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While the Lexus NX has underwhelmed many in previous incarnations, the 2023 NX 450h F Sport gets the recipe right. It is luxurious and fun to drive at the same time, as Host Jack Nerad found during his week-long road test of the small luxury crossover. With 302 horsepower on tap from its plug-in hybrid powertrain, the NX takes on a performance-oriented demeanor that other trims in the line only hint at. On top of the extra juice, the plug-in version provides buyers with 37 miles of all-electric range. The icing on the cake is stellar fuel economy. The 450h is EPA-rated at 84 MPGe.
Inside, the NX delivers a Lexus level of luxury. And the new Lexus multimedia systems do not disappoint. They are easy to use and full-featured in ways that the previous Lexus systems were not.
In our other road test this week, Co-Host Chris Teague takes a long look at the all-new 2023 Honda Accord Hybrid. After being reluctant about hybrids for years, Honda has recently done an about-face on the technology. For the 2023 model year, the top-level Accords all boast hybrid powertrains. The top-of-the-line Accords also feature a new and mightily improved infotainment setup, as Tague describes this week.
In the news, a major global automaker says it might be forced to limit shipments of some of its vehicles to states that have adopted the California fuel economy and air quality standards. If you are a Left Coast musclecar fan this might be extremely bad news. We’ll tell you which automaker it is and what the issues are in this episode.
Tesla still has some safety investigations to deal with, but it is out of the woods in at least one of them. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced it is closing a probe of a controversial former Tesla feature that allowed occupants to play games on its infotainment screen while the vehicle was in motion.
And in the true crime files automotive edition, A Turkish court has made rulings in cases involving former Nissan chief and now fugitive Carlos Ghosn.
Our guest for you this week is Brent Gruber, Executive Director of the Electric Vehicle Practice at J.D. Power. He is extremely knowledgeable about what’s going on with EVs and, in particular, consumer attitudes about them. He will share them with us this week
America on the Road is brought to you by Driving Today.com, Mercury Insurance, YourTestDriver.com, and EMLandsea.com , the publisher of Nerad’s latest book, Dance in the Dark, which is available HERE on Amazon.com
