THAT ELUSIVE NX FACTOR
We know Lexus’s new NX is a big improvement on its predecessor – but can it steal the show from our current favourite upmarket large SUV, the Audi Q5?
Given that you’re reading our Car of the Year issue, let’s start with something topical. Exactly 30 years ago, Lexus won its only model-specific award at our annual ceremony. Sure, it has picked up a few general gongs since for the impressive security measures, reliability and low CO2 emissions of its largely hybrid line-up, but the LS 400 luxury limo – the Toyota-owned Japanese brand’s debut model, incidentally – remains the only ever Lexus class winner. Could that be about to change? Well, you’ll need to flick to our awards section (from p75) for the answer to that question, but the new NX large SUV would seem to be Lexus’s best chance of challenging for class honours in recent memory.
You see, while it doesn’t look drastically different from its predecessor, it is in fact entirely new. It’s also the company’s first plug-in hybrid model, with an official electric range of 42.2 miles in F Sport trim, as tested.
That’s something not even the excellent Audi Q5 50 TFSIE can match (its official range being 37 miles). However, the plug-in hybrid version of our long-time favourite premium large SUV has plenty of other strengths, including a bulletproof interior, fine driving manners and strong performance. So, is this another case of ‘close but no cigar’ for Lexus or a real changing of the guard?
DRIVING
Performance, ride, handling, re nement
There are some big tax advantages to choosing a plug-in hybrid, and we’ll come onto those later, but in order for one to really make sense for you, you’ll need to drive it on electric power as often as possible. Otherwise, you’re paying a lot of money for a petrol car with so-so fuel economy because of the heavy battery it needs to lug around.
The NX’S official range
advantage was echoed in our realworld test. On a simulated mix of motorway, country road and town driving, it covered 31 miles before calling on its petrol engine to help out, versus the Q5’s 25 miles. Yes, both cars were a way off matching their official figures, but that’s true of every plug-in hybrid we’ve ever tested, and it was extremely chilly (1-2deg C) on the day of our tests, something that isn’t good for battery performance. On a summer’s day, you can expect a few more miles from a full charge.
Unlike some plug-in hybrids, you don’t have to drive either of our contenders like a vicar to avoid inadvertently firing up the petrol engine. Indeed, both offer reasonably brisk acceleration when running on pure battery power and will happily climb a steep incline or cruise at motorway speeds. It’s only when you push the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor that the petrol engine is summoned into life.
Do this and these SUVS suddenly transform from eco-warriors
‘The Q5 is more agile through bends, with less body sway, and its steering is more precise’
into performance SUVS. In our tests, the NX accelerated from 0-60mph in 6.3sec, while the Q5 was even quicker, taking 5.9sec. That makes it quicker than a Volkswagen Golf GTI. But after you’ve completed your overtake or motorway slip road sprint and ease off the accelerator, the petrol engine simply turns itself off again and you’re back to pure electric driving.
Assuming there’s enough charge left in the battery, this is. If there isn’t, the petrol engine hums away whenever you accelerate or cruise at a steady speed, switching off only when you’re slowing down. This is noticeable in both cars, but more so in the NX, because its engine sounds buzzier and sends a few more vibrations through the steering wheel.
That’s one of the reasons why the Q5 recorded slightly lower decibel readings at both 30mph and 70mph in our tests. The NX’S big wheels also generate a bit more road noise, although again the margins are small.
Some Q5s can be had with air suspension and offer class-leading ride comfort as a result. Sadly, this feature isn’t available on the plug-in hybrids (except in rangetopping Vorsprung spec) and, combined with the extra weight of the battery, that makes the ride firmer and bouncier. It still just edges the NX for comfort, though; there isn’t much in it around town, but the NX jostles you around more at higher speeds.
The Q5 is more agile through bends, too; it turns in more eagerly and there’s less body sway when you change direction. It also has more precise steering, giving you the confidence to drive it harder along a typical stretch of country road. But the question is: do you really care? Neither of these plugin hybrids is exactly fun to drive, and the NX handles more than well enough – better than a Volvo XC60 Recharge T6, for example.
BEHIND THE WHEEL Driving position, visibility, build quality
The driving position in the NX is generally excellent, with comfortable, eight-way electrically adjustable front seats fitted as standard. You don’t even have to worry about expending any energy moving the steering wheel where you want it, because that job is taken care of by a motor, too. And because the driver’s seat has a memory function, you can recall your preferred settings after someone else has been driving by simply pressing a button.
Moving the steering wheel and
driver’s seat in the Q5 are jobs that need to be done manually, although adjusting the level of lumbar support is taken care of by pushing buttons. But once you’ve gone to the bother of fine-tuning everything, does it have the better driving position? Sadly not. True, there’s a bit more side support from the seat than there is in the NX, but otherwise you sit closer to the road and the steering wheel sprouts from the dashboard in a slightly unnatural position.
More positively, the Q5 is the easier car to see out of; the NX’S windscreen pillars tend to get in the way more at junctions and roundabouts. You shouldn’t have any trouble parking either car, though, because both have sensors at the front and rear plus a 360-degree camera. You also get LED headlights with self-dipping technology in both, helping to improve visibility at night.
But back to the interior, and which of our SUVS feels more upmarket inside? Well, the Q5 is old-school Audi in the best possible way. Some of the German brand’s latest models are slightly underwhelming inside, whereas the Q5 is built like a cathedral from expensive-feeling materials. You might think the design is ‘last gen’ and you’d be right, but that has nothing to do with quality, which is superb. Then again, the NX has some suitably upmarket fixtures and fittings inside, and arguably looks a little more special, with the choice of a white, black or red leather interior.
‘There isn’t much in it for comfort around town, but the NX jostles you around more at higher speeds’
Audi Q5 vs Lexus NX
SPACE AND PRACTICALITY Front space, rear space, seating exibility, boot
These are sizeable SUVS, so you wouldn’t expect to have any issues with carrying yourself and a few passengers around. And you won’t – unless you’re hoping for a third row of seats. If you want a plug-in hybrid that can move more than five people in one go, try the seven-seat Hyundai Santa Fe PHEV or Volvo XC90 Recharge T8.
That said, taller rear passengers will prefer to travel in the NX. This is mainly due to its extra knee room, but also because of its more comfortable seats. You can recline the rear seatbacks in both cars, but the Q5’s rear seats can also be slid forwards on their runners, reducing leg room further but freeing up extra space in the boot.
That’s a useful feature, but with the seatbacks set to their default position, there isn’t a lot in it for boot space. Seven carry-on suitcases can fit below the load covers of both cars, with the NX edging it for boot length, width
and height. It also has underfloor storage for charging cables and the load cover, something you won’t find in the Q5.
You can fold the rear seats down in both cars if you need to carry more clutter, with the seatbacks in the Q5 splitting in a slightly more flexible 40/20/40 arrangement than the NX’S 60/40 split.
BUYING AND OWNING Costs, equipment, reliability, safety and security
It’s company car drivers who enjoy the biggest tax perks by running a plug-in hybrid. However, not all plug-ins are taxed at the same rate; the amount of your salary you’ll need to sacrifice depends on a number of things, including the price of the car, its CO2 output and its official electric range.
It’s the latter that’s the biggest differentiator here, because plugin hybrids that can do 40 miles or more on battery power are charged benefit-in-kind tax at a rate of just 7%. The Q5’s shorter range places it in the 11% bracket, and that means a bill of £207 a month, compared with £132 for the NX. These figures will rise in April, but the £74-a-month difference will remain, and that means the NX will be the cheaper company car by more than £2300 over three years, assuming you’re a 40% taxpayer.
It’s the cheaper long-term option for cash buyers, too. Yes, it’ll cost you slightly more to buy in the first place, but that’s more than offset by the NX’S slower predicted depreciation and cheaper servicing bills. It’s also the more frugal car when running on an empty battery, averaging 36.7mpg in our test, compared with the Q5’s 30.6mpg.
In fact, it’s only those signing up to a PCP finance agreement who will pay less for the Q5, and that’s because, at the time of writing, Audi is offering a £1500 contribution towards your deposit, whereas Lexus is offering diddly squat. So, put down a £6000 deposit and you’ll pay £727 a month for the NX over the next four years, compared with £650 for the Q5. Both deals assume a limit of 10,000 miles per year.
You get a much more generous standard kit list with the NX. It has bigger wheels (20in vs 19in) and full-leather (rather than part-leather) seats, for starters, along with adaptive cruise control, blindspot monitoring, traffic sign recognition and the electrically adjustable front seats we mentioned earlier. Both cars have seat heating in the front, but the NX gets it in the rear, too, plus it has a heated steering wheel and ventilated front seats to stop you getting a sweaty back in summer.
If you have a proper wallbox installed at home, a full battery charge in either car will take around two and a half hours. You can plug in to a regular three-pin domestic socket instead, although you’ll need up to nine hours for a full charge. Alternatively, you can opt to charge the battery in either car while driving along using the petrol engine, although this isn’t a very efficient way of doing so; fuel economy takes a real dive.
Lexus has a brilliant reputation for reliability and finished top of our annual survey once again in 2021. The new NX wasn’t included (it wasn’t even on sale), but it’s a safe bet that it’ll prove more dependable than the Q5, which scored average marks for reliability in the large SUV class.