Lexus NX review – an efficient, upmarket hybrid SUV
The best Japanese cars you can buy in 2024
Japan builds some of the most hi-tech, reliable and fun cars in the world – here are 10 of the best
Few countries are regarded as highly for car manufacturing as Japan. The island nation has an almost unmatched legacy for automotive innovation and a knack for combining cutting-edge technology with everyday usability. Whether you're after bulletproof reliability, eco-friendly efficiency, or just something that’s a bit more fun behind the wheel, Japan has something to offer.
Brands like Toyota, Honda, and Nissan have become household names in the UK, and for good reason – they consistently deliver quality vehicles that cater to a wide range of needs and budgets. Specific models, like the Toyota Prius and Nissan GT-R, have achieved global recognition for reinventing their respective market sectors, while the Nissan Qashqai has long been a UK best-seller.
In this list, we’ll be taking a closer look at some of the best Japanese cars available today, covering everything from urban runarounds to luxury SUVs. So, whether you're in the market for your next car or just curious, keep reading to find out the models worth buying.
- Priced from around £44,000
The Lexus NX is a premium hybrid SUV, and we think it’s the best Japanese car on sale today. It encapsulates everything the nation does well, with unique styling, cutting-edge hybrid tech and a reputation for rock-solid reliability. The quality of the materials inside the cabin are top-notch, and everything is put together with typical Lexus precision.
The standard hybrid engine is smooth and efficient, but the plug-in hybrid stands out as the powertrain of choice. It’s significantly quicker than the regular car, while delivering better fuel economy and an electric driving range of up to 40 miles. Sure, it’s not cheap, but it could make great financial sense for business drivers thanks to its low 8% Benefit-in-Kind rate.
- Priced from around £35,000
The Honda Civic was revolutionary when it first appeared in 1972, serving as a low-cost, fuel-sipping mode of transport for the masses. Over 50 years later, the 11th-generation Civic has grown in both size and cost, but it’s still an excellent family hatchback that’s easy to live with and fun to drive. The interior is intuitively laid-out and well-built – more so than a Volkswagen Golf – while there’s plenty of room in the back seats for adults.
Like Civics of old, the latest model is great to drive along a twisty road. The self-charging hybrid engine is punchy, but it’s clearly happier when driven smoothly – something the Civic responds to very well. Stepping up to the Honda Civic Type R adds another £15,000 to the price tag, but it’s arguably one of the best hot hatchbacks of all time.
- Priced from around £31,000
Another name as iconic as the Honda Civic, the Toyota Corolla arrived at a similar time to fulfil a similar brief. Like the Civic, the original Corolla found popularity with buyers looking for an affordable and reliable family car, and today’s 12th-generation model is designed to appeal to a similar audience.
The Toyota Corolla uses the brand’s self-charging hybrid powertrain, a technology it’s been continually developing since the 1990s. In its latest guise, the system can return up to 64mpg, making the Corolla one of the most efficient family hatchbacks on sale. The combination of low-speed electric driving and a smooth CVT gearbox makes the Corolla a relaxing car to drive around town, but it’s also surprisingly fun to thread along a B-road.
- Priced from around £40,000
Nissan rewrote the family car rulebook in 2007 with the hugely popular Qashqai, its first mid-size SUV. Hopes were high that the brand’s first electric SUV, the Nissan Ariya, would repeat the trick, but sales haven’t taken off in quite the same way. However, the Ariya is still one of the best Japanese cars on sale today, thanks to its balance of range, quality and price, combined with sharp styling that stands out in a sea of similar SUVs.
The Ariya has clearly been set up for comfort over sportiness, and we think that’s no bad thing. There’s little wind or motor noise to report, while the suspension does well to soak up the worst of our UK roads. If you do want an extra turn of speed, you can swap the standard car’s 215bhp single motor for a 388bhp dual-motor setup. Alternatively, the performance-focused Ariya Nismo promises to deliver sharp handling and straight-line speed to fill the void left by the old Nissan GT-R supercar.
- Priced from around £75,000
Britain has the Land Rover Defender and Germany has the Mercedes G-Class, but Japan has the Toyota Land Cruiser, its go-anywhere bomb-proof 4x4. The Land Cruiser has been in production in some form or other since 1951, and the newest iteration is the most capable yet. It sticks to its rugged origins, with an old school ladder frame chassis and a 2.8-litre turbodiesel engine, yet it feels more refined than ever before.
However, the Land Cruiser still feels most at home tackling a muddy track or scaling a rocky incline. There’s plenty of mechanical grip, but the high-tech terrain response systems give it the ability to take on pretty much anything you throw at it. As a bonus, we think it’s one of the best-looking cars on sale, too, with a shamelessly boxy appearance.
- Priced from around £28,000
Along the right road, the Mazda MX-5 will put a bigger smile on your face than practically any other car you can buy. Its secret is simplicity – there’s no hybrid system here, no turbochargers, no dual-clutch gearboxes and certainly no rear seats. Instead, you get a joyful drop-top driving experience that’s very hard to find these days.
The fourth-generation MX-5 has come a long way from the original 1989 model, with more power and a much more sophisticated interior, but it still retains its key philosophy of fun. Somehow, Mazda has managed to make the latest model even smaller than the original car and barely any heavier, bucking today’s trend towards bigger, bulkier cars. It’s brilliant fun to drive as a result, with a sense of feedback and responsiveness that many sports cars have lost.
- Priced from around £27,000
Honda could have played it safe with the fourth-generation Jazz by fitting a run-of-the-mill petrol engine like most urban runarounds. In true Japanese fashion, Honda instead decided to throw the technological kitchen sink at the Jazz, fitting a complex hybrid system with a petrol engine, two electric motors and a single-speed gearbox. The result is a remarkably hi-tech hatchback, delivering great fuel economy and nippy performance.
The shape of the Jazz has barely changed since it made its debut in 2001, meaning you still get a roomy interior with enough space for four adults to sit comfortably. It's hardly the most stylish car to leave Japan, but the Jazz has been designed with function over form, something that many hatchback buyers will appreciate. If there’s one area that lets the Jazz down, it’s cost – it may be cheap to run, but at around £27,000, it’s a lot pricier than rival hybrid hatchbacks.
- Priced from around £62,000
Luxury SUVs seem to be all the rage these days, with models like the BMW X5, Mercedes GLE and Audi Q7 finding plenty of popularity with UK buyers. While the Germans appear to have a grip on the market, the Lexus RX offers a sharply-styled and lesser-spotted Japanese alternative. It’s the largest model the brand offers, delivering the high material quality and impressive craftsmanship associated with the Lexus badge.
The RX isn’t as fun to drive as a BMW X5, but it was never meant to be. Lexus designed it from the outset to prioritise comfort, which makes sense for a large SUV. As a result, the RX feels perfectly happy cruising around town or along the motorway, with plenty of power from the self-charging hybrid system or the pricier plug-in setup. There’s even optional four-wheel steering to aid manoeuvrability at low speeds.
- Priced from around £44,000
Most drivers would associate Japanese cars with reliability, technology and affordability, and they wouldn’t be wrong, but cars like the Toyota GR Yaris prove that the nation knows how to nail fun, too. It’s a true rally car homologation special, meaning it was built with the intention to go racing. As a result, it gets a totally bespoke body with three-doors – versus the regular Yaris’s five – a trick four-wheel drive system and option of an automatic or manual gearbox.
There’s no hiding the fact that the GR Yaris is expensive, even more so following a mid-life update, but the truth is that there are few cars as driver-focused on sale today. If you want a modern day rally-bred performance car that channels the ethos of old Mitsubishi Evos and Subaru Imprezas, the GR Yaris will be worth every penny.
- Priced from around £28,000
Mazda has always done things a bit differently to other car manufacturers, and the MX-30 is the perfect example of this. It’s Mazda’s first electric car, arriving in 2020 with a quirky small SUV design. In the metal, it’s closer in size to a regular family hatchback, but its wheelarch cladding adds some trendy chunkiness, while its unusual rear-hinged back doors evoke the RX-8 sports car of the 2000s. The interior is a bit odd too; there’s not much room in the rear seats, but up front feels special for this price point, with use of cork and recycled plastic materials.
The MX-30 is different from other small EVs with its tiny 35.5kWh battery. Its on-paper range of 124 miles looks laughable against today’s 300-mile-plus EVs, but Mazda says the MX-30 is aimed at urban drivers who only cover short distances day-to-day. In that scenario, the MX-30 makes a lot of sense, as you’re not lugging around the added weight of an unnecessarily large battery, which improves the driving experience. For those who want to travel further, the MX-30 R-EV swaps the EV powertrain for plug-in hybrid power, using a small rotary engine to generate electricity for the battery.
Why not read our list of the most aerodynamic cars on sale today?
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