Late to the party, is Lexus NX plug-in hybrid worth the wait?

Published on 12 March, 2022

Overview

It has taken Lexus a while to get in on the plug-in hybrid act. Most of its rivals have wrung sales from their versions for years. Only now is Lexus in there to compete.

Is it too late, given the fact most governments in Europe, including our own, have taken a tougher tax stance against the genre because, as I’m sure you have read or experienced, the claimed fuel consumption is a long way from the actual?

As a result, incentives to own a PHEV have been pared back.

In the case of the new Lexus NX plug-in, the carmaker claims you can get 100km worth of driving from a mere 1.1-litre of petrol.

If only that were the case (I got 6.7-litres/100km of a return) we wouldn’t be feeling the pinch at the pumps now that the price of fuel has gone so high.

Anyway, that’s all by way of saying there’s now a plug-in as part of the line-up of the new NX range.

This is a much better package than the forerunner, although the ‘old’ one has held back the years with some ease. Yet this is bigger, roomier, more technologically advanced and better to drive. The looks are strong, especially with that Lexus grille out front.

And we had a good introduction, the new NX and I, because two minor, if highly visual, blemishes from the previous one have been binned: a horrible binnacle in front of the driver denoting your driving mode and a maddening touch-pad. This is far more like it.

The new multimedia system takes centre stage in the cabin, and in terms of interactivity it worked pretty well. The version on test in the F-SPORT model had a 14-inch screen – it’s 9.8 inches on the Executive version.

It took me a little longer than I might have liked to get used to some of its ways, like using the heads-up display in conjunction with it, but when I did it was grand. Everything on the dashboard is oriented toward the driver. You only have to glance. Bless them too for leaving us with dials for details such as adjusting the temperature.

I have to say I found the seats to be exceptionally comfortable and supportive with loads of adjustment. What a difference good seats can make.

In this case they provided me with a great driving position too, making light of several journeys; among them a sad one to the midlands and a joyous one to and from the airport.

The NX 450h awd plug-in pairs the 2.5-litre engine with a powerful electric motor for a combined power ­output of 305bhp.

Believe me, that felt like a lot of muscle when I needed it. I used the big paddle shifters to add a bit of fun to the drive.

With variable sports suspension on the F-SPORT tested, the handling was sporty and firm.

All in all, that felt like a decent combination, although the likes of the BMW X3 is a sharper driver, I think.

As you know, plug-ins have a bigger battery than your normal hybrid so they can be charged to substitute electric power for petrol power.

This had an 18.1kWh battery with an on-board 6.6kW charger helping to reduce charging times.

The car is set up to start in electric mode. There’s also Auto EV/HV mode (engine starts when maximum acceleration is called for), battery charging mode and an HV mode that keeps the battery’s state of charge automatically at a certain level.

They say you could get up to 74km on electric-mode only if you’re careful and don’t try to rush things.

That’s where lots of people lose out. They drive too urgently to get a decent return. With a petrol engine of 2.5-litres, as in the NX, that can mean serious consumption.

Mea culpa, I had some ground to make up on an outward journey and had the engine working early in the game, which didn’t do my consumption any good at all.

Alongside all that is the brand’s Safety System+ (LSS+), a suite of active safety elements: pre-collision system (PCS), dynamic radar cruise control (DRCC). The updated version now recognises motorcycles in the daytime and aids with hazard ­recognition at intersections.

And the e-latch system is clever; it’s designed to avert accidents with other users when you go to open the door.

There are 520 litres of boot storage, which expands to 1,411 litres when the rear seats are folded. And there’s an under-deck luggage area of 25 litres for out-of-sight storage.

I enjoyed my time in this big, thoroughly comfortable, accomplished SUV with plenty of room and a nice bit of punch.

Would I buy it? My aversion to plug-ins might be a restraining factor, but it’s such a nice car, I probably would.