Luxury automakers have apparently run out of things to improve. So, Lexus is perfuming the 2027 Lexus NX. Lexus calls it Sensory Concierge, and it can adjust the lighting, music, climate control, seat temperature and fragrance to improve your mood. Because building a car you actually enjoy driving is apparently no longer enough. Now it must smell of happiness, too. It’s standard on F Sport and Luxury models. It’s aromatherapy for suburban commuters trudging toward Costco. There’s no wet-dog or mud-bog scent, naturally, because the NX’s idea of off-roading is losing GPS reception in a shopping-mall garage.
A Toyota in a Nice Suit
The redesigned cabin is cleaner and more orderly than before, with a standard 14-inch touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument display. But the materials in the base Premium model don’t feel sufficiently upscale. Its all-black interior is as inviting as a tax audit in a windowless room, and the overall impression is less traditional Lexus extravagance than premium Toyota with delusions of grandeur. There’s nothing wrong with a premium Toyota. Toyota makes perfectly respectable cars. The trouble begins when you charge Lexus money for one and expect customers to applaud the distinction.
The Premium and Premium Plus grades are identical, except that the Premium lacks a sunroof. On all models, the steering wheel is smaller than last year’s, while the center console has shrunk enough to give the driver’s legs more breathing room. The old drive-mode knob has disappeared, presumably to join the endangered species list alongside buttons.
The F Sport gets adaptive variable suspension, 20-inch wheels, available red brake calipers and distinctive exterior trim. It looks like the sporty choice, even if the NX remains about as athletic as a man who considers walking to the refrigerator a fitness program. The Luxury model takes a more understated approach and adds comfort-oriented suspension tuning, available ventilated rear outboard seats and a standard 17-speaker, 1,800-watt Mark Levinson audio system.
Technology With a Sense of Directional Failure
The infotainment system is better than last year’s, which is faint praise but praise nonetheless. Its navigation system, however, remains a poor substitute for Apple Maps or Google Maps. It doesn’t estimate arrival time or tell you which lane you should occupy, and there’s no obvious way to get it to announce directions. It’s like a butler who refuses to answer the door. You have the equipment, but not the assistance. Use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto instead. Life is too short to argue with a computer that cannot manage the elementary task of telling you where to turn.
Two Hybrids, One Important Difference
Power comes from a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine working with electric motors. The NX 350h hybrid produces 244 horsepower, while the NX 450h+ plug-in hybrid delivers 324 horsepower, up from 304 in the previous model. The plug-in also gets a revised lithium-ion battery offering a manufacturer-estimated 45 miles of electric-only range, compared with 37 miles previously. Standard DC fast-charging capability allows the battery to charge from 10 to 80 percent in an estimated 35 minutes under ideal conditions using a 50-kW charger.
Front-wheel drive is available only on the NX 350h Premium and Premium+. All trims can be had with all-wheel drive. While EPA figures haven’t been released, all NX models require premium fuel.
How It Drives
The hybrid’s acceleration is stately, and when you ask for more power, the continuously variable transmission allows the gasoline engine to moan as though someone has just informed it that the pension fund is bankrupt. This is transportation for people who regard a burst of acceleration as unnecessary.
The NX 450h+ is a different proposition. Its extra 80 horsepower and ability to travel in pure electric mode make it noticeably smoother and more refined. Without the gasoline engine chiming in like an asthmatic shop vacuum, it feels considerably more like a proper luxury vehicle.
A Quiet Ride? Well…
Cornering produces predictable body roll and also sends your smartphone sliding off the wireless charging pad, as there’s no way of keeping it in place. The ride has improved, thanks to increased structural rigidity and revised suspension tuning. Ordinary bumps are dispatched with greater composure, although expansion joints and larger potholes still make their presence known. Road noise remains too prominent for a luxury vehicle, particularly on anything other than glass-smooth pavement.
The Upshot
The 2027 Lexus NX offers better technology, greater efficiency, improved electric range and a more refined plug-in hybrid. Those are genuine improvements. But a luxury car must feel special. The materials should look and feel expensive. The ride should isolate occupants from the world’s lesser pleasures, not remind you of them.
The NX gets some of this right, particularly in the more powerful 450h+. But the base model’s cabin and persistent road noise leave the impression of a perfectly respectable Toyota wearing a rather expensive suit, and no amount of aromatherapy can disguise that.
