2022 Lexus NX sighted in Malaysia – local launch soon

The mostly-covered vehicle on the back of this truck reveals precious little about its identity, though a closer look reveals that this is the second-generation Lexus NX, and its presence here suggests that it will soon replace the previous-generation facelift that made its local debut in 2019.

Sighted in Petaling Jaya by paultan.org reader Putra Kamrin Azran, the identity of this otherwise-concealed vehicle was betrayed by a slip of the vehicle cover which revealed the wheel design of the premium crossover.

Going by the outgoing first-generation NX 300 facelift, a natural successor to that car’s 235 hp/350 Nm 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine will be the T24A-FTS 2.4 litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol that will serve as the turbo internal combustion entry in the NX global range. This unit produces an estimated 275 hp and 430 Nm of torque, sent to all four wheels through a Direct Shift eight-speed automatic.

Elsewhere, the second-generation NX has gone on sale in Thailand and in Australia, where the NX 350h hybrid and NX 450h+ plug-in hybrid variants are available.

The PHEV NX 450h+ mates a 2.5 litre Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine with front and rear axle electric motors, where electric drive is supplied by a 18.1 kWh battery for up to 87 km of zero-emissions range at up to 135 km/h. Its battery is charged in 2.5 hours from a 6.6 kW AC charger, and combined fuel consumption for the PHEV variant is a claimed 1.3 litres per 100 km.

Thus configured, the NX in PHEV form packs a total of 309 PS in combined output, enabling a 0-100 km/h run in 6.3 seconds and a top speed of 200 km/h.

The non-plug-in hybrid variant, the NX 350h uses the same A25A-FXS 2.5 litre petrol engine as in the PHEV NX 450h+, where the internal combustion engine’s 187 hp and 239 Nm of torque are augmented by a front-mounted electric motor for a total system output of 240 hp, making for a 0-100 km/h time of 8.7 seconds though top speed is an identical 200 km/h.

In terms of equipment, the Thailand-market NX 450h+ gets 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.

Standard safety kit across the range includes seven airbags, as well as 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.

In Malaysia, the current, first-generation facelift Lexus NX is listed from RM306,117 – up RM3,000 since its equipment update in June 2020 – and is offered in Urban, Premium and F Sport trim specifications.

GALLERY: 2022 Lexus NX

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