Lexus Virgin

[Nelsthebass]

Hi All - never having owned, or really driven, a Lexus in anger, I decided to take the plunge and order an NX300h SE for my next company car back in July for arrival on the 11th December. This was to replace a Range Rover Evoque ed4, which, contrary to a lot of naysayers, was an exemplary drive and ownership experience, had virtually no issues throughout its 3 year, 101,000 mile tenure and returned a genuine 43mpg over the period - lets say the NX has an awful lot to live up to!

Initial impressions over the first 400 miles are very favourable from a comfort and performance perspective although fuel economy is a little low so far but I guess will improve as the engine loosens up. The serenity both under Battery and engine power is something to be experienced and slipping along on the motorway at 70 with only the rustle of wind noise and tyre hum is very welcome after an oil burner.

The seats, whilst cloth, are very comfortable and a whole lot softer than the leather in the RR - to be honest the other half prefers cloth to leather and I must admit it can be bloody cold in winter before the seat warmers kick in and sticky hot in summer.

Some downsides are that the radio setup is truly frustrating with little information in the manual and even the multi page online version is not very explicit, the telephone is poor in comparison to the RR touch screen with absence of shortcuts and no apparent link to voicemail without having to set up as a contact in your phone book and the audio quality of calls seems poor and tinny in comparison again to the RR.

I am learning the accelerate and coast method to maximise Battery useage on A and B roads and seems to improve economy on my second tankful and as I driver around 700 miles a week, I will update as things progress.

All my colleagues were sceptical of the colour to start - Mesa Red - but once seen in the flesh, have all expressed approval for it as it seems to change from maroon when cloudy to bright red in full sun - not that there has been an awful lot of that just at the moment.

It has proved itself invaluable as a tow car within 24 hours of owning as rescued a mud stuck car from a field with the aid of a tow rope with the rear traction motor giving assistance without masses of wheel spinning.

More to follow as the miles increase.....

[DJP]

Thanks for posting this Paul, always good to hear the first impressions from a new member of the Lexus club. The infotainment system is a definite Achilles heel for Lexus. Another member has just posted similar thoughts on the IS300h section.

As far as the mpg is concerned be ready for another disappointment if you are hoping to achieve similar to the RR. I couldn't achieve all round 43mpg in my IS300h, and the NX is heavier and less aero dynamic than the IS. I'm 2500 miles in and returning 36. Not sure what size tyres you have but would be very surprised if you could get 40+ mpg.

On the other hand, the car is a lovely place to be, and you described it nicely. Also good to hear the "intelligent" AWD worked, I'm always slightly sceptical of "intelligence" in this respect so good to know it works!

Lexus also does great colours!

[LEXUS-MARQUE]

Hi Paul,

Welcome and congratulations on your new car - you beat me by a day as I got mine on Dec 12th!

I so nearly went for the Mesa Red as they had one in the showroom but ended up with Sonic T.

Glad you are liking it so far, I'm the same.....we can compare notes as the miles go by - although I think you will be doing more miles than me by the sounds of it!

Great choice and hope she brings you many miles of enjoyable motoring.

All the best

Oh and Merry Christmas!

[Nelsthebass]

Well a week has gone by and so have 1000 miles of varied driving - from Motorway to fast A and B roads - and the experience is very favorable - the comfort still amazes both in the quality of the seats (which I had read was exemplary and truly lives up to the reviews) and the supreme serenity of the actual drive.

It is definitely a different drive from the RR - that had masses of torque that would pull up tree stumps and made overtaking effortless, but driven in Sport and with a bit of forward planning, the NX surprises a lot of other drivers at how fast it gets away. Up to about 50mph its also great at the traffic light GP but over that the noise of the engine at full chat tends to encourage a more sedate right foot!

MPG, for those anal like me, has got better, with the last two fill ups, with Super, have shown 40.5 and 39.1 - so I feel a little happier about that too...

One thing that I have bought that should be a standard feature is sill protector film as you do catch your shoes on the wide sills that have already shown some marks - hopefully will T-Cut out before I fit it next week....

Happy Days!

[DJP]

Well a week has gone by and so have 1000 miles of varied driving - from Motorway to fast A and B roads - and the experience is very favorable - the comfort still amazes both in the quality of the seats (which I had read was exemplary and truly lives up to the reviews) and the supreme serenity of the actual drive.

It is definitely a different drive from the RR - that had masses of torque that would pull up tree stumps and made overtaking effortless, but driven in Sport and with a bit of forward planning, the NX surprises a lot of other drivers at how fast it gets away. Up to about 50mph its also great at the traffic light GP but over that the noise of the engine at full chat tends to encourage a more sedate right foot!

MPG, for those anal like me, has got better, with the last two fill ups, with Super, have shown 40.5 and 39.1 - so I feel a little happier about that too...

One thing that I have bought that should be a standard feature is sill protector film as you do catch your shoes on the wide sills that have already shown some marks - hopefully will T-Cut out before I fit it next week....

Happy Days!

Glad you are enjoying it, and it is a versatile vehicle. Your mpg is good too, at the upper end of range I would say.

[alanc745]

Paul, enjoyed your write ups, I to have been converted but from Jaguar!

Again I went for the Mesa red on an IS 300h Fsport which is very different from the 3.0l XF that I part exchanged.

Have been able to get an average of 42.6mpg over my last fill up.

Have leather seats, but went for the heated & cooled option & have found them more comfortable than jag.

Have got used to the mouse set up & have worked out the sat nav now.

Phone works well on mine & use the voice dial for short cuts.

Only slight down side I have found is the boot opening is smaller than I was used to.

But I am still glad I made the choice that I did.

My consumption on the same journeys was averaging 22mpg, & although it does not quite have the same prestige as jag, it is far more exclusive!

Wish I had made the change before now, got mine in October but have not even covered 1500 miles yet.

So I am sure my consumption should improve over time both as the engine loosens up & I get more used to it.

I was going to say when the weather warms up in the summer, but it is not really that cold yet.

Notice you too are a Staffordshire owner, where did you purchase your NX from?

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[steveledzep]

" it does not quite have the same prestige as jag"

I'm surprised to hear you say this.

I've always considered Lexus ahead of Jag, on both engineering and luxury. That's because I'm nearly sixty and associate Lexus with the LS400, LS430 ranges and also the GS ranges.

Perhaps the popularity of the CT range has lessened Lexus' standing in the prestige hierarchy ?

[DJP]

Having been a Jag owner, albeit some years ago, I too consider Lexus ahead in pretty much every department, except maybe Joe Public's perception of the brand. In days gone by Jag was the MD's car and aspirational as a consequence.

Sent from my Iphone using Tapatalk

[Goggy]

Good right up and I agree with what you say about the car. For me, it is extremely comfortable to sit in and it's a nice place to be. I drive at a sedate speed mostly, and the car is best driven that way in my opinion. However there is power there when needed, although some would not like the whiny engine noise when pressed, but it does not bother me. The infotainment system is not a class leader, in fact it needs improving, but it does do most of what I want, once I found out how to do it. The MPG for me is lower than you are obtaining, but most of my journeys are of very short duration so it is never going to be at it's best. Overall the car is excellent, my wife thinks so too, so much so that she often wants to drive it and I am in the passenger seat. :(

[Nelsthebass]

Paul, enjoyed your write ups, I to have been converted but from Jaguar!

Again I went for the Mesa red on an IS 300h Fsport which is very different from the 3.0l XF that I part exchanged.

Have been able to get an average of 42.6mpg over my last fill up.

Have leather seats, but went for the heated & cooled option & have found them more comfortable than jag.

Have got used to the mouse set up & have worked out the sat nav now.

Phone works well on mine & use the voice dial for short cuts.

Only slight down side I have found is the boot opening is smaller than I was used to.

But I am still glad I made the choice that I did.

My consumption on the same journeys was averaging 22mpg, & although it does not quite have the same prestige as jag, it is far more exclusive!

Wish I had made the change before now, got mine in October but have not even covered 1500 miles yet.

So I am sure my consumption should improve over time both as the engine loosens up & I get more used to it.

I was going to say when the weather warms up in the summer, but it is not really that cold yet.

Notice you too are a Staffordshire owner, where did you purchase your NX from?

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

It's a Lex lease car so not local - it came from Lexus Bradford but I will use Lexus Stoke when it needs servicing.

[Goggy]

Forgot to say. I have read that most find the off-road ability of the NX very good, the rear wheel traction being better than a lot of other (so called) off-roaders. It will not be as good as any Range Rover SUV mind, they are the best for that job.

I do like the NX in Mesa Red, I was very tempted myself. Although to be honest, all the NX colours look nice. :)

[royoftherovers]

Welcome to the club Paul and glad you are settling in nicely.

101,000 TROUBLE FREE MILES FROM ANY RANGE ROVER has to be as rare as hen`s teeth!

Regards

John

[rayaans]

I would say that Lexus is ahead of Jag. On a side note let's not forget Lexus sell more cars than Jag in Jags home market!!!

[alanc745]

Oh, looks like I have started something off now!

It's more a people's perception regarding the status of the brand, build quality & comfort for me go to Lexus.

The keyless entry door handle lock & unlock sensors on Lexus are far superior compared to that on the Jaguar.

Big decider for me was car availability with my choice of extras & Jaguar did not come anywhere close on fuel consumption, even with an all aluminium body chassis arrangement.

XE felt cheap when I had a 24 hour test drive although the 3.0l supercharged had plenty of acceleration it just fell short of being worth the money.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[rayaans]

Oh, looks like I have started something off now!

It's more a people's perception regarding the status of the brand, build quality & comfort for me go to Lexus.

The keyless entry door handle lock & unlock sensors on Lexus are far superior compared to that on the Jaguar.

Big decider for me was car availability with my choice of extras & Jaguar did not come anywhere close on fuel consumption, even with an all aluminium body chassis arrangement.

XE felt cheap when I had a 24 hour test drive although the 3.0l supercharged had plenty of acceleration it just fell short of being worth the money.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

I agree on perception. A lot of people highly regard Jaguar and expect a lot from one, maybe it's because it's British?!

But I do feel they skimp out on interior quality, XE, XF and F type all suffer from tinny feeling interiors especially door panels and lack of padding.

[Sparks16]

A work colleague and I changed at the same time (August) he went for the new XE Jag and I went for the NX300 F Sport.......guess who's the jealous one ! :-)

[Nelsthebass]

Over 1400 miles into ownership now and the experience gets better and better as I learn to drive using the hybrid system effectively - I have read many reviews saying that the 300h is no good in hilly areas - well I don't know what they have been driving but I don't seem to have any issues with mine, especially in Sport setting. I regularly travel the B4364 between Ludlow and Bridgnorth and, if any one else knows it, it's quite a rise and fall over the Clee hills and let's put it this way I went from 55 to 80 overtaking a Focus this morning before I had chance to say " Feck me" on one of the steepest bits! Next fill up beckons which I feel will not be as kind as the last ones mainly down to the type of journeys I have been doing and also standard supermarket petrol which I wouldn't normally bother with in any of my cars but they had no super and was running on fumes.......

[DJP]

I think sometimes the engine noise gives the impression the car is struggling, a quick glance at the speedo tends to confirm it certainly isn't. What does suffer in hilly areas is the mpg as the weight of the car usually means its petrol driven and not electric power at work.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[rayaans]

It struggles on hills in eco mode. In normal it's pretty sluggish up the hills and makes way too much noise. Not to mention the mpg goes from 35-38 straight to 20-21mpg

Overtaking requires too much effort and planning in the NX300H, the 200t is better in this regard.

[DJP]

I think eco mode is pointless, IMO is makes the car unresponsive and sluggish. Much better to leave it in normal. I haven't had any difficulty in overtaking, as with all these things it's very subjective and my advice is DYOR. An extended test drive will confirm whether a car meets ones requirements or not.

Sent from my Iphone using Tapatalk

[Nelsthebass]

Again, I don't have any issues overtaking - like all aspects of driving, a little foresight helps, especially in the NX, but I find it has plenty of poke, in Normal and Sport certainly, provided you bury the accelerator past the pseudo kick down point - then it flies!

[Wicksy]

My son has the Jaguar XE R Sport and as much as I love my IS300h F Sport the Jag's interior blows it away in terms of design, and in my opinion, quality in most areas, especially the sat nav which makes the Lexus offering look and act ancient.

Lexus would trump the Jag in terms of reliability, exclusivity and customer service but I don't think that would be enough to sway me from opting for the upcoming Jaguar F Pace rather than making my next car the NX.

[Nelsthebass]

Jaguar F pace is a re-bodied Evoque - that's not saying it's bad as my Evoque was awesome and tbh was a lot more secure throwing around a set of tight bends than the NX - I could give a Fiesta, what is probably the best handling hatch you can get, a good run for its money in it but I wouldn't begin to do that in the NX as it is not as connected to the road in the same way. Interior wise, it's all a matter of personal preference - the Jaguar is nice in a slightly old school smooth way, like the Evoque, whereas the NX is angular and a bit more radical.....

[Wicksy]

I had the Evoque before the IS - beautiful interior but rattles aplenty which LR could not fix - it had to go

[Martin J]

Isn't the F-Pace quite a bit longer in the wheelbase than the Evoque? I've yet to see the F-Pace in the metal, but it looks an elegant and identifiably Jaguar design, albeit a conservative one alongside Nobuyuki Tomatsu's edgy NX shape.

As far as I can see, though, all the F-Pace models bar one (the supercharged petrol) are powered by diesel engines, presumably with the usual start-up and low-speed clatter, not to mention NOx and particulate emissions. It's surprising that JLR haven't been quicker to develop a petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain for the F-Pace given the well-deserved antipathy to diesel in the US and China, and increasingly, post-dieselgate, in Europe..