New Lexus NX revealed
Wraps off facelifted model set to breathe new life into SUV
THIS is the facelifted Lexus NX, a new version of the Japanese brand’s bestseller unveiled at the Shanghai Motor Show.
Lexus shifted over 4,000 of the existing car in the UK in 2016, helping the firm’s dealers to their strongest year since 2007. Company sources say the revised NX will make its European debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in the autumn, with sales starting before the end of the year.
The exterior gets a revised front grille and bumpers. There’s new trim, and the rear gets a beefier bumper too. Revised tail-lights, larger chrome exhausts, a rear splitter and new wheel designs complete the look.
Inside, there’s a wider central screen (up from seven inches to 10.3 inches), simpler controls and a new analogue clock. Lexus’s remote touchpad has been made larger, while the wireless charging tray has also grown to house larger smartphones. Lexus has better integrated the head-up display into the top of the dash, too.
Other new features include heating controls in the rear, new switchgear and a sensor that allows you to open the boot by waving your foot under the rear bumper.
Beneath the skin, the NX’S powertrain remains broadly the same. The non-hybrid NX 200t is unchanged but will be badged NX 300, while most sales will continue to be taken up by the hybrid 300h. Lexus has tweaked the NX’S chassis; the springs, antiroll bars and bushes have all been revised in a bid to improve turn-in and keep the car flatter during cornering. There are new shock absorbers, as well as the option of Adaptive Variable Suspension for the first time, improving stability.