AURORA | The 2015 Lexus NX makes business sense like dollar menus.
That’s because, strictly speaking, the goods were already in the workshop. All Lexus had to do was assemble them in a manner that made sense, and differentiate the car just enough from the Toyota Rav4 that we’d all be none the wiser.
Would you (could you?) fault anyone for tapping a cash cow so rich and fat with profit that it may as well be called Kardashian? I hope not. And I would not. Because from a business perspective, the Lexus NX should have been made 10 years ago.
Nonetheless, the NX is here, and it’s very important for Lexus to make it right. The risk when you take a shared model and gussy it up is that the makeup will be so thinly veiled and the markup so thickly fat that Joe Q. Carbuyer will know instantly that the “luxury version” is really just a “bad deal.”
To that end, Lexus did a very good job separating the NX from the Rav4. According to Lexus, only 10 percent of the sheet metal in the NX was lifted from the Rav4. According to me, that 10 percent is largely in the rear quarter and tailgate because that’s the only part of the NX that looks similar to the Rav4 in my eyes.
Up front, Lexus managed to slap a spindle grille on the NX that is passable (although the trapezoidal-shaped grille doesn’t look great on SUVs or crossovers) and construct the NX like an egg-shaped missile aimed squarely at female buyers. I’m not kidding, the NX targets females like daytime TV. To Lexus’ credit, the RX did the same thing and only managed to be the best-selling luxury SUV in always.
But beyond gender stereotypes, the NX sports the same familiar Rav4 layout, albeit with a better presentation. The dash materials are nice and mostly plastic-free, and although the layout is relatively similar to the Rav4, Lexus has done a good job owning it for the NX. Swapping the inverted mouse for a touchpad and buttons, Lexus’ infotainment system is still relatively easy to use and learn thanks to haptic feedback and straightforward menus. (Although, for my liking, the touchpad is a little too small and the wrist rest is a little too close for my big mitts.) Climate controls are easy to navigate, but a little too cramped as well.
Although Lexus borrowed the Rav4’s frame, interior capacity is slightly smaller in the NX because of the optional hybrid powertrain and accompanying batteries.
Speaking of powertrain, let’s discuss, but with full disclosure first: the Lexus NX is about visuals first, powertrain second. The NX comes in two distinct flavors, the turbocharged NX200t and hybrid NX300h. The former sports a turbocharged 2.0-liter four that makes 235 horsepower. The latter makes only 194 horsepower from a 2.5-liter Atkinson four but returns better fuel economy (33 mpg vs. 25 mpg combined, according to the EPA) thanks to batteries in the back. The 200t also comes in an F Sport variant that includes a more aggressive front fascia and badging. Both hybrid and turbocharged models can be optioned with all-wheel drive, which is $1,400 or $1,590 more depending on turbo vs. hybrid engines. The 200t comes with a smooth-shifting new six-speed auto and the 300h comes with a continuously variable transmission.
The effect of having two dramatically different powertrain choices isn’t immediately noticeable because of the NX’s considerable heft. The car weighs several hundred pounds more than a Rav4 and its tall center of gravity doesn’t necessarily make it a corner-hugging monster, even when you’re pressing the most out of the NX200t’s busy engine.
Still, we were given the opportunity to drive both back-to-back and the biggest difference we noticed was only the NX200t F Sport’s adjustable dial to turn up the piped-in engine noise in the interior cabin, an interesting feature that may be better served in future coupes. The NX300h stays true to the wafty crossover’s market: the engine fades softly into the background.
The NX’s expanse of flat-black leather seats is a little Spartan compared to the rest of the car’s thoughtful interior. Seating in the back for four adults is possible, although not palatial. The car’s 17.6 cubic feet of cargo room comes in handy for most jobs, and fold-flat rear seats can make way for bigger loads.
Starting at $35,405, which includes $925 destination charge, the NX starts at more than $10,000 more than a base model Rav4. Our testers, a fully loaded NX200t F Sport and NX300h were both well into the mid-$40,000 range, which is a tall order for the smallest Lexus crossover in the fleet. But according to Lexus, they can’t build the NX fast enough for buyers. The Lexus NX doesn’t only make sense, it makes dollars, too.