Lexus NX 450h+ Mini Review – Just the Simple Facts

Ahead of our full review, the week is done. The NX 450h+ was a peach—a mix of the good and the disappointing.

To make the good all the more piquant, let’s start with the disappointing. The small PHEV battery only has AC charging; a 6.6kW max rate is sub-par. An adaptor for home and public charging makes life easier, and it is something we hope owners actually use.

All NX450h+’s have EP2 standard but it is a “lite” version. The full glass roof is swapped for a small moonroof, and the superb Mark Levinson 17-speaker sound is downgraded to the still-decent “Lexus Premium Sound,” all to save weight. The GVM only allows for 510kg of passengers and their detritus.

Electric door locks buttons include a manual release in the armrest lever, but the exterior handle is strictly electric. It doesn’t pop out, thankfully, but the inner surface has a release pad bound to go wrong. Remember, this is the flagship.

Now the good stuff.

The exterior is four years old and ageing well. Leave that as it is, please.

The cabin is trimmed in black and white. While the effect is like a speakeasy full of Al Capones, it’s nice to see something other than a tan menagerie where the hides of ten cows threw themselves into oblivion.

Heated and cooled front seats have memory for the driver, including the steering wheel and mirror placement. The digital rearview is a nice find, and the large centre screen has fixed switches for selected functions. Spelunking through menus is infuriating, dangerous, and unnecessary. While I love an electric tailgate, it’s just something else to break.

The Drive

227kW is sufficient for a 6.3-second sprint to 100km/h. Steering is very light regardless of drive mode, and the brakes are pin-sharp. Cornering differs from the petrol and HEV versions of the same SUV, with the 18kWh battery making itself felt. While it may feel like the NX is being pulled unceremoniously outwards, the sticky tyres keep things tidy.

Adaptive damping and multilink rears have a sporty feel, and while this is an F Sport, it is still a LEXUS—a regal palace from which to survey the land. You are not meant to hoon about the place tooting airhorns and doing doughnuts in carparks.

ABOVE: 2026 lexus nx450h+ BLUE

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The Tech

ADAS is helpful without being intrusive. I like to think I want to drive myself, but I’m happy to let the system reduce my stress. Manipulating functions of ADAS and display including the HUD is done via the touch/press controls on the steering wheel. The resulting menus flip from function to function and are then controlled using the press of the 4-way buttons. It takes a period of acclimatisation to become fully conversant with the minutiae.

The HUD displays Google directions if using CarPlay. While the map is visible on the centre screen, it’s also partially available on the driver display. Lexus cheaped out on the LCD directly in front of the driver, though. It’s a runt of a thing; for this price, it should be 12 inches at least. Everyone loves 12 inches, right?

Joy of joys, the audio mode allows you to scroll between radio favourites. Hoorah!

Final Thoughts

Road manners aside, the NX 450h+ is quiet. EV mode is spooky and moody, but HEV mode allows the engine drone to make itself known. This is why PHEVs should only be used by drivers who plug in daily. Otherwise, you’re carting around an expensive anchor that does you no favours. A PHEV running in HEV mode uses more petrol than its HEV sister because you’re hauling hundreds of kilos of Li-ion in the undercarriage before you even count the fellas and their stuff.

If you don’t have a home wall charger, stick to an HEV.

2026 Lexus NX Australian Driveaway Prices (NSW Est.)

Variant	Powertrain	Drivetrain	Est. Driveaway
NX 350h Luxury	2.5L Hybrid	2WD	$82,494
NX 350h Luxury	2.5L Hybrid	AWD	$87,824
NX 350h Luxury + EP	2.5L Hybrid	AWD	$91,200
NX 350h F Sport	2.5L Hybrid	2WD	$91,563
NX 350h Sports Luxury	2.5L Hybrid	2WD	$91,563
NX 350 F Sport	2.4L Turbo Petrol	AWD	$91,909
NX 350 F Sport + EP1	2.4L Turbo	AWD	$95,200
NX 450h+ Luxury (EP1 std)	2.5L PHEV	AWD	$96,157
NX 350h F Sport	2.5L Hybrid	AWD	$97,617
NX 350h Sports Luxury	2.5L Hybrid	AWD	$97,617
NX 350 F Sport + EP2	2.4L Turbo	AWD	$98,400
NX 450h+ F Sport (EP2 std)	2.5L PHEV	AWD	$109,362

 

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Written by Alan Zurvas

Alan Zurvas is the founder and editor of Gay Car Boys, Australia's leading LGBTQI+ automotive publication. Before launching GCB in 2008, Alan's automotive writing was published in SameSame.com.au and the Star Observer. With over 16 years of hands-on car reviewing experience, Alan brings an honest, irreverent voice to every review — championing value and innovation over brand loyalty.