Road Test: Lexus NX 2015 South Africa

We drive the 2.0-litre turbo Lexus NX in South Africa and have all the pricing,specs, pictures and warranty terms for you

The Lexus NX presented an opportunity for the brand to start from scratch. To reinvent itself, change perceptions…debut a raft of new technology and wow buyers. It’s not often a carmaker gets to wipe the slate clean and attract customers who before now never gave the brand a second look. Aggressive corporate styling, turbo charged petrol engine, new cockpit layout and all in the most burgeoning segment of them all, the SUV. That’s a lot to take in.

Let’s start with what we believe the most significant faculty in the Lexus NX. The 2.0-litre engine should put an end to the company’s association with underpowered normally aspirated engines or less popular hybrid systems. This engine, in theory, could power every single one of their current models with better efficiency and performance.  There’s still no diesel but due to tighter efficiency legislation, Lexus might have spared itself unnecessary development costs by not going down that route.

A few years ago Toyota announced that it would be working alongside BMW on engine development, specifically forced induction. Does that mean the new Lexus NX drives like a BMW X3? With 177kW and 350Nm it is comfortably the most powerful and among the quickest on the road but at times – a combination of wrong gear, lethargic response – seems inert. Missing are those perpetual waves of torque that build from idle or the silent operation that comes with having seven or eight gears; a constant whine comes from the turbo and there’s a general absence of character. Sport mode in the Lexus NX doesn’t make it any less miserable beyond raising the rpm limiter and holding gears. Needed is a 15 per cent improvement in refinement and response.

Road manners, usually Lexus’s forte, are mostly on point for a car with and a modicum of off-road diff locking. There’s some road noise flung up from the sporty alloys and a dab of sway from the 190mm ride height but steering feel provides enough assistance for a car weighing 1755kg. The cabin is well insulated from wind noise and the Lexus NX feels more nimble than the spongy SUV norm.

A few paragraphs in and no mention of the styling. As expected it drew mixed opinions but it’s rare for Lexus products to initiate such discussion topics in the first place.  Our concern is whether those creases and sharp angles will age gracefully or whether it’s surfing some style fad that’s about to fizz out. Fortunately the style doesn’t affect practicality – hello X4 – with good visibility, approach angles and interior room. Style is not just crucial to the Lexus NX but to all future products – the company saying that this how they will position  themselves and appeal to consumers on an first-impression level.

The cabin is clearly zoned by the high centre tunnel which follows Porsche’s and Range Rover’s method of ensconcing the driver and passenger. This gives the illusion that the driving position is lower and sportier than it actually is. The terraced dash places all buttons within eyesight which is important because the Lexus NX follows a principle of one button-one function for increased speed and simplicity.

Anybody who has been exposed to the touch pad controller will definitely be pleased at having two methods of operation. That touch pad has seen improvements; for everything except punching in long street addresses it works accurately enough but it still refuses to let the driver do anything while on the move.

For the most part craftsmanship is excellent with blades of carbon, neat stitching patterns on the dash and the softest leather seats you’ll find anywhere. Less perfect is the stitching behind the split folding rear seats which began to take on another direction and was untidily tucked around the edges. Interior space is excellent and the boot matches anything else in the segment.

And while we had a highly equipped version of the Lexus NX, it didn’t quite amaze us with innovative levels of specification. Where was the power tailgate, the active cruise control, autonomous parking or electric folding rear seats? The flagship F-Sport doesn’t add much to the package apart from ventilated seats and sunroof.

The Lexus NX glosses over its few dynamic shortcomings with its flaming exterior design, which probably does enough to mesmerise the casual luxury SUV buyer. There’s a lot of smoke and mirrors going on here and to their credit they’ve chosen which battles to fight and which ones to stay away from. There are  plenty of reasons to feel optimistic about what the brand can conjure up next. Finally there’s a clear vision of what needs to be done and the foundation has been set; a bold visual presence, turbo engines and improved ergonomics.

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