New Car: Lexus NX 300h 2017 review

New Car: Lexus NX 300h 2017 review Updates have been made to the engine range; the 2.0-litre turbo which was badged 200t has been removed from the range. The 2.5-litre hybrid in the NX 300h we’re testing here is now the only option in the NX. The hybrid set-up is identical to that fitted in the NX when it launched in 2014, comprising a 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine and an electric motor on each axle to deliver four-wheel drive, all through a CVT gearbox. In town and at lower speeds the NX is at its best. A gentle squeeze of the throttle allows you to pull away in the tranquility of electric power, but because the nickel metal-hydride battery is rather small, you’re only going to get about two miles down the road before the engine cuts in and assists with progress. And when it does, or even with a gentle squeeze of the throttle, the serenity of electric propulsion is lost. The engine kicks in smoothly enough, but it’s quite vocal after that; begin to accelerate away from a junction or standing traffic and the revs are sent into a frenzy, which is very much at odds with how calm and relaxing your journey begins in the NX. Noisy progress could perhaps be forgiven if the NX ferried you along with a soft and pillowy ride, but sadly it doesn’t. The ride is overly firm for a premium SUV of this size, which is also rather odd because the NX is no performance car: it fidgets over tarmac at low speed and crashes into potholes that a Mercedes GLC would shrug off. The trade-off...