2019 Lexus NX Knocks It Outta the Park in Crash Tests
For the 2019 model year, the Lexus NX sees a boost in safety ratings. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has rated the mid-size luxury SUV a Top Safety Pick Plus — the insurance-industry-backed automotive-safety advocacy agency’s highest designation.
Related: Crash-Safety Goal Post Moved for 2019: Which Cars Scored Top Honors?
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On a scale of good, acceptable, marginal or poor, the 2019 NX earned good ratings in all six of IIHS’ crash tests — the driver-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint evaluations, and the newest passenger-side small overlap crash test. The good rating in the passenger-side test applies to models built after January 2019, when structural reinforcements were added to provide better protection in small overlap frontal crashes.
The standard front-crash prevention system in the NX earned a superior rating on a scale of superior, advanced or basic. In track tests, the SUV avoided collisions at 12 and 25 mph.
Perhaps the highest point of praise for the Lexus NX was its headlights. Both available headlight options — the base static LED projectors and the optional curve-adaptive headlights — earned the top rating of good in IIHS evaluations. Both headlight options feature high-beam assist, which switches from high beams to low beams automatically in the presence of other cars.
While IIHS gave the NX props for both its standard and optional headlights, that is not the case for many of its competitors. The 2019 and 2020 Acura RDX also received a Top Safety Pick Plus award, but only for models equipped with optional good-rated headlights. The same goes for the 2019 Volvo XC60, which earned the next-level-down Top Safety Pick award only for trim levels with acceptable-rated headlights.
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