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Lexus NX 2022 review: 350h Luxury long-term | Part 3

Lexus Lexus NX Lexus NX 2022 Lexus NX350H Lexus NX350H 2022 SUV Best SUV Cars Lexus SUV Range Family Family Car Family Cars Prestige & Luxury Cars Hybrid Hybrid cars Green Cars Long term reviews
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The Lexus NX 350h hybrid SUV was a welcome member of the Campbell family!
The Lexus NX 350h hybrid SUV was a welcome member of the Campbell family!
EXPERT RATING
8.0

Likes

  • Interesting design
  • Hybrid powertrain
  • Easy to drive

Dislikes

  • Could be better packaged
  • Some tech issues
  • The grille isn't for everyone
Matt Campbell
Managing Editor - Head of Video
6 Sep 2022
4 min read

So, how efficient is this hybrid SUV? And a premature farewell...

We’ve sung the praises of Toyota hybrid systems in the past multiple times, with the RAV4 being the standout example in the past - and, you guessed it, the powertrain here is almost exactly what you get in that SUV.

Warning - this will be a bit technical.

As such, the Lexus NX350h makes use of a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that runs on the more efficient Atkinson cycle, and the petrol engine itself can produce up to 140kW of power at 6000rpm and 239Nm of torque from 4300-4500rpm.

But you’ll rarely, if ever, use just the petrol engine on its own - because the design philosophy for the hybrid powertrain used here is that everything works hand-in-hand.

So, in addition to the petrol engine, there are a few other elements to this series-parallel powertrain, including an electric motor on the front axle, producing 134kW and 270Nm. Then for the AWD models, like this one, there’s an additional 40kW/121Nm electric motor on the rear axle. There’s a lithium-ion battery pack, which can be regenerated by the brake system or the petrol engine, and you can run on EV alone depending on the driving situation.

The Lexus was a terrific travel companion, offering a comfy ride, great power and good predictability. (image: Matt Campbell)
The Lexus was a terrific travel companion, offering a comfy ride, great power and good predictability. (image: Matt Campbell)

And if you thought you could just add all those figures together to get an idea of the total system output, you’d be wrong. Toyota/Lexus never offers up a combined torque figure… but with a combined 179kW of power, this is the most powerful hybrid four-cylinder Lexus ever.

It’s also well and truly more than the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, which pumps out 163kW in AWD trim. 

It works identically to that hybrid system - the petrol engine and electric motors will cut in and out as the system deems necessary. If you plant your foot, you can access the power of the electric motors and petrol engine combined, and it is properly fast. The 0-100km/h claim is 7.7 seconds - and you’ll feel the electric motors pull you away from a standstill before the petrol engine kicks in and adds its bit to the equation.

You’ll rarely, if ever, use just the petrol engine on its own. (image: Matt Campbell)
You’ll rarely, if ever, use just the petrol engine on its own. (image: Matt Campbell)

Meanwhile, if you’re gentle on the throttle, you’ll see the little green EV symbol pop up on the dashboard a lot. 

My partner Gemma spent most of this month with the Lexus, commuting from our place in the lower Blue Mountains to the CBD three days a week, as she’s studying part-time. That meant she was doing a lot of highway kays, and also dealing with quite a bit of stop-start traffic per day, because the course runs 9:00am to 5:30pm… just the absolute ideal times to commute on Sydney’s M4 motorway into and out of town.

Thankfully, she reported that the Lexus was a terrific travel companion, offering a comfy ride, great power and good predictability when the weather was a wash-out.

There’s a lithium-ion battery pack, which can be regenerated by the brake system or the petrol engine. (image: Matt Campbell)
There’s a lithium-ion battery pack, which can be regenerated by the brake system or the petrol engine. (image: Matt Campbell)

What she didn’t enjoy quite as much was the low-speed manoeuvrability and vision from the driver’s seat. She reckoned a surround-view camera would have helped out a lot especially dealing with the tight parking spaces in the multi-storey carpark she was using, and even though the NX has surround parking sensors that didn’t help as much as it could have.

Alas, the NX found itself too close to one of those pesky car-park pilons when Gemma parked it, and on instruction from Lexus Australia, we took the car back earlier than planned.

Gemma was devastated, and not just because of the incident. She really had gotten to like the NX, and so had I. It had formed a nice family companion over the months we’d had it, at first seeming a bit too small for our family, but with just us three humans (sorry, dogs), it was a good size and offered a practical and efficient drive.

My partner reckoned a surround-view camera would have helped out a lot, especially in tight parking spaces. (image: Matt Campbell)
My partner reckoned a surround-view camera would have helped out a lot, especially in tight parking spaces. (image: Matt Campbell)

Acquired: 28 April 2022

Distance travelled this month: 1354km

Odometer: 6144km

Average fuel consumption this month: 5.6L/100km (measured at the pump)

Lexus NX350H 2022: Luxury Hybrid AWD

Engine Type Inline 4, 2.5L
Fuel Type Premium Unleaded/Electric
Fuel Efficiency 5.0L/100km (combined)
Seating 5
Price From $63,800 - $73,370
Safety Rating

Verdict

I was sad to see it go, and it’s an SUV I’d gladly recommend to anyone in the market for a luxury midsize model. 

If I were buying an NX, I’d happily choose the 350h hybrid powertrain, but I’d have to shop up a grade or two to get larger (nicer looking) wheels, a surround-view camera and I certainly wouldn’t choose black paint. 

Pricing Guides

$74,786
Based on 16 cars listed for sale in the last 6 months.
LOWEST PRICE
$65,888
HIGHEST PRICE
$80,990
Matt Campbell
Managing Editor - Head of Video
Matt Campbell has been at the forefront of automotive media for more than a decade, working not only on car reviews and news, but also helping manage automotive outputs across print, online, video and audio. After completing his media degree at Macquarie University, Matt was an intern at a major news organisation as part of the motoring team, where he honed his skills in the online automotive reviews and news space. He did such a good job there they put him on full time, and since then he has worked across different automotive media outlets, before starting with CarsGuide in October 2017. At CarsGuide Matt has helped shape the video output of the business, while also playing a key role in management behind the scenes, and helping in-market new car buyers make the right choice by continually evolving CarsGuide's comparison reviews. Driving more than 100 cars a year seemed like a dream to Matt when he first started out, but now it's all just part of the job - a job he loves and plans to stay in for a long time to come. Matt is also an expert in used car values, as he's always on the hunt for a bargain - be it a project beater or a prime example of the breed. He currently owns a 2001 Audi TT quattro and a 2007 Suzuki Jimny JLX.
About Author
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