Russians’ love for Japanese cars is ineradicable, especially for Toyota and Lexus brands. They will not think about why this happened, you can share your thoughts in the comments, but the fact remains that the models of Toyota and its premium brand Lexus consistently fall into the top of the most popular cars in our country. This cup of popularity and the hero of our today’s material, the compact premium Lexus NX crossover, has not passed. So, according to the analytical resource “Autostat”, according to the results of the first half of 2020, Lexus NX entered the TOP-10 premium segment cars in the Russian market. This rating is headed by the older brother of NX, the Lexus RX model, which sold 4 cars, and the younger one is content with the sixth place with the result of 307 units.
Compact Lexus NX fell in love with our compatriots for the wayward and unusual appearance, which sets the car apart from other models on the market. It seems to me that the new philosophy in the design of Lexus is most pronounced in this small crossover, because the same Lexus ES and even the popular RX do not look so unusual and catchy, and they do not stand out particularly in the stream. Yes, the Japanese design of the NX will not be to everyone’s liking, and there are practically no doubters, you either like or dislike the design of the car. Moreover, Lexus designers managed to combine smooth body curves and sharp edges of other elements. For example, the branded wide mouth of the radiator grille, made in the shape of an hourglass, here coexists with the sharp “arrows” of daytime running lights, some kind of Asian squint of fully LED headlights, and right there we see smooth lines of the bonnet passing to the upper part of the body. In general, boldly, boldly and not like everyone else, this crossover is sold under this sauce, on the Lexus website opposite the NX the slogan “Self-expression as art” even flaunts.
In the cabin we are greeted by a completely standard interior of modern Lexus cars with a variety of arranged materials and an abundance, the impression is that there are chaotically scattered buttons. Of the pleasant features of the interior, I note the clear zoning of the driver and front passenger space, each of which seems to be sitting in his cockpit. Moreover, Lexus is one of the few manufacturers here that has retained such a pronounced division into zones in a compact crossover, now everyone usually gets rid of this, trying, on the contrary, to visually increase the interior space of a small car. The NX salon looks more interesting in a light design, I understand that this is not suitable for everyone, but black, in my opinion, loses some of its attractiveness. Wood inserts are small and look quite harmonious, and Lexus is probably the only one that offers decorative bamboo inserts as decoration (there are other options).
If you imagine that the manufacturer will remove all this abundance of buttons and knobs, the dream of a boy-fan of “Transformers”, make their layout more thoughtful and arrange everything in the style inherent in cars of the end of 2020, it will look pretty good. And now you sit in the Lexus NX after the conventional Audi, and your brain explodes, and the questions are spinning in your head: “Where? What for? Why?”. Where are the steering wheel and windshield heating keys (hidden in the button block on the left)? Why move the start button to the right side of the dashboard visor? Why are the temperature control levers so tiny they look like they’re made to fit baby’s fingers? Moreover, the size and shape of all buttons and knobs are completely different, and at first for the driver, all this variety looks like complete chaos.
There are no questions about materials and assembly for the Lexus NX, however, at first the variety of materials is striking, here there is metal, leather, plastic with a leather-like texture, and dyed plastic, and smooth – in general, a complete set. The only thing I don’t like is the usual plastic inserts, for example, under the automatic transmission lever, it somehow looks cheap, in my opinion, perhaps it is the wrong color.
While driving, you can quickly find a comfortable position, in our case all the seat settings were electrically adjustable, and position memory was also available. The steering column, adjustable in two planes, is also electrically adjustable, but it is a little lacking in reach, so tall drivers will not be as comfortable as they would like. At first glance, the chairs seem soft, the pillow is short, but as it turned out, even on long trips you don’t get tired in them, and this is very good.
By myself, with a height of 187 cm, I sit down without much difficulty, but the seats are still close to each other, on a long trip as a passenger in the back, I probably would not agree to go. But there was enough space for the child, although if he were smaller, he would have rested his feet on the back, and I, as a driver, would have to adjust its inclination. The Isofix mounts are hidden between the cushions of the rear sofa, so you have to tinker a little with the installation of the chair.
The volume of the luggage compartment, declared by the manufacturer, is 500 liters, it seemed to me that it is less, but I could be wrong. Perhaps the reason is the low shelf, which can not be closed, and then, of course, there will be more space. Yes, a stowaway is hidden under the floor, although in an urban crossover it was possible to do without it, thereby increasing the volume of the trunk. The backrests of the rear seats are folded separately from the passenger compartment, but in some trim levels the option of their electric folding is available. The backrests fold down to form a virtually flat floor, and the usable space increases to 1545 liters. In the presence of an electric tailgate, which, of course, is the norm for this class of cars.
Climate control in the car is dual-zone, as I said, with tiny temperature control knobs and small screens with data. The climate system works well, separate air ducts are brought out for the rear passengers. Three-level ventilation for the front seats and heated windscreen are available as an option. For the rear passengers, as an option, a separate three-level seat heating can be installed, the same is the default for the driver and front passenger.
As for the media system, I would say that everything is sad in Lexus, and the main tragedy lies in the fact that the Japanese are persistently promoting the most inconvenient tool to control their system – the Remote-Touch touchpad. Yes, the touchpad has customizable feedback during operation, yes, it has audible confirmation, but at the same time it is terribly inconvenient to use it even in a parking lot, let alone do something quickly on the go. I have the impression that the TK was given to the developers incorrectly and instead of saying “Make the most convenient control”, it said “Make the most inconvenient control”. So that you understand, imagine that you have a laptop in the car, which has been moved from you to the right, and while driving, you need to move the cursor to this or that menu item. Conveniently? So I say no. If the manufacturer had at least slightly adapted the menu to this control option, for example, by making large items, like in MBUX from Mercedes-Benz, it would have been easier, but no, they tried to make both menu items and lines smaller, and even hid the main ones. items in the pop-up window.
The display in the car is not touch-sensitive, it is shifted as far as possible from the driver, and in our configuration it was 10.3 “, the standard screen is even smaller, only 8”. The IPS screen is low-res, but the Lexus has such primitive graphics that you don’t even notice it. The test car lacked support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which was upsetting, but the Japanese have finally begun to implement these platforms in new cars, so their owners will have at least a little more fun. But we had the MirrorLink function, which allows you to duplicate data from your smartphone to the screen of the media system, but it only works in the parking lot, so it is only suitable for watching movies while you are waiting for someone. But the Japanese have implemented screen division, however, there is an impression that they spied on it from the Bavarians, since the scheme is somewhat similar. The only thing is that the number of functions available for simultaneous display on the display in Lexus is very limited, but, on the other hand, you can display navigation and a music playlist, and this, it seems to me, is the main scenario.
Native navigation in the car is not the best, with very primitive graphics, and besides, the maps do not know the roads that were put into operation more than a year ago. But on the other hand, there are all the main stationary speed cameras that look like birdhouses on the screen. Route guidance in NX is displayed on a nice 10 ”head-up screen, which displays not only the speedometer, but also the tachometer scale. And also they can be displayed on a small color screen on the dashboard, it also displays additional information, and navigation is carried out using convenient keys on the steering wheel. In addition to route data, the car also displays restriction signs, but, as I understand it, it takes them from its own database, so they may not always correspond to reality.
Analog devices in the NX are readable well, but there is not much point in looking at them in the presence of a high-quality projection screen. Yes, the projection is easy to control, as all the settings are concentrated on the buttons to the right of the steering wheel, and not hidden in the depths of the menu, like some other automakers.
The connection of smartphones with the head system of the car occurs without problems, the main thing is that there are free cells in the memory of the media system for connecting new devices. The speakerphone works well, the interlocutors never complain about the connection, and you can hear them perfectly. Two USB-A connectors are available for connecting devices, both are located inside the center armrest, which is not very convenient, and the manufacturer has not provided any shelf for a smartphone on the front console, apparently assuming that the driver does not need it while driving. Charging modern gadgets from the on-board network is not very fast, so if you want to use fast charging, you will have to resort to separate car adapters. As an option, in some trim levels in the armrest there may be an available wireless charging according to the Qi standard, which is important with a separate on / off button.
There are not many driver assistants in the NX, but they are all basic. For example, there is adaptive cruise control with a lane keeping system, which works quite well and allows you to move comfortably on the highway. There is a blind spot monitoring system with light indication in the mirrors. I will also note the emergency braking system, which works very accurately, and the assistance system when reversing with visual information about moving objects. To facilitate maneuvering in the parking lot, there are four cameras in a circle that provide a panoramic view, but the picture from the rear view camera, albeit with dynamic markings, is very mediocre.
In terms of comfort, the car is not bad in the city, it is quite quiet, and the suspension delicately handles most of the irregularities. But on the track, the impression changes, aerodynamic noises appear, so you have to raise your voice a little during a conversation. Plus, at speed, vibrations appear from small defects in the roadway, which is really upsetting.
We tested a Lexus NX300 with a 2bhp 238-liter turbo petrol engine paired with a six-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. Versions with a 150 hp petrol engine, front-wheel drive and CVT are still available in our market, as well as a niche hybrid version. As for the NX300, the car performed well in the city, although it lacks a bit of dynamics, and the controls are wadded, more designed for smooth movement and maneuvers. On the track, when overtaking, it seemed that the car lacks power, although this is not the case, you go out carefully to overtake, since the acceleration from 100 km / h is already sluggish, and the box somehow reluctantly takes the gears down.
The fuel consumption declared by the manufacturer is 11 liters in the city and 8.8 in the mixed mode, in my case it kept around 10 liters in the mixed mode and increased to 12 in the city.
It is doubtful that the one who bought the Lexus NX will climb off-road, and you should not do this with a ground clearance of 190 mm, but it is quite possible to go out onto a country road on a crossover. But, of course, the NX is still an urban crossover, the elements of which are city streets and flat roads.
Prices for Lexus NX in Russia start at 2 rubles, it will be an NX599 with front-wheel drive, for four-wheel drive you will have to throw in another 000 rubles. But the NX200 starts at 100 rubles, and the maximum configuration will cost almost 000 million.
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