What’s hot: Fantastic edgy styling, unique 'Goldilocks' size, new 2.0-litre turbo engine and some nice tech tricks.
What’s not: Both autos sub-par, tyre noise in some conditions.
X-FACTOR: The design. For Lexus, it had to be the car that stood out, and it manages it, inside and out.

Vehicle style: Sporty, mid-size SUV
Price: TBA, but from $55,000-$60,000 is the tip.

Engine/trans: Turbocharged 2.0-litre with 175kW/350Nm; CVT multi-mode automatic.
Fuel consumption listed: Not confirmed but aiming for low 8 l/100km.

OVERVIEW

Lexus designers were faced with a big ask with the new NX. They were handed something that looked like a fridge and had to turn it into something that looked like it might have come from Bang and Olufsen.

The small-to-middling sized NX is an important car for Lexus, and the starting point was the missable and unremarkable Toyota RAV4. So they did what anyone would do: and threw most of it away.

Lexus says 90 percent of the NX is new or redesigned.

In design terms, the two - the NX and the RAV4 - are about as similar as a frog and a butterfly. For its part, the Lexus manages to look damn near as edgy as its concept predecessor.

This is important because it has to appeal to style-obsessed buyers in the US, and here.

They’ll likely go for the top-spec F-Sport models though: they’re the only ones that get the pretty spindle grille, rather than the horizontal ho-hum one.

Those who look deeper will find the usual hybrid offering - which looks set to be the base model locally, priced around $55,000 to $60,000 - and an exciting new 2.0-litre turbo with the latest in cutting-edge engineering to help it haul 1700-1800kg of SUV around (and still be fun).

Lexus Australia says the NX will be either its second or third best-selling model when the hybrid model arrives in November.

The turbo model, which should be the most popular option, arrives in March next year. At this point, we could see the NX become Lexus' best seller.

THE INTERIOR

World-first in-car inductive phone charger - Apple phones excluded - using a system called Qi (pronounced “chi”)
Keyless entry and start (and auto stop/start)
Dual-zone climate control
Parking sensors front and rear
Radar cruise control
Reversing camera and surround view cameras
Automatic Sound Control (F-Sport models only), which allows you to raise or lower the level of engine noise in the cabin
Remote touch interface, which is loads better than the silly mouse they’ve been using
Colour Heads Up Display (optional on some models)
It’s a typically understated Lexus interior for the NX, which feels both solid and classy.

The hand-stitched finishes underscore the premium ambience as does the 'Shimamoku' wood surfacing - it's polished so it looks like steel and is inspired (apparently) by Yamaha’s concert pianos.

That latter point might be mostly lost on buyers, but it looks terrific.

The seats, of course, are typical Lexus. The front seats are good in base models and excellent in F-Sport spec.


That means sumptuous finely-grained leather, exceptional comfort front and back, and fastidious finish. The textures and surfaces generally are very appealing as is the solid feel to the switchgear and controls.

Lexus doesn’t quite reach Audi levels with its design and feel, but it’s line-ball with BMW.

The rear legroom is really quite surprisingly good for this class of vehicle - the NX actually sits between an Audi Q3 and Q5, so it’s compact but not small. It's that 'Goldilocks' thing... "just right" for premium family buyers who don't want a tank.

As the features list (above) shows, the NX is not short of standard fare. Its world-first inductive phone charger is a real talking point, although Apple users will be miffed.

Sitting in the centre console it will charge most phones - but not Apple ones - without the need for a cable.




Another thoughtful touch, though lower-tech, is the bottle-holder padding that grips the plastic of your Mount Franklin so you can open it with one hand.
So, yes, a very impressive interior in the new Lexus NX.

SAFETY

Safety features: All-speed active cruise control, blind spot monitor, lane departure warning, cornering lamps, pre-collision safety system.

There's also driver and passenger airbags, driver’s knee airbag, passenger’s cushion airbag, side airbags in front and full-length curtain-shield airbags in the rear, and an impact relaxation body design for pedestrian protection.

ON THE ROAD

Turbocharged 2.0-litre in-line four: 175kW @ 4800-5600rpm and 350Nm @ 1650-4000rpm
6-spd Multi-Mode automatic transmission (CVT in hybrid models)
Suspension: MacPherson strut, coil springs (front); trailing arm double wishbone, coil springs rear
Electronic Power Steering with rack-and-pinion
Brakes: Ventilated 17-inch disc (front), 16-inch disc with electric parking brake rear
Wheels: 18 x 17.5
The NX 300h hybrid is powered by a 2.5-litre engine and some electric motors. (There's an extra one stuck to the rear-axle to create ersatz all-wheel drive, for those buyers who don’t just tick the FWD option automatically).

It takes 9.2 seconds to get to 100km/h and occasionally makes slightly sad, whinnying noises up hills as its CVT lurches about looking for a ratio.


The 2.0 litre turbo in the NX 200t is far the better bet. It provides a driving experience that’s almost as sharp as the exterior design.

The essence of the car’s handling success is its body rigidity, which is a claimed 20 percent better than the platform-shared RAV4. On road, there is an instantly comforting feeling of solidity.

That stiffness, aligned with the noise-coating surfaces on the underbody, also makes for a nice low NVH level, although some tyre roar on concrete North American freeways did sneak through on our drive.

Unlike some overly-light Lexus steering set-ups, the NX just about nails it, with nice weighting and a sort of effortless meatiness about it.

The car turns in nicely and flows through smooth sweepers. Sadly, the drive program we were offered - while wonderfully scenic - was lacking in tight corners or even bumps.


That called for a detour down a tight ratty side-road. We were pleased to find that thump-absorption seems to be top shelf. And, while the NX tips just slightly in sharp bends, it is neither prone to understeer nor to wallowing.

The all-new 2.0-litre has its turbocharger bolted straight onto the cylinder-head, with no exhaust manifold at all, providing lovely, smooth surges of power.

The power plant also uses a system called Variable Valve Timing with intelligence Wide range - VVT-iW. It also has the ability to switch between being a typical, Otto-cycle engine and an Atkinson-cycle (usually found on hybrids) to give it a wider, beefier band of torque.

The result is impressive for an engine of this size in a car of this heft, and it gets off the line nicely, zipping to 100km/h in 7.3 seconds (7.1 in AWD variants). But there is a price to pay, with a bit of exhaustion setting in at the top end.


High-speed overtaking manoeuvres see the tacho happily whipping up, but not much power coming out.

In most applications though, and considering its buyer profile (not exactly sporting enthusiasts, we'd expect), it is absolutely fit for purpose.

The only real letdown is the 200t's six-speed auto, which looks a bit under-geared in a modern context and also seems to have its software set for fuel economy - Lexus predicts a figure in the 8.0-litres per 100km range - rather than fun.

All up though, the NX is a worthy competitor in what is the fastest growing market segment in the world.

Its mix of styling flair, unique size and driving dynamics should make it a sure seller. If we’d had a better drive in it, it might have gotten four stars.


HOW IT COMPARES

Rather than trying to compete with BMW and Audi on two fronts, by building an X3 competitor now and an X1 later, Lexus has decided to just dive into the middle.

With pricing not yet set, it’s hard to see exactly where it will hit the Germans hardest. Lexus is tipped to start at $55k-ish, which is above a 2.0-litre X1 at $48,300 but below the starting price for an X3 at $60,900.

The NX will be quicker than either, just as nice inside, and new and exciting looking on the outside.

The BMW will probably still be the driver’s choice, but in this market that probably won’t decide as many sales as the question of style.

The Lexus’s 500-litre boot will no doubt help, although it does look shallow.

Audi’s Q3 starts at $47,500 for a 2.0-litre engine, and you get quattro all-wheel-drive for that.

The Q5 petrol 2.0 is $63,600 and it, too, is slightly slower to 100km/h. But when it comes to style, and interior class in particular, it’s well ahead of the Lexus.

What you certainly wouldn’t buy instead is a RAV4.

Above: Audi's Q5.
Above: Audi's Q5.
TMR VERDICT

It’s too soon to say for sure how well the Lexus NX will compare to the Germans it needs to beat on the road.

We will need to drive it properly, and in local conditions to make a call there.

There's no doubt however that, thanks to its stylish looks, quality interior and powerful driveability, the NX is going to be highly competitive in that mid-size premium SUV market.

Sure, it may not be to everyone’s taste, but for the next year or so at least it’s going to be the eye-catching, new-cool-kid-on-the-block in SUV land, where so many buyers live. Or want to.

Nice technological touches - like the 'automatic sound control', clever new turbo engine, inductive phone charger and more - will also give it a certain brag value for more blokey buyers. The sort of people who buy hybrids will also be catered for.

Pricing will be vital, and Lexus is keeping its cards close to its chest on that one.

But if it can significantly undercut X3 and Q5, it’s going to be a sales winner for sure.

The 2015 Lexus NX isn’t your accountant’s Lexus. Aggressively designed, and breaking new ground for Lexus with its first turbocharged engine, the new NX attempts to distill what has worked for the RX into a package more appealing to hip urbanites, young families, and those who might more regularly find mountain bikes in their trunk than Whole Foods bags. True to recent form, there’s even a warmed-up F SPORT version to offset the hybrid worthiness just a little. The NX doesn’t hit the US officially until the end of this year, but I grabbed some early time behind the wheel to see how it’s shaping up.

Design

The original Lexus SUV was an amorphous blob on wheels, a leather-lined bubble more focused on cosseted transport than breaking any style boundaries. Seven years on, the crossover market Lexus arguably helped create has surged exponentially, and design is key in the purchase decision.

2015 Lexus NX
In fact, Lexus says the potential buyers it polled didn’t even want to consider utility: they wanted something distinctive and clearly styled; something that would get them stared at while pulled up at a stop sign. The 2013 LF-NX concept telegraphed such criteria loud and clear, and the company has done a more than reasonable job in translating motor show stand excesses to the real-world.

As you might expect, it looks better from some angles more than others, primarily those which show off the interplay of differently twisted surfaces. Viewed straight-on from the back, the NX shares the slope-sided rear of the RX, and it’s only when you get to the rear three-quarter aspect that the sharp crease lines really begin to stand out.

2015 Lexus NX
From the side, the high shoulder-line gives the car a beefy, solid stance, helped by the standard 17-inch aluminum-alloy wheels (18-inch split-rim 5-spoke alloys are an option, and the F SPORT - more on which later - gets its own wheel design).

The front bears Lexus’ divisive spindle grille, a pinched hourglass of a chromed maw. It’s polarizing, but I think it suits the NX’s overall look, and I’d rather have Lexus push its own design envelope than play safe as per its anodyne cars of old. Flanking it are the distinctive light clusters borrowed from the IS, with LED daylight running strips in a twisted L-shape underneath the regular beams.

2015 Lexus NX
As standard, the NX gets LED low-beams and halogen high-beams, but a premium option switches the halogens for more LEDs - 39 per cluster in total, since Lexus packs some more into the daylight runners - each segmented into angrily-squinting blocks. It’s not the only fancy lighting, either: fog lamps that swivel with the wheels to light up upcoming corners are an option, while the exterior door handles are illuminated and there are puddle lamps to guide you in the parking lot.

I expected the NX to be smaller, the original concept more akin to a futuristic Martian buggy than a city-dweller’s SUV. In fact, it’s a fairly large car: akin to Audi’s Q5, and actually a couple of inches larger in all directions than the original RX. Lexus USA is making a conscious decision not to talk about anything quite so mundane as golf bags - lest it scare off the trendy singles and couples in their 30s and 40s it hopes to sell 3,000 cars a month to - but concedes that it managed to get four full-sized sets of clubs into the NX’s trunk, something none of its segment rivals could achieve.

2015 Lexus NX
That’s helped by the broad load area with minimal arch intrusion, though even with the 60/40 split rear seats folded (power-folding optional, as is a power rear hatch) the NX falls short in pure cubic feet against the competition. There’s 17.7 cubic feet with the seats up, and 54.6 with them down; Lexus is also particularly proud of its folding cargo cover, which tucks under the trunk floor when not needed, but a retractable fabric cover would arguably do much the same thing.

Still, it’s a sign of just how much thought Lexus has put into the packaging. The NX seemingly has a constant supply of such tricks and feints: the manual key mechanism is hidden in the door handles themselves, for instance, only visible when you pull the handle out. At the rear, the sharply pronounced tail lamps use special light-guiding lenses to span the join between hatch and body, so that they appear contiguous when lit up.

Engine and Performance

Lexus will launch the NX with two engine options, the entry-level NX 200t getting a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder, while the NX 300h gets a 2.5-liter 16-valve engine paired with electric drive. The former is Lexus’ first turbo engine, a homegrown twin-scroll system paired with a 6-speed auto transmission. The company is particularly proud of the fact that, despite the extra complexity from the turbo, it has the same 10k mile service interval as the normally-aspirated car.

2015 Lexus NX
Front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive options are on the table, though the two cars deliver AWD in different ways. For the gas-only engine, there’s an active torque control system with a compact rear differential with electronic coupling. Most of the time it’s in FWD mode, but it can split power 50/50 between the front and rear when needed, such as during acceleration, or indeed lock the diff for snow or ice.

The hybrid, meanwhile, doesn’t have the center differential, but instead can feed power to the electric motors driving the rear wheels when necessary. It also uses an E-CVT transmission, and can be switched into EV Mode, though there’s only the barest of support for electric-only driving: about half a mile and at no greater than 25mph.

Whichever drivetrain, the NX rides convincingly. Poor road surfaces can coax a little rumble out of the chassis, but the SUV handles neatly, and you can switch lanes with a swift flick of the wrist without leaving passengers seasick. IS drivers will find the steering lacking some feeling, but that’s arguably not something SUV buyers will worry so much about; it firms up a little in Sport mode, which shares a dial with Normal and ECO modes.

Lexus’ six-speed auto does better in Sport, too, holding lower cogs for a little longer and proving less ponderous in shifting. There were a couple of occasions when the NX was left hunting for the right ratio momentarily, though it’s worth noting that the cars I was driving weren’t final, and there’ll be changes made before the official US release later in 2014.

2015 Lexus NX
With 235 HP and 258 lb-ft of torque, the NX 200t isn’t exactly a Nürburgring candidate. Lexus quotes a 0-60 mph timing of 7.2 seconds in the FWD model, though the AWD’s power split system shaves 0.2 seconds off that. Fuel economy hasn’t been officially EPA tested yet, but Lexus expects 21/28/24 mph for city/highway/combined for the AWD (the FWD will do a single point better in the city, Lexus predicts). With mixed driving, I saw 26 mpg accordion got the onboard computer.

Those of a frugal mind would probably lean toward the hybrid, however, and indeed the NX 300h is expected to deliver on economy: the FWD gets preliminary estimates of 35/31/33 mpg, while the AWD is aiming for 33/30/32. There are compromises to get there, however: just 192 HP and 152lb-ft of torque, and a heavier car too, thanks to the twin battery packs Lexus hides under the rear seats.

2015 Lexus NX
The result is a less perky driving experience, with the NX 300h proving more reluctant to wind its speed up. 0-60 mph comes in 9.1 seconds, and the CVT feels more leisurely in its attitude than the regular auto. Regenerative braking, meanwhile, is firm, and I can’t really fault the way either model hauls to a halt.

An option is Dynamic Cruise Control, which can automatically maintain a certain distance between the car in front and the NX. However, unlike similar systems I’ve driven, it only functions up to 37 mph, and if you come to a full halt you’ll need to re-engage it before the NX will pull away, making it more of a city driving courtesy just like the auto-holding brakes that keep you in place while you’re stationary but still in gear.

2015 Lexus NX
F SPORT

Lexus continues to take its sports branding seriously in the US, buoyed by recent sales successes in the IS. In fact, 50-percent of IS buyers go for the F SPORT versions, and are on average 5-12 years younger than their non-F counterparts. Ambitions for the NX 200t F SPORT are slightly less ambitious - Lexus expects 20-percent of NX sales to be the sporty variant, figuring 10-percent will go for the hybrid and the remainder the regular 2.0-liter - but it’s still the model I’d spring for.

2015 Lexus NX F SPORT
As with other F SPORT cars, you don’t actually get any engine or power changes. Instead, the modifications to the NX are all either aesthetic or to the suspension.

In the former category, the whole lower front fascia of the car is changed, with a larger grille with L-mesh finish, and more distinctive chin spoilers. The wing mirrors get a black finish, and there are new wheel options: 18-inch split 5-spoke aluminum alloys with a black paint and machined metal finish are standard, but the NX 200t F SPORT can be had with dark metallic versions instead. In addition to the regular colors, there’s an exclusive Ultrasonic Blue Mica paint that only F SPORT buyers can select.

2015 Lexus NX F SPORT
Under the surface, there’s special sports-focused tuning to the suspension springs, shocks, power steering, and other components, while the regular dampers are switched for monotube-style versions which increase rigidity. The result isn’t, thankfully, like driving a rock, and in fact though the F SPORT is certainly taut, it’s also less prone to wallow than the regular car, which I preferred.

Inside, there’s an F SPORT wheel, paddle shifters, and seats with extra bolstering, and Lexus takes a new approach to making them by first stitching up the covers and then injecting foam, rather than the less-supportive opposite method. They’re definitely comfortable, hugging the body nicely and with plenty of adjustment options.

2015 Lexus NX F SPORT
On the dash, there are unique F SPORT gages, and an optional display to show turbo boost level and longitudinal/latitudinal G-forces. Whether you’ll ever be pushing the SUV to the point where those are necessary is questionably, mind, though like the added aluminum trim it does leave the car feeling a little more special.

Interior

That’s not to say the regular NX is lacking in the interior. Leather may be an option - the base cars get NuLuxe synthetic leather - but even the artificial stuff is highly convincing, and the contrast stitching looks great. The standard seats aren’t quite as cosseting as their F SPORT counterparts, but they’re still firm and comfortable, and can be optionally had with heating and cooling up-front.

In the rear, the sloping roofline cuts into headroom, and those above six foot might find themselves brushing the lining. Leg room is fair, though, and with the optional panoramic glass roof there’s plenty of light.

2015 Lexus NX
The NX’s dashboard resembles a steep cliff with sharp silver scaffolding bracketing the center console. Atop the stack is a 7-inch display that looks like it should fold away when powered off, but doesn’t, followed by the air conditioning controls, some buttons and ***** for the radio, and finally the parking brake switch and gear shifter.

Lexus layers up different materials with various gloss and matte finishes, and the general look is good. Not everything is soft-touch, however, and while most of the points of common contact are pleasing under the fingers, the jutting chunks of silver plastic in the middle don’t come close to resembling brushed aluminum. The analog clock feels out of place in the otherwise high-tech dash, while the twin HVAC displays - for the standard dual-zone climate control - flanking it can be washed out in sunlight.

Nonetheless, there are some considerate touches, though perhaps of arguable usefulness. A “why didn’t they think of that before” is the extra-grippy lining to the bottle holders, which is tenacious enough that you can twist and break the seal on a new bottle with only one hand. Overhead lights illuminate with a touch rather than a button. More gimmicky, however, is the sunglasses nook alongside, the magnetic lid of which has a mirror underneath.

Tech and Infotainment

After years during which the most exciting thing to happen to in-car entertainment was a six-CD changer in the trunk, the dashboard wars are finally heating up. The NX makes a solid stab at being the high-tech infotainment setup for the everyman, but I found it to be only a partial success.

2015 Lexus NX
First, the basics. There’s a single CD slot, AM/FM radio, SiriusXM, Bluetooth, and eight speakers as standard, along with a USB 2.0 and aux-in jacks. Upgrades include ten speakers and 3D navigation, also throwing in a second USB port in the process, and all versions get Lexus Enform, the company’s app suite for things like Pandora, Bing search, Facebook Places, and Yelp, as well as remote-start, automatic alerts after crashes, and weather/traffic reports.

2015 Lexus NX
It’s controlled, in cars equipped with navigation, with a new trackpad, replacing the mouse-esque controller on the IS and other Lexus models. Dubbed the Remote Touch Interface, it’s effectively a touchpad that can be tapped, swiped, and pinched to navigate through the UI, with the whole ‘pad pressing down to select, and buzzing with adjustable haptic feedback as you move between options on the VGA-resolution center display.

Lexus’ old controller was an ergonomic low-point, and thankfully the trackpad is an improvement. However, I’m still not convinced it’s better than a more traditional joystick/rotating **** as other manufacturers have opted for - and, indeed, as NX models without navigation are equipped with instead - or a touchscreen. There’s no support for sketching out letters for text entry, as you get in Audi’s cars.

2015-lexus-nx-first-drive-42
Complicating things is the sometimes-overloaded UI of Lexus’ system. The main menus are clear enough, albeit with options spread across too many pages, but switch to turn-by-turn directions and things go downhill. There’s simply too much on-screen at any one time: I really don’t need persistent icons to tell me there’s a GPS signal, or that HD Traffic is switched on, and the icon to go back to the main menu is right above the next-turn icon, meaning sometimes you can have two arrows pointing in different directions, stacked right on top of each other.

It’s not all bad news. Lexus’ 3D cities are neat, and the voice recognition system is a solid step-up from earlier cars, using Nuance technology that actively learns from repeated use. Pair up a smartphone over Bluetooth and the navigation will bring up POI results both from its own database and online, through Bing, showing only the most up-to-date information. Upcoming turns are telegraphed clearly using both a split-screen UI on the main display, and the 4.2-inch driver information screen sandwiched between the gages.

2015 Lexus NX
More worrying is the absence of either Apple’s CarPlay or Google’s Android Auto. Lexus is a supporter of the smartphone-connected systems, but they’re both missing on the NX, and the company couldn’t give me a specific timescale for when they might be added. Even when that happens, the likelihood of them being offered as retrospective upgrades for existing NX drivers is very low, I’m told.

It’s a decision that feels short-sighted to me, given the target audience for the NX is exactly the sort of mobile early-adopter that CarPlay and Android Auto will appeal to. Enform, in contrast, feels embryonic despite having been offered on Lexus cars for some years now. You do at least get Siri Hands-Free, but it’s a far cry from the usability both Apple and Google have demonstrated this year.

2015-lexus-nx-first-drive-41
Lexus’ reluctance to embrace the smartphone is even more odd when you consider a wireless charging cradle is an option for the NX. Fitted under the central armrest, it’s a Qi-compatible nook into which a phone can be dropped and charged up without connecting a cable.

Obviously you’ll need a phone with the right hardware itself in order to take advantage - if you’re an iPhone user, that means adding a Qi-compatible case - but otherwise it’s a case of dropping your Nexus 5, Galaxy S5, or Lumia Icon into the recess. Unfortunately, that recess is too small for a phablet like Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3, despite there being enough space that Lexus could feasibly have enlarged it to suit. An arguably better solution would’ve been a flat bay and the same ultra-grippy finish as the bottle holders to keep phones from sliding around.

2015 Lexus NX
Wrap-Up

Lexus has high hopes for the NX. The RX has been a huge and persistent success in the premium SUV segment, and if all goes to plan, the NX should bring fresh blood to the Lexus brand just as the most recent IS has done in sedans.

2015 Lexus NX
A lot will depend on factors still to be decided, primarily pricing. The 2015 NX doesn’t hit US forecourts until early November this year, and Lexus won’t be announcing how much each model costs until closer to that point. To set the scene, Audi’s Q5 starts at $37,300, while the BMW X3 is upwards of $38,300; Lexus will have to be careful not to tread on the toes of its own RX, which begins at $40,795.

Get the numbers right, and Lexus has a compelling car on its hands. The NX looks distinctive, drives well, and has a well-equipped interior; in F SPORT form it’s aggressive and nimble enough to be a fair amount of fun on the right roads, too, without compromising everyday ride and comfort. Aesthetically it may not to be everybody’s tastes, but Lexus has demonstrated it understands what a good amount of SUV buyers are looking for, and it’s hard to imagine the NX not following the path paved by its bigger brother.

Believe It Or Not, This Is The One We'd Buy

With so much hullabaloo being made over the first gasoline turbocharged engine produced by Lexus, it's easy to forget that there's another option for those who'd rather (barely) hear the whirring of electric motors than the high-pitched whizzing of turbos. That's too bad, because we think the NX 300h is one of the more interesting hybrids on the market, due in large part to its innovative all-wheel-drive system and relatively sporty driving dynamics. We spent several hours with the brand-new hybrid crossover from Lexus, and we came away with plenty to talk about.

Driving Notes
Of course, the big thing that differentiates the 300h from the 200t is its drivetrain. In place of the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder sits a 2.5-liter gasoline engine that runs exclusively on the Atkinson cycle to save fuel, augmented by a pair of electric motors and mated to an electronic continuously variable transmission. Lexus is no stranger to hybrids, buoyed by parent company Toyota's expertise, and the basic setup used by the NX 300h is a well-known quantity shared with the ES 300h.
First thing's first: Lexus estimates that the NX 300h will score 35 miles per gallon in the city, 31 on the highway and 33 combined with front-wheel drive, and 33/30/32 with the brand's new E-Four all-wheel drive. That's quite a bit better than the 200t AWD's 21/28/24 figures, and it ought to put it at the very front of the luxury compact crossover market, though it will be engaged in a who-can-sip less battle with diesel entrants from the likes of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
There is no mechanical connection between the front-mounted engine/motor combination and the rear wheels on AWD models. Instead, this is a through-the-road system, wherein a completely separate motor/generator unit, rated at a peak of 67 horsepower, is housed in a unique transaxle that sends power to the rear wheels as needed. We didn't find many areas to test this setup up in Whistler, British Columbia, outside of a gravel parking lot, but that was enough to confirm that power does indeed flow to the rear when called upon, as it isn't all that apparent under normal dry driving conditions.
Interestingly, Lexus tells us that electricity from the battery pack is diverted from the front-mounted electric motors to the rear motor when slip is detected from the front wheels. In this way, the all-wheel-drive system is used only when called upon, thereby saving fuel, and total system horsepower remains unchanged. The majority of the time, the rear-mounted motor sits idle or is used to recapture more energy during periods of regenerative braking.
Yaw-rate sensors allow the rear motor/generator unit to be used as a handling aid, similar to the Dynamic Torque Control system used in the turbocharged NX 200t.
A total of 204 individual nickel-metal hydride cells are used in the NX 300h, split into two packs that weigh 44 pounds each. The units are mounted on either side of the rear seat, close to the car's center of gravity, says Lexus.
The P314 transmission is new for the NX, and it brings with it the brand's first use of a kick-down feature in a hybrid. As its name implies, the kick-down is called upon when the driver's right foot mashes down on the throttle, and it basically just forces the transmission into full-speed-ahead behavior.
Kick-down or not, nobody is going to mistake the 2015 NX 300h for its turbocharged sibling when it comes to all-out acceleration. Whereas Lexus claims a 0-60 run of 7.0 seconds for the AWD 200t, the same task takes the 300h about 9.0 seconds. In other words, the hybrid is very much tuned for efficiency over maximum performance.
Still, driving the NX 300h can be fun. Lexus has included steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters that mimic the ratios of a standard automatic transmission, like that of the 200t. These allow drivers to hold the hybrid's engine at predetermined rev points, providing quicker response on curvy roads, uphill and downhill grades, or anywhere else its pilot deems their use desirable. We used them extensively, and they work fine.
Maximum fuel savings can be found using the Eco driving mode, which dulls the CUV's responses in exchange for improved consumption. There's also an EV Mode button that allows the NX 300h to run using electricity only at speeds up to 25 miles per hour for as much as half a mile. Again, we tested it, and it works, so long as there's sufficient charge in the battery.
Besides the reduction in outright accelerative performance and a corresponding increase in fuel efficiency, the NX 300h driver isn't asked to give up much of the full NX experience. Handling seemed roughly equivalent between the two models, both were quiet and composed out on the road. The biggest hybrid-related gripe is the brakes, which feel awkward in certain stopping situations due to the fight between regen and the standard disc brakes.
The F Sport package can be had along with the hybrid, and this is the way we think we'd order an NX, if we were so inclined to buy one. We prefer the looks of the F Sport over the standard bodywork (non-F Sport seen above), and we're suckers for the cool stitching of the revised interior in that model, too. We honestly didn't find the 2.0 turbo all that convincing as an enthusiast-grade engine – the BMW X3 28i offers a superior driving experience when going quickly is of paramount concern – and the Hybrid's Sport Mode, combined with its paddle shifters, offered us just enough driving enjoyment to make the Hybrid F Sport with E-Four AWD our personal NX of choice. Plus, lowered gas bills leaves more money for other enjoyable endeavors, right?
That said, remember: Your mileage will most definitely vary, and the quirks of a hybrid powertrain aren't to everyone's tastes. Test drive 'em both, we say, if you're in the market for an entry-level luxury crossover, but don't forget that this is a crowded segment with a bevy of compelling options from the US, Europe and Japan.