Published:
25 March 2022Toyota and Lexus have, over the years, worked to make their shared, economy-maximising hybrid-drive powertrains feel more natural, particularly where the matching of vehicle acceleration to engine speed is concerned. The set-up in the Lexus NX represents the latest step in this process and the level of sophistication achieved is commendable, if not always able to match the best efforts of the Otto-cycle crowd.
In the NX 350h, performance itself is acceptable but modest, our test car reaching 60mph in 7.1sec but then needing another 12 seconds to reach triple figures. By comparison, the latest Hyundai Tucson Hybrid – a crossover lower in both price and status – was just 0.5sec slower to 60mph and actually quicker to 100mph.
From the saloon ranks, at this price and footprint, you might also find yourself looking at the BMW 3 Series 330e M Sport, which we would expect to reach 60mph in less than six seconds without breaking a sweat. Those wanting more from their mid-size Lexus crossover should therefore opt for the plug-in hybrid NX 450h+ over the NX 350h. The former’s combined 302bhp gives it a turn of pace comparable to that of the BMW.
That said, for the kind of low-stress, everyday driving for which it is intended, the NX 350h does just fine. This hybrid system is roughly 25% more powerful than the one in the old NX, and this manifests in the form of easy all-electric running at town speeds and snappy roll-on acceleration out on the open road. Only when the battery is very low on charge, and the car then needs to rely heavily on engine power for urban driving, does this powertrain begin to feel a touch ill-conceived.
