First of all, the opinions on the navigation system vary widely and are very subjective. I find it meets my needs but then I also admit I don’t need it very often in my home area. I personally think the complaints are greatly exaggerated though. Yes, the smartphone apps have more current data and are included with the phone so there is no extra cost, but I will not use my smartphone in the car while driving and appreciate the larger in-dash display. I cannot speak to the car nav’s voice recognition as I just don’t use those features.

As to acceleration, I really think you just need to take one for a test drive because that too is somewhat subjective and depends a great deal on your expectations. I can say that I am easily doing highway speed before I enter the freeway lanes. I don’t even have to push it particularly hard. The complaints about hybrids most likely come from people that don’t own one and don’t understand them. The NX is our fourth hybrid. We also own a Lexus ES hybrid which uses the same drivetrain although the NX adds an electric motor for the rear wheels as ours is AWD. Anyway, even our former Priuses were doing the speed limit upon hitting the traffic lanes on the freeway, although you definitely had to push them a bit to make the speed by the end of the onramp. Where you might see a bigger difference is with passing power on two lane highways. The hybrid doesn’t have as much power at highway speeds and you will need a longer stretch of highway to pass.

Do not buy a hybrid if you are thinking the long term cost will be lower than a conventional car. It is really quite the opposite. When you factor the extra cost at time of purchase and the ultimate cost of the battery replacement (which will most likely occur somewhere between 10 and 14 years) of $4K - $5K, the economics do not work out to be cheaper given today’s fuel prices in the US. There are many other features of the hybrids that I like though, such as the smoother quieter drivetrain. I don’t have any of the vibration at a stop because the gas engine shuts completely off at idle. The electric motors have more instant torque than the gas engine (at low speeds) so they really do well in commuter driving. Anyway, we have really enjoyed our hybrids, but make sure you test drive and compare for yourself, and don’t forget those hidden costs of long term ownership.