Our view: 2016 Lexus NX 200t

Source: Our view: 2016 Lexus NX 200t

Editor’s note: This review was written in July 2014 for the 2015 Lexus NX 200t. In terms of content, little has changed in this year’s model. To see what’s new for 2016, click here or see a side-by-side comparison of the two model years.

As compact luxury SUVs, the 2015 Lexus NX combines enough driving fun and passenger comfort to deserve a look, but anyone with serious cargo needs should look elsewhere or stick with the brand’s popular RX.

As badge engineering, Toyota’s luxury division has more hits than misses. The mid-size sedan ES feels significantly better than a Toyota Camry; the GX bears little resemblance to its Toyota 4Runner sibling, inside or out. And so it goes with the NX, a car that Lexus calls “loosely related to the RAV4,” Toyota’s popular small SUV. Still, Lexus insists the NX is 90 percent composite and a 20 percent stiffer structure.

In fact, the two seem like distant cousins ​​at most. The NX hits US showrooms in December and pricing is yet to be determined, but at a media preview in Seattle I drove pre-production versions of the gasoline-powered NX 200t and gas-electric NX 300h Hybrid. My early assumption is that the NX shows promise.

When the NX hit the press in April last year, we thought it would compete with the latest crowd of subcompact luxury SUVs – namely the BMW X1, Audi Q3 and Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class. However, Lexus insists the NX goes up against those rivals’ larger X3/Q5/GLK siblings, a group that’s still a few inches shorter than the RX. The brand’s spindle grille shares similarities with the rest of the Lexus lineup, but the standard four-bar design combines with the NX’s thin lights and pinched nose to evoke an angry, rat-like expression. F Sport versions extend the grille down, swap out a crossing insert and cap the floor with a deeper, layered air dam. It’s unique – scary, really – and you should get used to it. This is what most F-Sport models look like now, and I’ll take Vader via vermin any Day.

17-inch alloy wheels are standard; 18s are optional. F Sport versions have 18s and P225/60R18 all-season tires or optional (and wider) 235/55R18 summer high-performance tires.

Roughly the size of a Q5 or X3, the NX is still longer and wider than the original 1999 RX 300. Since then, Lexus’ mainstay has grown in two generations; Today’s RX 350 is 5.5 inches longer than the NX. It’s also more than 230 pounds heavier than Lexus’ new smallest SUV, whose lighter weight benefits drivability and efficiency. The NX 200t’s 235hp turbocharged four-cylinder rips ahead with ample clout, and its six-speed automatic does more than the RX’s clumsy gearbox, holding lower gears and stepping down deftly. Using Lexus’ familiar Drive Mode Select, the Eco and Normal modes occasionally result in gear hunting during overtakes, but the Sport mode lends the transmission a satisfying determination.

All in all, Lexus says the NX 200t hits 60mph in the low 7-second range. That’s a hair slower than the competition’s base petrol engines, but the expected fuel efficiency justifies it: Lexus puts petrol economy at 22/28/24mpg city/highway/combined in the NX 200t front-wheel drive and 21/28/24mpg all-wheel drive . Final EPA numbers are yet to come, but when those numbers come out, the NX will impress in this class. An annoying detail: The NX 200t requires Premium gas, which many competitors only recommend.

The NX’s ride quality gets busy at times, but it still feels more composed than the sometimes choppy RX. I couldn’t tell much of a difference between the regular and F sport suspensions; The latter have performance shocks and retuned springs, but most of our short seat time in an NX 200t F Sport was in moderate traffic on slick pavement.

We need to get an F Sport through our handling loop around Cars.com’s Chicago headquarters to get a better feel for the ride/handling differences. In all trims, the steering feels a bit numb at low speeds; Feedback improves as you accelerate. Still, a non-F Sport 200t threw itself into the corners hard – a quick reminder that this isn’t a sports sedan. The 200t’s all-wheel-drive system biases power forward, but can split power 50/50 (front/rear) if needed. You can force the split with a four-wheel lock switch on the dash. The 300h, on the other hand, gets a unique all-wheel drive setup with separate motors for the front and rear axles.

The 194hp NX 300h (which doesn’t come in an F-Sport version) delivers more of the fun factor. There’s plenty of boom, rubber-band responsiveness from its continuously variable automatic transmission, along with a slow rise in revs when you put it on the ground; Even at full throttle, the power feels adequate but never energetic, and the regenerative brakes have a level of pedal flop reminiscent of previous hybrids.

In fact, Lexus says zero to 60 mph takes a modest 9.1 seconds in the hybrid. It feels like it, but the rewards come in impressive efficiency. Lexus estimates the NX 300h will get a combined 32 to 33 mpg, depending on the powertrain – numbers that beat all its immediate competitors, hybrids or Diesel. In addition, premium petrol is only recommended, not mandatory.

The NX’s interior offers plenty of eye candy, largely thanks to stitched, leather-like synthetic materials covering parts of the dashboard, center console and doors. Less convincing are the sculpted stitching adorning the upper sections – similar to the dash materials found in the Camry and ES – as well as the big chunks of faux-metal plastic trim flanking the center controls. However, the layered approach looks sharp overall.

Lexus’ standard NuLuxe upholstery also helps. It’s faux leather, but it’s damn convincing. Genuine cowhide leather is optional, but you’ll have a hard time telling the difference. The seating package is good: the adjustable rear seats offer good legroom and a higher seating position than the too-low rear seat in the RX. Still, taller adults might want more headroom; As I sat up, my 6 foot tall body brushed the ceiling. The optional power-folding rear seats work with a touch, and if something gets in the way – say a mischievous kid trying to pancake his sibling – stop and retract. You can also operate them from the back seat or from the cargo area; In the back seat, the waist-level buttons double as electric recliners.

According to Lexus, four golf bags fit behind the rear seats. If this is the case then certain competitors must be able to accommodate the bags plus a caddy. The 2011-2014 X3, as well as the Q5 and Acura RDX both have more than 25 cubic feet behind their rear seats, but the NX 200t has just 17.7 — slightly more than the GLK’s undersized cargo area, but small for the class and less than that Half of the RX’s cargo space. Fold the seats down, and the NX’s 54.6 cubic feet makes up some of the lost ground, falling close to most rivals. (The NX 300h’s battery is located under the rear seat, saving about 1 cubic foot of volume in both configurations.)

I’m less enthusiastic about the brand’s next-generation remote touch interface, which will be used on NX models with navigation systems. The latest setup ditches a short joystick for a square surface that resembles a laptop touchpad. It’s straightforward and retains haptic feedback, but suffers from clunky map interactions and menu items that are too easy to miss. Pinch-to-zoom map features lag, and scrolling the map still requires too much hold-and-swipe dexterity. With no navigation, the NX gets a simpler directional joystick knob.

The standard CD stereo has HD and AM/FM/satellite radio, Bluetooth audio streaming, Siri Eyes Free compatibility, USB/iPod connectivity, and DVR-like real-time audio recording (AM/FM only, unfortunately). An optional wireless smartphone charger works via Qi, a wireless charging standard (similar to Bluetooth, a wireless data-streaming standard). Models equipped with navigation add additional stereo speakers, including a subwoofer. They’re also adding Lexus’ Enform system, which can stream apps from Yelp to iHeartRadio from a compatible smartphone once you’ve downloaded the Enform app.

The NX hadn’t been crash tested at the time of release, but standard safety features include eight airbags, a reversing camera and the requisite anti-lock braking and electronic stability systems. Front parking sensors and blind spot, lane departure and forward collision warning systems are optional. Lane Departure Warning includes automatic steering correction, and Forward Collision Warning – bundled with all-speed adaptive cruise control – can automatically brake if the driver misses its warnings.

Lexus expects to sell about 36,000 NX SUVs annually in the US — about a third of RX sales, but right in the middle of the Q5/GLK/X3 numbers. And very few of these should be from RX buyers; Lexus officials predict that just 5 or 10 percent of sales will come from the brand’s mainstay SUV. Price information is due in autumn 2014. The NX is fairly well equipped: eight-way power front seats with power lumbar; keyless entry and push-button start; Bluetooth phone/audio with Siri Eyes Free integration; and these rear camera are all standard. The German competition starts just under $40,000 (all prices include Target), but Acura’s 2015 RDX is the value pick of the toss at $35,790. Let’s see in which direction Lexus goes. However, the NX cannot start to close to the RX, which starts at less than $42,000 in 2015. With the right pricing, the brand’s latest SUV deserves attention.

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