Motoring worlds

What is it? Lexus has made its way to India with an intention to set the brand apart from others by breaking the mold in terms of design, offering hybrid powertrains and promising superior levels of customer experience; and with this strategy, the Japanese luxury car manufacturer has entered India with three cars – ES300h, RX450h and LX450d. Now, seven months after the brand’s entry into the country, Lexus has brought us its newest, most-stylish and most affordable crossover in the shape of the NX300h. Like the ES300h sedan and the RX450h crossover, the Lexus NX300h is also a hybrid and that will be one of its key USPs (unique selling proposition) amidst other petrol and diesel-powered offerings on sale. In terms of dimensions, this car is a bit shorter and narrower than a Mercedes-Benz GLC; however, with an expected launch price of around Rs 60 lakh (ex-showroom) it’s a bit more expensive than the GLC, BMW X3 and Audi Q5, and actually falls bang in the territory of the Jaguar F-Pace...

The confusion starts pretty early on, actually. I’m handed a key, and as I walk up to the parade of Panameras parked before us, I click down the unlock button and walk up to the white one that lights up. But it’s not until I walk around to the back of the car to load my bag into the boot that I realise I’ve been given the key to a ‘regular’ Panamera, and not the Sport Turismo. The two are identical from the nose to the rear door, and even beyond that, the roof is raised so subtly, you might not be able to spot it at first glance. Heck, the Sport Turismo even has the same tail-light cluster as the standard car, with the band of red LEDs sitting above the word ‘Porsche’ and connecting a pair of slim 911-like lamps on either side. The roof of this estate car actually tapers downward ever so slightly, which makes you wonder, how much more space could they have possibly squeezed out of it? PRACTICAL MAGIC The answer to that is 50 litres, which seems like a pittance, when you consider...