The rest of the NX 300h’s interior is befitting a luxury brand with high quality materials carefully selected to prevent glare where it could be distracting, and to be soft and supple wherever it might come in contact with a passenger. Plus there are clever touches like the power operated folding rear seats that have buttons conveniently placed near the driver’s knee, at the base of the seat and in the cargo area.

All that fancy, youthful styling detracts from the practicality of the NX somewhat. Cargo capacity at 475L with the seats up is virtually the same as a sub-compact Honda Fit; and with the seats folded, is least spacious amongst the NX’s direct competitors. The Lexus’s rear seat space is also comparatively tight in this segment, especially in the measurement of headroom.

Still, for most small families and empty nesters, the compact hatchback space will be adequate for the daily errands and even a longer getaways if packing is done carefully.

It’s on longer trips that some of the diesel alternatives start to show a some advantage versus the Lexus hybrid. When pressed, the 2.5L four-cylinder protests the chore of having to motivate just shy of 2,000 kg with only 194 horsepower – and that’s combined with the electric motor’s assistance. Torque peaks at 4,400 rpm and is only 152 lb-ft, at least 100 lb-ft shy of the diesel competitors, and it’s this force of twist that is felt in day-to-day driving.

Most folks that are keen on owning a hybrid will be accepting of the soft power delivery, but they’re still unlikely to enjoy the moaning brought forth by the CVT transmission. Luckily the NX 300h is very well insulated from sound, and its stereo is decent, so it’s best to simply calm oneself and realize that you’ll get to where you’re going eventually.

And if that journey happens to be through heavy traffic or factor in a lot of urban driving, the NX 300h’s hybrid becomes truly beneficial. Rated at 7.1 L/100 km city (and 7.7 hwy), there isn’t another SUV that can match the NX 300h’s urban fuel consumption. Kept in “Eco” mode for nearly the entire week (and approximately 600 km of 2/3 urban driving), our test car delivered an average of 7.5 L/100 km. The willingness and frequency the NX 300h chooses to cruise along in pure EV mode is also impressive, becoming a bit of a challenge to the driver to maximize his or her efficiency.

The NX 300h is stiffly sprung seemingly in an attempt to live up to the sporting hype of its visage. Despite this, the damping is sufficient to smooth out the harshness from all but the nastiest of potholes. And the rigidity of both the body and suspension, coupled with the compact dimensions mean the NX is reasonably nimble to maneuver around tight urban spaces. I’ll stop short of saying it tackles the twisty country roads with exuberance though.

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