Lexus NX 450h+ 2022 Review – International

While it’s not yet locked in for Australia, Lexus’ local officials insist the 2022 Lexus NX 450h+ is almost a lock to be launched Down Under in the first half of next year, and that’s good news.

It’s good news, even if it will arrive at around $90,000 before on-road costs are added.

We tested the 450h+ in its F Sport specification at the international launch in Mallorca, Spain, with the sportier steering wheel trim helping the driver’s grip on things immensely.

The best trick about the NX 450h+ is that it surrenders absolutely no luggage space for its more electrified drivetrain compared to the 350h, so it retains 525 litres of standard boot room, or 1410L with the rear seats folded down.

At 4660mm long, the NX 450h+ is visually little changed from its siblings, and it also retains the 1865mm width, 1670mm height and 2690mm wheelbase, plus the 20-inch wheels and tyres.

It also helps that the first-ever plug-in hybrid model from the Japanese luxury brand, which has a similar set-up to the all-wheel drive 350h in combining a 2.5-litre engine with electric motors at each axle, is good for 6.3 seconds from 0-100km/h, 1.1L/100km economy (if it’s plugged in regularly) and up to 76km of EV range on the combined cycle (ditto).

While European buyers will have their choice of trim levels, our NX 450h+ came with the F Sport pack.

That meant it came standard with the 14-inch multimedia touch-screen, a 10-speaker audio system, an embedded hybrid navigation system that works out the most eco-friendly routes, a digital rear-view mirror, a powered rear hatch, wireless phone charging and a card key.

For the winter lovers, there is heating for the front and rear seats, plus the steering wheel, and it also has front seat ventilation and dual-zone air conditioning.

It uses LED headlights with adaptive high beam, but also scores 20-inch alloy wheels with 235/50 R20 rubber.

The 2022 Lexus NX 450h+ F Sport takes everything on the 350h and adds a bit more, which is welcome.

The 20-inch tyres, for example, carry a higher load rating to cope with the extra mass from the higher-density lithium-ion battery pack.

It scores the F Sport suspension set-up that adds performance damping and a two-step variable adaptive suspension system to the MacPherson strut front-end and double-wishbone rear. (The 350h will be offered in Australia in Luxury and Sports Luxury model grades, as well as F Sport.)

It also uses a different braking system, with the traditional booster set-up exchanged in our test car for an electrically-boosted system, complete with larger front brake discs – 340x38mm front discs against 328x34mm in the non-plug-in hybrid. The rear discs are identical.

If the driving forces for the 2022 Lexus 450h+ sound almost identical to the all-wheel drive 350h, that’s because they are.

It carries the same hardware suite, combining a 40kW/121Nm e-motor on the rear axle and a 134kW/270Nm version on the front axle with a 2.5-litre petrol engine, although the tuning is slightly different.

In the 450h+ the naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine delivers 136kW of power at 6000rpm and 227Nm of torque at 3200-3700rpm, while the 350 produces 136kW (at same rpm) and 239Nm at 4300-4500rpm.

Despite the differences, the 450h+ has the same issues we found with the 350h with the unsophisticated power delivery of the Atkinson Cycle engine at the high revs it demands before working properly.

It sounds and feels fine and calm at part throttle or below about 2500 revs, though if you pay for 6000 revs you should feel comfortable using them all.

The big difference between the 350h and the 450h+ is the 18.1kWh lithium-ion battery in the plug-in hybrid, which allows up to a claimed 98km of EV range in city life.

The hybrid battery in the 450+ has a nominal 355.2 volts compared to the 350h at 259V, while the cell count is higher in the PHEV at 96 versus 70. The higher-density battery is compact and doesn’t intrude into the cabin or load area, so there are no sacrifices made here.

The 450+ does raise the weight from 1790kg to 1990kg (dry), and that’s all either battery, power electronics, cooling for the battery and the AC/DC system to charge it all.

Lexus claims the same 1500kg towing capacity of both the NX 350 and the 350h in the PHEV, and the fuel tank remains at the same 55 litres as the rest of the range.

That ought to give it an impressive real-world range, given its WLTP-rated 1.1L/100km and CO2 emissions of 26g/km, but the 450+ will be far better in cities than on long-haul country trips.

The extra electrons pumped out of the battery mean the 450h+ can bring all three of its motors to bear at the same time (unlike the 350h), so it thumps out a combined power of 227kW versus 179kW.

That lets it jam to 100km/h in an NX range-leading 6.3 seconds and on to a 200km/h top speed, though travelling that fast would rather defeat the purpose of it all.

The other upside to sharing the 350h’s whirring stuff is what happens when the battery is fully depleted. It takes 2.5 hours to recharge on a cable with a 230V/32A connection because the on-board charger is only 6.6kW.

Most PHEVs pop into charge mode, using the combustion engine to recharge the battery, which uses at least 30 per cent more fuel, but not this one. It simply becomes a heavier 350h.

This is more like it. Fully charged, the 2022 Lexus NX 450h+ is easily the nicest of the new-generation NX models to ride in.

The ride quality itself is more assured and organised, but the biggest improvement is that the flooding electrons running through the e-motors mean the 2.5-litre engine can rest more often, and exert itself less whenever it’s forced to stir into action.

And that’s a good thing.

There’s just something irksome about paying $90,000, or thereabouts, and being hit with a level of coarseness you’d be shocked about in a $30,000 car.

It’s a product of the Atkinson Cycle principle behind the new engine, which reduces consumption and emissions, but delivers engines that are notoriously shy on low-end torque.

Fortunately, there’s enough electrical urge in the 450h+ to fill that torque hole (given peak torque doesn’t arrive until 3200rpm), so what you feel instead is e-motor smoothness and a slight whirring.

It’s a delightful package in heavy traffic, with the magnificent seats delivering as much comfort and relaxation as the freshly calm powertrain.

It’s also a relief that the petrol motor can chime in without the pressure of being all power to all wheels, so it can switch itself on more gently, without lots of revs on board.

The electric power is also so impressive that you notice the CVT transmission a lot less than you do in the 350h.

The price you pay in handling isn’t as pronounced as we expected. The lowered centre of gravity from the battery pack lends the 450h+ a more planted feel in its cornering stance.

Even if it isn’t exactly enthusiastic about being hurled around mountain roads, it quickly communicates what it is and isn’t happy about and it pushes through easily, if not crisply.

It all combines to deliver a calm, almost serene machine that clearly prioritises ride quality over handling, cabin calmness over excitement and it’s even a good place to snooze while someone else is driving. (We know. We tried. We succeeded.)

Given the expected elevated price, you’d hope the 2022 Lexus NX 450h+ would be the pick of the new bunch, and so it proves.

There are fewer half steps here than there are in the new NX 350h and it’s just a nicely balanced package all round.

The engine coarseness is still the weakest link, but the 450h+ has its ways around that and you can theoretically live in a major city and never burn a cent’s worth of petrol.

It’s just an easy machine to live with, with superb comfort levels, few interior compromises for the electric powertrain and it’s simple to get to grips with the technology.

The sooner it gets here the better.

How much does the 2022 Lexus NX 450h+ cost?
Price: $90,000 estimated (plus on-road costs)
Available: First half 2022 estimated
Powertrain: 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol-electric hybrid
Output: 136kW/227Nm (electric motors: 134kW/270Nm – front; 40kW/270Nm – rear)
Combined output: 227kW
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
Battery: 18.1kWh lithium-ion
Range: 69-76km (WLTP)
Fuel consumption: 1.1L/100km (WLTP)
CO2 emissions: 26g/km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested