Lexus South Africa has expanded its popular NX line-up with a plug-in hybrid to bolster its new energy vehicle (NEV) offering.
The NX 450h+ was launched in the Western Cape early in August, making it the second PHEV offering after the recent introduction of the RX 450h+ from the brand.
Lexus has adopted what it calls a multi-pathway approach and intends to become a 100% NEV brand by 2030, by offering ICE vehicles with alternative fuels, HEVs, PHEVs, BEVs and FCEVs.
Jonia Mkonto, senior product manager at Lexus South Africa says Lexus will tailor electrification to the needs of customers by drawing on the strengths of each vehicle type, including a battery-electric offering.
Its first EV, the Lexus RZ 450e has been confirmed for the local market, which made an appearance at Toyota’s annual State of the Motoring Industry in January this year. It is set to launch early in 2025.
The NX line-up was introduced in 2015 and makes up 42% of Lexus’ SUV sales in SA, and overall, it counts for 28% of all vehicle sales.
The Lexus NX 450h+ will retail for R1 336 200 and includes a seven-year/105 000km warranty and full maintenance plan. The hybrid battery has an additional eight-year/195 000km warranty.
According to Mkonto, when a customer chooses to buy a plug-in hybrid, they are choosing where to compromise.
She says that the majority of South Africans travel less than 50km to work and back, thus a plug-in hybrid would let them drive in EV mode without worrying about things like range anxiety.
Charging won’t be an issue because you will use existing infrastructure, and you can also conveniently charge at home, which makes a plug-in hybrid a practical NEV solution for South Africa. ~ Jonia Mkonto, Lexus SA Product Manager
Lexus NX 450h+ specs
The NX 450h+ all-wheel drive is powered by a 2.5L petrol engine (CVT) and an 18.1kWh battery pack, giving it a total output of 227kW, with the same 227Nm of torque.
It will go from 0-100km/h in 6.3 seconds and has a top speed of 200km/h. The Lithium-ion battery promises 66.5km of range and a claimed consumption of 1.3L/100km, according to the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), when EV mode is used at its maximum.
The battery will recharge at a maximum speed of 6.6kW, and according to figures shared by Lexus, it will take 8 hours to fully charge on a 10-amp charging cable and 2.5 hours at 32-amps.
Driving modes
The NX 450h+ has four driving modes: EV, hybrid, auto EV/hybrid and charge mode.
The default mode is electric, and the car will drive in EV mode until it reaches the limit of the range before switching to a hybrid mode.
When auto EV/hybrid mode is selected, the car will automatically use the hybrid engine when more power is needed and then return to EV mode. Charge (CHG) mode will automatically recharge the battery while driving.
When using this method while driving, the maximum range achieved is 80% of the battery, vs. being plugged into a charger to get to 100% of the battery.
In addition to the above, there is also a separate Drive Mode Select option to toggle between Normal, Eco, Sport S, Sport S+ and Custom.
Standard technology and safety
The NX 450h+ gets a digital makeover inside, with a customisable digital instrument cluster, a full-colour heads-up display, and a 14-inch touch infotainment screen in the centre.
Other cabin amenities include voice-controlled navigation, multimedia, and climate controls. It has USB-A and USB-C ports, a digital rear-view mirror, 12V power sockets, reverse cameras, and wireless charging.
The infotainment system has Lexus Connect, offers Mark Levinson sound with 10 speakers, and supports wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto.
Safety features include airbag on-off switches, anti-theft systems, wireless door locks, pre-crash system brakes, emergency brakes, ISOFIX support and auto door locks.
Driver conveniences include a tyre pressure monitor, park distance control, ABS, blind spot monitoring, hill assist control, traction control, vehicle stability control, lane keeping, trail mode, active cornering assist, and intelligent park assist.
The car has a 360-degree camera that can be used for its Advanced Park feature where it parks for you in tight spots, which I hope to test properly.
Launch Drive
The NX 450h+ has that striking Lexus design that is angular and athletic which looks good in blue. I drove it briefly in the Western Cape around Stellenbosch and initially started my drive after the EV range was depleted as my driving partner got behind the wheel first.
It was no problem though; I loved the flexibility of the car immediately as I was able to put it into charging mode and set off. This meant I didn’t have to find a charging station and wait for it to charge.
I found this refreshing as the previous PHEV I tested barely yielded any recharge from regenerative braking and didn’t support it the way the NX 450h+ does.
I am not the biggest fan of a CVT gearbox though, but the drive went by quickly on the highways and was chilled throughout.
I didn’t get to properly assess how efficient that charge was for the tank, but I got into EV mode as soon as it reached the maximum 80% via the vehicle.
As someone who loves driving EVs, I enjoyed the drive. It gave me the boost I needed to overtake trucks and cruise. If I owned this car, I would likely drive it primarily in EV mode.
I also tested it in hybrid mode where the car does what it needs to, in the most efficient way, without worrying about getting into the additional driving modes.
I found that the built-in navigation on the car didn’t quite know where we were headed, as points of interest, so we switched to Apple CarPlay. But before that, I switched the display to monitor consumption in real-time, which is great if you like data visualised. I also liked how modern and bright the heads-up display is.
The unit I drove was kitted with a red and black interior, not my cup of tea, but prefer the black on black. Other colours include white or tan on black. It is available in various shades like grey, white, green, blue, red, and copper.
I am looking forward to testing this car for a longer period, but I do think it bridges the gap for those who are not yet convinced that EVs are the answer, for whatever reasons they have.
The Lexus NX 450h+ is modern, has a lot of technology and safety features and gives you the freedom to choose your driving mode without worrying about range anxiety.
Originally published here.