The Lexus NX enters the 2027 model year with a comprehensive update that brings a fresh look inside and out, along with a revised plug-in hybrid powertrain that boosts performance and electric range. We’ll see the updated NX in showrooms toward the end of the year, and the changes should only help further boost sales of the compact luxury SUV, which already hit record levels in the US last year.
Current specifications for the 2027 NX are for the global model, but details for the US market will be released shortly.
A Best-Seller Gets Better
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The current second-generation NX arrived for the 2022 model year and has enjoyed robust sales ever since, with last year’s total of 76,836 units in the US being the best on record for the nameplate. Lexus was thus smart not to rock the boat, instead improving aspects NX owners already love while tweaking areas that have drawn criticism.
The exterior design keeps the traditional spindle grille but adds a new body-color top section, matching the design on the Lexus RX midsize SUV. The headlights also adopt a split design, a feature that’s spreading to most modern SUVs, while the rear gets a new LED lightbar that roughly matches the shape of the current design but features new graphics and an integrated “LEXUS” script. Many of the chrome accents on the current model have also been replaced with simple black finishes.
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The changes inside are more substantial, as the dash has been completely revamped. The design is almost identical to what’s found in the Lexus ES, featuring a clean, horizontal panel with a separated 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a large, floating 14-inch digital screen for the infotainment system. There’s even some ambient backlighting as part of a new Sensory Concierge package. More importantly for day-to-day driving, the multifunction steering wheel has been redesigned with physical buttons and switches, replacing the laggy and unresponsive touch-sensitive controls of the current design.
Does The NX Finally Go The Full-Electrified Route?
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Lexus has so far only shown the updated NX with electrified powertrains: there are 300h and 350h regular hybrids and a 450h+ plug-in hybrid. In the US, the current NX is offered in 350h and 450h+ guises, along with a base NX 350 powered solely by a turbocharged 2.4-liter inline-four engine. It’s possible the NX 350 will be dropped when the updated NX arrives.
In the updated NX, Lexus has introduced a next-generation hybrid powertrain that features a new rear axle module combining an electric motor, transmission, and control unit. Lexus says the design is not only more compact but also lighter, helping to further lower the center of gravity. The control unit also uses silicon carbide semiconductors to help improve efficiency. The internal-combustion component of the new hybrid powertrains carries over, though.
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The 300h uses a 2.0-liter inline-four and delivers approximately 148 combined horsepower. It only comes with front-wheel drive and is thus unlikely to reach the US. The 350h and 450h+ both use a 2.5-liter inline-four as the internal-combustion component of their hybrid powertrains. The 350h can be had with either front- or all-wheel drive and delivers up to 240 hp, while the 450h+ is AWD-only and packs up to 322 hp.
In the case of the 450h+, output is up compared with the current NX 450h+ sold in the US, which is rated at a peak 304 hp. Impressively, electric range has also increased, with Lexus confirming this will also be the case for the US market. The automaker estimates 40 miles of electric range, versus the EPA-estimated 37 miles of the current model. The increase comes courtesy of a larger lithium-ion battery.
A Chassis To Match The Upgraded Performance
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Lexus has also strengthened the NX’s structure to make it feel more solid while improving both handling and ride comfort, with floor rigidity up 25 percent and the suspension towers around 30 percent stiffer. The suspension’s dampers have also been retuned to react more quickly to bumps and changes in the road, while the steering is quicker and more precise thanks to tweaks to the electronic power steering system.
Lexus has also tweaked the AWD system to send power to the rear wheels more consistently, which the automaker said helps the updated NX feel more planted through corners and on slippery roads. The brakes have been tuned to help keep the SUV stable during sudden maneuvers, while changes to the hybrid powertrain’s electric side should make acceleration feel smoother and more natural.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters:
Lexus didn’t reinvent the NX, and that’s probably a good thing. Instead, it has built on the qualities that have made the compact SUV so popular while addressing some of its more nagging shortcomings. With more performance and electric range to boot, the updates should help keep NX sales humming along.
