Yahoo Finance Performance and Driving Impressions
Performance and Driving Impressions Rating:
Peppy but not overtly fast, the NX300 provides adequate acceleration and falls short of more dynamic offerings from BMW, Infiniti, and Mercedes-Benz. Braking performance, too, is lackluster. The NX300h’s hybrid powertrain impresses with its smoothness and efficiency, but it reduces performance, instead focusing on being a quiet daily driver. In either guise, the NX’s moves don’t jibe with its wild styling, but if comfort and practicality are at the top of your list, you won’t be disappointed.
What’s New for 2018?
Lexus has revised the NX’s suspension for 2018 in an attempt to sharpen handling responses; the effort has improved handling somewhat but has also compromised the NX’s ride comfort over rough surfaces. F Sport models can now be had with an optional adaptive suspension that automatically adjusts to driving style and road surfaces-a technology that was pioneered on Lexus’s LC500 performance coupe.
2017 Lexus NX
Acceleration
Its 235-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine motivated the all-wheel-drive NX200t F Sport to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds. That’s not slow, but it won’t win a drag race against the considerably faster Mercedes-Benz GLA250 4MATIC, which shares a performance time with our long-term Volkswagen GTI. Passing power seems plentiful, if not overwhelming, in the NX200t; a 4.8-second result for 50 to 70 mph is adequate, as is a 15.5-second quarter-mile time.
Opting for the hybrid dulls the acceleration numbers further. In our testing, the NX300h took a leisurely 8.8 seconds for zero to 60 mph, and the quarter-mile passed in 16.8 seconds at 84 mph. The hybrid powertrain, which uses a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) rather than a conventional six-speed automatic, provides linear responses.
Test Results: Acceleration
Ride, Handling, and Steering
While the NX isn’t as fun on a twisty road as the BMW X1 or the Mercedes-Benz GLA250, its light steering makes it easy to pilot around town. Its center of gravity is higher than in either of those competitors, lending it a top-heavy feel when cornering. This translated into disappointing results on our skidpad, where it delivered just 0.76 g of grip, the poorest result in a comparison test of subcompact luxury crossovers.
Test Results: Maximum Cornering Capability
The NX rides very smoothly unless it's on a particularly rough road; only harsh bumps send shudders into the cabin. Steering feel is light and accurate, yet it doesn’t provide much feedback from the road, even with Sport mode engaged.
Braking
The NX200t F Sport we drove had a firm brake pedal, but on our test track, we measured a long 183-foot stop from 70 mph. The Infiniti QX30 AWD managed to stop in 20 fewer feet, which is roughly the length of a Ford F-150 crew-cab pickup truck.
Test Results: Maximum Braking Capability
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