Lexus plots new approach with its SUV

Friday, August 22, 2014 - 15:30
Comments off
lexus

New Lexus NX takes SUV design out of the box

Lexus is reshaping SUV design with an approach that owes more to sportscars than slab-sided 4x4s.

Their new NX model marks the company’s foray into the mid-size luxury SUV market, making a big visual statement in the process to perfectly represent the Lexus’s L-finesse contemporary design approach.

Making a vehicle appear as though it’s forged from a single piece of metal is a familiar design concept, but Lexus took it to heart by actually pouring molten metal over the die used to make the grille and studying the natural shape the flow created. The result inspired the NX’s angular shape – a look that’s distinct from any other model in its class.

Where the interior is concerned, chief designer Tetsuo Miki wanted to capture the kind of style impact associated with high-end urban sports gear with a combination of structural good looks and luxurious but functional materials and textures.

Luggage space is generous and practical. Maximum loadspace width is 1,347mm, enough for four golf bags to be stowed sideways, rather than across the diagonal. More storage space is available under the luggage board, taking total luggage capacity to 555 litres in hybrid versions and 580 litres in the turbo petrol (with a tyre repair kit carried).

The new full hybrid NX 300h is available to order now with customer deliveries from October. Next year the range will grow to include the NX 200t, the first model to adopt Lexus’s new 2.0-litre petrol turbo engine. Model line-up, prices, specifications and more information are available here.

Comments are closed.