Nx F Sport Courtesy Car

Bodmeister · October 14, 2015

My Premier has gone in for some warranty work to sort out the side steps. The dealership has provided me with a F Sport without AVS ( no sport + mode).

Now after driving it for a while it feels hell of a lot more composed and it's ride is more refined. The Premier seems crashy in comparison. I just don't understand it. The pressures on the Premier are set at 33psi and it has the same Yokohomas as the F Sport.

ColinBarber · October 14, 2015

See how it compares once you get your one back. As you say it doesn't really make sense other than the Premier suspension and wheel combination don't suit UK roads.

Worth double checking that no transit blocks have been left in the suspension

If you still feel your vehicle isn't as refined at the F Sport then I'd be asking to test another Premier to make sure there isn't just an issue with your vehicle.

wh05apk · October 15, 2015

I had a similar experience, I have an IS Premier, and last week had an "exec" loan car with 17" wheels, I couldn't believe the difference, the ride was much better, meaning I was more comfortable throwing it around, the noise levels were far lower, I think the wheels/tyres are chosen for style rather than comfort, I suspect as Colin says the suspension/wheels are just not suited to our roads, and effectively they have spoiled a great car for style.

ColinBarber · October 15, 2015

I can understand the difference between the 18" wheel models and the 17" ones, it is the same with the IS. But to experience the F Sport, with the same size wheels and stiffer suspension, as having better ride quality over the Premier just doesn't seem right.

rayaans · October 15, 2015

What reg were these cars? We all know that Lexus has a knack of changing things without telling anyone.

Id assume the lateral dampers are doing their job in absorbing the vibrations from the road and hence feeling more composed.

Actually, come to think of it, one the RX forum, a bloke changed his RX Luxury for an RX F-Sport and also said that the ride was more composed with less vibrations.

With regard to the IS, I felt the Premier was the weakest model in the range. It didn't handle as well as the F-Sport but I couldn't feel any major difference in ride quality between F-Sport and Premier.

Bodmeister · October 15, 2015

My Premier is 15. The F Sport is 65. Even my wife said it feels better. There is something wrong. The more I drive it, the more I feel there is something wrong with my car.

rayaans · October 16, 2015

My Premier is 15. The F Sport is 65. Even my wife said it feels better. There is something wrong. The more I drive it, the more I feel there is something wrong with my car.

Hmm they may have tweaked the suspension slightly.

Something new with the NX is the availability of Mark Levinson on F-Sport models too so perhaps its a tweak. Has the F-Sport got a Sport + mode indicating AVS?

Bodmeister · October 16, 2015

The F Sport doesn't have AVS ( no sport+ mode). Just weird.

rayaans · October 16, 2015

The F Sport doesn't have AVS ( no sport+ mode). Just weird.

That is odd - id say Colin is probably right then about the Premier wheel and shock combination isn't suited to UK roads. The lateral dampers on the F-Sport are supposed to reduce vibrations and i'd say they're probably doing a good job at it then.

Goggy · October 17, 2015

If the ride on the sport (due to lateral dampers) makes it a smoother ride than the other cars in the range that does not make sense. There is an argument that the dampers should be used on all NX's.

I declared my need for a smooth ride to the dealership I bought my car from and was told to avoid the 'sport', maybe that was wrong information.

DanD · October 19, 2015

Amit, maybe you should voice your concerns to the dealer and get them to test your car while they have it...

Bodmeister · October 19, 2015

Rayaans was bang on re the dampers. The Premier doesn't have them but the F Sport ( without avs) does. I took another Premier on a short run and its the same as mine. It's really weird. The Premier on super smooth roads is whisper quiet, and the FSport is quite noisy. And the opposite applies on rough/bumpy surfaces!

Hopefully the RX Premier with AVS will rectify these issues.

rayaans · October 19, 2015

Rayaans was bang on re the dampers. The Premier doesn't have them but the F Sport ( without avs) does. I took another Premier on a short run and its the same as mine. It's really weird. The Premier on super smooth roads is whisper quiet, and the FSport is quite noisy. And the opposite applies on rough/bumpy surfaces!

Hopefully the RX Premier with AVS will rectify these issues.

The NX F-Sport with AVS has the dampers too but not many cars are available with that option to test drive.

I think the RX Premier doesn't have the lateral dampers either. However, having said that, the current RX F-Sport has less suspension noise than the NX F-Sport which is odd.

ColinBarber · October 20, 2015

The Premier on super smooth roads is whisper quiet, and the FSport is quite noisy.

That is a bit odd too. Did they have the same tyres? In theory they should but Lexus chop and change tyre vendors.

Bodmeister · October 21, 2015

They both have Yokohama Blue earth .

RXJasonRX · December 1, 2015

Hi I have an RX 400 H and I was given the NX Sport for a courtesy car when my RX was in for the MOT I found the ride very harsh and my back was aching after a few miles in the F sport, so I would go for the Premier myself

thank you

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ColinBarber · December 28, 2015

Hi I have an RX 400 H and I was given the NX Sport for a courtesy car when my RX was in for the MOT I found the ride very harsh and my back was aching after a few miles in the F sport, so I would go for the Premier myself

thank you

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

Why, if the Premier is even harsher than the F Sport?

RXJasonRX · December 30, 2015

I should think the premiere would be softer. It's supposed to be the top of the range of luxury after all, not sports oriented.

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ColinBarber · December 31, 2015

I should think the premiere would be softer. It's supposed to be the top of the range of luxury after all, not sports oriented.

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That's the whole point of this thread - an owner of a Premier has found the F Sport, which he had as a courtesy car, had a more refined ride which goes against what is expected.