2018 Lexus NX300h Test Drive Review

Performance – The Lexus NX300h is a hybrid car and isn’t a mild one at that. Powered by the same 2.5-litre engine that does duty on the Camry, the NX300h produces 153 HP of power from the engine alone which when combined with the batteries, yields it a modest 195 HP. With torque output rated at 210 Nm, you would expect the NX300h to be quick off the line and it surprisingly is. Initial response from the motor is strong, there is no lag whatsoever and the engine pulls strongly at low speeds to get this Lexus ahead of traffic. When you turn on the car, it’s silent, like pin-drop silent, you check the cluster to see if it has turned on because while the engine is off, the batteries keep the car running. When driving at low speeds, these batteries are enough to keep you going on pure EV mode (you also have the option of selecting it with the touch of a button).

The NX300h is quick off the line thanks to the strong low-end performance

However, the battery has its limitations, drive with some enthusiasm and it loses its charge, so pure EV mode isn’t possible always, that’s when the engine kicks in and is silent for the most part. It’s only when you rev it past 3000 RPM, that it becomes audible and as you pull it close to its 6000 plus RPM redline, the powertrain does start to feel quite stressed. Out on the highway is where you realise the weight of this car because it weighs a massive 1900 kgs thanks to the weight of those batteries. This results in mediocre performance at best when you have passengers on board or drive up a hilly section of road. A heavy right foot will help you keep ahead of traffic and do overtakes on the highway but it really doesn’t have the fast pace you would expect from a car that’s this sporty looking.

Mated to this engine is a 6-step e-CVT gearbox which has a Sport mode or you can shift gears using the high quality steering mounted paddles, the box isn’t fast with selecting the right ratio for you and there is some lag and of course the whine which creeps in once you whizz past 5000 RPM, a typical CVT trait. There are 4 driving modes to choose from – Eco, Normal/Custom, Sport S and Sport S+, as you would expect, Eco makes the car sluggish while Sport S+ brings in the urgency (only in this mode does the tachometer display gets activated otherwise you are shown an Eco mode indicator). The motor being super silent for the most part doesn’t befit the F-Sport variant or so Lexus feels and that’s why there is an exhaust button in the aforementioned variant which emits fake sporty sounds from the speakers. The claimed mileage is a decent 18.32 km/l but with torque output being nowhere close to rival’s diesel offerings, expect a heavy foot and around 12 km/l fuel efficiency at best.

Driving Dynamics – The driving modes mentioned in the para above also alter the suspension of the Lexus NX300h. The car gets ‘Adaptive Variable Suspension’ which alters damper settings. However two things are quite apparent, this is a heavy car and the suspension is on the softer side, more so at the rear. The result is a fantastic ride quality at low speeds but as you up the pace, the NX does tend to have a lot of vertical movement. This being an all-wheel drive (1 electric motor for the front wheels and 1 for the rear) isn’t really off-road ready with the low ground clearance and the power distribution being front centric. This results in heavy understeer under hard cornering

The suspension is soft but the steering offers terrific feel and feedback

There is good amount of body roll too but the wide tyres do grip well and around longer corners, it holds its line quite well. Through sharper bends, there is just too much body movement so it’s best to dial down the speed although the steering makes you want to do otherwise as it offers terrific feel and feedback, in spite of being extremely light at low speeds. The brakes offer a sharp bite initially but feel lacking in feel post that and there is some nose dive too under heavy braking. Driving at high speeds in a straight line does show the stability of this Lexus, just don’t hit a bad patch of road which unsettles the car.