The NX crossover is not a car that can be ignored on any level
Sports utility vehicles are even more popular in the luxury segment than they are in the mass market, accounting for 36 per cent of sales.
ales are in the small/medium space, where the NX is aimed. So it's easy to see why the new model is key to the Lexus brand, which has not offered a product in this lucrative segment before.
The NX is not a car that can be ignored on any level, thanks to concept-car styling and a cabin crammed full of luxury equipment (more about that in a minute).
But let's pause for a moment and consider this: the NX lacks a feature that more than 80 per cent of vehicles sold in the small-medium luxury SUV segment have. Namely, a diesel engine.
Lexus executives are so upbeat about NX, they see this as a positive. Because Lexus being Lexus - or rather Lexus being the upmarket division of Toyota - the star powertrain for the NX at launch is a petrol-electric hybrid.
All three models are powered by a 2.5-litre Atkinson-cycle petrol engine combined with a battery pack and electric motor. The $81,900 NX300h is two-wheel drive, while the F Sport and Limited (both $95,900) are all-wheel drive.
Lexus says the standard equipment level for the NX far exceeds its rivals, including an information screen with tracking pad-style control.
Fuel economy is between 5.6-5.7 litres per 100km depending on the model. The NX300h gets to 100km/h in 9.2 seconds.
"We want to put the NX300h up against the highest-selling diesel models," says Neeraj Lala, Lexus New Zealand general manager of product. "The hybrid drivetrain delivers a big advantage for us. It's absolutely where we see the future of performance versus diesel. The feedback we've had is that diesel is no longer a desirable option for this type of vehicle."
Well, he would say that. But you cannot argue with Toyota's expertise in hybrid technology: it's well proven and its cumulative hybrid sales crossed the seven million mark this year.
In New Zealand, Lexus is selling more than 1000 hybrid models a year: the favourite is the RX crossover (there's a new model coming next year), followed by the CT small car.
It's not usual for Lexus executives to openly compare new models with the more established competition. They've always tended towards a "niche and we know it"
attitude. But at the media launch for NX last week, it was made clear that the car is aimed directly at Audi Q5 and BMW X3, with a glancing blow towards Range Rover Evoque - largely because of the Land Rover's younger ownership profile (20 per cent of buyers are under 30) and similarly avant garde styling.
Lexus says the standard equipment level for the NX far exceeds its rivals, including an information screen with tracking pad-style control.
The NX is priced line-ball with the competition but Lexus argues that the standard equipment level far exceeds its rivals. The entry-level model has an information screen with a new tracking pad-style control, satellite navigation, reversing camera and power tailgate. Novel features include touch-sensitive LED lighting in the cabin.
The F Sport adds a full body kit, an extra Sport Plus mode for the powertrain, adaptive suspension and a host of interior equipment upgrades, including colour head-up display, ventilated seats and a Qi-format wireless charger for compatible cellphones. The safety package includes 360-degree parking cameras, blind spot warning, lane departure alert and cross traffic alert, which warns the driver of approaching vehicles when reversing out of a parking space. It also features dynamic radar cruise control (which operates down to standstill) and a pre-crash safety system.
The Limited eschews the F Sport's Sport Plus mode and trick suspension, but adds luxury touches such as wood trim and a power-operated 60/40-split rear seat.
The NX300h delivers on performance and C02 emissions - the latter a distinct advantage for petrol-electric hybrid power over diesel - and remains a marvel in an urban environment, with seamless running as the powertrain switches between petrol and battery power (or uses both together).
On the open road the 300h is not as sporty as the diesel competition. It's astonishingly refined, but there's still a disconnect between driver and car with the hybrid powertrain, which lacks the throttle response and sheer verve of a torquey diesel engine. The 300h is green, but doesn't go the whole way towards satisfying the keen driver.
The new NX crossover is arguably the most important model Lexus has launched in New Zealand.
But the sporty Lexus NX may still be coming. In February we'll see another three models added to the range, powered by a high-tech 2-litre petrol-turbo engine. It's a small-capacity unit with big outputs: 175kW/350Nm, putting it on a par with some six-cylinder engines.
The NX200t drives through a six-speed automatic transmission and like its hybrid sibling will be available in front or four-wheel drive variants. Combined economy is 7.7-7.9 litres per 100km, with a 0-100km/h sprint of 7.1-7.3 seconds. Pricing is yet to be announced, but expect it to start slightly below the entry-level NX300h.
It all seems pretty impressive for a vehicle that borrows its basic platform from the Toyota RAV4.