The trend of rugged SUV revamps has reached the soft-spoken Lexus NX. The posh crossover has an Overtrail trim option in Europe, but the result isn’t as rugged as you might expect. It combines only a few minor visual enhancements with a bit more ride height, lest you find yourself treading on unfamiliar ground outside the city limits.
The NX Overtrail starts with a set of “chunky” Dunlop Grandtrek all-terrain tires mounted on trim-specific 18-inch multi-spoke wheels. The suspension gets a whopping half-inch lift, which sounds small but is noticeable when looking at the NX Overtrail from the side. Between that and the tires, it has a bit more attitude compared to other trims.
Photo by: Lexus
From there, the changes are purely aesthetic, relegated to an abundance of black trim. Lexus adds a dark finish to all the prominent exterior pieces, including the wheels, roof rails, door handles, side mirrors, fog light housings, and the spindle grille. A new beige exterior color called Moon Desert joins the palette, exclusive to the NX Overtrail. Inside, a largely black synthetic leather interior has contrasting tan on the seats, console, and doors. Overtrail gets special wood inserts on the door panels. A new Trail drive mode is added to tech systems to better handle loose surfaces.
The rest is standard-issue NX. In Europe, the Overtrail trim is available on NX 350h and NX 450h+ plug-in hybrids, and in some areas, the combustion-only NX 350. We contacted Lexus about availability in the United States, but have yet to receive a reply. Considering the simple changes and the thirst for rugged-themed SUVs in America, it seems like a no-brainer to bring the Overtrail Stateside. We’ll jump in with an update if new information becomes available.
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