Lexus NX plug-in hybrid great ambassador for new energy vehicles

Lexus has always been a low volume, more than worthy, premium alternative to the big three Germans; Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

And Lexus as a brand had already embraced, what is now the big buzz words of the industry, “new energy vehicles”, long before they were made a thing by other manufacturers.

The Lexus NX 450h+ F Sport, a plug-in hybrid, is the perfect example of both premium and new energy offering. Packaged in that typical, slightly conservative Lexus sporty kind of way.

My colleague Charl Bosch is always all over the nice to have luxury, and the tech upgrades, along with the pricing etc long before I ever get behind the wheel of a particular test car. Most of my job is about the nuts and bolts of what makes a car go fast. And then measuring that with proper Racelogic VBOX test equipment to bring you the data for a different perspective on the same car.

The math isn’t mathing

Now this is where you must pay proper attention because we are about get into some Lexus mathematics. And trust me, the numbers might make sense to them, but in the traditional 1+1 sense, they do not add up.

Under the bonnet of the Lexus NX 450h+ F Sport there is a four-cylinder, 2.5-litre naturally aspirated engine which makes 136kW of power and 227Nm of torque. This engine is coupled to an 18.1kWh lithium-ion battery that drives a 134kW/270Nm front axle electric motor and a 40kW/121Nm rear axle electric motor.

Add this all up and you get 310kW of power and 618Nm of torque. But Lexus is happy to rate their NX 450h+ F Sport at 227kW and 227Nm. I think they are half right. My road test numbers support their claimed power output considering that this SUV weighs in at 1 860 kg and hits 100km/h in just 6.44 seconds and 187km/h in only 800m of road.

But The Citizen Motoring doesn’t agree with the torque number remaining the same. It simply can’t be due to the added urge from the battery.

Plug-in hybrid Lexus NX no slouch

For any SUV in this segment to get from 60 to 100 km/h in 3.39 seconds, 80-120 km/h in 4.14 seconds and 60 to 140 km/h in just 8.54 seconds, means there is more than 227Nm of torque on tap under your right foot. But who cares how Lexus add their stuff up, it’s the customer that benefits from their way of doing things.

What might be even more impressive is that in typical Lexus “new energy” fashion, fuel consumption can literally be zero litres per 100 km/h. That is if you plug in your Lexus NX 450h+ F Sport and make use of the 60 odd km available in pure EV mode.

ALSO READ: Lexus NX 350 F Sport proud petrol protagonist in a changing world

If you are going on a long trip and don’t want to stop and charge, then you have a 55-litre fuel tank. And the ability to changes modes and force the engine to charge the battery on the move. But then the 2.5-litre engine is not exactly economical. You then certainly won’t get near the Lexus’ claim of 1.3-litres per 100 km.

Excellent fuel economy

I plugged the Lexus NX 450h+ F Sport in overnight to charge like most normal owners would using it as everyday transport. My fuel consumption was 3.9 litres per 100 km. And I did this by using a bit of common sense, especially if I knew I would not get to a charger before the battery ran down.

I would have the engine charge the battery when I was cruising on the open road. And then do the urban, stop start driving, using battery power only. You can let the car do its own thing of switching between engine and battery, which most probably will, and then you can expect to average around 6.5-litres. But this is honestly a moving target that depends very much on the journey.

At R1 336 200, with a seven-year/105 000km warranty and seven -year/105 000km maintenance plan, the Lexus NX 450h+ is far from what anybody would call well-priced. Especially in an era where everybody, from the Germans to the Koreans, are feeling the pinch because of the Chinese SUV onslaught that continues unabated.

The buy-down trend is not new in any way, but it will only take a short drive in this Lexus NX for you to understand what you are paying for. The finest in Japanese refinement, fit and finish, afforded by the discerning few.

Lexus NX 450h+ road test results