The new NX is the entrance to Lexus from 4.55 million yen!You can choose both gasoline, hybrid, and PHV !! [What is Lexus NX?]

■ What is Lexus: Toyota's advanced brand that started with a model against the United States

Just as GM has Chevrolet and Cadillak, American automakers develop more than one brand and create cars that give characteristics for each brand.

Japanese automakers have not developed such a development for a long time, but Honda started developing Acura in North America in 1986, Toyota Lexus in January 1989, and Nissan launched Infinity in November of the same year.Some car manufacturers will start developing advanced brands, mainly in North America.

The first model with Lexus's naming was LS and ES, and LS was sold under the name of Celsior in Japan.

Celsior and LS were completely new cars developed at the same time, but ES was a model based on the four -door hardtop of Camry Prominent, which was also released in Japan.

Toyota announced in 2003 the modification of domestic sales networks, and officially announced the domestic expansion of the Lexus brand.

The store opened in 2005, and the originally handled is GS, IS, and SC.The number of models is gradually increased, and now 12 models, including three sedan models and SUV5 models (when UX and UX300e are used as a different series), are available.

The first Lexus NX is a premium crossover SUV developed in 2014 based on the Lexus CT platform.The Lexus CT is a model that uses the third -generation Prius platform, which was a model that had a strong body silhouette in the first generation, but has a strong element as a hybrid vehicle.

The new NX, on the other hand, was made using a TNGA-K platform that is common to Harrier and RAV4.It was characteristic from the first generation, but the fact that the idea of premium is included in the compact SUV, which is now popular all over the world, is a small and high -quality SUV.

The new NX will be available in four power units on the 4 -door+hatchback SUV body.In the past, some models were equipped with many types of engines, but now it is unusual for one model to have four types of power units.

The top unit is PHEV mounted on 450H+, 2.Combine a 5 -liter gasoline 4 -cylinder (185 horsepower / 228nm) and a motor (front: 182 horsepower / 270 nm, later: 54 horsepower / 121nm), which is equipped with a large (51Ah) battery.

Because it is PHEV, it naturally has a charging mechanism.The NX350H is basically the same system as NX450H+, but the engine output is 190 horsepower / 243 nm, and the battery is 4..It will be small to 3Ah.The same motor is used for both front and rear, but there is also a rear motorless FF model.

On the other hand, the pure engine model is equipped with the NX250 2.The 5 -liter natural intake engine is the same as the hybrid system, the specifications are 201 horsepower / 241 nm, and FF and 4WD are set.

The engine installed in the NX350 has 2 displacement.2 with a 4 -liter turbo.A unit that is different from a 5 -liter system.The specifications are 279 horsepower / 430 nm.In addition, 2.5 -liter natural intake is regular gasoline, PHEV, hybrid, 2.The 4 -liter turbo becomes a premium gasoline.

The first Lexus NX adopted a spindle grille since its appearance and had a styling like Lexus, but the Lexus world view had not yet been completed, and the various parts seemed sharp.

However, in the new model, Lexus has a firm vector that should be like this, and it is the impression that it was seasoned there.The atmosphere that is not overdoing as a Lexus is transmitted.

The molding of the spindle grill is also full of natural atmosphere, and the hood, which had the tip slanted in the predecessor, is slowly extended toward the upper end of the grill, combined with a vertical grill, expressing a modern powerful face.Looking from the side, the panel part below the belt line is full of volume, and the fender arch, which is more square than before, feels light.

The rear combination is designed to be large on the side, and the panels are intonated.The rear hatch press line is a design that is spreading downward, and can also be found with the front spindle grill.

The cockpit is designed based on "Tazuna Consept".TAZUNA is derived from the reins that manipulates horses during horseback riding, and aims to be able to communicate firmly for people and cars.

When you sit on the driver's seat, you will see a LCD meter with good visibility behind the front of the front steering.A monitor is placed on the left side of the meter cover, so you can display energy flows, etc. for hybrids as well as navigation.

The seat has an aggressive shape, and the V -shaped stitch is also eye -catching.The seat color is black & rich cream, dark rose, and hazel in addition to black monolois.In addition, in the case of F sports, it will be a dedicated flare red, dedicated white, and dedicated black.

Seats other than black and rich cream are black and rich, so they have two tones on some tones, such as side support.

For the new NX, the wheelbase was extended by 30mm than the predecessor model to 2690mm.This wheelbase is the same as RAV4 and Harrier, which share platforms.

The front overhang is+7mm, and the rear overhang is -17 mm and the deduction is -10mm.Since the wheelbase extension is 30mm, the total length is 4660mm with an extension of 20mm.

The overall length is 50-60mm longer than RAV4 and 80mm shorter than Harrier.The total width is 20mm widened, which is 1865 mm, plus 0 to 10mm compared to RAV4, and the same is 0 to 10mm in the Harrier ratio.The total width is only 20mm, whereas the tread is 35mm on the front and 55mm for the rear.

From 18 inches to 20 inches, the outer diameter of the tire was 720mm to 740mm.The PHEV battery is placed so that it is laid under the floor, and the battery of the hybrid car is located near the rear seat, so there is no pressure on the room.

The luggage room has a 520 -liter space when the capacity is riding and a full luggage without being compressed in PHEV.The storage space under the luggage room has a difference between a pure engine model and a hybrid & PHEV model, and the pure engine model has a larger space.

I draw a doorknob to get into the new NX, but the door does not open.Speaking of which, I remember that I was explained, and push the switch on the back of the doorknob 0.After waiting for about 3 seconds, the door opened safely.

The Lexus NX door is an electronic type called E -latch, and the lock is unlocked just by pulling the door and the switch is unlocked, and the door opens by pulling from there.

By pressing the switch from the inside, the lock can be unlocked and the door can be opened, but when the sensor outside the car captures a close car (including bicycles), the accident is restricted and the accident is limited.A system to prevent is also incorporated.

The test rides were prepared by PHEV's NX450H+version L and hybrid NX350H F Sports (AWD).Both 2.A power unit that combines a 5 -liter inline 4 -cylinder engine with a front and rear motors.

There are some differences in the engine specifications, but the difference in running is quite large.NX450H+is more EV -like, and the NX350H is a feeling that rely on the engine.

Due to the difference in battery capacity, the NX350H may start the engine first, but even if you run in EV mode, the NX450H+can feel the power of the motor.When the engine starts and becomes a hybrid mode, the quietness is higher in the NX450H+, and it can be said that NX450H+is excellent in terms of comfort.

The NX450H+vehicle weight is about 2 tons, which is a considerable weight, 200kg heavier than the NX350H.

Generally, the lighter cars are said to be better, but it is said to be good in sports car handling evaluation and fuel efficiency, and it is fortunate that it is heavy in terms of riding comfort.There are many.In the case of NX450H+, the battery is lowered than the NX350H, and it is heavy, so the movement of the car gives a sense of stability.

The EV era is coming from now on, but in terms of riding comfort, more comfortable than engine cars will increase.

The NX has a variety of power units with gasoline natural intake, gasoline trap, gasoline hybrid, gasoline PHEV.For example, the Corolla of the AE86 era has 1 gasoline engine.3 liters, 1.5 liters, 1.With three types of 6 liters, 1 to this.8 liters of diesel added to have 4 kinds of power units.

Recently, one or two kinds of power units for one model have become more common, and it is relatively rare to prepare four kinds of power units like this NX.

The basic grade deployment is one grade for one power unit, and the detailed equipment difference is divided into the sub -grade of F Sport and Version L.

F -sports add sporty equipment such as exclusive exterior parts and sports leather seats, and version L is an advanced equipment such as leather seats.The drive system is FF and AWD, and AWD is 270,000 yen higher.The Bottom grade NX250 FF is 4.55 million yen, and the top NX450H+is 7.38 million yen.

PHEV's NX450H+is 790,000 yen to 1.3 million yen higher than the hybrid NX350H, so it is unavoidable that the price difference between the bottom and the top is large.

It is an exquisite setting to be able to get a longing brand called Lexus from 4.55 million yen.

At this price, it can be said that it is a car that has the role of raising the person who was thinking about buying a Harrier and pulling it to the Lexus brand users in the setting to bite into the price range of Harrier's advanced grade.

The models I tested this time were PHEV and hybrids, but PHEV is clearly more attractive.It is exquisite to make a car that wants an advanced level when a test drive is exquisite, but it is very annoying for those who are thinking about purchasing.

If you want to graduate from Toyota and go to Lexus ... NX will not regret even if you take a step.

However, if you go to Lexus anyway, you will have to be prepared to be more and more expensive if you go up and add that option.NX is one of the cars that wants to check the growth of future sales in the future because it may be a trigger to raise the share of Lexus at once.

(Sentence: Yoichi Moroboshi / Photo: Keisuke Maeda)