Does Your 2015 NX 200t Need to be Rugged? Is it?

By adpock - May 27, 2015

Lexus NX off road

There’s a faction of folks out there who think testing luxury SUVs for ruggedness is a bit like testing snow skis on water: totally unnecessary. I’m not one of those people.

Sure, there are people whose usual driving activity is limited to soccer practice drop-offs, grocery runs, and perhaps a cineplex trip, if they get lucky with a sitter. But there are those of us who also like to ford a river or two in our SUV, and do so confidently. This Ignition Live video is for people like us.

In the vid below, Tumelo Maketekete, the man with the best name in auto journalism, goes off-road with our favorite little luxury SUV, the 2015 Lexus NX200t. And it’s kind of awesome.

Ignition Live is “South Africa’s premier motoring title,” so I’m assuming that’s where Tumelo’s testing is taking place. Wherever he is, it looks far more exotic than Whole Foods and IKEA combined. But it’s not like the little lux isn’t comfortable in such surroundings. In tests titled “Slope,” “Water,” “Twister,” and more, the NX holds her own nicely.

Granted, in the “Rock” test, Tumelo takes the NX down a bit more incline than most lux SUV drivers would ever dare, but he’s held back by the NX’s long nose. “There’s a thin line between adventurous and stupid,” says Tumelo, as he wisely puts her in reverse. Just the same, the NX’s adventurous spirit shines brightly in this one.