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While its acceleration won’t blow the doors off any stoplight challengers, the NX should offer enough power for the casual driver. The hybrid powertrain provides even less pep, but its fuel economy is measurably improved.
What’s New for 2018?
Lexus has changed nothing under the hood of the NX models for 2018 but has renamed the nonhybrid NX200t; it’s now the NX300. We expect performance to remain the same as last year’s model.
2017 Lexus NX
The NX200t comes with a 235-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, a six-speed automatic, and front-wheel drive; all-wheel drive is also available. In our testing of an all-wheel-drive F Sport, the NX200t performed a class-average 7.1-second zero-to-60-mph time. The Mercedes-Benz GLA250 4MATIC managed to sprint to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds, making the NX200t seem positively sluggish.
Test Results: Acceleration
It’s a different story on the road. The NX200t doesn’t feel lethargic pulling into traffic, the engine’s power delivery is linear and predictable, and once the turbo kicks in, it’s even peppier. The six-speed automatic, while often slow to shift, changes gears well. Selecting Sport mode from the console-mounted rotary dial results in sharpened throttle response and transmission behavior, but not enough to startle passengers.
In this class of mini-utes, towing isn’t always important to buyers. In fact, neither the Mercedes-Benz GLA250 nor the BMW X1 have towing capacity at all. The NX is one of precious few options in this segment that offer enough backbone for towing, boasting a 2000-pound capacity (down to 1500 pounds in the hybrid).
Tow Ratings Compared
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