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The best hybrid SUVs for 2026, from the redesigned RAV4 to the new Palisade Hybrid. Specs, pricing, MPG, and clear verdicts for every buyer type.
Read moreOne year after its second-generation debut last year, the high-end Toyota relative has introduced the 2023 Lexus NX450h into its lineup returns in 2023 with a collection of small crossover sport utility vehicles, including two hybrid offerings. The 450h+ is the upscale carmaker’s first plug-in hybrid and it joins the NX 350h conventional hybrid. The NX lineup was first introduced nearly a decade ago and is slotted between the subcompact UX and the mid-sized RX. Who knew there was a need for a slew of “Nimble Crossovers,” the meaning of the vehicles’ two-letter identifier? Buyers, apparently. The NX joined two siblings in the top 10 luxury hybrid SUV sales for 2022. The 2023 models are a holdover. The Lexus 450h+
Read moreThe 2022 Lexus NX 350h is an automotive dichotomy. Now in its second generation and eight years removed from its debut, the futuristic-looking sport utility vehicle is categorized as a subcompact luxury crossover. The description is contradictory and inaccurate. Luxury in vehicles was once determined by spaciousness, top-end construction, top-line materials and a handsome, confident and powerful presence powering along the highway. The NX 350 is none of that. Lexus remains the luxury brand of Toyota. Its upscale offerings were vaulted to the top of the J.D Power & Associates in 1991, the car maker’s third model year. More than 30 years later, the brand’s SUV lineup gets similar industry ratings. But as represented to an extreme by the NX
Read moreNow it its second model year, the 2016 Lexus NX 300h continues from its debut last year without major changes. The luxury compact crossover is rare in its segment. Its only competition is the Audi Q5 hybrid. The Weekly Driver Test Drive A gasoline-electric hybrid, the 2016 Lexus NX 300h features a 2.5-liter, 16-valve, four-cylinder gasoline engine matched with two electric motors supplied with a nickel-metal hydride battery pack. The marriage produces 194 horsepower. Like all Lexus vehicles throughout the high-end lineup, the Lexus NX has a substantial standard technology and safety equipment list equaled by a similarly sized list of options. Standard features include: Satellite radio, HD Radio, an eight-speaker audio system, a USB port, Siri Eyes Free, a
Read moreLexus continues to keep filling upscale vehicle market niches. I didn’t really expect to find a Stabilo Therm flask with a set of crystal shot glasses in the new 2015 Lexus NX, although this newest compact crossover vehicle is plenty luxurious–and practical. The luxury crossover market has been growing steadily since Lexus created that market with its 1998 RX model. With the new NX, Lexus feels that it has a good shot at attracting much-desired younger buyers–singles and couples 30- 40 years old. It’s a boldly designed crossover with either a potent turbocharged engine or fuel-saving hybrid model, along with a turbo Sport version that has mainly cosmetic pizzazz. The three NX versions, which will start at approximately $37,000 when
Read moreThe 2015 Lexus NX, the new entry level sport utility vehicle from the upscale division of Toyota, will debut in the United States in December in two versions. The NX stands for “Nimble Crossover.” It fits. The NX 200t has a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. The NX 300h hybrid will features a new transmission that splits the hybrid battery into two pods for better weight distribution. The result: a more efficient use of cabin space. Built on a Toyota RAV4 platform, the Lexus NX more resembles a sports car more than an SUV and both models of all-weather drive (AWD). Despite the similarity to its sibling, platform, the new NX lineup will be 90 percent new. The new factor is
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