2020 Lexus NX300 vs 2024 Polestar 2

What's the difference?

The Lexus NX 300h F Sport is both a comfortable and luxurious family hauler that is held back by just a few things.

Of course, gripes like the underwhelming dynamics might not be an issue for all, but the less-than-stellar fuel economy (for a hybrid, at least), disappointing practicality and fiddly multimedia will affect all potential buyers.

However, this is balanced out by loads of equipment and premium appointments for a reasonable price, which should put the Lexus NX on your shopping list if you are keen for an inner-city premium SUV cruiser.

Improved across the board with more features, a longer driving range, and vast upgrades to driving dynamics and comfort, while the 2024 Polestar 2 is no longer the affordable EV it once was when it first launched, it is the car it always should have been.

Lexus might have been known for drab and dowdy styling in the past, but the NX’s sharp aesthetic is head turning and attention grabbing in all the right ways.

Though the NX first hit Australian showrooms in 2014, after six years we reckon it wouldn’t look out of place strutting down a catwalk, and can easily hold its own in the design department against the likes of the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC.

From the front, you can’t miss the trademark Lexus spindle grille, which, with its trapezoidal shape, gives the illusion of a wider and more aggressive car.

The high-set, slender headlights also gives the NX a wide stance, while the sweeping daytime running lights and sharp bumper design give the impression that the NX is cutting through water.

In profile, the NX is characterised by a strong shoulder line, chiselled lower doors and narrow glasshouse, while the black plastic wheelarch cladding hints at its SUV status.

The black trim detailing on the tail-lights almost make it look like the NX has narrowing cartoon eyes from the rear, but the subtle diffuser and large bumper soften its look a little.

If you can’t tell, we dig the aesthetics of the NX, especially the subtle exterior features such as crystal-like front foglights and the unique side mirror design.

Step inside and those neat little design touches continue.

From the almost folded fabric-like design of the door trims to the soft-touch surfaces throughout, the NX’s cabin oozes luxury, class and quality.

The centre stack shape mirrors the front grille’s trapezoid shape, while all the buttons and switchgear have a nice heft and weight to them, and are laid out in an easy-to-use, ergonomic fashion.

Sure, look a bit closer and you might see some carryover items from lower-end Toyota models, such as the cruise control stalk but, be honest, if we didn’t point it out, would you have even noticed?

The Polestar 2 was already a slick, chiselled design, a work of pure Scandinavian minimalism, which effortlessly communicates its performance credentials through sturdy wheel arches and an athletic stance.

The brand hasn't wasted any dollars on changing things up this time around, with the car looking almost identical to its predecessor, aside from the filled-in-grille, a choice made to bring the 2 more in-line with the look of the incoming 3 large SUV and 4 mid-sizer. It's a little more science fiction and a little less Volvo, and that's all it needs to be.

Aside from this, it continues to exist in the new world of segment-bending electric cars, being part crossover, part sedan, and part hatch. I like it.

The only other change for this iteration is a new wheel design for the performance pack - too bad if you were expecting more.

This extends to the interior which has not changed for better or worse.

It's a great-looking space with its simplistic colour scheme, subtle ambient lighting, choice of interesting textures, and recycled materials, elements which pair nicely with the simple but functional user interface on the digital panels.

Like before, it's an advantage the Polestar even has a digital dash when compared to its Model 3 rival, although it would be nice to see further customisation available to the driver. As it is, the simple functionality is reduced to the bare minimum.

The same can be said for the main multimedia panel. It's a shame there are limited physical controls for the climate system, but it's a clever execution, almost all core functions are just one or two presses away. The same can't be said for most automotive software.

Measuring 4660mm long, 1870mm wide, 1645mm tall and with a 2600mm wheelbase, the NX puts it foot firmly into the mid-size SUV class.

Front occupants can easily get comfortable thanks to seats with a wide breadth of adjustment, while drivers also get a telescoping steering wheel that automatically raises when the car is turned off for easier ingress/egress.

Generous door bins up front will swallow large water bottles and any other paraphernalia, while two deep cupholders are found between the driver and front passengers.

If you want to tuck any items out of sight though, the glovebox and centre console bin will do the job, but there is also a hidden compartment where the driver’s touchpad palm rest.

Lift up the flap and your precious valuables can be hidden away, but look underneath the flap and it doubles as a handheld mirror to check you don’t have any food in your teeth before a date.

The outer two second-row seats offer ample room for six-foot-tall passengers, and – even with the front seats in our preferred position – there is plenty of legroom in the back.

Like most vehicles, the middle seat is a bit compromised, but in the NX it feels especially narrow and uncomfortable.

This isn’t helped by the middle seat’s seat belt, which comes down from the roof and intrudes well into the backrest of the neighbouring seat when not in use.

It makes loading the NX full of passengers tricky as there is a bit of shuffling around to get all the belts in place and passengers comfortable.

Our advice? Use the NX as a four-seater and just fold down the centre armrest, which also exposes two cupholders, for extra comfort.

Other rear seat amenities include air vents and storage pockets in the doors, the latter of which will accommodate water bottles or small items.

Open the boot and the NX will swallow 475 litres of volume, which can expand to 1520L with the rear seats folded down.

Boot space is down on its rivals, with all of the German models offering at least 550L of volume.

In real-world terms, this means the NX’s boot won’t close with a large- and medium-sized suitcase sat side-by-side, but has no problem with smaller cases.

Boot space might be lacking in the NX, but the hybrid system’s batteries have to go somewhere, and at least Lexus offers up two big bag books and tie-down points.

One of the major drawbacks of no interior design changes this time around means none of our complaints about the first version of the car have been addressed. By design, the Polestar 2 continues to offer a low, sporty driving position, and a relatively compact cabin, but it is one of the least functional and open of its rivals in this EV space, particularly those that take advantage of their fully electric platforms.

For example, the large raised centre console in the Polestar 2 continues to keep the space cosy and engaging, allowing your arm to rest close to the wheel, light control stalk, and multimedia panel, but offers precious little in the way of storage.

There are two small cutaways on either side, and a small tray for your phone and maybe a wallet, but no large pass-through storage area underneath like many of its rivals offer. There's also only one immediately accessible cupholder in the centre, with the second one inside the armrest console box, forcing you to choose between the two. Annoying on days you want to grab a coffee with your passenger on the go. For further storage, there are two bottle holders and map pockets in the doors.

The centre console area is also clad in a hard plastic material, so if you have longer legs your knee is forced to grate up against it, which can become uncomfortable on longer drives.

Still, no matter which of the three seat trims you get, they're all comfortable, and a driving position is very easy to find. It's also nice that heated seats and four-way power adjust are standard, and a central dial for volume control has not been forgotten.

The rear seat is comfortable for outboard passengers, with the same soft trim in the doors, and cosy seats. Behind my own driving position at 182cm tall, I have plenty of room for my knees, and width feels sufficient, although headroom might be an issue if you're any taller than me.

The rear door also doesn't open very far, and the descending coupe roofline means access isn't the easiest for less mobile passengers, and could be inconvenient for fitting a child seat or loading bulky luggage. The centre seat position is also compromised by a tall raise, an unfortunate necessity thanks to the Polestar's CMA platform which it shares with combustion Volvos.

Amenities aren't bad in the rear seat, however, with a large bottle holder in each door, a further two flexible holders in the drop-down armrest, two elastic pockets on the backs of the front seats, a power outlet, and dual-adjustable air vents. Cars with the Plus Pack equipped even get heated outboard rear seats, a nice touch.

The boot is unchanged this time around, continuing to offer a solid 405-litres (VDA) of space, with an under-floor cavity useful for keeping charging cables, and a pop-up divider, which is handy for stopping smaller luggage from being thrown around. The frunk is a uniform 41 litres, regardless of variant. It's big enough for a duffel bag perhaps, but it might be better to store things you don't need to access often, as I find frunks are a bit more difficult to access than under-floor areas in the boot.

When the original Polestar 2 launched it was a stand-out in a much less crowded EV market. An early $60,000 starting price was the norm, and the bar to beat was the entry-level Tesla Model 3.

So much has changed since then. The main issue this new 2024 model faces is it's more expensive, and people keen to hop into their first electric car can now choose the significantly more affordable MG4, BYD Atto 3, or GWM Ora. And at the Polestar 2's performance level, there's also now the choice of the Cupra Born or further discounted Model 3 and its Model Y SUV companion.

No longer able to stand out due to scarcity, the Polestar 2 now has to stand on its own, which is no doubt why a lot of the upgrades for this deeply facelifted version are far more than skin deep and serve to address many of our main complaints about the original version.

The blockbuster news is the range has switched from primarily front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive, which should have a significant bearing on both driving dynamics and efficiency, as well as upgraded and more powerful motors, with larger batteries for the whole range.

Unfortunately, this also comes with a price-hike of $3500 for the base Standard Range (now from $67,400 before on-road costs and state-specific EV discounts), or $3000 for the Long Range ($74,400) and Long Range Dual Motor ($76,400) variants. It seems reasonable given the significant upgrades, but it does serve to increase the price difference between this car and its closest competitors. However, the whole range still lands well under $100,000 which is not bad for a semi-premium EV proposition.

The Standard Range had important once-optional equipment added, including blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, a surround view monitor, and a wireless phone charger.

This adds to its carryover standard equipment list of 19-inch wheels, LED headlights, cloth seat trim with four-way power adjust and heating for the front passengers, an 11.15-inch portrait-oriented multimedia touchscreen running the Android Automotive operating system, Apple CarPlay connectivity, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, keyless entry and start, and dual-zone climate control.

The three option packs remain the same as before, although with a slightly altered set of inclusions.

The Pilot Pack ($3500) now adds adaptive cruise control, upgraded pixel LED headlights with fog lights, and emergency stop assist which can bring the car to a halt when the driver is unresponsive.

The Plus Pack ($6000) adds an energy efficient heat pump, premium harmon kardon audio system, a heated steering wheel, heated rear outboard seats, 'weavetech' seat upholstery, upgraded interior ambient lighting, an upgraded air filter, a panoramic fixed sunroof, upgraded trim for the cargo area, rear tinted windows, a foot sensor for the powered tailgate, and access to the digital key via the phone app.

Finally, the Performance Pack ($9000) continues to only be available on the top-spec Long Range Dual Motor version. It ups power to 350kW via a software tweak, adds 20-inch forged alloy wheels and a Continental SportContact tyre package, as well as Brembo brakes and dual-flow manually adjustable Ohlins dampers in the suspension. It also features a gold theme for the seatbelts, valve caps, and brake calipers.

Individual options include ventilated Nappa leather seat trim (which Polestar says is animal welfare approved) in a 'light ash' colour scheme, a set of 20-inch V-spoke wheels, metallic paint choices, and a folding towbar.

It's no longer one of the cheapest EVs on the market, but I'd argue the price increases are only moderate for a significant upgrade this time around. I'm particularly intrigued by the Standard Range, which now might be the pick (depending on your needs) with its significantly increased battery capacity.

Propelling the Lexus NX 300h F Sport is a petrol-electric mild-hybrid powertrain, combining a 114kW/210Nm 2.5-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine with two electric motors – 105kW/270Nm unit for the front axle and a 50kW/139Nm unit for the rear wheels.

The total system output is measured at 147kW, which is sent to all four wheels in our test var via a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT).

The zero-to-100km/h acceleration takes 9.2 seconds thanks to a fairly hefty 1895kg kerb weight.

The biggest changes for the 2024 Polestar 2 are ones you can't see, including the big switch to rear-wheel drive for 2WD variants.

But there are also new motors, outputting 200kW/490Nm in the base Standard Range, or 220kW/490Nm in the Long Range, a significant upgrade of 50kW/160Nm over the outgoing car.

Meanwhile, the Dual Motor version has been boosted by 10kW/80Nm for totals of 310kW/740Nm unless you splash for the Performance Pack which adds an additional 40kW via software tweak.

The 0-100km/h times range from 6.4 seconds for the Standard Range, to 4.2 seconds for a Dual Motor equipped with the Performance Pack. Solid numbers.

Official fuel consumption figures for the Lexus NX 300h is 5.7/ litres per 100km, though we managed a 7.6L/100km figure in our week with the car.

Our driving consisted exclusively of inner-city driving for groceries and just two trips down the freeway upon collecting and returning the car due to Melbourne’s lockdown rules.

But wait, there are even more invisible changes, including new batteries for every variant, while the switch to rear-wheel drive has made the drive units more efficient too.

The base Standard Range battery is now sourced from South Korea's LG Chem and continues to offer 69kWh, which this time translates to a 532km range according to the WLTP standard. This is a significant increase from the outgoing Standard Range, which could travel 440km between charges.

Meanwhile, the Long Range and Long Range Dual Motor variants can travel 654km and 591km between charges on their 82kWh CATL-sourced battery respectively.

The batteries have also come with charging capability upgrades, with the Standard Range now charging at up to 135kW on DC for a 10 - 80 per cent charge time of 34 minutes, and the Long Range versions charging at 205kW for a charge time in 28 minutes.

Both are able to top-up at 11kW on the slower AC standard, a nice amount to make it worthwhile plugging in at your local supermarket.

Though the Lexus NX might look sporty and dynamic from the outside, don’t be mistaken into thinking Lexus’ mid-size SUV is anything other than a comfy cruiser.

Steering remains light and lifeless in its default ‘Nomal’ drive mode, but even in ‘Sport S’ and ‘Sport S+’, weighting feels artificial and numb.

What this means is that the NX 300h F Sport is a joy to manoeuvre around town at low speeds, but is found lacking when the speedo climbs and the roads get a bit twisty.

Likewise, a stab of the throttle is met with a spike in revs and engine noise as the powertrain switches from its electric motor to internal combustion engine, but the expected thrust-burst never comes.

CVTs are generally tuned for better fuel economy, not a sporting drive, so it makes sense that the NX is a little more hesitant and lethargic to get up to speed, but the transmission does suffer from that ‘elastic’ feel where it can be slow to ‘shift up’ if it thinks you are wanting a sporty drive.

However, these shortcomings are especially evident when stacking it up next to the new Toyota RAV4 hybrid.

The NX is underpinned by Toyota’s MC platform, shared with the old RAV4, whereas the fifth-generation mid-size SUV that launched in 2019 is updated with a TNGA platform.

Much of our aforementioned criticisms in driving dynamics and snoozy drivetrain are fixed, or at least alleviated, in the latest Toyota RAV4, so here’s hoping the next-gen NX rumoured to break cover soon will be a welcomed step forward.

And while the current Lexus NX is certainly not the last world in SUV driving dynamics, it’s not trying to be.

As a daily runabout for the family, the NX is comfortable and predictable – just what some families might be after.

The suspension does a great job at soaking up road imperfections and little bumps you might find on your journey, helped by the comfy seats and great interior sound insulation.

What is noticeable though, is overcoming large bumps or any change in elevation at speed, where the NX 300h’s hefty weight means it takes just a touch longer to get settled again.

The cabin also feels a bit fussy from the driver’s seat, with the multimedia especially being fiddly and hard to navigate when on the move.

We reckon a rotary controller like those found on a BMW, or even better multimedia software as seen with a Benz, could go a long way in fixing Lexus’ multimedia woes.

Having said that, the system is compatible with Android Auto, and is laid out well on the widescreen, so you could easily forgo the annoying touchpad and janky software for a better experience.

Let's be clear: The new Polestar 2 feels like a completely different car, and all in a good way.

I was fortunate enough to test a previous Long Range Single Motor for four months just prior to this one launching, and it was bizarre to have the car feel so completely different with the same touch points.

Acceleration feels completely different, with the main thrust emanating from the rear rather than the front resulting in a smoother experience from the get-go despite increased power, and the regenerative braking has also been dialled back slightly, making for an easier flow when starting and stopping.

The steering also feels completely different, although it continues to consist of the same three computer determined weight settings. With the primary drive axle removed from the front though, all three settings feel instantly lighter.

One area Polestar is completely under-selling for this update is the vastly improved ride. The brand says only very minor changes have been implemented to the suspension itself, with the main benefit coming from a weight re-balance thanks to the change of primary drive axle. Whatever they've done, it's improved the car out of sight.

What was once an overly firm and stilted ride has become much more gentle and forgiving, particularly over the front axle, and is now much more competitive with the better EVs in this space, or even some of its combustion price-rivals.

It still manages to maintain the firm, controlled edge, while shaving off some of the brittle unpleasantness the previous car had.

The only area where it hasn't seemed to have improved is road noise. The large wheels and skinny tyres combine for a bit of a racket in the cabin on coarse-chip surfaces or when cruising above 80km/h, which is a bit of a shame.

The rear-drive dynamics though are superb. This car is now far nicer to swing into the corner. The feeling of control that could be broken by understeer at any moment is replaced by the joy of a more subtle feedback from the rear, and a car which has suddenly become a lot more playful. I would say it's a fair bit more locked down than the more flick-able Cupra Born, but finally backs its finely tuned steering with a bit of smile-inducing attitude.

The extra power on offer makes the Polestar feel a little stronger than before, but not outrageously so. The stock electronic stability settings keep the acceleration notably tame when you put your foot down, to discourage the rear-driven axle losing traction when the full 490Nm is at play. It's powerful, but ultimately sensible, so while it might not scare your passengers quite like higher-grade versions of the Model 3 or Model Y, it keeps a good balance between sportiness and safety.

The mildly upgraded Dual Motor meanwhile continues to be a complete weapon of a car, with absurd levels of grip backed by a very proactive torque vectoring system. It still maintains a sense of control when you plant it, but it's also deceptively fast as it surges forward in complete silence. The ride is even significantly improved on the Performance Pack-eqiupped Dual Motor versions, with a different stock damper setting applied.

More forgiving, faster, and even more fun? It's rare for a manufacturer to actually apply all the learnings from the previous car for a next-generation offering, let alone a mid-life facelift. Bravo.

Safety equipment is largely the same for the updated Polestar 2, although key items like blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert have finally moved off the options list and become standard equipment on base cars, joining the existing suite of auto emergency braking with pedestrian, cyclist, and intersection detection, lane keep and lane departure systems, as well as driver attention alert and traffic sign detection.

The very good adaptive cruise control suite is still behind the $3500 Pilot Pack paywall, but this will also net you upgraded LED headlights.

An impressive suite of eight airbags is also standard fit alongside dual ISOFIX child-seat mounting points on the outboard rear seats. The pre-facelift Polestar 2 secured a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating to the 2022 standards.

Like all new Lexus vehicles, the NX 300h F Sport comes with a four-year/100,000km warranty, along with roadside assist over the same period. A six-year anti-corrosion is also part of the aftersales assurance package.

Scheduled service intervals are every 12 months/15,000km, whichever comes first.

The first three years/45,000km of scheduled servicing is capped at $495 for each annual service, which falls under the brand’s Encore service that also entails pickup and delivery of the NX, loan car, and wash and vacuum.

Lexus ownership also means owners will be access to exclusive events, dinners and drive days, as well as promotions from partner hotels.

Although servicing costs are relatively cheap for the first three years, Lexus’ four-year/100,000km lags behind luxury brand leaders Mercedes-Benz and Genesis, who both offer five-years/unlimited kilometre assurances.

The Polestar 2 is covered by a five-year and unlimited kilometre warranty, up to the industry standard, and also nets a complimentary five year/100,000km service plan.

Servicing is fulfilled at select Volvo workshop locations, and the interval is 24 months or 30,000km whichever occurs first. This means at least your first two services will be free. Hard to beat.

The car can even improve over time thanks to over-the-air updates, which have thus far tweaked and improved front-wheel drive versions, as well as adding features and apps to the software suite.