Toyota Land Cruiser vs Lexus NX250

What's the difference?

The Sahara version of the LandCruiser 300 is an impressive large 4WD wagon: refined and comfortable on-road, and it adequately retains that renowned ’Cruiser capability off-road.

It's supremely comfortable seven-seater and has heaps of potential as a touring vehicle, but while there's plenty to like about the Sahara spec, the updated seven-seat GXL (up $2029, to $110,820 excluding on-road costs) offers a more appealing compromise between price and features, especially now that it has a cool box in the centre console, four-zone climate control (previously two), and eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat (with lumbar support), among other additions.

So, is the cheapest Lexus NX the grade you’d skip? Depends on where you live and drive.

If you’re urban based and bound, save up a bit more and go the petrol-electric hybrid; otherwise, out on country roads especially, the spirited and sporty NX 250 is more than up to the task.

Either way, though, the latest NX is finally fit to fight the other premium brands’ medium SUV efforts, head on and held up high. Welcome to big mid league, Lexus.

Ignore or underestimate at your own peril, everybody else.

The LandCruiser 300 Series in Sahara spec strikes a nice balance between practicality and prestige.

The Sahara's exterior has a distinctive LandCruiser appearance: chunky but modern-ish and ready to be fitted with Toyota genuine accessories or aftermarket gear.

The Sahara is 4980mm long (with a 2850mm wheelbase), 1980mm wide and 1955mm high. It has a listed kerb weight of 2620kg.

The Sahara’s exterior has that distinctive LandCruiser appearance, but modernised.

Otherwise, there are chrome exterior mirrors and door handles, and dynamic indicators front and rear that add to its overall quietly classy appearance.

The Silver Pearl premium paint on our test vehicle costs $675. Other paint choices include Glacier White, Ebony, Crystal Pearl, Graphite, Merlot Red, Eclipse Black and Dusty Bronze.

Lexus says that nearly one million of the original-shape NX versions were produced, so there’s no way that the brand was going to mess with the styling of the latest version. Which explains why picking new from old is a serious case of trainspotting.

But that migration to the TNGA GA-K platform has brought some benefits from a design point of view. The styling now breathes more, especially when viewed rear-on, thanks to a body that’s 20mm longer and wider, as well as a handy 30mm wheelbase stretch.

Drilling into the details, the headlights have an LED ‘tick’ motif, the corporate ‘spindle’ grille isn’t as in your face and the rear gains ‘LEXUS’ lettering spelled out, probably to accentuate stance.

Crisp and elegant, the design works well. This is a handsome machine. Looks expensive too.

There's a sense of familiarity in the 300’s cabin – it's a functional yet premium space – and it's an easy cabin in which to become instantly comfortable.

The driver gets a heated and power-adjustable steering wheel, and ventilated, heated and power-adjustable seat (with power lumbar adjustment), while the front passenger gets a ventilated, heated and power-adjustable seat.

All seats are leather-accented, comfortable and there are soft-touch surfaces throughout the interior.

The Sahara's 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen is a main feature in the cabin and it's easy to use, now with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and there's a wireless charging pad near the shifter. There are USB-A and USB-C charging points upfront.

The centre console houses a cool box and its lid can be opened from either side, so driver or passenger can access whatever is inside.

And – will wonders never cease? – the Sahara has a powered sunroof (aka moonroof).

There are the usual storage spaces, cupholders, receptacles in the doors for bottles, and myriad other spaces for the stuff that you carry every day.

Second-row seats are in a 40/20/40 split-folding configuration, and the third row is a power-folding arrangement that stows away forwards and flat.

The Sahara's cargo space, when all seven seats are in use, is a listed 175 litres (VDA) behind the third row, increasing to 1004 litres when the second and third row are stowed away.

The rear cargo area has a 220V/100W inverter and four tie-down points.

Though distinctively attractive and obviously well built, the previous NX was quite small for a medium-sized SUV inside, with tight rear legroom.

It also had a nonsense mouse-operated multimedia controller that was fiddly, annoying and counter-intuitive to use.

Thankfully, the new-from-the-ground-up design has rectified both these issues in the latest version.

Now the NX is properly medium-sized, and so easier to get in and out of, as well as palpably roomier front and rear. Employing the RAV4’s TNGA architecture results in a lower and roomier cabin, that benefits all in terms of packaging.

Being the entry-level 250, you might not expect much in terms of interior presentation or style, but Lexus Australia’s product planners have been deft in specifying this grade to make it look luxurious and on-brand.

Body-hugging bolstered perforated leather front bucket seats, in our example finished in a black/cream hue with orange stitching, belie the base-grade reality of the 250. This scheme is also found on the centre console, armrest and door cards, lifting the ambience no end. It looks, feels and smells expensive in here.

The only thing that seems to be missing is a smartphone charger. That's part of a $3K option pack that also throws in a sunroof and foot-operated actuation for the electric tailgate. Not bad.

Then there’s the driving position, with an electrically-operated reach/height adjustable steering column and a multi-configurable seat to help find the right spot. All-round vision is also better than you might expect, no doubt helped out by huge exterior mirrors and a large reversing camera screen.

Typical Lexus-style classy digital instrumentation, directly ahead, are positioned in such a way that you’re not really aware of/missing the available head-up display in higher grades. Though it takes a quick amount of familiarisation, all the info there is ultimately clear and easy to take in.

The same applies to the now touch-only centre screen, which has a slick rich finish and tactility, and also encompasses the climate-control display.

Along with banishing the dreaded mouse pad, kudos to Lexus for also installing physical switches or buttons for the most-used items – audio volume, temperature setting, and front and rear window demisting.

These and the simplified sub-screen menus for navigation, wireless telephony/audio streaming, vehicle diagnoses and vehicle settings amongst other features, is quickly second-nature in their accessibility and operation. And the sound system quality is great too.  

One of our very few complaints concerns the Apple CarPlay experience, which seems needlessly complicated to return to if you temporarily switch away from it to the NX’s native multimedia system. Confusing and distracting. 

Never mind. There are minivan levels of practicality at work here, from the superb and easily manipulated ventilation system to the seemingly endless storage options, that include bottle holder capability in the doors, a clever lid operation for the huge centre console and properly engineered cupholders.

Lovely lush materials of satisfying quality are further plus points.

We’re also fans of the NX’s electric door opening system with a failsafe handle, meaning you can grasp the door handle inside or out and a solenoid activated by a press in of a thumb releases the door quickly and naturally in a single action; it feels… upmarket and ergonomic once accustomed to.

Accessing the back seat is easy due to the latest model’s larger proportions. Much of the same applies out back as the front seat area in terms of quality of finish and attention to detail. Sculptured and enveloping backrests (adjustable for two reclining positions), a well-padded cushion and more-than-sufficient space for two burly adults or three smaller people means this NX is more family friendly than the swoopy exterior styling suggests.

We’re also happy to find large people-facing air vents, two USB and a 12V outlets, one-touch electric windows with that premium-car soft close mechanism, overhead LED lights, grab handles, centre armrest with cupholders, map storage behind both front seats, coat hooks and good lines of vision further enhance the appealing and comfortable back seat environment. It feels like a Lexus should.

Further back than that, after releasing the electric tailgate via either an interior button or exterior switch, you’ll find that the boot has a fairly high loading lip, but then offsets this with a long, flat floor with matching levels of appropriate-quality finishes. Another 12V plug and two bag hooks are included, along with ample lighting and tie-down hooks. There’s also a hidden deep storage compartment underneath the floor, due to the discontinuation of a spare wheel (due to runflat tyres, remember).

Capacity is rated at a fairly ordinary 520 litres, extending to 1411L with the split/fold backrests folded. You’d expect a remote actuation for the latter like Mazda wagons have had for decades, but none is found at this price point.

Note there is no solid cargo cover either, just a flexible/flimsy fabric item that’s foldable and easily stored.

Overall, though, despite of its base positioning within the NX hierarchy, the 250's interior experience is in keeping with the brand's image.

Priced from $60,800 (all prices are before on-road costs), NX 250 Luxury equipment levels are – in a word – generous for an entry-level proposition. In fact, we thought our test vehicle arrived jam-packed with options, but what’s in the photos is standard fare.

There’s no scrimping on safety, for example, with eight airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), front and rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitor, lane-keep and steering assist, adaptive cruise control, LED lights with auto high beams and Safe Exit Assist – which won’t allow doors to open if vehicles or cyclists are whizzing by and in danger of being struck. Clever.

The NX 250 also scores keyless entry/start, a 9.8-inch touchscreen featuring ‘Hey, Lexus’ voice control, sat-nav, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, digital radio, powered steering column adjustability, electric front seats with heating, dual-zone climate control, a powered tailgate and 18-inch alloys running on 235/50 runflat tyres (so no spare wheels whatsoever).

About the only thing we’d like is a smartphone charger, though that’s available as part of a $3000 Enhancement Pack 1, which also throws in a sunroof and kick-sensor activation for that powered tailgate. All for under $64K. Job done.

This is provocative pricing. A base Genesis GV70 RWD starts at $68,500, a Q5 35 TDI diesel FWD costs from $68,350 or nearly $73,000 for the quattro petrol AWD – as does XC60 Plus B5 AWD, an X3 sDrive20i RWD is $76,600 and a GLC 200 RWD is now from $77,305.

Even with the Lexus’ EP1 box ticked, they make the NX 250 seem like conspicuously good value for money.

You’ll find luxuries like leather, adaptive headlights, instrumentation head-up display, a larger touchscreen, vented seats, surround-view camera, premium audio and 235/50 R20-sheathed 20-inch alloys in the bestselling 350h hybrid grade, in either swishier Sports Luxury or racier F Sport grades; both begin at $73,100, AWD adds $4800 and another (rear-sited) electric motor, while that price also covers the rapid and non-hybrid 350 Turbo AWD F Sport.

The flagship NX is the 450h+ F Sport AWD plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) from $89,900. The company’s (and Toyota’s) first such tech for Australia.

All NXs include Lexus’ ‘Encore’ aftersales subscription program offering myriad offers and services including “free” car rental.

The Sahara has the 300 line-up’s 3.3-litre V6 twin-turbo diesel engine, producing 227kW at 4000rpm and 700Nm from 1600 to 2600rpm.

It has a 10-speed automatic transmission, high- and low-range 4WD, as well as a centre diff lock.

What it also has is a handy array of 4WD-focussed driver-assist tech onboard, which includes crawl control, downhill assist, hill-start assist, multi-terrain select, multi-terrain monitor with panoramic view, and active traction control (A-TRC). 

It also has what’s called turn assist which, when activated through crawl control, helps to reduce the 300’s turning radius by braking the inside rear wheel – and while it initially seems like a bit of a novelty, this feature may come in very handy if you have to work your way through especially narrow and twisty bush tracks.

There are two ways of looking at this.

Yes, the NX 250 is powered by a variation of the same engine found in the humble base Camry Ascent in Australia at almost half the price. On the other hand, it’s a Toyota powertrain and everything that’s good and reliable and dependable about that. Which is not always the case with premium SUVs.

Dubbed Dynamic Force, which may imply forced-induction like a turbo or supercharger but there isn’t any, the 2487cc 2.5-litre naturally aspirated direct-injection D-4S twin-cam four-cylinder engine delivers 152kW of power at 6600rpm and 243Nm of torque at between 4000rpm to 5000rpm.

Drive is sent to the front wheels only, via an eight-speed torque-converter automatic. Tipping the scales at a pretty hefty 1705kg, it’s nonetheless the lightest NX, and manages a power-to-weight ratio of 89.1kW per tonne. That’s about the same as a GLC 200, which uses a 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine.

Official fuel consumption is listed as 8.9L/100km on the combined cycle.

I recorded 12.4L/100km on this test, which is reasonable considering I did a solid half-day of low-range four-wheel driving, book-ended by 100km of highway driving.

The Sahara has an 80-litre main fuel tank and a 30L sub-tank (totalling 110-litre fuel capacity) so, going by my on-test fuel-use figure (12.4L/100km), you could expect a driving range from a full 110 litres of almost 890km.

Rated Euro6b, the NX 250 demands 95 RON premium unleaded petrol. Same as Camry, actually,

We recorded a decent 9.7 litres per 100km during our time using the NX 250 in city, urban and rural conditions, against the trip computer’s 9.5L/100km and the official combined average of just 6.9L/100km.

Note this may be so because there was a lot of fast back-road driving, as the engine loves a rev and there’s a palpable wave of power that comes on strongly between 5000rpm and 6500rpm. A bit like Mazda’s naturally-aspirated units, but just not as sonorous.

At 55 litres, the fuel tank will allow for up to 797km based on the combined average cycle between refills.

The Sahara is quiet and well-behaved on-road.

Steering is light and responsive and, with a 11.8m turning circle, this big 4WD feels nimble in the bush, even on tight tracks or pinched approaches to hills or creek crossings.

The V6 offers up plenty of power and torque, and that’s smoothly managed through the 10-speed auto.

Ride and handling are well sorted but, this being a LandCruiser, it’s soft and comfortable, rather than dynamic.

Its suspension – double wishbone, independent at the front and live axle and multi-links at the rear, with coils all-around – manages to soak up most imperfections in the road surface.

The 300 Series' brakes – ventilated discs all-around – brought the big Cruiser to a controlled stop during two emergency-braking scenarios.

The Sahara does miss out on some of the handy 4WD gear featured in the two higher grades (Sahara ZX and GR Sport), namely Toyota's sway-bar-disconnect equivalent electronic Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (included onboard the GR Sport), front and rear differential locks (GR Sport), adaptive variable suspension (Sahara ZX and GR Sport) and a rear torque-sensing limited-slip differential (ZX).

But ultimately, unless you're really going all-out to break your Cruiser while 4WDing, then the Sahara has enough old-school and new mechanicals and driver-assist aids to get you through the majority of off-road challenges.

Put it this way: we managed all obstacles at our testing ground without any strife.

The V6 produces more than enough power and more torque – up 27kW and 50Nm over the V8 – and that power and torque is consistently delivered across a broad rev range.

The 10-speed auto is a clever match for this engine, making for a smooth pairing, never floundering through ratios in an attempt to find the sweet spot; it’s always pretty close to bang-on.

High- and low-range gearing are solid in the 300 Series, and the Cruiser has a 50:50 centre diff lock.

There’s also a comprehensive suite of driver-assist tech onboard aimed at making your off-roading escapades easier and safer.

The traction control system has been well calibrated and is quite seamless in its application.

The 300's multi-terrain select system includes driving modes such as Sand, Mud and Rock to suit the terrain you're on. These modes adjust various vehicle systems – including throttle control, engine output, and transmission response – to give you the best chance possible of tackling every off-road obstacle safely and in a controlled fashion.

Off-road measurements and angles are decent: ground clearance is 235mm, wading depth is 700mm, and approach, ramp-over and departure angles are 32, 21, and 25 degrees, respectively.

As well as its dialled-in off-road traction control and all of those driving modes, it has handy tech such as crawl control, which works like a low-speed cruise control.

Its tyres are the only real flaw in the 300 Series’ off-road set-up, as its standard Bridgestone Dueler all-terrains (265/65R18) are better suited to dry-track, light-duty 4WDing in good weather than taking on any hardcore 4WDing.

In terms of towing capacity, the 300 Series can legally tow a 750kg unbraked trailer, and the industry-standard of 3500kg braked for large 4WD wagons.

The NX 250 truly is a tale of two cars.

Around town, it is utterly capable and benign. The 2.5-litre atmo four-pot petrol unit is a revvy, raucous sort of engine, pulling away strongly off the line, responding quickly to pressing down on the throttle, shuffling up through seven of the lower gears smoothly (top is a highway overdrive), and generally being an easy vehicle to drive.

About the only concern is how noisy the engine can become if you’re needing to accelerate hard, with a definite mechanical zing that gives the Lexus a bit of a hoon attitude. We’re also a little hesitant about using the Sport mode in built-up areas, as ratios are held on to whether up or down shifting, amplifying the loud nature of this powertrain.

Other aspects of the NX 250’s driveability around town rate highly: light yet linear steering, with a tight turning circle providing easy manoeuvrability and parking; firm yet still absorbent suspension, offering an appropriately isolating ride over most bad road surfaces; and an overall sense of sound engineering. It seems quieter than an equivalent RAV4, more importantly.

Which led us to initially conclude that, in an urban environment, you’d naturally pay the extra $3K for the NX 250 Hybrid, to eliminate that noisy engine when pushing down hard on the throttle. Easy.

However, then we ventured out on a long rural drive, a few couple of hundred kilometres from the big city. On country roads, the NX 250 really sparks up in a most compelling way.

Yes, the engine is still a bit rowdy, but as the revs rise and the needle edges near the 6800rpm red line, the Lexus just keeps on building up speed rapidly, providing an unexpectedly sporty edge. Above 5000rpm this thing still has plenty of oomph, relying on a deep well of power to really extend its legs.

It also makes sense to slot the auto lever into manual, and use the finely positioned paddle shifters. That’s when you’re most aware of the gearbox being a torque-converter auto, with defined and assertive selections. It’s a good way to feel involved in the experience too.

Actually, as a mechanical ensemble, it all comes together at speed; that light and easy steering remains relaxed yet reactive, weighing up nicely if you choose Sport. The handling maintains a fluid, connected feel, with ample levels of grip from the Bridgestone tyres.

It occurred to us that driving the NX 250 Hybrid out on rural backroads would deny the enthusiast of the base model’s lightness and agility, since the latter weighs hundreds of kilos less; the brakes are perfectly modulated instead of feeling vaguely mushy and/or trigger happy as with many electrified SUVs; and – even with the road noise being well-supressed – you’re far less aware that the atmo petrol engine is singing loudly at speed.

Plus, the ride out in the sticks, even on our craggy old test strip that would jar the bones of some other midsized SUVs, remains calm and comfortably firm. That’s real progress for the NX.

We’d appreciate a bit more nuance in the way the stability control kicks in (quite late) to catch the tail; while the driver-assist tech like the adaptive cruise control and lane-keep assist do their jobs admirably, the latter’s constant chiming can be annoying; and there's a fair amount of road-noise intrusion over coarse bitumen. Like most midsized luxury SUVs, actually. Still quieter than a RAV4, though.

No jarring faults then. Lexus has done its homework and fixed most of the things that annoyed or infuriated us about the previous generation version. Good work.

Tested in July, 2022, the latest NX range delivers a five-star ANCAP crash-test rating. It managed high scores in all four categories: Adult, Child and Vulnerable Road User protections, and Safety Assist technologies.

You’ll find eight airbags (providing coverage to all outboard occupants, also taking in dual-front occupant knees and centre item to stop lateral head strikes).

The AEB system with intersection assist works between 5-80km/h for pedestrian and cyclist detection and works day and night, while the car-to-car protection works between 5-180km/h.

Then there’s lane-tracing, lane-keep and steering assist, that works between 50-200km/h, as well as blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control with stop/go functionality, auto high beams, road sign recognition, front as well as rear cross-traffic alert, reverse parking cameras, all-round parking sensors, tyre pressure monitors and Safe Exit Assist – which won’t allow doors to open if passing cyclists or pedestrians are in danger of being struck.

There’s also Intersection Turn Assist, providing early brake activation if required, Emergency Steering Assist (extra steering assistance to help keep the vehicle in its lane) and Emergency Driving Stop System.

As with most new vehicles nowadays, anti-lock brakes with brake-assist and electronic brake-force distribution is also standard, along with stability and traction control systems. Lexus provides three rear-seat child-seat tether anchorages and two ISOFIX latches, fitted to the outboard positions of the back bench.

The LandCruiser 300 Sahara is covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is par for the course in the mainstream market. Owners may extend the engine and driveline warranty to seven years by adhering to service schedules.

Service intervals are scheduled for every six months or 10,000km, whichever comes first. Those timings are shorter than the more usual 12 months/15,000km.

Capped-price servicing applies to the first 10 services at a cost of $420 each (correct at time of writing).

Since the beginning of 2021, Lexus offers a five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty with roadside assistance. It used to be four years.

Service intervals are at 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.

The NX also includes three years and 45,000km of capped-price servicing, with each one costing $495 – and as we’ve noticed in the recent past, that is very highly competitive pricing for a luxury brand.

Plus, there’s also Lexus’ ‘Encore’ aftersales subscription program offering myriad offers and services.