2nd Generation (2022+) Lexus NX Megathread (NX 200, 250, 350, 350h and 450h+)

[spwolf]

NX350h - Will they really call "240hp" powertrain 350h? Seems sketchy. But would 20hp more really matter that much?

NX400h+ vs NX450h+ - Someone mentioned that it could be compliance with 2.0l vs 2.5l taxing, and that makes sense. 450h+ seems excessive but then again it should be very similar to 500h in performance really so why not (one step lower).

 

[spwolf]

I chatted with Kevin about this last night, but my best guess is:

NX 250: probably a fairly limited quantity vehicle, only available in lower trims/options, maybe even only FWD. Same 2.5L/8AT as RAV4 with 205hp. This would be something to keep the base price down for value shoppers.

NX 260: Same as above with the naming nuance for China, but this is probably the CHDM "core" engine and model with lots of trims and options available.

NX 350: "Core" NX 4 cylinder for USA, new 2.5L turbo 4 cylinder with ~300hp/325lb-ft of torque, FWD or optional Dynamic Torque Vectoring AWD, available with many trims, grades and options: F-Sport, Luxury, etc.

NX 350h: Probably receives an upgraded 2.5L hybrid 4cyl, maybe the version from the Highlander with 245hp vs. the RAV4 hybrid's 221hp. Who knows? Lexus could upgrade it a bit further to 250-260hp for a real "350" experience. Available with many trims, grades and options: F-Sport, Luxury, etc.

NX 400h+: Kind of puzzled by this one? Potentially a downrated version of the NX 450h below... or is there any reason CHDM would use the name NX 400h instead of NX 450h, like they use 260 instead of 250?

NX 450h+: NX with the RAV4 Prime powertrain. Flagship NX, probably available in loaded F Sport or Luxury trims with special trims/features/colors.

I know it's unrealistic and that Lexus doesn't really care about enthusiasts anymore, but I can wish for an NX 350 F-Sport or "NX F" with a beefed up version of the 2.5L turbo 4 coupled with a better - or more aggressive - AWD system. We're still waiting for a version of Dynamic Torque Vectoring AWD that has a locking mechanism... will it happen? I'm not holding my breath, but imagine a 300-350hp NX with lockable torque vectoring AWD in F-Sport trim. Ayeeeeee, boyyyyy.

why wouldnt they care about enthusiasts anymore? Eh.

Anyway, good guesses, and many powertrains for new NX... seems like they do care. As to the performance, I think with reduced weight and much improved chassis as well as much more powerful 2.4t, something like NX350 F-Sport AWD with torque vectoring will be pretty sporty.

 

[The boy of car dreaming]

why wouldnt they care about enthusiasts anymore? Eh.

Anyway, good guesses, and many powertrains for new NX... seems like they do care. As to the performance, I think with reduced weight and much improved chassis as well as much more powerful 2.4t, something like NX350 F-Sport AWD with torque vectoring will be pretty sporty.

Make sense and they can make a NX350 F-sport package the 2.5T Turbo 4cyl or NX-F with this engine is a good opportunity. I saw today video in YouTube from (kirk kreifels) as a Lexus seller, YouTuber review and news from Toyota/Lexus. Feel free to check out

 

[Gecko]

why wouldnt they care about enthusiasts anymore? Eh.

It is quite obvious, wouldn’t you say? Seems like a natural progression of their brand strategy of not competing in segments where they don’t feel successful, which is understandable.

Anyway, good guesses, and many powertrains for new NX... seems like they do care. As to the performance, I think with reduced weight and much improved chassis as well as much more powerful 2.4t, something like NX350 F-Sport AWD with torque vectoring will be pretty sporty.

Agree, but the nature of Toyota’s FWD-biased AWD “when needed” systems is decidedly unsporty and would not be a great fit for a performance vehicle. If there is some forthcoming ability to lock torque front to rear or calibrate a setting where “sport” mode engages all wheels vs. waiting for a loss of traction, it could work well. But we haven’t seen anything like that yet with DTV AWD.

 

[CRSKTN]

The 450h+ will definitely climb well into RX territory, but that's because RX is likely going upmarket while any potential GX becomes more of a focused offroader.

The LX is then free to become the bentayga fighter or Escalade behemoth it might become.

An NX450h+ with good performance and mileage, and their latest highway super cruise equivalent, and a sharp design is something I'd splurge on.

 

[ssun30]

NX350h - Will they really call "240hp" powertrain 350h? Seems sketchy. But would 20hp more really matter that much?

NX400h+ vs NX450h+ - Someone mentioned that it could be compliance with 2.0l vs 2.5l taxing, and that makes sense. 450h+ seems excessive but then again it should be very similar to 500h in performance really so why not (one step lower).

While Lexus numbering today is arbitrary like every competitor out there. There seems to be a trend: the rating is usually horsepower divided by 0.7 (basically assuming they match the performance of a similar naturally aspirated engine with 87.5% of the power).

e.g. 250h system has 178hp or 0.712 ratio; 300h system has 215hp or 0.717 ratio; 350h system has 243hp or 0.694 ratio; 500h system has 354hp or 0.708 ratio.

So 350h, 400h, and 450h would have ~245hp, ~280hp, and ~315hp, respectively. We also don't know the battery specifications on the new NX so the combined output may not be the same as the Highlander.

I know it's unrealistic and that Lexus doesn't really care about enthusiasts anymore, but I can wish for an NX 350 F-Sport or "NX F" with a beefed up version of the 2.5L turbo 4 coupled with a better - or more aggressive - AWD system. We're still waiting for a version of Dynamic Torque Vectoring AWD that has a locking mechanism... will it happen? I'm not holding my breath, but imagine a 300-350hp NX with lockable torque vectoring AWD in F-Sport trim. Ayeeeeee, boyyyyy.

Why stop at just an uprated 2.4T with 300-350hp? If they plan on having a NX-F it would be a waste to not include E-Axle. That way it's going to be in the range of 450-500 hp depending on how much they want to uprate the 2.4T.

Even with mechanical DTV they still end up with a front-biased system with 50-50 F/R at best. With E-Axle they could get it to be completely RWD in some instances.

Yeah I know 500hp NX sounds way too crazy for this company...how low have our expectations become 🤣

 

[The boy of car dreaming]

While Lexus numbering today is arbitrary like every competitor out there. There seems to be a trend: the rating is usually horsepower divided by 0.7 (basically assuming they match the performance of a similar naturally aspirated engine with 87.5% of the power).

e.g. 250h system has 178hp or 0.712 ratio; 300h system has 215hp or 0.717 ratio; 350h system has 243hp or 0.694 ratio; 500h system has 354hp or 0.708 ratio.

So 350h, 400h, and 450h would have ~245hp, ~280hp, and ~315hp, respectively. We also don't know the battery specifications on the new NX so the combined output may not be the same as the Highlander.


Why stop at just an uprated 2.4T with 300-350hp? If they plan on having a NX-F it would be a waste to not include E-Axle. That way it's going to be in the range of 450-500 hp depending on how much they want to uprate the 2.4T.

Even with mechanical DTV they still end up with a front-biased system with 50-50 F/R at best. With E-Axle they could get it to be completely RWD in some instances.

Yeah I know 500hp NX sounds way too crazy for this company...how low have our expectations become 🤣

Do you prefer an AWD with an optional RWD than an AWDe an NX-F?

Because F Performance should be RWD like IS-F, GS-F, RC-F and LC500, but also a upcoming RWD LS-F and LX-F maybe with an AWD there may be an option that will come!

 

[ssun30]

Do you prefer an AWD with an optional RWD than an AWDe an NX-F?

It is not possible to build a RWD NX-F without changing the platform.

 

[The boy of car dreaming]

It is not possible to build a RWD NX-F without changing the platform.

Well NX will have a 2.0T FWD and AWD could be possible for the next IS 2.5T powertrain to make it possible because it has options. This IS 2.5T engine can be put into the NX with 390-450hp to compete x3 but if impossible, you can add the ls500 v6 twin turbo it can boast of IS-F maybe

 

[mikeavelli]

I know NX450h should mean over 400hp but it will likely be around 300...

I just don’t get these numbers anymore lol....

No NX F means the NX will be see a cut below the GLC/X3/Q5 etc...

 

[The boy of car dreaming]

Whatever they announce is might coming a v6 for NX then a NX-F could be a 3.5T v6 and 2.5T could be NX-350 F sport. There are no 2.5T information yet but will come a 2.5T.

 

[Gecko]

Whatever they announce is might coming a v6 for NX then a NX-F could be a 3.5T v6 and 2.5T could be NX-350 F sport. There are no 2.5T information yet but will come a 2.5T.

A few things:

The NX is on a front wheel drive platform, so it cannot and will not be rear wheel drive as @ssun30 told you. Can it be AWD? Yes. Can they add electric trickery to make it feel more RWD? Probably, if they wanted to.

If you have popped the hood on a RAV4, you will see there is no room for a V6. While the GA-K platform allows for a V6 in other models, it does not appear that the RAV4 and likely NX have been engineered for it. Also, a 3.5LTT V6 in a compact front wheel drive crossover would be a disaster for many reasons, weight and balance being the two biggest ones. Not to mention torque steer.

Our best bet for a high performance NX is just like @ssun30 says: something like 2.5L turbo 4 cyl + battery/hybrid + e-axle.

 

[The boy of car dreaming]

A few things:

The NX is on a front wheel drive platform, so it cannot and will not be rear wheel drive as @ssun30 told you. Can it be AWD? Yes. Can they add electric trickery to make it feel more RWD? Probably, if they wanted to.

If you have popped the hood on a RAV4, you will see there is no room for a V6. While the GA-K platform allows for a V6 in other models, it does not appear that the RAV4 and likely NX have been engineered for it. Also, a 3.5LTT V6 in a compact front wheel drive crossover would be a disaster for many reasons, weight and balance being the two biggest ones. Not to mention torque steer.

Our best bet for a high performance NX is just like @ssun30 says: something like 2.5L turbo 4 cyl + battery/hybrid + e-axle.

Let’s wait and see what will happen with the 2.5L turbo 4 cyl with NX could be boasting more hp or hybrid or e e-axle.

 

[pavelekpl]

Not that it’s a priority or a main concern, but anyone is surprised by the 450h+ powertrain 0-60 time estimates? The RAV4 is getting it, rated at 302hp and 0-60@5.8 sec. Seems kinda “slow”?

 

[F1 Silver Arrows]

Not that it’s a priority or a main concern, but anyone is surprised by the 450h+ powertrain 0-60 time estimates? The RAV4 is getting it, rated at 302hp and 0-60@5.8 sec. Seems kinda “slow”?

The thing is probably going to be around 4000 lbs. It's not that bad.

 

[ssun30]

Not that it’s a priority or a main concern, but anyone is surprised by the 450h+ powertrain 0-60 time estimates? The RAV4 is getting it, rated at 302hp and 0-60@5.8 sec. Seems kinda “slow”?

That is not slow considering it will weigh close to 2000kg...those batteries are heavy. Despite of this weight it will be faster than many cars with similar power (for example, it is faster than the ES350 with same power but 300kg lighter).

But I agree 0-100km/h in 5.8s shouldn't warrant a '450' designation, that kind of number is more appropriate for a sub-5s car. But the current RX450h is already pretty slow at 7.1s.

Another thing is that BEV and PHEV acceleration times are usually under-rated by the manufacturer because battery power is highly sensitive to temperature and SOC.

 

[Will1991]

Not that it’s a priority or a main concern, but anyone is surprised by the 450h+ powertrain 0-60 time estimates? The RAV4 is getting it, rated at 302hp and 0-60@5.8 sec. Seems kinda “slow”?

0-60 time has been the biggest problem facing Toyota to turn it to a sports car, but at least picking up speed when they're already moving tend to be quite good. 35-80mph should be quite fast.

 

[Will1991]

After some digging, if RAV4/ES Hybrid powertrain gets a 300h moniker, the one from the Highlander (supposed to be this new 350h moniker) that will find it's way to the 2NX, even without a big increase on peak power output, it got quite an increase across the range and it certainly deserves a 350h moniker:

• Small internal combustion improvement (+8kW/+16Nm) while keeping 41% peak thermal efficiency;
• Big improvements on front electric engine power delivery, keeping the same output at the rear;
• 18% higher hybrid battery voltage

• At least 16% more torque

• Higher engine torque output while keeping same thermal efficiency.

Also:

• For the Highlander TNGA reduced 100kg.
• Toyota expects fuel economy for Highlander to be similar to the RAV4, despite higher weight

If Lexus manages to build a 2NX lighter and a bit smaller than the HighLander (my expectation is that going to be similar to the Harrier), it will be faster and *maybe* more fuel efficient than the RAV4.

 

[Joaquin Ruhi]

NX 350h and NX 450h+ trademarks have officially been filed in the U.S.

 

[CRSKTN]

NX 350h and NX 450h+ trademarks have officially been filed in the U.S.

What's the implication of the "new" NX's place in the Lexus hierarchy if it's getting higher numbered variants than any potential new IS (given no trademarks implying current numbering will suffice)?

I can't imagine the NX 450h+ being a cheap vehicle, seems the NX could be moving up? RX becomes bigger, more affordable 2/3 row SUV alternative to highest-end LX/LF-1?

EDIT: I hope the new NX comes out and kills it and we all eat crow, and there are smug lexus engineers feeling good reading translations of our whining. I really do.