The Lexus NX Had A Removable Flat Mirror That Definitely Wasn’t For co*ke, I Don’t Know What You’re Talking About - The Autopian (2024)

Lexus is not a brand normally known for odd features. It doesn’t put its ignition switch in the center console like a Saab, or heat its door locks like an old BMW, or offer in-car vases like a Volkswagen New Beetle. However, even this brand can occasionally dabble in oddities, and like when the quiet member of your group says something out-of-pocket, it’s a bit more shocking when it does. You want crazy? Let’s jump back to the 2015 model year, when the Lexus NX debuted with a questionable detachable piece.

When Lexus launched the first-generation NX for the 2015 model year, it came with the corporate infotainment trackpad that was widely loathed. Because using a trackpad while in motion without anywhere to rest your palm is about as accurate as brain surgery performed whilst skydiving, Lexus saw fit to include a little padded bump for hand stability. However, this also gave the NX a little bit of real estate between the palm rest and the lid to the center console, and Lexus decided to capitalize on that.

Instead of merely just a cubby, Lexus installed something that likely had good intentions behind it. However, because people are people, this little feature could enable some seriously bad behavior [Ed Note: Seriously bad seems a little judgmental, it’s just hooverin’ schneef -MH]or just be an amusing talking point for those of us with a questionable sense of humor.

The automaker decided to give its NX crossover a perfectly flat, reasonably hidden detachable mirror with a tiny amount of storage space beneath it. Presumably, it was a way to fix your face while you’re on the go, whether that means plucking a stray eyebrow hair, putting some salicylic acid on a pimple, or for those who wear makeup, touching up cosmetics. However, I’m not entirely sure that story checks out, simply because just about every car has mirrors for this purpose that aren’t easily detachable. After all, this is exactly what the vanity mirrors in sun visors are for. They let you go hands-free, and on most newer cars, those vanity mirrors are even illuminated.

So, other than offering close-up reflections of say, your teeth, what would a perfectly flat detachable mirror be used for? Given that the NX crossover was aimed at young professionals with active, busy lives, there’s a potential use for the mirror involving a credit card and a bank note, although it’s illegal in most places. Think “Miami Vice” or “Scarface” and you’re on the right track. It might not have been conceived as a portable booger sugar surface, but it certainly has the dimensions and flatness to function like that.

Unsurprisingly, there aren’t many recent cars with detachable mirrors in their center consoles, and even Lexus has moved away from it with the second-generation NX, launched for model year 2022. It ditched the mirror, and indeed the trackpad altogether, likely as an overall benefit to owners tired of the old, fiddly user interface in the old car.

So, if you’re looking at picking up a used Lexus NX, maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to clean the detachable console mirror extremely well before you say, cross a border. While it’s likely that most owners simply aren’t aware that they have a detachable mirror in the center console, it’s also possible that a handful of owners both know of the mirror and make frequent use of it for nose beers.

Unless you’re the sort of person who has a kink for cavity searches, and we aren’t judging if you are, a little bit of elbow grease on a Lexus NX with dubious history could save you a whole lot of trouble with the law.

(Photo credits: eBay, Lexus)

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