The Lexus NX is due for a redesign following more than half a decade of sales, and while the exact date remains up in the air, we anticipate the next-generation model will break cover within the next year. But we have some hints about what’s to come. Recent trademarks for “NX 250” by Toyota, the parent company of Lexus, in places such as Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines may point to a new entry-level powertrain for the Lexus compact crossover SUV.
Given the next NX may ride on the same Global Architecture-K platform that underpins the latest Toyota RAV4, it’s likely the Lexus crossover will also share its Toyota kin’s 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine. Well, that’s if the “250” in “NX 250” is anything to go by.
While Lexus’s numerical model naming scheme doesn’t necessarily correlate to the engine displacement (see the LS 500 sedan, which uses a twin-turbo 3.5-liter six-cylinder engine), it often does. Assuming this is the case, then it’s likely the next NX will ditch its current 235-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four for the RAV4’s naturally aspirated unit. If so, then expect Lexus to squeeze a few more horses out of the 2.5-liter four-pot relative to its Toyota-badged kin, which makes do with 203 ponies.
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Of course, Toyota hasn’t trademarked “NX 250” in the U.S., so it’s possible such a model may never make its way to the States. Or that the brand is simply trademarking the name for no reason besides that it can. We’ve reached out to Lexus for comment but have yet to hear back from a brand representative.