The Lexus NX debuted in 2014 as Toyota’s luxurious model expanded within the SUV phase. It now contains the 2026 Lexus NX 450h+ Luxurious, one among 15 compact crossover configurations.
It sits between the subcompact UX and mid-size RX lineups, providing Lexus a confounding array of household automobiles. Is there demand for thus many SUV variants?
Lexus says “NX” means “Nimble Crossover,” an apt description. The NX 450h+ Luxurious, a plug-in hybrid, handles effectively in parking heaps and on highways. It’s additionally a quiet cruiser, particularly at freeway speeds.
The NX 450h+ makes use of a retuned 2.5-liter four-cylinder from the 350h, with bigger electrical motors and 304 horsepower. Its greater battery extends the electrical vary to 37 miles, in keeping with Lexus. It’s paired to an eight-speed computerized transmission and a regular all-wheel drive system.
The carmaker additionally states the NX 450h achieves a mixed 34 miles per gallon in metropolis and freeway driving. Stage 1 and a pair of charging cables are saved in a case within the rear cargo space. The gasoline fueling portal is positioned on the driving force’s facet; the electrical charging portal is on the passenger facet.
Ambient lighting and a heated steering wheel are holdovers from different trims. However the luxurious designation additionally options trim-only facilities, resembling heated and ventilated entrance seats.
Lexus Security System+ 3.0, customary throughout the lineup, is complete. It contains ahead collision warning with pedestrian and bicycle owner detection, computerized emergency braking, oncoming car detection, and adaptive cruise management.
Lane-tracing help, emergency steering help, road-sign recognition, computerized excessive beams, blind-spot displays, rear cross-traffic alert, and parking sensors with computerized braking are customary. So are a digital rearview mirror, moonroof, and a 14-inch infotainment system. The Mark Levinson sound system, with 10 audio system, is a $1,020 improve.
A colleague and I completely examined security options and efficiency on a latest round-trip from Sacramento to Los Angeles—an estimated 800-mile journey totally on Interstate 5 and Southern California highways. With the circulation of site visitors generally exceeding the posted pace restrict, the SUV averaged 32.4 miles per gallon.
Negotiating the Grapevine reveals a car’s strengths and weaknesses. The demanding six-mile stretch of Interstate 5 in Kern County, sits between Fort Tejon and the bottom of the grade, climbing to 4,144 toes at Tejon Cross.
However the general stretch, with steep ascents, descents, and outstanding 18-wheel truck insanity, extends 40 miles from simply north of Castaic in Los Angeles County to the underside of the grade the place the I-5 enters the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County.
The infamous stretch uncovered the NX 450h’s driving weak point—it struggles on ascents. Nonetheless, the car’s energy was additionally obvious. In the course of the typically tense driving phase, the SUV showcased its quiet drive, additional enhanced by the luxurious, if general tight, inside that includes purple leather-based seating and general consolation.
Lexus was as soon as a defining luxurious car, and the NX 450h is a passable small SUV. However it’s additionally positioned in a aggressive phase, with robust challenges from German and South Korean challengers. Its $67,000 worth warrants additional consideration to think about different carmakers’ choices.
