Three years after the start of sales of the acclaimed in many countries Lexus NXThe Japanese decided to release an updated version of the mid-sized crossover that has grown fond of everyone. The task before the corporation was not easy - to improve the car so that its value remained at a democratic level among the class competitors. It should be noted that engineers and designers coped with this mission perfectly.
General impressions of the test drive
After an intriguing news about the release of the updated premium class Lexus NX crossover, a whole line of avid motorists lined up, wishing to get behind the wheel of one of the first. When you see a car for the first time, innovations seem insignificant. The Japanese restyled with their inherent oriental wisdom and caution - they call their amendments not changes, but improvements. And indeed it is.
Test Drive Lexus HX gave the opportunity to experience all the innovations that have increased the everyday comfort and convenience of driving this car. The appearance of the car has become more dynamic, bright and challenging, new functions have been added, and productivity has increased due to the revised suspension. This greatly improved road handling and also slightly affected off-road performance. All changes become obvious when you sit behind the wheel, start the engine and start off ...
Car appearance
The new Lexus HX looks very bold, defiant and eccentric - a bright appearance successfully distinguishes the car on the background of the model range of crossovers. Compared to its predecessor, the new NX has got more hard edges and sharp sharp corners.
External differences are visible to the naked eye, if you look at the front of the car. The radiator grille changed its usual design - it was tightened with a plastic mesh with an exclusive pattern (the hybrid Lexus NX 300h, instead of the mesh, is equipped with vertical chrome stripes over the horizontal bars). Thus, the car became more like its "brothers" RX and LX.
The front bumper also changed, acquired more transitions from smooth lines to rigidly defined edges, it increased in size, which made the whole car look more impressive, massive and brutal. Enlarged angular sections of air intakes are located on the sides of the bumper - they can be removed if desired, and fog lights can be installed instead. Headlights got modern LED stuffing, making it safer to drive on the highway at night. When you turn the turn signal on, the LED elements now turn on alternately both in front and behind. The updated system of automatic control of high beam provides sufficient dimming of headlights when oncoming traffic.
In profile, the Lexus NC looks like it’s ready to roar with a roar, very athletic and dynamic. The effect is given by the original wheel arch extensions, in which modern 18-inch light-alloy wheels are placed.
In the back of the body motorist may also notice several improvements. First of all, elongated triangular shaped lamps with black edging, which now look more stylish and presentable, are striking. Dimensions are cut in half by the tailgate - because of this design decision, the doorway in the trunk had to be slightly increased, due to which it began to look massive.
The rear bumper has been significantly upgraded, its design in different versions is slightly different. On the updated Lexus NX, with the exception of the NX300 model (formerly called Lexus NX 200t), exhaust pipes will be hidden. On the hybrid, the bumper will be decorated with enlarged matte chrome inserts, and the version with the turbo engine NX 300 F-Sport received trapezoidal nozzles. In general, the bumper looks very concise, neat and toned, all the usual design concepts are kept to the smallest detail. To improve the aerodynamic properties and prevent rain drops from falling over the rear window of the car, a stylish wide visor is installed.
It can not be said that the restyling has seriously hurt the change in the appearance of the car. Improvements mainly affected optics and aerodynamics. Fans of "Europeans" Lexus is unlikely to enjoy the exterior, as the design is made in the spirit of purely Japanese cars. By the way, Lexus NC enters the Russian market with the processing of chrome-plated parts - this will protect them from poisonous reagents that are used by road services during ice.
Salon and interior
The interior of the new Lexus NC is a combination of luxury and comfort. All advantages, including good ergonomics, high quality of assembly and fitting of parts, the use of expensive and pleasant to the touch finishing materials. The owners of the dorestayling version complained that the salon is not cozy enough and comfortable. Designers listened to the wishes of motorists and corrected some flaws.
Recommended article: Mercedes Benz SLS AMG replaces Mercedes McLaren (SLR)The most noticeable change concerns the multimedia system - the diagonal of the screen is increased from 7 inches to 8 in the basic configuration and to 10.3 in the top assembly. A lot of useful and modern stuff appeared in multimedia, such as instant display and reading of a message that came to your smartphone. True, the female voice reading the text seemed to many incomprehensible and unintelligible - it is easier to look at the large display and read the SMS yourself. For a quick answer, there are several sample options to choose from - “OK”, “I stand in traffic”, “I will be soon” and so on. There are also quite romantic messages that will make the heart of your halves beat with happiness more often.
In Lexus NX, the climate control for the driver and front passenger has been changed. Now you can adjust the temperature with the help of four plastic toggle switches, the design of which is simulated as metal. This solution looks very strange in a premium car. Some of the buttons on the console, the drive switch, the gearshift lever, and door handles slightly changed.
The Remote Touch Acoustic and Navigation control joystick has been replaced with a touch-sensitive touchpad. Perhaps this is one of the most unfortunate decisions of the Japanese. The touchpad with the RC 350 coupe was taken as a basis, it was tried to be improved by adding the possibility of alphabetic input and increasing by 9 mm in width. We admit honestly that he didn’t become more comfortable with this, users of the joystick will have to get used to it for a long time - the organization of the menu needs some improvements. The only plus is the ability to write SMS in traffic jams (there is support for both Latin and Russian languages).
In general, in the manufacture of the cabin for the Lexus NX used high-quality and expensive finishing materials. The seats are upholstered in natural, soft, soft-touch leather of fine manufacture. Buyers can choose from two available colors - light beige and light brown. We admit honestly that in the first version the salon looks much more successful and more expensive. Looking carefully you can see that the seats are stitched with a new line - according to the corporation, specially trained craftsmen sew them by hand.
In addition to major changes in the new Lexus NC, you can find a lot of pleasant things. For example, modern analog watches with a stylish design. Girls will be pleased with a small mirror on the back of one of the boxes. Increased bay for wireless charging gadgets, which is additionally equipped with USB ports.
Special mention deserves a roomy trunk of a new Lexus. In unassembled luggage compartment holds up to 500 liters, if you fold the rear seats - up to 1545 liters. Attached to the trunk nice corporate case, the contents of which consists of a set of tools needed in an emergency situation.
The creators of the Lexus NC took care of both the front passenger and the rear row passengers. Behind three people of a medium build will freely fit. High companions in the rear passenger seats will be quite comfortable and spacious - there is plenty of space left for the knees. Chairs have a comfortable back with electric adjustment function.
Control and comfort
To test the Lexus NX’s handling and driving comfort, a route was chosen along the highway and an asphalt road with minor irregularities - after all, you don’t find a perfectly smooth road in Russia during the day, so all conditions were as close to reality as possible.
Looking ahead, I would like to note the following - one cannot say that the modified technical characteristics of the Lexus NC during the movement become obvious. The power units remained the same as in the previous version - a two-liter naturally-aspirated engine with 150 hp and 238 hp turbine. and 197 hp hybrid For a weaker version and a hybrid, an 8-speed variator is installed, and for a turbocharged car a 6-speed automatic. In the most minimal configuration, you can buy a car with front-wheel drive, in other cases, only all-wheel drive cars are available.
Suspension of the new NX has undergone many changes for the better - improved and more wear-resistant springs, shock absorbers, stabilizers and other important elements were supplied. Now the car behaves more collected, better absorbs small and large road irregularities, more confidently feels at high speed, smoothly goes on overtaking and goes into turns. For example, the Toyota RAV4 has a softer suspension.
For completeness, all three versions of the updated crossover were tested:
- Lexus NX 200 with gasoline turbo engine
- classic, but at the same time dynamic Lexus NX 300 with a gasoline engine
- hybrid Lexus NX 300h
First, it is necessary to note the common features for all models in the NX line. The first is an improved noise and vibration isolation. The salon has been worked out at a very high quality, no extraneous sounds are heard at high speed, only a quiet growl of the engine. Crickets in the new Lexus NH is not on the ceiling or from the trunk. As for the built-in audio system, the sound quality is good here, but it cannot be called excellent. Fans of quality music will have to additionally spend on expensive acoustics.
- Let's start the review with the most "basic model" - Lexus NH 200. The car will be enjoyed by independent youth from 25-35 years old, who have long dreamed of a premium car, and finally earned 2 million with pennies to buy it. 150 forces are enough for comfortable movement on a daily route home-work. The dynamics of the sharp acceleration and overtaking is clearly not enough - the HX 200 is not intended for the track and racing with traffic lights. Very long 12 seconds to a hundred - these figures are comparable with the budget and less powerful cars. However, at a speed of more than 120 km / h, the car feels very confident, moving smoothly and steadily. You can experiment with three modes of movement - choosing SPORT there is a slight increase in pressure, but then you should forget about fuel economy. By the way, the tank is designed for 60 liters, you can fill only 95 gasoline. Consumption is quite economical - less than 9 liters per hundred.
- Lexus HX 300 with a turbo engine rides and is controlled completely differently. Even if you compare overclocking - 7 vs. 12 seconds to 100 give a great odds! In general, the NX 300 with all-wheel drive on the background of the other two versions in this line looks more optimal, no significant flaws were found. Rulitsya excellent, 238 horses, more than enough to get your portion of adrenaline. The only small nuance lies in the transmission. In dense city traffic, under conditions of constant braking and acceleration, the 8-speed automatic, which is equipped with cars from the older RX line, would be more appropriate.
- The flagship NX 300h did not cause a storm of emotions. Yes, fuel consumption is less, but the car itself is much more expensive - the price starts from 2.8 million rubles. Taking into account the fact that hybrid cars and even with a CVT are extremely difficult technically, in Russia this model is not recommended for purchase - at least until there are high-quality specialists everywhere.
Off-road test
The crossover is not designed for trips on country roads, but the test drive Lexus NH on the road for the sake of interest was held. We tried to ride over not very deep snow to check for off-road qualities. But we were left disappointed - at every opportunity, especially during various maneuvers, including small turns, the car threatened to dig into the snow. Ground clearance for the NX 200 is 18.5 cm, for the NX 300 it is 19 cm.
In slippery areas, manual selection of gears helps to cope with the control - they are on the variator 8, at the time of switching, regardless of speed, always “throws” on the 5th, you need to be more careful and careful with this.
If possible, it is better to avoid trips to nature - the suspension cannot absorb the bumps and pits, the body shakes feverishly, all this is given to the seats. Not very comfortable conditions.
Specifications
The following are the characteristics of the Lexus HX 300:
- Dimensions - 464 * 184.5 * 164.5 cm
- Trunk volume (minimum / maximum) - 500/1545 l
- Fuel tank capacity - 60 l
- Curb weight - 1735 kg
- Wheelbase - 266 cm
- Clearance - 19 cm
Prices and configuration
Actual configuration and prices Lexus NC:
- NX200 Comfort - from 2.3 million
- NX200 Progressive - from 2.48 million
- NX200 AWD - from 2 million 576 thousand
- NX200 AWD Luxury - from 2 million 758 thousand
- NX200 AWD Luxury Safety - from 2 million 926 thousand
- NX300 AWD Progressive - from 2 million 715 thousand
- NX300 AWD Premium - from 2 million 868 thousand
- NX300 AWD Exclusive 2 - from 3 million 257 thousand
- NX300 AWD Exclusive 2 Safety - from 3 million 436 тысяч
- NX300 AWD F SPORT Luxury - from 3 million 334 thousand
- NX300h AWD Executive - from 2 million 947 thousand
- NX300h AWD Exclusive - from 3 million 752 thousand
For the electric raising and lowering of the tailgate as well as for starting the engine by pressing a button, you will have to pay about 200 thousand rubles (Progressive). About the same amount, manufacturers are asking for LED headlights, an enlarged multimedia screen, electric adjustment of the steering column (Luxury), as well as 170 thousand for the optional safety complex (Luxury Safety).
For side mirrors with auto-dimming, heated rear passenger seats, rear parking sensors and a blind spot monitoring system, purchasers of the Lexus NX 300 will have to pay more than 500,000 compared to the basic configuration of this model.
The "sports" version includes modified steering wheel, seats, front bumper, grille, as well as many other elements. It costs only 74 thousand more than the same as for the “filling” Exclusive 2.
Choice of used car
Before you buy a Lexus NC with mileage, you need to pay attention to some of the nuances. Of course, as in any other case with the purchase of a used car, special attention should be paid to verifying the registration documents for authenticity. It is also necessary to make sure that the car was not a participant in a serious accident, as a result of which internal mechanisms could suffer. The easiest way to determine if Lexus NC was in an accident was to check the thickness of the paintwork with a thickness gauge. If, when measuring, the device produces values greater than 150 microns, this is a reason to seriously talk with the seller of the car.
As for the engines, there should be no problems as such with the turbine and aspirated - both versions have been tested over the years on other versions of Lexus and live well up to 300 thousand km. Of course, provided that the previous owner changed the engine oil and the oil filter in time, and in general he was careful about the routine maintenance of the car. You should also ask the owner what kind of fuel and which gas station he used to fill the car. The fact is that the injection system and exhaust system of Lexus are very sensitive to fueling low-quality fuel - many expensive elements can fail.
The main "sore" in a hybrid - an electronic engine management system, which brings a lot of trouble after the mark of 100 thousand km. run Some breakdowns can completely immobilize the car. You are lucky, if the warranty period has not come to an end, then the part will be replaced free of charge. And if not, then you will come across expensive Lexus service! The cost of replacing some parts, such as an inverter, can cost up to 300 thousand rubles!
Also note that the Lexus NX 300h can not be left in the winter for a long time without movement - the battery can be discharged, and "light up" in the old-fashioned way from another car will not work.
With the transmission, as with the CVT, and with a gun, Lexus usually does not have problems, with proper care, they live to 300 thousand km. HX 300 owners sometimes complain of a jerky shift from 2 to 3 gear, but otherwise there are no complaints about the box.
Carefully inspect the body for rust. Although cars for the Russian market have been treated with a special anti-corrosion coating, "mushrooms" can go in the place of the smallest chip. Also check the efficiency of headlights at night - during operation they can quickly mist over, shine dimmer. The interior is made of high-quality, high-quality materials, but still check for the presence of scuffs on the skin and "crickets" - they can talk about the loose state of the seats or trunk. The chairs are very comfortable, soft and cozy, but the upholstery, light skin, gets dirty very quickly, which requires frequent dry-cleaning.
findings
Buy NX is definitely worth it - it's all the same familiar and loved us Lexus, just become even more convenient and comfortable. There are practically no competitors for the crossover in this price range, the main ones being Audi Q3, BMW X2, Volvo XC40.
Summing up, I would like to evaluate the restyled Lexus NC on a 5-point scale and several criteria:
- engine - 4;
- transmission - 4.5;
- suspension - 5;
- экстеререр - 5;
- interior - 4,5;
- comfort - 5;
- manageability - 4;
- security - 5.
Total overall rating - 4.6!
