Just like many of its competitors, Toyota has a luxury carmaker division of its own in the brand name of Lexus. Lexus had introduced a line of compact luxury crossover SUV somewhere in the year 2014, popularly known as the Lexus Nimble Crossover or Lexus NX, the latter being its abbreviated version. It is available in the markets in three distinct classes depending on the make of the power train. The 2021 Lexus NX which is about to make a comeback in 2021 introducing variants include NX 300, NX 300 Luxury, NX 300 F Sport, and so on.
Let’s have a detailed look at the technical and performance-related facts and numbers related to various models of the NX as mentioned above.
The Powertrain
From the viewpoint of specs, one can easily see that the 300 and 300 F Sport are both very identical. Both have a standard 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot that harbors a potent 235 horsepower coupled with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The engine sends power to the front wheels, an all-wheel-drive variant is also available for extra traction and power delivery. The NX has a hybrid variant called the NX 300h, which contributes a power output of 194 horsepower only. It uses a 2.5 liter 4-cylinder coupled with Lexus hybrid tech available only with all-wheel-drive, which is the distinct feature of the 300h kind. They base this model on the platform of Toyota New MC with a strut front and multi-link rear suspension.
Talking about the speed factor, the AWD variant was a clear winner in terms of time taken to speed from 0 to 60, which by the way, was 7.0 secs irrespective of whether it was 300 or F Sport. The runner-up was the FWD layout with a loss of 2 secs making it a total of 7.2. With 300h at the last place, it took a total of 9.1 secs. The standard NX and NXh have been given 10-spoke wheels with a dimension of 17 inches while the rest of the models are a bit larger measuring 18 inches and alloy-based 5-spoke all-season tires. What’s even more interesting is that based on these entire facts and stats one can easily deduce that the 300 and F Sport models are nothing but the re-adoption of the erstwhile NX 200t/300 kind.
The Styling
Talking about the accentuating exterior shades and styling one can expect a huge variety of basic colors, namely: Atomic Silver, Caviar, Obsidian, and some premium hues like Cadmium Orange, Ultra Sonic Blue Mica2.0, etc. All the factors combined result in unique colors available in cars.
Flaunting the Spindle grille upfront, the NX gets the familiar Lexus design language. Not only does it look like the most aggressive SUV among the competition, but it also has a wider rear wedged out which makes it look like the crossover is rocking a wide body kit. Wide air vents in the front and the DRL headlights just add a touch of modernism to the aged spindle grille which desperately needs an update.
The Interiors
Irrespective of the package/variant selected, the NX comes equipped with basic interior features and tech which includes Remote Touchpad, Lexus Safety System 2.0, Backup Camera, eight airbags, Amazon Alexa, Apple CarPlay, Lexus Enform, an intuitive parking assist system, and so forth.
The luxury categories of the models linked are Premium, Navigation, and Mark Levinson Special Audio Package. So basically, any luxury model will include the package features in addition to the basic features. Moreover, the F Sport model has various fun options to try out, for example, you can opt for power tilt and slide moon roof.
Coming to seating comfort, despite the fact that the seats are wrapped in heated leather and have just the right amount of cushioning, one might find that the headroom and shoulder room is not just enough and might feel congested for someone who is claustrophobic. Apart from that, the NX has done a great job giving comfortable legroom. In case you are thinking of a fun family weekend car for five members then you can easily fit in 18 suitcases given the amount of cargo room in the NX is a huge 17 cubic feet.
Is Lexus NX Expensive To Maintain?
It is a very common thing for people to assume that bigger cars have higher ownership costs. Well, neither are they fully correct nor fully incorrect because the fact is that the bigger the cars higher is the possibility that in the long-run, the engine will be able to support more miles without demanding less frequent checks and tune-ups. Further, the fuel economy is also something that should be focused on. On average, the NX has an EPA of 22, 28, and 25 mpg for city, highways, and combined respectively. Surprisingly, the not so powerful 300h is the clear winner with a mileage of 33 and 30 mpg for city and highways. On the basis of surveys conducted the owners of the Lexus NX have reported an amount of only $551 as their annual budgeted spending for servicing and overhauls over the total years of usage.
NX V/S RX: Which Is The Better Choice?
A typical base model of Lexus RX will cost you around $43,750 while you can get the NX for as low as $37,510. The contributing factors which make up for the price differential in the base models of both the marquees are size, power output, comfort, handling, driving experience, etc. In terms of size, the clear winner is the RX which 1.5x more passenger and cargo space. The RX can generate and deliver a total of 295 horsepower, which is way more than the more versatile F sport AWD version which can reach up to a maximum of 235 horsepower only. One great thing could be that both models have almost the same safety features.
Lexus NX Competition
The price matrix of the Lexus NX suggests that the cost of the car can range from $37,510 - $46,510, with the Base NX 300 FWD model tagged at the lowest range and the NX 300h Luxury AWD at the other. Some of its competitors include the Acura RDX, Jaguar E-Pace, and Mercedes GLC Class. The base price of RDX can be estimated at $37,800 which has an ability to perform at par with the NX, while the E-pace and GLC may cost around $39,950 and a whopping $42,500, respectively.
Considering that the Lexus NX was built keeping in mind to deliver a quality compact crossover style SUV this brute here is surely a good catch given the in-depth justifiable correlation between its performance and price.