New (to me) NX Luxury

[Desmond]

Well, after 5+ years with a CT and the same before that with an IS, I have succumbed to the dreaded SUV. A mercury metallic 2018 Luxury has stolen my wallet.

It is the first used Lexus I have bought since a not great experience with an IS220d that used to stink of exhaust on the motorway and had a gearbox like a truck. In fact it was from a Toyota truck. 

However, time passes and my agility is not what it was. The CT is a very good motor but getting in and out had become a chore plus the fact that while I appreciated the economy and cruising around Norfolk is OK, the CT performance is lacking in acceleration on anything like a hill if you want to safely overtake a push bike. The other factor is the CT ride which although it has improved a lot and the car now has better seats,  no-one can say it is really good. Let’s be honest, all good valid excuses for looking at a new motor.😀

So, the NX got a test drive. It really is super to drive isn’t it? I just got in and felt right at home straightaway. Dead easy to get in and out and, for an SUV, very comfy especially the seats. I have not mastered the widescreen TV yet but it looks basically similar to the CT Premier screen but in high res.  I have never been a great fan of SUV styling but the NX is as good as you will get. The detailing is well thought out. I like the wheel arches for example, they don’t bulge and make the  car unnecessarily wider just for fashion. It is BIG after a CT but on the move from behind the wheel it doesn’t feel it. When you get out and have look though - there is a lot of metal and plastic there. I can hear voices saying “Silly devil, why didn’t he get a UX?” Well, the only UX I could get for a little more that the same money I paid for the NX Luxury would have to be a base model. To get this Luxury level of trim on a new UX would be outside my price range, hence the used NX is very good value with less that 10k on the clock even if it is probably a size too big.  One other factor is that UX is a brand new model and I have always liked to give a new model at least a year for obvious niggles to be ironed out, even on a Lexus.

The ride is good, I love driving it. The steering is light but well weighted. I soon realised this is a very heavy car. It takes a good squash of the pedal to stop the forward motion. Once you know that though it can work to your advantage as a hybrid driver. The coasting distance when you lift off the pedal is huge on a flat road and it goes on forever down even a slight gradient. All that time that little green light is on but you are not holding up the driver behind like people did in a Mk 1 Prius. Economy so far is low 40s, we shall see what happens over a period of mixed Norfolk use. The cruising is quiet at 70+  apart from the tyre noise. I cured this quite well and improved the ride in the CT with some Michelin cross climates.  Might try the same here eventually. The acceleration, particularly mid-range, is good too. There is bags of power there to swoop past even an electric bike on the hills. So far I have only done one cross country trip and the car just did absolutely everything a driver could want. Even sitting in a roadworks jam in an NX is a pleasure. 😄

[Martin J]

Good review, and as you may have seen from various threads in the NX forum, the NX is indeed improved further in terms of ride and road noise by CrossClimates. Also interesting to note how expensive the UX is relative to the NX, which offers a lot more car for not much more cash.  Hope you enjoy your NX ownership.

[Ken R]

Enjoy your NX! I have had mine for 12 months now - purchased new in April 2018- and am simply delighted with it. I have averaged just over 41mpg in the past year with a mix of city/motorway and single carriageway driving. A very relaxing car to drive and one where you will receive appreciative comments from passengers. Happy motoring!

[LordByronUK]

My partner just got a used 2016 NX FSport Sonic Titanium, mainly for her though. We went with an FSport model as she loved the styling over the standard one. The FSport is slightly more fun in the corners and holds the road better, but ride is a little on the hard side for me, but never uncomfortable, and not much harder than the standard. The hard ride isn't really noticeable in the back, which is a nice design from Lexus by tuning rear suspension more for comfort.

I will definitely go for the Cross Climate tyres when it's time to replace the standard rock hard Yokohamas. She also insisted that we go with an older model that has the rotary controller for the infotainment system, as it is so much easier to use when on the move. Lexus please ditch the touch pad, it's just rubbish on the move. Also, tyre noise coming through the cabin is surprisingly loud, and for me it does feel under-powered compared to my IS300h. I've made another post about this, but the NX really needs 250 horsepower to be fun and unlock the potential of the chassis, it just makes no sense to me that a car heavier than the IS300h has less power.

I was pondering a UX for a time, but slightly out of our price range new, and the boot is a joke, way too small. Also, leg room is crap too. It's essentially a CT replacement. The NX is the perfect size for a small family, UX is just for couples.

One thing to look out for though. I recently took a look under the bottom rear of the car, and to my surprise found an alarming amount of corrosion/rust, so will call the dealership to see how much of a problem this is, I'm praying it's just benign surface rust. Seeing as yours is also new, I'd have a good look under the vehicle to inspect for rust.

[LexusIS300h]

Congratulations on your new NX ! I have had mine a couple of weeks now and changed from an IS, mainly because getting in and out of the IS was getting difficult for my wife and I. 

If it’s any consolation, I think you would have found the UX just as low slung as your previous car, certainly it is as low as the IS. I had a look at one in the showroom on the day I collected my NX and although the hype had been promising, I found it disappointing in the flesh. The boot is indeed shallow and small and the seats are close to the ground. The NX is much more spacious and a more relaxed affair once behind the wheel.

My mpg is pretty average at under 35 mpg but I only have short trips, but I knew it would be worse than the IS before I bought it, so I can live with that. The ride height and comfort is so much better in the NX than the IS, but the IS is definitely faster off the blocks and more agile on the move. 

From previous reports, I would look to change my tyres to Michelin cross climates, but Lexus deemed it ok to mix the front set, with one new Yokohama and one new Michelin..... it doesn’t affect the ride but it was a bit disappointing when I discovered it as I like the same make on each axle. 

Good luck with your new baby and hope you have many happy motoring miles 👍

 

[Habu]

27 minutes ago, LexusIS300h said:

From previous reports, I would look to change my tyres to Michelin cross climates, but Lexus deemed it ok to mix the front set, with one new Yokohama and one new Michelin..... it doesn’t affect the ride but it was a bit disappointing when I discovered it as I like the same make on each axle. 

 

You should get Lexus to change one of the tyres to match the other.  You mustn't have different tyres on the same axle even if the rolling radius is the same.  Surprised a Lexus dealer did this and it can be dangerous with different compounds & treads on the same axle.

[LordByronUK]

34 minutes ago, LexusIS300h said:

Congratulations on your new NX ! I have had mine a couple of weeks now and changed from an IS, mainly because getting in and out of the IS was getting difficult for my wife and I. 

If it’s any consolation, I think you would have found the UX just as low slung as your previous car, certainly it is as low as the IS. I had a look at one in the showroom on the day I collected my NX and although the hype had been promising, I found it disappointing in the flesh. The boot is indeed shallow and small and the seats are close to the ground. The NX is much more spacious and a more relaxed affair once behind the wheel.

My mpg is pretty average at under 35 mpg but I only have short trips, but I knew it would be worse than the IS before I bought it, so I can live with that. The ride height and comfort is so much better in the NX than the IS, but the IS is definitely faster off the blocks and more agile on the move. 

From previous reports, I would look to change my tyres to Michelin cross climates, but Lexus deemed it ok to mix the front set, with one new Yokohama and one new Michelin..... it doesn’t affect the ride but it was a bit disappointing when I discovered it as I like the same make on each axle. 

Good luck with your new baby and hope you have many happy motoring miles 👍

 

Thanks buddy! Oh, and as for fuel economy, I've been able to get close to 40mpg on most runs, but I hope to eek out 45 mpg in the warmer months, which is pretty good for this class of vehicle. If they could reduce the weight a bit and combined with the new RAV4 4th gen hybrid engine, then high 40's should be easily achievable on the next refresh. I've heard this should happen around 2021 for the NX.

Keep an eye on that under body rust though, I reckon this is a bit of a problem for the NX as it seems to have a lot less aero panels underneath it than my IS.

Happy motoring in your new NX, she should give you many years of pleasure.

[LexusIS300h]

7 hours ago, Habu said:

You should get Lexus to change one of the tyres to match the other.  You mustn't have different tyres on the same axle even if the rolling radius is the same.  Surprised a Lexus dealer did this and it can be dangerous with different compounds & treads on the same axle.

Thanks for the advice. I have emailed Lexus and will see what they have to say about it. I must admit it seemed odd to do that and personally I wouldn’t mix treads and makes on the same axle.

[First_Lexus]

On 4/24/2019 at 4:00 PM, Desmond said:

Well, after 5+ years with a CT and the same before that with an IS, I have succumbed to the dreaded SUV. A mercury metallic 2018 Luxury has stolen my wallet.

It is the first used Lexus I have bought since a not great experience with an IS220d that used to stink of exhaust on the motorway and had a gearbox like a truck. In fact it was from a Toyota truck. 

However, time passes and my agility is not what it was. The CT is a very good motor but getting in and out had become a chore plus the fact that while I appreciated the economy and cruising around Norfolk is OK, the CT performance is lacking in acceleration on anything like a hill if you want to safely overtake a push bike. The other factor is the CT ride which although it has improved a lot and the car now has better seats,  no-one can say it is really good. Let’s be honest, all good valid excuses for looking at a new motor.😀

So, the NX got a test drive. It really is super to drive isn’t it? I just got in and felt right at home straightaway. Dead easy to get in and out and, for an SUV, very comfy especially the seats. I have not mastered the widescreen TV yet but it looks basically similar to the CT Premier screen but in high res.  I have never been a great fan of SUV styling but the NX is as good as you will get. The detailing is well thought out. I like the wheel arches for example, they don’t bulge and make the  car unnecessarily wider just for fashion. It is BIG after a CT but on the move from behind the wheel it doesn’t feel it. When you get out and have look though - there is a lot of metal and plastic there. I can hear voices saying “Silly devil, why didn’t he get a UX?” Well, the only UX I could get for a little more that the same money I paid for the NX Luxury would have to be a base model. To get this Luxury level of trim on a new UX would be outside my price range, hence the used NX is very good value with less that 10k on the clock even if it is probably a size too big.  One other factor is that UX is a brand new model and I have always liked to give a new model at least a year for obvious niggles to be ironed out, even on a Lexus.

The ride is good, I love driving it. The steering is light but well weighted. I soon realised this is a very heavy car. It takes a good squash of the pedal to stop the forward motion. Once you know that though it can work to your advantage as a hybrid driver. The coasting distance when you lift off the pedal is huge on a flat road and it goes on forever down even a slight gradient. All that time that little green light is on but you are not holding up the driver behind like people did in a Mk 1 Prius. Economy so far is low 40s, we shall see what happens over a period of mixed Norfolk use. The cruising is quiet at 70+  apart from the tyre noise. I cured this quite well and improved the ride in the CT with some Michelin cross climates.  Might try the same here eventually. The acceleration, particularly mid-range, is good too. There is bags of power there to swoop past even an electric bike on the hills. So far I have only done one cross country trip and the car just did absolutely everything a driver could want. Even sitting in a roadworks jam in an NX is a pleasure. 😄

^^ A good review, thanks for posting. Having now owned two NXs over an 18 month period, and having been a member here for the same time, my feeling is that real owners rather like the NX mirroring most of your points. It is a well made, comfortable and quiet car. Yes, the navigation system could be better (as with all current Lexus models) and some wish for more power, but we owners are generally satisfied.

In contrast, many who have had an NX for a short period - as a courtesy car or for a short test-drive are often critical. I'm not sure why that should be, but it is something I've observed. Perhaps those moving from a saloon struggle with the (inevitable) compromises that come with an SUV. Anyway, having owned and run a number of SUVs from rival manufacturers, I am comfortable that the NX, despite media reports, is better than most as an 'all-rounder.'

[Desmond]

Thanks for all the replies folks. I am sure the NX will be enjoyed.

I agree First_Lexus, there is plenty of criticism of the navigation/audio system and to my mind no Lexus I've owned has ever seemed able to compete with the other top players in this field. Bearing in mind that at some stage an NX driver is likely to need to use or adjust the system while on the move the operations are over-complicated and physically difficult to operate. I can only assume the designers expect us to set up the system each time before driving off and then leave it alone, but that is not always going to happen. The trackpad does not bother me as much as some people because I use one daily anyway but the high res screen means that targeting on an option on the media screen for example is akin to the Golden Shot. (Younger viewers please Google!). It can involve taking your eyes away from the road too long. I also find the hi-res screen to be less effective for daylight viewing especially in sunlight and some "white" roads do not show up against the background. The night screen works better for viewing, at least it seems to for me. The problem is the same as the the system in other Lexus motors, it is design over practicality and not recognising that something like the nav/audio has to be used by all sorts of people from tech savvy to non-tech. It ends up pleasing no-one.