Lexus is a brand known for its luxury offerings. When Toyota had plans to come up with a more premium offering they decided to go with Lexus, which literally stands for “Luxury US.” The idea of a subsidiary luxury brand quickly caught on as Honda came up with Acura and so did Nissan with Infiniti.
With the increasing popularity of crossovers and SUVs, Lexus has diversified its portfolio into UX, NX, RX, GX, and LX for its range of utilitarians. The nomenclature is quite common in the industry as Mercedes use alphabets like A, C, S to denote the size or category while BMW resorts to numbers like 3, 4, 5, etc. We’ll be taking a closer look at Lexus' product lineup, but more specifically, the NX and RX.
While they may seem fairly similar there are significant differences between the NX and RX. Lexus has differentiated them in a way that the former is a compact crossover and the latter is a midsize SUV. That’s not all, read on for more.
Let’s Talk Styling
Lexus has been producing some of the most striking cars on the market. Take the LFA for example, it’s subtle yet has the performance to outrun any Ferrari or Lamborghini. While our discussion is limited to bread-and-butter cars, it’s safe to say that the design ethos has trickled down to a lot of their offerings.
The NX as stated by Lexus stands for “Nimble Crossover” and slots between the subcompact UX and the midsize RX. While the NX looks like a less expensive RX, it does have unique styling cues. For starters, the NX has a distinct day time running light that doubles as a turn signal exclusively integrated into the bumper as a separate unit. The RX however, gets a sleeker LED headlight unit that features a unique design the brand is known for. Even the NX has a headlight design inspired by the flagship LC 500.
The overall silhouette is largely similar when it comes to both NX and RX but, the RX being more expensive has a bit more details in its design. The front grille is a unique pattern in the RX and looks rather premium versus the NX having a traditional mesh. but still stands out from the crowd. The distinct Lexus design is carried over to almost every part of both the cars, again the differences are obvious with one being sleeker than the other due to the disparity in their prices.
What About Powertrain And Mechanics
Both of them are entirely different cars based on different platforms, so expect a lot of mechanical differences between them. The NX in its base avatar uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 that makes 235 horsepower and a solid 258 lb-ft of torque. The RX in its 350 guise gets a buttery smooth 3.5-liter V6 making 295 horsepower and 267 lb-ft of torque. Transmission is a 6-speed auto for the NX while the RX gets an 8-speed automatic.
On paper, the RX doesn’t seem to justify the $10,000+ difference in price as the specs aren’t miles ahead of the NX. However, the 30 odd horsepower difference can be felt. Another important aspect differentiating the two is the transmission. While the NX gets a 6-speed, it’s not as smooth as the 8-speed nor is it the most intelligent when it comes to selecting gears. Not that the 6-speed is appalling, it’s just not as cleverly set up as the 8-speed on the RX. Dynamically though, the engine in the NX is a lot keener on getting a move since the torque is offered from as low as 1650 rpm while the RX takes around 4700 rpm to produce peak torque.
Let’s Talk Interiors And Tech
There is a huge difference in the way you touch and feel things inside both the RX and NX. With the RX being a more premium offering, it’s plusher and more luxurious than the NX, but the overall layout feels more sought-after, and not mass-market-ish like the NX. Although the RX is a mass-produced car, things inside does feel the premium it demands.
That said, the NX is not a slouch either, for its $35,000 price tag the NX is one of the more luxurious compact crossovers in the market. Interiors are bathed in leather and Lexus has supplied a few touchpoints with softer plastics that make the overall experience a lot more luxurious.
Infotainment-wise, the RX gets an updated 12.3-inch touchscreen system that feels much better than the previous unit which used a finicky controller which for the most part wasn’t all that intuitive. The NX’s unit is an optional 10.3-inch (standard 8.0-inch) display that makes use of the unintuitive controller previously mentioned. Safety is not something that Lexus overlooks, both the NX and RX gets a host of safety aids that includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, lane departure warning, and a pre-collision warning system in addition to dedicated crash structures and multiple airbags.
Sources: Lexus, YouTube