Toyota sets its own accents with the luxury brand Lexus. With a distinctive design, the automobile manufacturer underscores the claim to tread a separate path in the luxury class segment. The SUV as a panacea for the mobile society with high market shares in the high-end segment is often powered by powerful diesel engines. With the Lexus NX, on the other hand, you have the choice between the new turbo gasoline engine with 238 hp (175 kW) and a hybrid gasoline engine with 197 hp (145 kW). With a dead weight of over 2,3 tons, we are testing the hybrid variant in the F-Sport equipment variant.
The eye-catcher Lexus NX impresses in its external appearance with a massive diabolo radiator grille, full LED headlights and a muscular-looking design of wide wheel arches, wedge-shaped light edges and a striking rear. Chief designer Nobuyuki Tomatsu placed emphasis on driving dynamics and exclusivity in the body. Many of their own style elements make the competition from the smooth-ironed premium SUV look boring. And so it is not surprising that some passers-by ask about the brand.
The inner values
In the cockpit, Lexus relies on a luxurious one
Interior fittings. Leather sports seats and a dashboard covered with leather and decorative stitching create a high-quality ambience. The towering center console takes the diabolo shape into the interior. The central 8-inch information display seems a bit small and too far away from the driver. Here, operation can only be carried out while driving via the touchpad embedded in the center console
take place. It is a movable sensor surface that jumps hectically between the menu items on the info display when touched and selects when pressed. This is very cumbersome from the driver's point of view.
The leather sports seats compensate for this with good lateral support and a wide range of adjustment options that can be saved for up to three users. On the back seat there is enough space for two adults with comfortable space, the middle seat is designed accordingly narrow.
Otherwise, the NX doesn't offer more space in the trunk than that, despite its imposing appearance
Golf class: 555 liters trunk volume; after folding down the backrests, the volume increases
to a maximum of 1.600 liters. The loading sill, which is over 75 cm high, is a disadvantage in everyday life, but the loading area is almost even after folding down the rear seats. Four eyelets in the trunk are used to secure the cargo. A storage compartment is located under the loading area. With dimensions of 70 x 50 x 30 cm, it offers enough storage space for accessories.
Power distribution
If you are interested in using the Lexus as a trailer, you can pull a trailer weighing up to 1,5 tons on the trailer coupling. There is an additional electric motor,
which with 68 PS (50 kW) power can be switched on at the rear axle if required. So increased
not the overall performance; However, it then offers all-wheel drive on request, which is definitely noticeable when towing a trailer.
The basis for the drive in the hybrid gasoline drive is an Atkinson four-cylinder engine with a relatively high degree of efficiency for gasoline engines. A high mechanical compression ratio of 13,5: 1 and variable intake valve control as well as D-4S direct injection influence the efficiency. The start-stop technology and exhaust heat recovery affect the consumption values. Despite the system output of 197 PS (145 KW), the heavy SUV is not as powerful and powerful as the diesel units, for example. It is designed for different driving styles depending on the driver's taste and offers an energy-saving mode Eco, the normal mode and two sport speed levels to choose from. The display changes accordingly from the eco mode in the blue to the red in the sport modes. The tachometer then dominates the display and it accelerates faster
and also louder forward. The best acceleration values are of course achieved in Sport + mode. In this way, however, a real thunderstorm of engine and exhaust sounds can also be experienced in the interior.
The automatic adjusts the gear ratio changes in the ingenious planetary gear system so that you don't feel anything when changing gears. When kickdown, both engines immediately go to full load; Accelerations and overtaking maneuvers occur in everyday life noticeably and with vigor. A variable chassis can be varied by the driver. Leave over the operating menu
choose the damping characteristics, the roll tendency and the curve control according to your own wishes. With a 30-stage setting, depending on the requirement profile, solutions can be found playfully, for example, to cushion off-road stretches with damping. A damper control with a response time of 20 milliseconds helps here. For large-format SUVs, the Lexus' chassis set-up is comfortable and can be adjusted sufficiently
The inner values
In the cockpit, Lexus relies on a luxurious interior. Leather sports seats and a dashboard clad with leather and decorative stitching create a high-quality ambience. The towering center console takes the shape of the diabolo into the interior. The central 8-inch information display seems a bit small and too far away from the driver. Here, operation can only be carried out while driving via the touchpad embedded in the center console. It is a movable sensor surface which, when touched, jumps hectically between the menu items on the info display and selects when pressed. This is very cumbersome from the driver's point of view. The leather sports seats compensate for this with good lateral support and a wide range of adjustment options that can be saved for up to three users. On the back seat there is enough space for two adults with comfortable space, the middle seat is designed accordingly narrow.
Otherwise, the NX doesn't offer more space in the trunk than that, despite its imposing appearance
Golf class: 555 liters trunk volume; after folding down the backrests, the volume increases to a maximum of 1.600 liters. The loading sill, which is over 75 cm high, is a disadvantage in everyday life, but the loading area is almost even after folding down the rear seats. Four eyelets in the trunk are used to secure the cargo. A storage compartment is located under the loading area. With dimensions of
70 x 50 x 30 cm enough storage space for accessories.
With a net weight of a good 1,8 tonnes, the consumption values in the brochure with 5,3 liters of premium gasoline are of course not achievable in the practical test. Anyone who tries out the full range of the driving modes listed above will find that the eco-saving mode is a good 6 liters up to two-digit consumption values in the sport modes. The NX 300 is just a universal SUV that is supposed to display and serve as many user profiles as possible.
Prices and equipment options of the Lexus NX 300h
The polarizing and muscular shape also has disadvantages. And so clarity is not the strength of the NX. The optical and acoustic distance warnings are standard on board and are necessary. There are different engines and equipment options. The basic version is available for 39.800 euros, but only with pure front-wheel drive and without the safety and comfort extras.
A complete equipment package is included in the “Executive Line” version for 47.350 euros. The "F-Sport" variant that we tested then offers a lot of extras, for example including full leather upholstery, adaptive cruise control and an electrically opening tailgate.
Instead of an extensive list of accessories and special equipment, Lexus relies on coordinated equipment packages that can be selected by the customer. In addition to the tested “F-Sport” sports version, there are 5 other variants. However, this results in a number of compromises: For example, the 360-degree camera for precise maneuvering, the Blind Spot Assist and the rear cross traffic warning system are only available as optional equipment for the top models.
It is the same with the colored head-up display; here, too, another 2.200 euros
called separately.
The Lexus Hybrid is an alternative to the in-house diesel models and competitor from BMW and Audi. The technical effort is much higher compared to the pure diesel drive and the price level is accordingly at a high level. Who is for
decides on a hybrid SUV, in view of the declining vehicle market for diesel vehicles, you can be sure to acquire an SUV that is relatively stable in value and that can be driven in the environmental zones.
Those who want to be a little more relaxed on long journeys can make friends with the electronically sealed top speed of 180 km / h. The classy Japanese drives
is not as agile as it looks and offers customers a slight deceleration
at. That is an exception and has a different value than up to
Competitors' SUVs with a high speed of 250 km / h.
More Lexus articles under https://greencarmagazine.de/?s=lexus
Addendum
Practical test from green car magazine / prices and equipment from the 2018 model year.
There are more current tests and new models in the current magazine. Subscription under
Questions and suggestions under 01575/287 3616 or by email to leser@greencarmagazine.de.
Comments are welcome to be entered. They are activated after a content check.
- LFP batteries conquer the world market - April 26, 2024
- Renault Espace E-Tech Full Hybrid seven-seater – the team SUV - April 25, 2024
- Ora Funky Cat 400 Pro+ - The Purring Cat - April 25, 2024