The NX 450h+ is the first plug-in hybrid from Lexus, Toyota's luxury brand. Inside the SUV, you are pleased with the high quality of workmanship and at the gas station with low fuel consumption with restrained driving. We came to less than seven liters for 100 kilometers. Purely electrically, the 18 kWh battery lasts for around 60 to 65 kilometers, perfect for commuters.

Michael Spehr

Editor in the "Technology and Engine" department.

  • Follow I follow

The NX is also convincing in terms of infotainment. While Lexus used to stand for a rather sedate navigation with an old-fashioned display, you will immediately be pleasantly surprised here. In the first place, the huge on-board monitor with a diagonal of 14 inches is responsible for this. The display is bright, rich in contrast and dignified. Lexus Link Pro is standard equipment in the upscale model variants. The cheaper ones have to be modest with 9.8 inches, the system is then called Lexus Link Connect.

The large monitor mainly relies on touch operation with the finger. Only the temperature of the air conditioning system and the volume of the hi-fi department are adjusted with a rotary knob. All other functions of the air conditioning are permanently displayed at the bottom of the screen, further details about temperature and ventilation require switching to a submenu.

Facing the driver, the display permanently shows six small buttons for the main menus: Navigation, Music, Telephony, Vehicle Setup, Web Browser and Settings. If you start with the navigation and want to activate the voice recognition for destination input, you will be stunned: There is no corresponding steering wheel button. Lexus has come up with something completely new here: There are two four-way paddles on the steering wheel, the assignment of which can be switched. You briefly tap on the button below the rocker and then see the current assignment in the head-up display. The whole thing works, but takes some getting used to. The head-up display is standard equipment in the more expensive model variants and otherwise costs a surcharge of 1200 euros together with some assistants in the technology package.

The speech recognition itself does a good job, understands navigation destinations very reliably and even when driving in a dead zone. The online connection is a benefit when you ask about the weather or the weather forecast, for example. As in the German luxury class, the Japanese is also able to distinguish between commands from the driver and the passenger. The navigation hints are a bit playful and annoying at times. Heard for the first time: hints that you should pay attention to bicycle lanes. Real-time traffic data is automatically transferred to the vehicle, routes with traffic jams and delays are color-coded.

The on-board monitor can be used to plan charging for the hybrid. You specify whether the battery should be fully charged at a certain time or program a schedule with times. A WLAN module is also built in, Lexus donates unlimited data volume for four years as standard. The drawbacks of the system are quickly enumerated: There were often Bluetooth disconnections to the connected iPhone, the startup time is too long, and the standard audio system with ten speakers sounds only mediocre. Otherwise, Lexus has done everything right with the new Link Pro. The facility looks fresh and modern, the menus are clearly structured, the presentation is lush and clear. Once again, it turns out that a large monitor is always an asset.