Lexus NX 300h Review: 2015 Luxury, F Sport And Sports Luxury
What’s hot: Beautiful interior, comfortable ride, high-end technologies and Lexus build-quality.
What’s not: Petrol engine sounds coarse when accelerating, CVT dulls performance.
X-FACTOR: Cosseting luxury and SUV practicality in a sharply-styled, ‘green credentialed’ hybrid package
Vehicle style: Premium Compact Hybrid SUV
Price range: $55,000 - $75,000
Drivetrain: 2.5 litre four-cylinder petrol with series parallel hybrid electric (2WD and 4WD)
Outputs: 114kW/210Nm petrol; 105kW/270Nm electric | System: 147kW
Fuel consumption claimed: 5.8 l/100km | tested: 8.1 l/100km
OVERVIEW
You may have seen the ads. Lexus is already out of the blocks with the marketing of its all-new compact SUV, the NX 300h.
That ‘h’ in the badge defines the character of this car. It is, first and last, a ‘hybrid’ - but a practical one for younger, more affluent families.
And it is a Lexus; which means that you will find a layer of conservatism in the way the car performs as surely as you’ll find the most fastidious attention to quality and detail.
So, don’t be misled by the NX 300h’s edgy athletic lines: this smart and beautifully finished SUV is not about ‘dynamic performance’.
The 2.5 litre four-cylinder petrol engine and hybrid drive under the bonnet has a healthy-enough total system output of 147kW, but that output is blunted in the nose of the 1.8 tonne NX.
The NX 300h is not for the sports buyer. This is a car for buyers looking for stand-out style, for class and refinement, and for that industry-best Lexus quality.
And it is, as Lexus Australia boss Sean Hanley describes it, “an SUV for the urban jungle”.
And in that the NX 300h succeeds. It’s a matter of horses for courses.
THE INTERIOR | RATING: 4/5
This is a beautiful interior, and that’s not a comment about the styling. It’s a comment about the fit, finish and amazing high-quality feel to, well, everything. Everything.
The leather seats are generously padded, shaped just right to hold securely, and trimmed to perfection. So too the leather highlights on the dash-tops and door trims.
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