2018 Lexus NX300h Review
Car Tested: 2018 Lexus NX300h; Road Test No. 880; Test Location: Goa
Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 70 lakhs (est.)
The biggest USP of the NX300h is its super sharp design which is a massive attention grabber & feels very exclusive
Just when the luxury car market has started to see a big boom in the Indian market and the big three German luxury car makers have stepped up their game, a new player has entered. Not too long back, Lexus launched three cars in India and now they have brought in their fourth, the NX300h, where NX stands for Nimble Crossover (X). The SUV segment is gaining a lot of popularity and even though this isn’t the cheapest Lexus you can buy in India right now, it seems like the best bet to bring the Toyota-owned brand more volumes. We take a brief spin in the Luxury variant of the NX300h in Goa.
Motor Quest: Lexus has been contemplating an India entry since long and time and again have postponed its plans. However, it’s the first and only luxury Japanese manufacturer to enter India, the other two being Honda’s Acura and Nissan’s Infiniti.
The whole design philosophy revolves around the signature L shape
Exteriors – In terms of design, the Lexus NX300h gets all the traditional Lexus design elements like the spindle-shaped grille, and the L-shaped LED DRLs. The car has a sporty appeal and gets sharp lines. The F-Sport variant gets a black honeycomb grille and 18-inch alloy wheels with black and silver finish while the Luxury version that we drove gets a gloss black finished grille and 18-inch alloy wheels finished in black and copper colour. You get LED headlamps, LED tail-lights, dynamic turn indicators, large fixed panoramic glass roof and black finished ORVMs (in the F-Sport variant only). The Lexus NX300h looks similar to the RX450h but gets more aggressive styling cues.
The dashboard is well sculpted and feels very premium with its materials
Interiors – Like the RX450h, the NX300h gets a large sporty dashboard which comes with good sculpting. The centre console houses a large 10.3-inch touchscreen which can be controlled by a touchpad on the console that has a fantastic iPhone-like haptic feedback but we feel the regular joystick that comes with the other siblings is more intuitive to use. There are some bits borrowed from the Toyota siblings such as the key, which feels a bit weird for such a premium car but that again is compensated by the soft-touch materials and the fantastic leather upholstery.
Legroom is ample at the rear but headroom is limited for tall passengers
The interior of the Lexus NX300h is highly customisable, various leather options available to choose from
The seats themselves are supremely supportive and comfortable. Both the front and rear seats get electric adjustability and heating function (missing at the rear in F-Sport trim), but the Luxury trim also gets ventilated seats (front and rear). The second-row has generous knee room but lacks headroom for tall passengers. Due to the low seats, the rear bench lacks under-thigh support as well. Though the 475-litres of boot space looks huge on paper, the full-sized spare wheel almost eats up the whole boot space. Other features on offer are powered tailgate with kick sensor, drive modes – Eco, Normal, Sports and Sports+, Mark Levinson 14-speaker audio system that churns out amazing acoustics and cruise control.
The hybrid motor provides good grunt for city performance
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 a silent cruiser having fantastic NVH
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.
The overall performance though is not as sporty as the car looks
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.
The suspension is on the softer side but it holds the line quite well
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
There is a fair amount of body roll due to the heavy weight of the NX300h
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.
Lexus has equipped the NX300h with a long list of safety equipment
Safety and After Sales Service – The Lexus NX300h comes loaded to the gills in terms of safety. You get 8 airbags (including the driver knee as well), laser-welded body shell, seat belt warning for all seats, no revving the engine without the seatbelt, heads-up display, ABS, Vehicle Stability Control and Hill Start Assist. So far we haven’t seen or heard any complaints coming on Lexus’ after sales service front, however, the limited reach across the country is what might not work in Lexus’ favour compared to the rivals.
The NX300h is simply the best looking Lexus in India
Verdict – It’s quite evident, the Lexus NX300h isn’t a driver’s car even though it looks like one with its super sharp styling and sporty interiors. But get past the lack of fiery performance and sharp cornering abilities and there is a gem to be found in this car. It looks more than what it costs (in spite of being a CBU), has plenty of kit on offer, is high on comfort, easy to drive, supremely silent and also uses hybrid tech which does boost mileage and also reduce the guilt of polluting the environment. Factor in the exclusivity and the bullet proof reliability which it inherits from its parent and suddenly the NX300h seems to be the best bet for Rs. 60 lakhs. This Lexus isn’t a jack of all trades but it does master some in a splendid way to become a brilliant family car for city dwellers.
There is a feel good factor of its premium design and Lexus’ exclusivity
What’s Cool
* Aggressive sharp lines makes it look very sporty and attractive
* Exclusivity of the Lexus badge
* Smart looking interiors that are loaded with latest tech
* Pure hybrid engine offering fantastic city performance
What’s Not So Cool
* The hybrid engine lacks high-end punch for strong highway performance
* Limited Lexus network across India
Alternatives: Audi Q5, BMW X3, Mercedes GLC
The signature spindle grille design makes it stand out of the crowd
2018 Lexus NX300h Specifications
* Engine: 2494cc hybrid petrol engine; 105 kW (front) & 50 kW (rear) electric motors
* Power: 194 HP @ 5700 RPM (combined)
* Torque: 210 Nm @ 4200 – 4400 RPM
* Transmission: e-CVT
* 0-100 km/hr: 9.2 seconds
* Top Speed: 180 km/hr
* Fuel Consumption: 18.30 km/l
* Fuel Type: Petrol Electric Hybrid
* Suspension: McPherson Strut (Front), Trailing Arm Double Wishbone (Rear)
* Tyres: 195/55/16
* Brakes: Discs (Front), Discs (Rear), ABS
* Safety: 8 Airbags, ABS, VSC, TCS, Hill Start Assist
2018 Lexus NX300h Dimensions
* Overall length x width x height: 4640 mm X 1845 mm X 1645 mm
* Boot Space: 586-1152-litres
* Wheelbase: 2660 mm
* Turning Radius: 5.85-metres
* Fuel Tank Capacity: 66-litres
We expect the NX300h to get relatively decent volumes
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