Test drive Lexus NX
Three days. That is how long I parked the Lexus NX in the next yard so that my wife would not suddenly see which car I drove home in. As soon as the first photos of the smallest crossover appeared on the network, it began to show unusual activity. In general, the wife, indifferent to cars, began to ask about this new product with a manic addiction: what kind of engines, how fast it accelerates, how much it costs. I even found out about the spaciousness of the trunk.
In general, if she saw NX live, and even, for example, noticed a removable makeup mirror hidden in the central tunnel, I was lost. You know how wives can persuade. She made a sad look, pouted her lips, sighed, said that she understands that we cannot afford this, and that’s it: you ran to get a loan, a deal with the devil, in extreme cases, a foreign currency mortgage.
However, on the fourth day, my plan collapsed. My wife returned home exactly through the courtyard where I, using the all-round view system, squeezed the crossover between two cars. She got out of her car, threw an icy look at me, walked around NX, got inside, was silent and went home, but after that she never missed an opportunity to go anywhere with me. Appreciatingly poked at the touchpad, noting its not the most obvious control, checked the navigation for ingenuity, comparing with Yandex.Navigator, listened to the feeling when the crossover began to shake at the joints, clink approvingly when I squeezed the gas all the way, noted a more modest than its Fiat 500, fuel consumption. Even the long-outdated graphics of the display did not cause rejection in her.
Three days later, the list of arguments for NX grew fat, like Gargantua: a cool CVT (“Not like a robot on the Fiat 500”), cool seats, a stylish watch, that same cosmetic mirror and a thousand other small pluses. Perhaps, only the hybrid installation remained without attention - all these recuperations and batteries. I was sure that my wife could not be dissuaded, and I really liked the crossover. But you can’t deceive a woman’s heart - it seems that something is missing for the status of a dream in an SUV. When I gave the car to my colleagues, in the evening my wife greeted me with a question: “Listen, but the new RX is very, very beautiful, right?”
Technique
Lexus NX is built on the Toyota RAV4 platform, but has different dimensions. If the width (1 mm) and wheelbase (845 mm) are the same for the models, then the length of the premium crossover is 2 mm (660 mm) longer, and the height is 60 mm (4 mm) less.
However, on the fourth day, my plan collapsed. My wife returned home exactly through the courtyard where I, using the all-round view system, squeezed the crossover between two cars. She got out of her car, threw an icy look at me, walked around NX, got inside, was silent and went home, but after that she never missed an opportunity to go anywhere with me. Appreciatingly poked at the touchpad, noting its not the most obvious control, checked the navigation for ingenuity, comparing with Yandex.Navigator, listened to the feeling when the crossover began to shake at the joints, clink approvingly when I squeezed the gas all the way, noted a more modest than its Fiat 500, fuel consumption. Even the long-outdated graphics of the display did not cause rejection in her.
Three days later, the list of arguments for NX grew fat, like Gargantua: a cool CVT (“Not like a robot on the Fiat 500”), cool seats, a stylish watch, that same cosmetic mirror and a thousand other small pluses. Perhaps, only the hybrid installation remained without attention - all these recuperations and batteries. I was sure that my wife could not be dissuaded, and I really liked the crossover. But you can’t deceive a woman’s heart - it seems that something is missing for the status of a dream in an SUV. When I gave the car to my colleagues, in the evening my wife greeted me with a question: “Listen, but the new RX is very, very beautiful, right?”
The NX has the same all-wheel-drive system, suspension layout and some of the floor panels as its budget cousin, but the body is lighter and stiffer. The steel structure uses more aluminum, for example, from which the hood is made, and high-strength steels. The NX has McPherson struts in the front and a multi-link design in the back. But unlike the RAV4, Lexus received adaptive dampers, different suspension and steering settings.
We tested a version with a hybrid installation. The total output of the system is 197 horsepower. It consists of a 2,5-liter naturally aspirated engine, a generator, an electric motor and a battery. The all-wheel drive system in the NX 300h is called the Lexus E-Four and uses an additional electric motor that drives the rear axle when the front wheels slip. For the first time, Lexus has used a preloaded front differential in an AWD system. The differential uses a flat spring between the side gear and the washer, which provides a preload that limits the distribution of torque between the front wheels.
In addition to this version, a crossover with a 2,0-liter naturally aspirated engine with a capacity of 150 hp and 193 Nm of torque is sold on the Russian market. This engine is equipped with a Valvematic system that regulates the lift of the intake valves and the range of operation of the variable valve timing system. Valvematic is effective at low to medium engine loads: it reduces pumping losses and improves fuel efficiency.
Another option is the NX with a supercharged 2,0-liter unit. This motor produces 238 hp. and 350 Nm of torque. The engine uses extended valve timing technology (Dual VVT-iW). The system optimizes torque across the entire engine speed range and allows the engine to be started using the Otto cycle and then switched to the more economical Atkinson cycle during operation.
There is such a pattern in life: when you assert something uncompromisingly, something that makes you change your mind, or at least doubt, always happens. A similar thing happened to me after I drove a Lexus NX. I am condescending to compact crossovers - I do not understand why sit higher and take up more space in the parking lot, if this does not always have a positive effect on handling, safety and does not even add comfort. But the hybrid NX appeared in our editorial office and confused my thoughts.
In profile, the deliberate oxymoron of design is especially noticeable - the smooth lines of the body are combined with fashionable stampings on the doors and sharp corners of the details. And in full face - an abundance of design solutions: a trapezoidal radiator grille characteristic of Lexus with steel parts in the form of a boomerang, a cat's squint of LED headlights, thin arrows of daytime running lights, massive recesses above the foglights. Either a miracle or a monster. I think this is what charisma looks like in a woman's sense.
It seems to me that the Lexus NX is one of those cars that wives buy, but husbands will also drive them. The total maximum output of the NX 300h power plant is 197 hp, and this is quite enough to give the driver a healthy dose of excitement on the road. Despite the fact that the NX 300h is inferior in dynamics to the gasoline version, it seemed to me more adequate and smoother. But the main plus of a hybrid, of course, is the ability to save at least a little, but save fuel, and at the same time time, which is a definite plus in the Moscow rhythm of life.
And yet there is one thing Lexus that I do not like - it's a way to control the media system. The Remote Touch touchpad, which replaced the traditional Lexus joystick, makes you nervous - you can hardly open the desired bookmark the first time. But the screen itself is very conveniently located, especially if there is a need to use navigation.
The NX 300h in the configuration that we tested will cost $13. Fresh, fashionable appearance, good dynamics and a hybrid installation - it seems that this is not enough to choose the Lexus NX. But if the choice is up to the woman, then one “I like” will be enough.
Prices and the
The most affordable version of the NX 200 (150 hp) with front-wheel drive in the Standard configuration costs $ 28.The list of equipment for such a crossover includes seven airbags, assistance systems when starting on an uphill, tire pressure monitoring, emergency braking assistance , 194-inch wheels, fabric interior, LED headlights and taillights, start / stop system, electric drives for all windows and mirrors, heated side mirrors, windshield and front seats, dual-zone climate control and an audio system with eight speakers. In the Comfort package, which will cost $ 17, leather upholstery, headlight washers, LED fog lights, rain sensor, cruise control, rear parking sensors are added to the previous list. Finally, the $ 29 Progress option. equipped with 850-inch wheels, keyless entry, heated steering wheel and a rear-view camera.
It seems to me that the Lexus NX is one of those cars that wives buy, but husbands will also drive them. The total maximum output of the NX 300h power plant is 197 hp, and this is quite enough to give the driver a healthy dose of excitement on the road. Despite the fact that the NX 300h is inferior in dynamics to the gasoline version, it seemed to me more adequate and smoother. But the main plus of a hybrid, of course, is the ability to save at least a little, but save fuel, and at the same time time, which is a definite plus in the Moscow rhythm of life.
And yet there is one thing Lexus that I do not like - it's a way to control the media system. The Remote Touch touchpad, which replaced the traditional Lexus joystick, makes you nervous - you can hardly open the desired bookmark the first time. But the screen itself is very conveniently located, especially if there is a need to use navigation.
The NX 300h in the configuration that we tested will cost $39. Fresh, fashionable appearance, good dynamics and a hybrid installation - it seems that this is not enough to choose the Lexus NX. But if the choice is for a woman, then one "I like" will be enough.
The cost of the all-wheel drive version with a 2,0-liter engine ranges from $ 31 to $ 799, depending on the configuration. Crossover with a turbocharged power unit with a capacity of 34 hp. do not buy cheaper than $ 869 The most expensive option will cost $ 238 and a car in the F Sport body kit - $ 35
The price of the hybrid NX, which we tested, in the most affordable Executive trim level is $36. This version is the same as the Progress for the NX 765, but without a heated steering wheel and with front parking sensors. The Luxury version with a sunroof, wood trim, ventilated front seats, an electric drive for the fifth door, memory settings for the driver's seat and a heated steering wheel costs $200, and the most expensive version - Exclusive - $40. This car will additionally receive a lane change assistant, a panoramic roof, and a navigation system , Mark Levinson audio system and DVD player.
A car with a design like the Lexus NX should at least fly and run on a nuclear reactor. But he moves on four wheels, and under the hood he has gasoline engines. Of the unusual - only a turbocharger, which is still extremely rare on Lexus cars, and a hybrid version of the NX 300h.
After dieselgate and a series of subsequent revelations, diesel vehicles were only one step away from being outlawed. Friends of green plants and fuel-saving lovers from Europe will have to switch to hybrids overnight. This wave will come to Russia last. We have a hybrid for a long time to be an optional program. In buying such a car, we do not have anything starting with the word eco, no subsidies or privileges. The only motivation is getting into the world of the future. Where vehicles of unusual shape move with a barely audible hum. So the NX 300h is also capable of driving a short distance with the engine muffled and only on electric traction.
In general, the Lexus NX is not in a hurry to the future, but it teaches you to a smooth and unhurried ride with the temperament of its gasoline-electric power plant - it lives by its own rules. A sharply pressed gas pedal does not immediately find a response, you press on the left pedal - the sensations arise ambiguous, since along with the brakes, electric motors are involved in slowing down, returning energy to the batteries.
The future does not have to be familiar and does not always live up to our expectations. In this, for example, they abandoned the touch control of the multimedia system in favor of the touchpad and are still nostalgic for the analogue clock and large buttons. And the all-round viewing system is complemented by an additional removable mirror. You can stick it out the window and park.
The NX300h seems to be woven from contradictions. For a crossover, it is too tough, for a car with a claim to driving characteristics - too heavy. It is cozy inside, despite the abundance of sharp corners and with a fairly small wheelbase and sloping roofline, it is quite spacious in the back row. The NX looks like an alien from the future - it is the most striking, unusual and memorable car in the segment.
History
The Lexus NX was unveiled at the 2014 Beijing Auto Show. Production of the car began in August 2014, and sales of the car started in the fall of the same year. The smallest crossover in the Lexus lineup became the first car in the history of the brand to be equipped with a turbocharged engine. The version with this engine is the fastest - 7,1 s to 100 km / h and the most voracious - 8,8 liters per 100 km in mixed mode.
The new model showed excellent results from the very start of sales: the niche for RX turned out to be in great demand. At the end of 2015, the junior crossover Lexus became the most popular model of the brand in the world and in Russia. In our country, 10 copies of NX were sold (more than half of the total sales).
I looked back at the parked NX until I came around the corner of the house. The bright blue color, which for some reason is not named in the configurator in a special way, gives gloss to the already very charismatic Lexus. "Well, how much did you get?" - the question of a colleague about the average consumption of a hybrid put me into a stupor. What liters are there, when all day I did nothing but turn around.
Fuel consumption is really impressive: in the city, an almost two-ton crossover burns only 8-9 liters thanks to the constant connection of electric traction. Interestingly, it is very difficult to surpass this result on the highway - the internal combustion engine works constantly at high speeds. But for those 300 kg of wires and batteries in the trunk, you have to pay with controversial handling and absolutely uninformative brakes. Like most hybrids, the NX is equipped with an energy recovery system during braking, so the pedal will take some getting used to.
But the interior of the NX, in my opinion, let us down. A bright appearance, a dozen non-standard solutions, a dazzling color, but inside ... A lot of plastic, old-fashioned buttons and dark colors. But all this is assembled very efficiently and does not raise the slightest question about durability. There will definitely not be any extraneous sounds inside the NX either after 100 or even after 200 thousand kilometers.
NX is a typical city dweller who knows how to do everything and knows how to get out of a difficult situation. He is not averse to kneading snow porridge in the yard, climbing onto an icy curb, transporting all purchases from IKEA, and almost silently driving up to a nightclub. And all this with very modest appetites.
