platform, which has a 30mm longer wheelbase, a wider track, MacPherson struts in the front and a trailing arm, double-wishbone design in the rear.
ON THE ROAD
That platform shift means the NX is 15% quieter on-road, and I’d believe it. Cruising in the NX is lovely, the noise and vibration reductions pairing well with the stronger electricals in the powertrain. The cabin is a genuinely nice place to be, and the basic sound system is pretty good.
It’s a little boring to drive, the steering being somewhat numb and the CVT/front-wheel drive combo not really being appropriate for flat-foot driving, but that’s okay. This is a family SUV, and the entry model at that.
There’s heaps of space for rear passengers and luggage, so road trips should be as easy as around-town doddling.
Considering this is a base model, there are a few bits and pieces missing, like a 360-degree camera and a front camera, but you do get lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, road sign assist, and a reversing camera. It would be nice to see the full kit on a $90,000 vehicle though…
VERDICT
The NX 350h ticks every box in the family SUV column easily, but is ever so slightly let down by missing out on some kit. The price is fairly high too, considering you can get a top-spec Toyota RAV4 Adventure Hybrid with the same powertrain and AWD for $57,990 along with a $2,335.69 rebate. But if you’re prepared to fork out for it, the NX is a healthy step above the RAV4 in terms of basically everything aside from the engine, especially the cabin.