Thailand is the first Southeast Asian country to receive the second-generation Lexus NX, a few months after the compact SUV made its global debut back in June. Launched at this year’s Thailand International Motor Expo, the NX will only be offered with electrified powertrains in the Kingdom.
There are two of them for customers to choose from, starting with Lexus’ first-ever plug-in hybrid system which is lifted from the Toyota RAV4 Prime, but is called the 450h+ on the NX. The setup features an E10 gasohol-compliant A25A-FXS 2.5 litre naturally-aspirated Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder petrol engine making 182 hp at 6,000 rpm and 227 Nm of torque from 3,200 to 3,700 rpm.
Said mill is paired with an E-CVT and is augmented by a front electric motor rated at 180 hp and 270 Nm. There’s also a rear electric motor for all-wheel drive, and it contributes 54 hp and 121 Nm for a total system output of 304 hp. Performance-wise, the 450h+ takes 6.3 seconds to get from 0-100 km/h and will hit a top speed of 200 km/h.
Those electric motors draw power from an 18.1-kWh, 355.2-volt lithium-ion battery that allows the NX 450h+ to travel up to 87 km (based on the NEDC standard) on electricity alone. The SUV comes with an onboard AC charger that can accept up to 6.6 kW of power to recharge the battery, with a full charge taking about 2.5 hours. The PHEV system also offers four driving modes to choose from, including EV, Auto HV/HV, HV and Battery Charging.
Meanwhile, the other powertrain is the 350h that also uses the A25A-FXS, albeit tuned slightly higher to make 187 hp at 6,000 rpm and 239 Nm from 4,300 to 4,500 rpm. It too gets an E-CVT and a front electric motor with the same outputs as the 450h+, but it’s only front-wheel drive as there’s no rear electric motor present. The 350h’s battery also has a lower energy capacity and voltage of 1.6 kWh and 259 volts respectively.
As a result, the 350h’s total system output is 240 hp, so the century sprint time is noticeably more at 8.7 seconds, although the top speed is the identical to the 450h+. No guesses for which one’s the efficiency king, as the 450h+ has a rated fuel consumption of 76.9 km/l compared to the 350h that is capable of 20 km/l.
The latest NX is underpinned by the GA-K version of the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA), which is also used by the latest RAV4, Harrier and ES. The new platform is accompanied by a larger body, with the NX now measuring 4,660 mm long (+20 mm), 1,865 mm wide (+20 mm), between 1,660 to 1,670 mm tall (+15 to 25 mm), while the wheelbase has grown by 30 mm to 2,690 mm. There are also a host of visual changes outside and inside that we’ve detailed earlier.
Depending on the chosen powertrain, there are a number of trim levels available. For the 350h, they are the base Luxury that retails at 3.24 million baht (RM405,048), followed by the Grand Luxury priced at 3.39 million baht (RM423,800).
The trim levels that can be specified with the 450+ start with the Grand Luxury that goes for 3.59 million baht (RM448,870), with the next step up being the Premium at 3.87 million baht (RM483,879). The 450h+ is the only one that gets an F Sport version too, which is the most expensive version of the NX sold in Thailand coming in at 4.32 million baht (RM540,064).
A four-year, unlimited-mileage warranty is standard for the NX, as is a 10-year, unlimited-mileage warranty for the traction battery. According to Headlightmag, Lexus Thailand even throws in a free wallbox charger with installation service worth 80,000 baht (RM10,004), and there are optional aftersales packages that provide free service labour and spare parts for up to five years, 100,000 km.
In terms of available equipment, the top-spec NX 450h+ F Sport gets Lexus’ Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS), performance dampers, 20-inch F Sport alloy wheels, the F-Sport styling package, a powered moonroof, an around-view monitor, tri-LED headlamps with Adaptive High-beam System (AHS), an eight-inch multi-info display, a head-up display, dual-zone climate control, leather upholstery, powered front seats and a 14-inch touchscreen infotainment system.
Other variants have similar or lesser configurations reflective of their price points, but standard features across the range are seven airbags as well as several safety and driver assist systems. The latter includes Precrash Safety System (PCS), Lane Tracing Assist (LTA), Lane Change Assist with Blind Spot Monitor, Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) and all-speed adaptive cruise control.
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