Short test: Lexus NX 300h MC AWD 5D E-CVT F Sport Premium ML PVM Pano Wireless

And just as Toyota has greened its sales range, Lexus models more or less all boast hybrid drives. The NX crossover is no exception. But how could that be, when soon after his birth (in 2014) he instantly won customers and became the best-selling Lexus. As a major player, it takes credit for as much as 30 percent of all Lexus sales, which, of course, is not so unusual due to its shape and the desirability of the class. At the same time, it is helped by the fact that in addition to the hybrid drive, it is also available with a petrol engine, and customers can also choose between four-wheel drive or only two-wheel drive. Proof that the Japanese have really hit it off to the fullest, however, is also that they are attracting customers with it who have never looked at their brand before. Obviously, the car is really a real mix of design appeal, prestige and Japanese rationality.

The NX test was no different. Maybe this time it’s best to start with its price. While Lexus is the best-selling, that doesn’t mean it’s the best-selling, of course. This is far from the case, as its prices start at a good forty thousand, but if the drive is four-wheel drive, almost 50.000 euros are needed. Gasoline versions, however, are even more expensive anyway. And because Lexus also knows how to pamper with luxury, the final price of the car can be significantly higher. Just like the price of the test car was.

Its full name alone announces that it combines virtually everything the NX has to offer: the Lexus NX 300h MC AWD 5D E-CVT F Sport Premium ML PVM Pano Wireless. If we go in order and highlight only the most important: 300h is the designation for hybrid drive, AWD stands for four-wheel drive, E-CVT infinitely variable transmission, and F Sport Premium is an equipment package. Special mention should be made of the abbreviation ML PVM, which still refers to one of the best car audio systems - Mark Levinson, and PVM stands for Panoramic View Monitor, which makes you see around the car from the cabin. Believe me, there often happens a moment when a matter is very helpful.

Hybrid drive is already known. The Lexus NX is mated to a 2,5-liter petrol engine that offers 155 ‘horsepower’, for a total of 197 ‘horsepower’ of system power. Although the power is a bit more than in some of the group's brothers, the NX doesn't differ much from them. There is enough power for a normal and calm ride, but there is always a moment when you would need even more. Or to put it another way - you might not need it anymore if the automatic transmission did its job better. I myself rank among those drivers who are by no means in favor of an infinitely variable transmission. It’s been annoying me since the days of the Tomos automaton, and it’s no different in the 21st century. Of course, this is true - if you use the car mostly in city traffic, this gearbox will also prove to be efficient, almost as advocated by its manufacturers.

The revamped NX doesn’t bring much innovation, however: with the latest overhaul, the Japanese have offered a new front grille, a different bumper, and a larger selection of alloy wheels. Also new are the headlights, which can now be fully diode-like, just like they were in the test NX. Their brightness cannot be disputed, but at times it is disturbed by excessive running back and forth, which is a problem for many 'smart' LED headlights.

It is commendable, in contrast to Japanese tradition, that the Lexus NX can be thought of as a red interior, which was not wrong at all in the test car.

But like most Lexus, the NX is not for everyone. It would be hard to say that there is anything to give up in it, but the car certainly offers a different view of the world. Therefore, it is good for those buyers who want to be different or, according to the locals, do not want a normal (read: mainly German) car to reach for it.

From the first contact, the car indicates that it is different. Well, the steering wheel is where it is in the rest of the cars, and with everything else, there may already be ambiguities. The central display on the center console or its operation is especially difficult. If in most cases we know touch screens, which can be additionally operated with a (rotary) button, in the Lexus NX there is a kind of mouse for this task for the driver or passenger. Such as we know it in the world of computing. But, as you know, sometimes the 'cursor' escapes you on the computer screen, so how can it not be in your car, preferably while driving? Otherwise, the Japanese made an effort and refined the system so that the mouse automatically jumps to the virtual buttons, but usually jumps to the one that the operator does not want. Of course, there is no point in losing words about how difficult this handshake is for the co-driver, especially if the work is done with the near, ie left hand. It will be a little easier for him, of course, only if he is a leftist.

In the end, of course, we must not forget about safety. Here, too, the NX does not disappoint, mainly thanks to the set of systems integrated in the Safety System +. But even though the Japanese in Tokyo recently claimed to me and showed me how good their automatic braking system is when driving backwards when an obstacle is detected, we chased the system a bit. The first time I parked it in front of the garage at home, it stopped so abruptly that I thought for a moment that I had already hit the garage door. And of course I didn’t, as the car automatically stopped quite far away. But when I wanted to brag to my neighbor about how the system works, he failed, and the garage door… stayed intact because of my reaction. However, it is true that similar systems are not yet XNUMX% for other brands, and the manufacturers have not yet confirmed this as sacred.

But either way, the Lexus NX no doubt successfully fulfills the desire for difference, without the customer risking ridicule. It is still considered that the driver who gets out of the Lexus is a gentleman - or a lady, if of course there is a driver behind the wheel. And it may also be something worthwhile at Lexus. Besides a good car, of course.

Read more:

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Test: Lexus NX 300h F-Sport

Lexus NX 300h MC AWD 5D E-CVT F Sport Premium ML VAT Pano Wireless

Basic data

Base model price:	48.950 €
Test model cost:	65.300 €
Power:	145kW (197 KM)

Costs (per year)

Technical information

engine:	4-cylinder - 4-stroke - in-line - gasoline - displacement 2.494 cm3 - maximum power 114 kW (155 hp) at 5.700/min - maximum torque 210 at 4.200-4.400/min. Electric motor: maximum power 105 kW + 50 kW, maximum torque np, battery: NiMH, 1,31 kWh
Energy transfer:	the engines are powered by all four wheels - e-CVT automatic transmission - 235/55 R 18 V tires (Pirelli Scorpion Winter)
Capacity:	top speed 180 km/h - 0-100 km/h acceleration 9,2 s - average combined fuel consumption (ECE) 5,3 l/100 km, CO2 emissions 123 g/km
Mass:	empty vehicle 1.785 kg - permissible total weight 2.395 kg
External dimensions:	length 4.630 mm - width 1.845 mm - height 1.645 mm - wheelbase 2.660 mm - fuel tank 56 l
Box:	476-1.521 l

Our measurements

T = 7 ° C / p = 1.028 mbar / rel. vl. = 55% / odometer status: 5.378 km
Acceleration 0-100km:	9,7s
402m from the city:	17,0 years ( 135 km / h)
test consumption:	8,9 l / 100km
Fuel consumption according to the standard scheme:	6,7 l / 100km
Braking distance at 100 km / h:	41,1m
AM table:	40m
Noise at 90 km / h in 6rd gear	57dB

evaluation

• Leaving aside everything that is (more) superficially disturbing, the Lexus NX is without a doubt an interesting car. Mainly because it is different. This is a virtue that many drivers are looking for, whether it's to stand out, or because they don't want to blindly travel in the same car as a neighbor or both neighbors or simply the whole street.

We praise and reproach

form

feeling in the cabin

superior sound system

CVT transmission

self-adjusting headlights