Absolutely love my new NX

sheri1 · February 10, 2019

Having just moved from an IS300H to an NX Luxury, I have to say that I am absolutely delighted with the car.

It does everything I need so well and I have even begun to master the touch pad.

It is very different to the IS and I still have few things to master, which reminds me of a question:

When I picked up the car from Lexus Newcastle, I received just a quite basic combined manual for the car, which does not contain enough detail of either the car or the premium nav system.

My IS had two comprehensive manuals, one each for the car and navigation system. Is this normal, or should I have received two manuals as I did with the IS.

Looking forward to many happy years of motoring in this lovely car.

ColinBarber · February 10, 2019

18 minutes ago, sheri1 said:

Is this normal, or should I have received two manuals as I did with the IS.

I don't think they come with both full manuals these days. Download them from https://www.lexus.co.uk/my-lexus/

cadman2k · February 10, 2019

What made you change to an NX and which model of an IS did you change from?

I'm considering a move from my CT and either of these would be the next move but with the new UX appearing its probably adding to the choice now.

Any issues with the IS over your term of ownership? Assume this is now available at the dealer. May be worth a look if a good car

sheri1 · February 10, 2019

I had the IS (Executive edition) from new and it was a lovely car. I had no issues whatsoever with it. Lovely to drive and really quick for a hybrid. Fuel consumption was very good for a 2.5 engine. I got 45 - 55 on average with normal driving. It was fully serviced by Lexus Teesside from new when I bought it.

I am getting ready for retirement and wanted something that would offer me more flexibility and was easier to get in and out of (the IS is quite low but is very comfortable to drive). The NX fits the bill perfectly for me.

The IS is currently advertised on Lexus Newcastle website (NX66XVZ) for £19995. A bargain in my view and somebody will get a very nice car.

Definitely worth a look.

Old Sandy · February 11, 2019

Pleased you like it Ian, out of interest just wondering why you changed from Teeside Lexus to Newcastle. Did you find you got better service there.

Talking of manuals mine only came with a basic users guide and I had to wait three weeks for the sat nav manual. Eventually after complaining to Lexus that when I spend that amount of money on a new car as a traditionalist I expect a full reference manual, and one eventually arrived about four weeks later. As they like to be known as a premium quality (not cheap) manufacture I thought their green excuse was a poor cop out just to save money. If I have problems I need something in the car that I can turn to quickly. If they're suggesting I should carry a tablet with me at all times then I believe they should provide one with the car instead of a paper manual.

Enjoy your NX, it took me a while to grow into mine, even though I've got a few issues to be stored at first service.

sheri1 · February 11, 2019

The only reason I bought this car from Newcastle is because they had in the exact model and colour I was looking for at a great price. Other than that I will stick with Lexus Teesside. I have arranged a service plan with Teesside as I cannot fault the service from them at all.

No complaints from Newcastle though, other than they forgot to top up the washer bottle and the low level light came on during my journey home. Minor issue that shouldn't have happened.

In terms of the manuals, I have emailed Lexus customer service and await their reply. I agree though that a luxury car should come with a bit more than a basic instruction manual.

First_Lexus · February 11, 2019

22 hours ago, sheri1 said:

Having just moved from an IS300H to an NX Luxury, I have to say that I am absolutely delighted with the car.

It does everything I need so well and I have even begun to master the touch pad.

It is very different to the IS and I still have few things to master, which reminds me of a question:

When I picked up the car from Lexus Newcastle, I received just a quite basic combined manual for the car, which does not contain enough detail of either the car or the premium nav system.

My IS had two comprehensive manuals, one each for the car and navigation system. Is this normal, or should I have received two manuals as I did with the IS.

Looking forward to many happy years of motoring in this lovely car.

Congratulations on your new NX. On the forum actual NX owners seem to be very happy with their choice, I certainly am.

Manual wise I asked Lexus customer service on the day I picked up the car and had a full set - for free - just a few days later delivered by registered post. I reckon it took them three days (at most) from request to delivery, which was just superb.

Brace yourself though...they are big! Plenty to read to keep you busy finding out what it can do, especially the navigation system.

sheri1 · February 11, 2019

Hi Ed. I totally agree reference Lexus dereliction of duty in blaming environmental issues for not supplying hard copies of manuals.

However, I have received a response and they have promised to send them out to me, but they are by order only, so may take a while.

First_Lexus · February 11, 2019

7 hours ago, Farne said:

Pleased you like it Ian, out of interest just wondering why you changed from Teeside Lexus to Newcastle. Did you find you got better service there.

Talking of manuals mine only came with a basic users guide and I had to wait three weeks for the sat nav manual. Eventually after complaining to Lexus that when I spend that amount of money on a new car as a traditionalist I expect a full reference manual, and one eventually arrived about four weeks later. As they like to be known as a premium quality (not cheap) manufacture I thought their green excuse was a poor cop out just to save money. If I have problems I need something in the car that I can turn to quickly. If they're suggesting I should carry a tablet with me at all times then I believe they should provide one with the car instead of a paper manual.

Enjoy your NX, it took me a while to grow into mine, even though I've got a few issues to be stored at first service.

Out of interest Jon @Farnewhat issues are you having?

Old Sandy · February 11, 2019

It's taken me months to eventually come to terms with the CVT and it's habit of high revs. That's probably because I've had many years of low revving six cylinder diesel tiptronic type automatics and it is basically adapting to the difference.

I've got the satnav glitches where it just crashes regularly, then I have to reset radio stations et al. It has a habit of displaying my position often as being twenty or so miles away from where I am, even twice a couple of miles out to sea and about ten miles further down the coast, not to mention once it added nearly six miles to my journey for no reason what so ever.. Wish I was ambidextrous as I find the touch pad a real pain.

In the heavy snow ten days ago I had a 100 mile journey at night, I was caught in utter white out conditions on the A1 and just as I thought I would have to quit until the weather improved magically a snow plough appeared from a slip road and he LED a convoy of six of us through fresh snow about ten to fifteen cms deep for the next fifty miles. The car handled the snow perfectly with only a couple of minor slips later on hard packed untreated snow. After about 15 minutes of constant blizzard conditions I then got constant repetitious warnings flashing on the dash ie. fwd cam disabled, lane departure warning disabled, auto breaking disabled, and I think the other was the cruise control radar disabled. The fact they weren't working didn't worry me as the car was driving perfectly well. The annoying thing was I ended up enduring the constant flashing of warning messages and the orange triangle for around 40 minutes non-stop. Obviously I couldn't stop to try and sus it out as I was in a single lane convoy, however I can only assume that it must have been a build up of snow on the front of the car. Strange that it should mention the front camera as there isn't one fitted on my car. It makes me wonder how they cope with there NX's in Canada if they get the same problems in their very regular snow storms. I've never had those problems with the Touareg and Audis and Hondas in heavy snow. I just had the standard Bridgestone tyres and did not have a problem really with grip on ice or snow excepting the two minor slips.

Makes me sound a right moaner, but I enjoy the comfort and general peace of the NX, if only quieter tyres were fitted as standard. I'm hoping that when she goes in for service in the next couple of weeks they'll sort those problems and the infotainment which seriously is the worst satnav I have ever had in a car. Fortunately I very rarely need to use it as most of the time I know exactly where I am going.

It just niggles me a bit when you go for premium build cars and you get stupid minor problems that I've not had with cars from other manufacturers.

Ian, I've found the NX ideal downsizing for a retirement motor and perfect for my mobility problems.

Ed, that about sums it up, I've kind of grown to love her after a slow start to our relationship, and I hope you're having a better time with your replacement car.

I'm looking forward to the spring and roads that are not covered in grit and salt lol.

rayaans · February 12, 2019

11 hours ago, Farne said:

It's taken me months to eventually come to terms with the CVT and it's habit of high revs. That's probably because I've had many years of low revving six cylinder diesel tiptronic type automatics and it is basically adapting to the difference.

I've got the satnav glitches where it just crashes regularly, then I have to reset radio stations et al. It has a habit of displaying my position often as being twenty or so miles away from where I am, even twice a couple of miles out to sea and about ten miles further down the coast, not to mention once it added nearly six miles to my journey for no reason what so ever.. Wish I was ambidextrous as I find the touch pad a real pain.

In the heavy snow ten days ago I had a 100 mile journey at night, I was caught in utter white out conditions on the A1 and just as I thought I would have to quit until the weather improved magically a snow plough appeared from a slip road and he led a convoy of six of us through fresh snow about ten to fifteen cms deep for the next fifty miles. The car handled the snow perfectly with only a couple of minor slips later on hard packed untreated snow. After about 15 minutes of constant blizzard conditions I then got constant repetitious warnings flashing on the dash ie. fwd cam disabled, lane departure warning disabled, auto breaking disabled, and I think the other was the cruise control radar disabled. The fact they weren't working didn't worry me as the car was driving perfectly well. The annoying thing was I ended up enduring the constant flashing of warning messages and the orange triangle for around 40 minutes non-stop. Obviously I couldn't stop to try and sus it out as I was in a single lane convoy, however I can only assume that it must have been a build up of snow on the front of the car. Strange that it should mention the front camera as there isn't one fitted on my car. It makes me wonder how they cope with there NX's in Canada if they get the same problems in their very regular snow storms. I've never had those problems with the Touareg and Audis and Hondas in heavy snow. I just had the standard Bridgestone tyres and did not have a problem really with grip on ice or snow excepting the two minor slips.

Makes me sound a right moaner, but I enjoy the comfort and general peace of the NX, if only quieter tyres were fitted as standard. I'm hoping that when she goes in for service in the next couple of weeks they'll sort those problems and the infotainment which seriously is the worst satnav I have ever had in a car. Fortunately I very rarely need to use it as most of the time I know exactly where I am going.

It just niggles me a bit when you go for premium build cars and you get stupid minor problems that I've not had with cars from other manufacturers.

Ian, I've found the NX ideal downsizing for a retirement motor and perfect for my mobility problems.

Ed, that about sums it up, I've kind of grown to love her after a slow start to our relationship, and I hope you're having a better time with your replacement car.

I'm looking forward to the spring and roads that are not covered in grit and salt lol.

The camera is located just on the windscreen behind rear view mirror. I believe it's needed to see the lines on the road.

Issue being that if there's heavy snowfall and of can't see anything then it'll disable the system

malcolmw · February 12, 2019

Regarding the SatNav issues, there is an update to the software which helps with this. I had the same issue with the (identical) system in my LC. Now, instead of tracking the car in the wrong place, it seems to adjust the car position over a few seconds until it is correct. Better but not perfect.

I have to say that I think Lexus will be in a bit of difficulty with sales of the NX and UX as the new Toyota Rav 4 has just been released. All new hybrid technology, AWD as standard and loaded with kit. It also has a 5 year warranty and 2 years zero % finance at present.

ColinBarber · February 12, 2019

5 hours ago, malcolmw said:

AWD as standard

It is a £2,200 option.

malcolmw · February 13, 2019

You are sort of right. But the configurator offers AWD as a main model/drivetrain selection rather than an optional "add on" like on the UX. However, a fully loaded RAV4 with surround cameras is about £37K against a NX Takumi at about £46K for pretty much the same spec. This is, of course, based on list pricing.

Old Sandy · February 13, 2019

On ‎2‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 11:02 AM, rayaans said:

The camera is located just on the windscreen behind rear view mirror. I believe it's needed to see the lines on the road.

Issue being that if there's heavy snowfall and of can't see anything then it'll disable the system

But the windscreen was kept clear by the wipers. It may well have been the build up of ice and snow on the front of the car that triggered the continuous flashing different text warnings.

EV is my main gripe. The speedo cuts EV out at 30mph but the real speed is 27mph, and the very lightest touch in EV mode on the throttle tells me I've depressed it too quickly. It is far too sensitive and I'm hoping that on it's first service next month they'll be able to adjust the sensitivity so that I can get more slow traffic usage from EV. But it's annoying that there is a ten per cent error on the speedometer.

Apologies to OP , didn't mean to hijack your thread Ian.

rayaans · February 13, 2019

37 minutes ago, Farne said:

But the windscreen was kept clear by the wipers. It may well have been the build up of ice and snow on the front of the car that triggered the continuous flashing different text warnings.

EV is my main gripe. The speedo cuts EV out at 30mph but the real speed is 27mph, and the very lightest touch in EV mode on the throttle tells me I've depressed it too quickly. It is far too sensitive and I'm hoping that on it's first service next month they'll be able to adjust the sensitivity so that I can get more slow traffic usage from EV. But it's annoying that there is a ten per cent error on the speedometer.

Apologies to OP , didn't mean to hijack your thread Ian.

It might be to do with the snow on the actual road. If it cant see the lines it won't work.

I honestly wouldn't bother with using EV. The car will go into EV on its own if the conditions are right so there's no point forcing it to stay in EV

DanD · February 14, 2019

On ‎2‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 11:50 AM, Farne said:

If I have problems I need something in the car that I can turn to quickly. If they're suggesting I should carry a tablet with me at all times then I believe they should provide one with the car instead of a paper manual.

Have you considered downloading the manuals to your mobile phone? - You then have all your manuals to hand (with search functionality!), freeing space in your glovebox while saving a few trees!

On ‎2‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 11:40 PM, Farne said:

Makes me sound a right moaner, but I enjoy the comfort and general peace of the NX, if only quieter tyres were fitted as standard.

I very much recommend the Michelin Cross Climates. I find them much quieter, the ride is more compliant than the original tyres, and they are brilliant in the rain and snow. A good compromise.

sheri1 · February 14, 2019

Thanks Daniel. I have received hard copies of both manuals in the post now direct from an email to Lexus customer services, so I am happy. I am getting to grips with the many functions of the car, and have even (almost) mastered the touchpad.

Quietlife · February 15, 2019

On 2/11/2019 at 11:40 PM, Farne said:

It's taken me months to eventually come to terms with the CVT and it's habit of high revs. That's probably because I've had many years of low revving six cylinder diesel tiptronic type automatics and it is basically adapting to the difference..

Hi

Just joined the forum. I'm looking to change my A7 3.0 diesel Quattro and the NX300 was a strong contender. I had one for 24hrs and am really struggling to get past the racket the CVT made when joining a motorway. There were a few other compromises, but adjusting to the gearbox is my main concern. Now you've had it a while, does it continue to bother you at all

DanD · February 15, 2019

10 minutes ago, Quietlife said:

Hi

Just joined the forum. I'm looking to change my A7 3.0 diesel Quattro and the NX300 was a strong contender. I had one for 24hrs and am really struggling to get past the racket the CVT made when joining a motorway. There were a few other compromises, but adjusting to the gearbox is my main concern. Now you've had it a while, does it continue to bother you at all

For me, yes it does, and it forces you to drive the car conservatively, rather than sportily. Similarly, while I have got used to the track pad (this is not my first Lexus), I continue to swear at the convoluted infotainment system... you always have to go through a series of what appears to be unnecessary steps to do anything.

Having said this, I feel the positives far outweigh the negatives, in particular: gorgeous looks inside and out, excellent build quality, peerless reliability and class-leading customer service.

You have to access that no car is perfect, and you have to decide what matters most to you, what is / is not acceptable.

Let us know what you decide to do!...

First_Lexus · February 15, 2019

1 hour ago, Quietlife said:

Hi

Just joined the forum. I'm looking to change my A7 3.0 diesel Quattro and the NX300 was a strong contender. I had one for 24hrs and am really struggling to get past the racket the CVT made when joining a motorway. There were a few other compromises, but adjusting to the gearbox is my main concern. Now you've had it a while, does it continue to bother you at all

I've had at least one CVT in my fleet for 15 years now, and I prefer them to torque converter boxes and MUCH prefer them to hesitant, constantly hunting for the right gear, DSG gearboxes.

However, you do need to get used to driving them. Hard acceleration - as you would to 'kick down' a traditional auto - will simply send the revs soaring and create a load of noise and little progress. Accelerate gradually as speed builds, and you'll find the experience much better, and far smoother than a traditional gearbox. It does take some getting used to though, and probably doesn't suit a more aggressive driving style.

They seem to be reliable too. I'm hoping I never have another gearbox go 'bang' (literally!) like my VW DSG did at 40k miles on the outside lane of the M1...it's quite an experience to see bits of gearbox casing and gearbox oil fly out of the back of the car at - ahem - 70mph...

Quietlife · February 15, 2019

It certainly was a new experience. While I knew the fuel consumption of the Lexus was mid 30s, it’s still kind of disappointing to get less mpg than a 3 litre, 282bhp diesel. I’m having real trouble finding something with similar interior quality as the Audi and the Lexus comes close. I’m looking at a standard spec with premier pack as I want to keep it under the £40k list tax threshold so I’ll miss my HUD.

Mesa red with tan interior is my preferred colour choice. I think I need to go back and have another drive before making a decision.

First_Lexus · February 15, 2019

11 minutes ago, Quietlife said:

It certainly was a new experience. While I knew the fuel consumption of the Lexus was mid 30s, it’s still kind of disappointing to get less mpg than a 3 litre, 282bhp diesel. I’m having real trouble finding something with similar interior quality as the Audi and the Lexus comes close. I’m looking at a standard spec with premier pack as I want to keep it under the £40k list tax threshold so I’ll miss my HUD.

Mesa red with tan interior is my preferred colour choice. I think I need to go back and have another drive before making a decision.

When I first test drove an NX, the dealer was at pains to point out that a petrol/hybrid won't get near to a diesel in terms of economy if you are planning on lots of motorway miles. He was right - motorway driving trashes the mpg, even at 70mpg. However, driving on B-Roads and in town and using plenty of electric only running, and the balance is found.

I get an easy high 30s, into the early 40s mpg on average but I hardly ever use the motorway. If you do lots of motorway miles I'd say a diesel still makes a lot of sense...well, it will, right up until the moment the Government taxes them out of existence!

Audi do a very nice interior, that's for sure. Pity the general reliability doesn't match - not that they're the worst, being pretty average - but nowhere near Japanese standards. Having had German, French, British, Korean and Japanese cars over the years, nothing has come close to the Far East for general build quality and reliability.

Quietlife · February 15, 2019

I guess I've been lucky. I've owned French, German, British, Japanese and never had one go wrong. I love the torque of my current car, but need something a bit more practical thanks to family and dogs. I guess I'm just looking for some reassurance that you 'get used' to the CVT, rather than always hate it

First_Lexus · February 15, 2019

3 hours ago, Quietlife said:

I guess I've been lucky. I've owned French, German, British, Japanese and never had one go wrong. I love the torque of my current car, but need something a bit more practical thanks to family and dogs. I guess I'm just looking for some reassurance that you 'get used' to the CVT, rather than always hate it

^^ Personally, I'd say that if you drive (or always have) with a 'heavy' right foot you'll always hate it. Only you can know whether you think you'll be able to adjust and learn to drive in a different way.

If you've been driving cars with DSG gearboxes and haven't had one go wrong then you certainly are lucky based on my experience. When my VAG blew up it took six months to get a replacement as they were on back order. My local dealer alone had four waiting to be replaced at that time. Brother in law had an A6 which went wrong, numerous colleagues with company cars too. Having been a member of a VAG forum it was a common fault. Perhaps better now, although the latest issue of What Car? notes the hesitancy issues remain on the new Q3 (and mark it down accordingly).

IMHO comparing a diesel luxury saloon (A7) with a petrol hybrid mid-sized SUV (NX) is going to be problematic, as they are totally different cars from different sectors. Diesels drive differently, as do DSG or traditional auto gearboxes. I hate the DSG, and having had two know I always will as I can't get used to the constant jerkiness and hesitancy. However, I drive to the speed limit and in a relaxed manner. Others who are more 'enthusiastic' love DSG 'boxes and are willing to hope they'll be lucky on the reliability front.

This review says it all really...

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/lexus/2018-lexus-nx-300h-review-reliably-reliable-hybrid-suv/

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