Refreshed Lexus NX arrives

The LS was the car which gave the company prominence in the luxury market and the NX was Lexus' first foray into the compact premium SUV market.

The refreshed NX - which stands for nimble crossover - features an angular design language, with strong body lines and prominent contouring. Underpinned by the iconic Lexus spindle grille, the NX is a prominent member within the Lexus family, and is the automaker's best-selling vehicle.

The 2017 NX has undergone some minor upgrades including cosmetic styling and some tweaking of its standard specification. Lexus says as part of the brand's global strategy, the '200t' moniker (signifying a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine) has been replaced by '300'.

“The 300 badging bears reference to offering an equivalent power output to that of a 3.0-litre powerplant – this has been adopted to achieve parity between the petrol – and hybrid engine models' badging convention,” says Lexus.

All models in the range receive styling refinements, with new headlights, a bold new grille with a chromed frame, a redesigned side grille, bumper and lower bumper elements. At the rear, there are new LED combination lights. The rear bumper and license plate garnish have also been tweaked to give the NX a more athletic stance.



What's new in the range?

The entry E-grade model now adopts a 2WD drivetrain, delivering power to the front wheels via a 6-speed automatic transmission. The change to 2WD from AWD (all-wheel drive) brings with it, a reduction in fuel consumption and vehicle weight, as well as N$24 000 cheaper compared to the entry-level model in the previous range.

The EX and F Sport derivatives retain the AWD configuration and 6-speed automatic transmissions.

Lexus reckons the engine utilises a combination of port – and direct injection (known as D-4ST) along with Variable Valve Timing intelligent Wide (VVTi-W), to optimise combustion in the pursuit of both power and efficiency.

The Hybrid-powered NX300h uses a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor. The petrol plus electric coupling delivers a total system output of 150kW. If you're not careful, you'd think you're cruising along the highway at 60km/h when you're going at a steady 120km/h.

Even when in the NX E grade model, it comes standard with loads of bells and whistles such as a wireless charger, 6-way adjustable seats, back guide monitor and enough driver assistant systems.

The F Sport features a Drive Mode Select with Eco, Normal, Sport, Sport + and newly-added Custom modes. Sport + interfaces with the Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS) to increase dampening and allow for more dynamic handling.

The custom mode, says Lexus, allows drivers to personalise the powertrain, electric power steering, AVS and air conditioning settings.



Specifications

E-grade variants now feature rain-sensing wipers, auto-levelling headlights (halogen with LED daytime running lights) and a reverse camera (displayed in the infotainment system).

The mid-grade EX variants add on roof rails and the range-topping F Sport gets Dynamic headlight levelling, chrome steering switch accents, and aluminium detailing on the instrument cluster.

The NX comes standard with a total of eight airbags on all models. Active safety systems include ABS, EBD, Brake Assist, Traction Control, Enhanced VSC, Hill-start Assist and Trailer Sway Control.



What's coming in 2018?

Lexus SA says there'll be a new RX longwheel base version arriving next year along with the new generation LS 500. The LS is a vital car for the automaker and it looks forward to reigniting the spark which established the company.

There was also a hint of a brand new model which will be added to the model range later in 2018.

– Wheels24