Apparently, Toyota’s premium brand hasn’t really caught on in people’s minds yet. The man at the pump asks whether that’s an American, how he got the idea, we can’t say. But it resonates with a certain admiration. Which is understandable, the new Lexus NX is all around well turned out. The plus sign in the model name 450h + stands for the socket, because it is the first plug-in hybrid (PHEV) in the series, the full hybrid is called 350h and is slightly less powerful. With the PHEV, a four-cylinder petrol engine with 185 hp from a displacement of 2.5 liters is joined by an electric motor that is just as powerful, both of which act on the front wheels. Another electric motor with a comparatively modest 54 hp drives the rear axle. Everything together results in a system output of 309 hp.
The specifications are largely the same as those of Toyota’s RAV4, which is similar to everyday use but less exalted than the Lexus. The NX greets those ahead looking in the rear-view mirror with a wide grin on its huge grille, the LED headlights squinted mischievously.