NX300h makes a good first impression
What it lacks in sportiness, the 2018 Lexus luxury crossover hybrid makes up in quality
When Darcy Kraus spotted the 2018 Lexus NX 300h he was scheduled to drive, he was surprised by its size.
“It was a lot smaller than I was expecting,” the Calgary test driver says, “because I think I had it confused with the RX 350 ... being smaller wasn’t a bad thing, though.”
When Lexus introduced the compact crossover NX variant in 2014 as a 2015 model, it became the smallest luxury utility vehicle the company made. It fit, in terms of size, just below the RX nameplate.
On its release, Lexus called the gasoline version, powered by a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged engine, the NX 200t. Refreshed for 2018, the vehicle based on Toyota RAV4 architecture is now called the NX 300. The gasoline/electric hybrid model is referred to as the NX 300h, as it has always been known.
In the hybrid model driven by Kraus, there’s a 2.5-litre Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine that powers the front wheels through a continuously variable transmission. It’s coupled with two electric motors, one at each rear wheel, effectively making the model an all-wheel drive. Combined, the gasoline and electric motors generate 194 net horsepower.
“Upon first seeing the NX 300h, I thought it had a great paint colour,” Kraus says as he picked up the Atomic Silver vehicle for his Calgary-based test drive. “It was visually striking, too, with plenty of folds and sharp body lines — it wasn’t conservative, but it looked like that intricate grille could be expensive to repair if anything ever happened to it.”
That spindle-shaped grille is the face of the Lexus range, and on the refreshed 2018 NX models it’s taller than it was on the previous generation. On either side of the revised grille are new fresh air intakes, designed to aid engine and braking cooling.
In terms of lighting, on the NX 300 there are new bi-beam LED headlights while the 300h gets low-beam LED headlights. On both models, the tail lamps are slightly wider while the daytime running lights, fog lights and clearance lights are all LEDs.
“After getting in, my first impression was of the quality feel of the steering wheel,” Kraus says of the Lexus that cost just less than $58,000.
His was equipped with the no-charge Premium Package that includes a 10.3-inch display audio system, 18-inch alloy wheels and heated and cooled front seats.
“I grew to love the seats,” he says. “There’s a huge range of adjustments in them, and they’re very well bolstered, almost like something out of a sports car — but that was the only sporty aspect of the 300h.”
Meanwhile, Kraus says, “The dash was full of buttons, and although they’re laid out quite well, it was getting button heavy. Plus, there are three stalks on the steering column, all with a myriad of controls, and I found I had to take my eyes off the road to see what I was adjusting.”
Overall layout of the dash display was pleasing and easy to see. When switching between any of the three available drive modes — Sport, Eco and Normal — the display switched between a tachometer to show engine rpm in Sport, to an energy gauge to monitor power usage in Eco mode.