THE LEXUS NEXUS
Lexus NX 200t F Sport

LA CAR SHORT TAKE Story and photos by Doug Stokes Ok, “short take” … right … the dog ate my homework. No, our two dogs (Pickle and Olive) are very good pups, I can’t blame this on them. Besides that I’M listed as the editor on this site, so I have to chastise myself … I just flat lost my notes on this one. But the memories are still quite vibrant, so here’s a bit of a truncated review of a really terrific new Lexus sport model SUV. Looking at the only “notes” I have (the factory window sticker) I’m still a little surprised with the “big number” on the page: $43,805.00. Now that’s a pretty fair chunk of change, but thinking back on my week with this Lex, I think that the price was one hell of bargain.

If you’re not familiar with Lexus build quality, perhaps you should be, these cars are right, righteous, in fact. Every component, every fit, the smallest detail is precisely the way that we (you and I) would want them. Switches go “snick” with authority, instruments give information clearly, and seats that are near perfect and almost infinitely multi-adjustable, the handling is excellent, and the power is, well, skip to the second-last paragraph and find out. Of course there’s a first-class information/entertainment system with either 10 (where do they find the space?) speakers and a good size (4.2 inch) “multi-information” (how about “navitainment”) display. You’ll see the whole honor roll below. And this one is a looker as well, sharp-edged, aggressive, showing a mouthful of teeth, leaning forward over its wheels with a distinctly non-utilitarian stance, even though this one can fill that function without ever breaking a sweat.

Then there’s that section, the “F SPORT” options list on the Monroney. It adds a bit over four grand to the basic $36,965 and is the super performance cherry on top of the ice cream sundae. If you can take a serious look at this one and suggest anything that it still needs … please … give me a call. Best for last, most fun, exciting … the power package here is a terrific 2-liter double overhead cam turbocharged four that kicks out a positively exhilarating 235 horsepower and a (there’s just no better word for it) kick-ass 258 foot pounds of perfectly-matched torque. Run those (very accurate, very honest) above numbers through a precisely-matched 6-speed automatic transmission and you have true sports car performance in a “can-do” machine. At $43K this one surely qualifies as a luxury car. My surprise is that I honestly ended up thinking that it might well be underpriced. Sorry that that the above was so sketchy … I’m sure that readers will find that this car was far better than my report lets on. - DS

For more information about Lexus products, go to lexus.com. SPECIFICATIONS Name of vehicle: 2016 Lexus NX 200t F Sport Price: $36,965 (base) $43,805 (F Sport, as tested) EPA fuel economy rating (miles per gallon): 22 city/28 highway Engine: 2.0 liter turbocharged 16-valve DOHC four with Dual VVT-iW Horsepower: 235 Torque: 258 pound-feet Transmission: 6-speed automatic