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82 Main St. N. Georgetown 905-873-6127 Honest, Reliable Service Since 1989 To book an appointment www.bratinauto.com Free Local Shuttle Service OIL CHANGE MAINTENANCE SPECIAL 061214 *Most Vehicles Expiry August 31, 2014 (Includes 30 Point Inspection) Bratin Auto Ontario Drive Clean Test and Repair Facility for all light duty vehicles $4995* Expiry August 31, 2014 061214 AIr CONdITIONING PErfOrMANCE TEST $6995 Is Your Car Cool? Thursday, July 10, 2014 Special pullout section 8 Pages First Drive Lexus NX proves smaller is better WHISTLER, BC: The NX marks what Lexus says is the brand's "first entry into the luxury compact crossover seg- ment". Which may confuse some (it did me) because the RX was one of the first small luxu- ry CUVs and arguably remains the benchmark for the seg- ment. Lexus sees the NX as being positioned below the RX as an "exciting entry point to the Lexus crossover and luxury utility vehicle family". Presumably the RX will grow in size with the NX be- ing the first line of defense as the Germans, in particular, are coming down market in search of greater sales vol- ume with offerings such as the Mercedes-Benz GLA and BMW X1. Underscoring this was the fact the press launch was held at the end of June even though the NX does not arrive in Ca- nadian showrooms until fall at the earliest. Optional package and over- all pricing weren't announced because Toyota Canada and Japan are still negotiating on that. Same thing for fuel num- bers which were, when this in- troduction was held, nearing completion but not finalized. But one thing for certain is that Lexus sees the NX as a volume breakthrough leader globally, with China and Eu- rope as important as North America. There will be two engines for the Canadian market start- ing with the first twin-scroll turbo in the NX 200t. This 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder with 235 hp and 258 lb/ft of torque with a six-speed au- tomatic tuned to the torque curve of the engine. The other engine is found in the NX 300h which features a 2.5-litre Atkinson-cycle gaso- line engine with a combined power rating of 194 hp (torque NA) in concert with hybrid generator/motor/battery and a CVT transmission with manu- al shift mode. Both models are offered with all-wheel-drive. In addition, there is the NX 200t F Sport with styling ex- tras including a mesh grille in- sert, machined-finish wheels, black exterior mirrors, inte- rior ornamentation, paddle shifters, and sport seats. The body/platform was de- signed to be highly rigid, but is bolstered by a package of underbody reinforcements such as additional bulkheads and spot welding, suspension braces, and the use of Lexus body adhesive, laser-screw welding and high-rigidity glass adhesive. The F Sport is further en- hanced by performance shocks and spring rates to match its more sporting nature. A design priority was mak- ing the NX as handy as pos- sible in tight, urban environ- ments. With a wheelbase of 104.7, it is a tidy 182.3 inches long and 72.6 inches wide. Visually, you know this is a Lexus starting with the "spin- dle grille" and ending with L- shaped taillights. Something new is a door handle with hidden key slot and integrated lighting. On the inside, soft-touch materials are countered by metallic trim. The driver and front seat passenger will find kneepads on the bottom of the centre stack for extra support when cornering. See LEXUS, pg. 3 The 2015 NX 200t and NX 300h (shown) are the first entries by Lexus into the red-hot small luxury crossover segment. By JIM ROBINSON Metroland Media