Lexus NX gets its biggest update yet and it's not just a facelift

Key highlights

• 2027 Lexus NX gets a redesigned interior with a new dashboard, centre console and 14-inch touchscreen.
• NX 450h+ PHEV gets a larger 23kWh battery, lifting its electric range to around 100km.
• Updated hybrid technology and chassis improvements promise better performance, refinement and steering response.

Lexus has pulled the wraps off a refreshed NX, and while the compact SUV is barely a few years into its second generation, the update is far from a token nose job. There’s a new face, a heavily reworked interior, and for plug-in hybrid buyers, a genuinely useful jump in electric range.

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What’s actually new?

The biggest talking point is under the bonnet (or, more accurately, under the boot floor) of the NX 450h+. Lexus has swapped in a larger battery, growing from 18.1 kWh to 23.0 kWh, which pushes the plug-in hybrid’s electric-only range out to a claimed 62 miles, roughly 100 km, up from around 60 km previously. That’s the kind of jump that could actually change how people use the car day to day, letting more owners run on electric power alone for their daily commute before the petrol engine ever kicks in.

The standard NX 350h hybrid isn’t left out either. It picks up a new lithium-ion battery borrowed from the latest ES sedan, which is both lighter and paired with an improved cooling system, helping lift overall output.

In outright numbers, the new NX 350h is quoted at 199 hp, while the NX 450h+ is rated at 303 hp combined (a European figure). For reference, the current 2026 US-spec cars produce 240 hp and 304 hp respectively, so the refreshed hybrid system isn’t chasing bigger outright power, the focus is clearly on efficiency and electric range instead.

Buyers who’d rather skip hybrid tech altogether still have that option too. Lexus is keeping a non-hybrid NX in the range, powered by a 275 hp turbocharged 2.4-litre four-cylinder. The drivetrain overhaul is being pitched as the sixth generation of the brand’s hybrid tech, a system that’s underpinned pretty much every Lexus for the better part of two decades.

A cabin that finally catches up

Here’s where the NX gets a proper shake-up. Rather than the usual light dashboard tweak you’d expect from a mid-life refresh, Lexus has gone in with a full redesign of the dash, centre console and instrument cluster, borrowing cues from the newer ES and TZ models. It’s all part of an evolution of Lexus’s “Vital x Tech” design philosophy, which now extends from the exterior through to the cabin layout.

The centrepiece is a 14-inch infotainment screen sitting alongside a 12.3-inch driver display, with capacitive controls for climate and camera functions built into the console below. It’s a big step away from the outgoing NX’s more conservative layout, and brings the cabin much closer in line with what buyers are now expecting in this segment.

The driving position has shifted too. The seat itself hasn’t changed, but Lexus has mounted it lower, bringing occupants closer to the car’s centre of gravity, the kind of change that should make the NX feel a touch more planted through corners. There’s also a new steering wheel, trimmed down by 0.39 inches in diameter, with extra telescopic adjustment so drivers can pull it closer, plus a reworked accelerator pedal designed to make everyday driving feel more natural.

Outside, it’s an evolution, not a revolution

Exterior changes are more subtle. The front end gets a frameless version of Lexus’s signature spindle grille along with updated headlights, while the rear picks up a new L-shaped tail-light signature. The sporty F Sport variant returns with fresh 20-inch wheels, red brake calipers and a more aggressive rear bumper.

Lexus has also quietly worked on refinement, reshaping the engine block for better rigidity and adding extra sound deadening around the rear doors, bumper and centre pillars. The brand claims this adds up to around a 20 percent cut in engine and road noise. Structurally, floor rigidity is up by roughly 25 percent, which should sharpen steering feel and cut down on vibration, while a reworked front suspension tower, now integrated with the front pillar, delivers a claimed 30 percent boost in rigidity there specifically.

When is it landing, and what will it cost?

Europe gets the updated NX first, with sales kicking off there in early 2027. Lexus hasn’t confirmed Australian timing or local pricing yet, so it’s still a waiting game for local buyers.

For context, in the US the current 2026 NX 350h starts at US$46,570 and the NX 450h+ from US$59,505, and given the scale of this update, particularly the extended EV range and cabin overhaul, a price bump for the refreshed model wouldn’t be a surprise once local Australian pricing is confirmed.

We’ll keep you updated as Lexus Australia confirms local specs, pricing and an on-sale date.