It’s always nice to review cars a little after everyone else has spent their time with them and thrown in their two cents. Of course, there are the brand-new car buyers, the ones who wait with bated breath to get confirmation via a review from the heavies in the industry to validate their first-in-line purchase. But, I’d wager that most people are waiters, people who want to ensure the car is a good idea before they plonk down so much of their hard-earned cash. Now that the Lexus NX450h+ plug-in hybrid has been on sale for a while, we have a little more perspective. Was the car ever really all that good? Or was it just new, and we were wowed by the concept of a small Lexus crossover that plugged in?
After a week with the Lexus, and about 700 miles of driving–there’s a lot to like about NX450h+. For the luxury car buyer not ready to make the switch to full electric, or a hybrid buyer in search of a way to lower their use of fuel, the NX makes a good case for itself. However, that doesn’t mean it’s not without its flaws.
Lexus NX 450h+
Driving The Lexus NX450h
Toyota is arguably one of the best manufacturers in the business when it comes to platform sharing. Whereas GM or even Audi and VW sometimes catch flack for using common platforms found on budget vehicles for their higher-end cars, Toyota’s been using the same basic platforms from its cheaper cars on some of its best-selling Lexuses. And, well, it works. Underneath, the Lexus NX lineup uses the same TNGA-K platform shared with a lot of compact and midsized Toyota vehicles. However, it is most closely related to the Toyota RAV4. This means that the NX450h+ uses the same basic PHEV powertrain as the RAV4 Prime.
Thus, the NX450+ is motivated by the 2.5-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder found in the standard NX300h hybrids, but it’s served by electric motors that are way stronger, and a battery that’s much larger than its non-PHEV brother. The NX450h+ is pushing 304 horsepower to all four of its wheels, up from 240 hp of the non-PHEV hybrid.
Even with the extra weight of a battery with nearly 18 times more usable capacity than its standard hybrid kin, the NX450h+ feels genuinely fast. Tromp down on the throttle, and the crossover will spin its wheels and slingshot its way to 60 MPH in about five and a half seconds. It’s quick and smooth, although the power delivery can feel strange. It’ll be familiar to anyone who has had experience with any Toyota hybrid. They can feel a little syrupy. It can be disconcerting to those used to traditional gas-powered cars since pedal demand, engine speed and road speed aren’t tied together in the same way as a conventional car with a normal planetary gear set.
The NX450+ is like this, too. Under a full-throttle start, the car gets going with electric power, but then the gas engine will step in and assist in ways that can feel unnatural and disconnected from what the driver would expect. I’d be less inclined to comment on the Lexus’s power delivery characteristics if what it was doing was quiet and out of the way, but when the car is working, it’s not as quiet as I expect from a luxury brand. Most Lexus buyers probably won’t drive like a typical auto journalist, but acceleration under moderate to hard load revealed that its 2.5-liter engine was a little coarse and a little noisy for a $60,000 luxury crossover. When I drove like a normal person, the crossover was generally quiet.
The NX’s ride and handling also felt a little out of character for what I expected from Lexus’s reputation of soft suspension and sedate road manners. The steering was relatively fast and heavy, albeit slightly artificial feeling. The ride was well-composed, but it felt distinctly firm. It was so firm that I had to double-check the vehicle’s Monroney sticker to ensure Lexus hadn’t given me the sport-oriented a F Sport model, and I hadn’t paid attention. The nice steering and firm suspension made for surprisingly entertaining driving dynamics on a backroad, but I’m not sure who asked for that from a small Lexus crossover. It’s not the best handling PHEV luxury crossover in its segment, either, so I’m not sure what they’re thinking in Nagoya.
While its ride and handling are a little odd, and the gas engine might be noisy, the NX450h’s engine-off full EV driving experience was great. The vehicle has more than enough power to drive on freeways and city streets without feeling like an underpowered dog. Also, it’s nice that Lexus’s EV mode truly is a full EV mode. The engine will not turn on until the vehicle is completely out of full EV range, or if the driver manually places the vehicle into Hybrid or Auto mode. Hyundai and Stellantis should take notes.
Range, Battery Size, Observed Efficiency
The Lexus NX450h+ has an 18.1 kWh main traction battery. Keep in mind, however, that the NX450h+ won’t use up the whole battery in EV mode. It conserves a little bit of the battery so the vehicle can function as a normal Lexus hybrid when the car runs out of EV range.
Still, Lexus says the car is good for 37 miles of full EV range. In my test, I bettered that slightly, traveling 40 miles on EV power before the engine took over. The NX450h’s digital information screen said the car averaged 2.6 miles per kWh, which isn’t all that great for a crossover that isn’t all that big.
When out of EV power, Lexus says the car will do 36 MPG combined, using premium gas. That’s identical to what I got while driving the NX450h+.
Charging Experience
Unlike the Prius Prime and lower trims of the RAV4 Prime, the Lexus NX450h+ comes standard with a 6.6kW onboard charger. From flat to full, Toyota says charging can take as little as 2.5 hours. On a level 1 110v plug, it’ll take 12 hours.
The Lexus NX450h did just so. I did most of my charging on level 1, going from flat to full overnight. When I did opt for level 2 public charging instances, the NX450h+ had no issue connecting or charging. Not every PHEV is this good at using public charging infrastructure.
Interior
The interior is where the NX450h+ absolutely shines. Lexus simplified so much of the old NX with its upgrade to its latest generation. Gone is the finicky button-laden, touchpad-centric interior of the old car, replaced with a 14-inch touch screen with what feels like just the right amount of buttons. In an era of hyper-minimalist, iPad-on-the-dash interior designs, the Lexus NX feels refreshingly old-school. There’s a toggle switch or button for almost every important action, and they all feel well weighted and nice to use.
Lexus has such a penchant for creating a quiet, well-finished interior ambiance. Soft touch plastics and high-quality Palomino leather are placed in the most ergonomically perfect spaces; any place where a person would need to touch will feel rich. The interior’s use of space is strong too, and while some of its sportier German or Swedish competitors have been accused of somewhat tight rear quarters, the NX feels as spacious as its plebian Toyota cousin. The Lexus NX450h even smells good. That camel-colored, Palomino leather just makes the Lexus feel so damn luxuriant. I don’t care about the NX450h’s so-called downmarket roots, because it’s such a damn nice space to spend your time. I understand why Lexus buyers love the brand so much. Every passenger I had in the NX450h+ remarked on how spacious and high-quality the whole car felt.
Of course, it’s not perfect. The driving position is very high, and there’s not much side bolstering for sporty driving. But this is a Lexus crossover, not a Lexus LF-A supercar.
Tech Features
The NX450h+ has some tech features, like Wireless Android Auto, Apple Carplay, and a HUD but compared to others in the segment, the Lexus NX450h+ somewhat tech-averse car.
Of course, there’s a full suite of screens – all NX450h+ models come standard with a 14-inch infotainment screen, digital key and digital rearview mirror. There’s a voice-controlled digital assistant to assist with basic functions, although I didn’t think it worked all that well. The base NX450h+ can be equipped with a 17-speaker Mark Levinson audio system, but that feature isn’t available on the F Sport version. The F Sport version does have adaptive dampers, though.
However, if you’re in search of a super-connected car with semi-autonomous driving features, look elsewhere because the NX450h+ just doesn’t have all that stuff. The best the Lexus NX450h+ can do is its remote park assist feature.
Infotainment & UX
With the update for 2021, Lexus shifted to its new infotainment operating system which is uncreatively called “Lexus Interface.” If you’ve driven a Toyota Prius Prime or RAV4 Prime, the Lexus system will appear somewhat familiar. HVAC functions are integrated into the screen, but it does have two nifty dials that are integrated directly into the screen’s body.
The operating system is okay. The software itself is straightforward, but it feels both basic and ugly compared to the more intentional and full-featured setups from brands like BMW or Volvo. Look at those gradient-less, blocky menus that aren’t all that different the stuff used on a Toyota. Look how cheaply Toyota and Lexus’s famous Energy Monitor has been reinterpreted; it doesn’t even have a smooth animation for a rolling wheel or energy flow. Toyota had that perfected back in 2000, why change it to this? It looks ugly, lackluster and cheap. I don’t like it. The strong focus on graphic design that we’ve found in other brands just isn’t here in the Lexus. So many of the vehicle’s operations are just pressing icons or watching text on a blank background. It’s ugly, and I hate it. I wish I could say that means Lexus’s software is easy to use and mega responsive, but it’s just average in that regard, too.
It does have wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, at least.
Safety and ADAS
The Lexus NX450h+ has a full suite of safety features, in Lexus Safety System+ 3.0, which includes:
- Intelligent High Beams
- All-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control With Curve Management
- Road Sign Assist
- Lane Departure Alert With Steering Assist
- Lane Tracing Assist
- Pre Collision System With Pedestrian Detection and Intersection Support
- Proactive Driving Assist
The Lexus NX450h+ hasn’t been rated by the NHTSA, but it did earn a Top Safety Pick distinction by the IIHS.
Pricing and Trims
The Lexus NX450h+ only comes in two trims: a base trim called Luxury, and NX 450h+ F Sport Handling AWD. They’re generally identically equipped, but the F Sport adds adaptive suspension, a heated F-sport exclusive steering wheel as well as a racier exterior styling to match the F Sport moniker.
The standard NX450h+ starts at $62,415 while the F Sport model is $63,505. Both include a $1,175 destination fee. Interestingly, the standard NX450h+ can be had with an upgraded Mark Levinson sound system for $1,020, but that’s absent on the F Sport. Since the NX is imported from Japan, it will not qualify for any purchase-level IRA tax credit incentives, but it could qualify for some via leasing.
This is a lot of money for an NX. Compared to the base hybrid NX350h, the NX450h+ is more than $15,000 more expensive. True, the 450h+ is quicker than the standard car and can do 37 miles on electric power alone. The base hybrid model is also FWD with leatherette, not real leather, but the huge premium is still a tall ask. Lexus’s own similarly-sized EV crossover the RZ300e starts below $60,000, and a top-level RZ450e is only about $1,500 more expensive than a fully kitted NX450h+ F Sport. Granted, the Lexus RZ kind of sucks, but still, my point is that Lexus is eating its own tail here.
Verdict
Unequivocally, Toyota is the undisputed champ of hybrids. It's for good reason, too. From the inception of the very first Prius launched in 1996 (2000 for Americans), Toyota gave us a gas-electric system that was seamless, smooth and mechanically robust, all in a package that—at least to the average driver—didn’t feel compromised compared to a standard gas-powered sedan of the same price. This “set it and forget it” mentality with respect to Toyota’s Hybrids eventually spread to the rest of Toyota’s, and later Lexus’ lineup. Now, nearly 30 years later buyers are purchasing Lexus SUV hybrids in droves, an amazing feat since other premium manufacturers can’t seem to replicate their success.
But time marches forward. We’re moving toward further electrification, and Toyota’s self-contained hybrid systems can’t stay competitive with the growth of engine-off, fully electric or partially electric miles that modern drivers are demanding today. The NX450h+ is meant to address some of that criticism. It’s not perfect, but it is very good. It’s smooth, easy to use and feels genuinely luxurious inside.
Too bad that Lexus charges an arm and a leg for it.
Contact the author: kevin.williams@insideevs.com
