NX300h inbound...

hockeyedwards · June 15, 2019

Greetings, getting the other half into an NX hopefully this week sometime, just thought I'd ask how everyones general experience has been with them? Also any heads up info about them would be much appreciated!

🙂

Ken R · June 15, 2019

I have had mine for almost 15 months now and simply delighted with it. Yes the infotainment system could be better but the great points of the car far outweigh this. I find it extremely comfortable, quiet (best description is that you waft along!) and economical to run - latest brim to brim mpg is 44 with a mix of city and motorway driving which for a car of this size is very acceptable. Customer service from the dealership from day one of the initial test drive to the present has been exemplary. Happy to answer any specifics if required but I am sure you will be impressed.

LexusIS300h · June 17, 2019

I’m sure you will be happy with your wheels. I have had mine a couple of months now and no regrets at all.

A nice high driving position, easy to get in and out of and very comfortable. Wafting along is a good description. I don’t get great mileage, at 32 to 35 mpg but my journeys are less than 7 miles in each direction on A roads at 60mph for most of it. We did do a longer 100 mile plus journey and return and got 38 mpg on the tank brim to brim so it can be done.

However I knew the mpg would not match the saloon IS and still bought it, the best car I have bought.

I don’t let car washers anywhere near it and am happy to wash and wax it myself, taking great pride in admiring my handiwork when it’s done 😊👍. It probably cost me over £150 to get all the gear including a jet washer but I will get that back by doing the job myself and it will be done properly too.

hockeyedwards · June 17, 2019

4 minutes ago, LexusIS300h said:

I don’t let car washers anywhere near it and am happy to wash and wax it myself, taking great pride in admiring my handiwork when it’s done 😊👍. It probably cost me over £150 to get all the gear including a jet washer but I will get that back by doing the job myself and it will be done properly too.

I am the same with my GSF, take pride in cleaning it and looking back in admiration every time! 😄

Andy B · June 28, 2019

Hi all. I'm about to dip my feet into the Lexus pond again after a gap of 7 years as I have my eye on a NX300H (I previously owned a couple of IS250s in the early 2010s). Further to the comments posted to the OP's question I wondered if anyone else could expand on the points made to date. Also, I would be interested in hearing about the following:-

servicing costs (do Lexus have a rotation schedule of MINOR and MAJOR services?)
updates to the SatNav maps - how costly is this and can it be done outwith Lexus (e.g. sourcing the database from online sites 😉 and applying it yourself)?
does the SatNav offer real-time traffic alerts and speed camera info (and how accurate is this)?

There are currently 2 cars that I am considering - a 2017 (2.5 LUXURY LEXUS NAVIGATION) and a 2018 (2.5 LUXURY PREMIUM NAVIGATION). I believe that there was a facelift in 2018 - can anyone tell me what the differences are between the two please? There's not a lot of difference between the asking price for each car, give or take £2,000 more for the 2018 (it has more miles on the clock though) so was wondering if the extra 2 grand was worth it.

I realise that I could get most, if not all, of these questions answered by the dealer but wanted to get it from the perspective of owners in the real world as they are far more trustworthy 😄

Thanks in advance.

Eggie · June 28, 2019

I would go for the 2018. The upgrade was mostly cosmetic however the suspension was tweeked and it is a better drive than the previous. The switches are better as well and the upgraded model of the spec you thinking about will have additional and better equipment. The bigger sat nav on the upgraded model is better and should have 3 yrs free map upgrades because the upgraded model does come with that. Hope this helps.

Ken R · June 28, 2019

External differences are relatively minor with cosmetic changes to the grill, front bumper, tail lights and rear bumper but worth opting for the 2018 model year.

Tel · June 30, 2019

The 2019 NX is further refined particularly with AVS if the Build is in 2019.

Tel

First_Lexus · June 30, 2019

I owned a 2017 NX Sport, and now own a 2018 (facelift) NX Luxury. There isn't really between them imho. Yes, the ride is slightly better in the 2018 model but I'm not sure how much of that is down to suspension changes and how much down to tyres. The new infotainment with the touchpad and larger screen looks nicer, but doesn't actually do that much more. In fact, the older version was simpler to use, albeit I'm a self-confessed technophobe...

My advice is simple. If the £2k saving is important, drive the pre and post-facelift and see if the difference is worth the money. I think you'll be happy with either as the NX is a very nice thing - quiet, refined and comfortable - as long as you like to waft about and aren't a speed demon!

Andy B · July 1, 2019

Thanks very much for all the responses posted to date - they are very helpful.

I'm hoping to be able to take a look at both cars sometime this week and will then make my decision.

Thanks again.

DanD · July 1, 2019

@Andy BIf the 2018 model is the facelifted one, I think it is worth having as it includes extras that did not come with the previous model: apart from the new lights (front and back), I believe it also adds the enhanced safety system (lane trace assist, adaptive cruise control, and road sign assist). Also, the newer car will have the wider and improved satnav screen.

It is likely that the 2017 car you are considering has the standard satnav, as opposed to the premium version. The standard satnav uses a rotary dial, the latter a trackpad and has more options.

Another point to consider is that Lexus is testing Android Auto and apple Car play, and rumour has it that this upgrade may be retrofitted. I would speculate that if a retrofit is indeed on the car, it is more likely to be compatible with the latest version of the infotainment system that with the previous one.... but this is all speculation on my part.

The SatNav in both models offers traffic alerts and camera alerts. Both work reasonably well, but not as well as Google Maps.

With regards to servicing costs, these are all on the Lexus website.

Andy B · July 2, 2019

20 hours ago, DanD said:

@Andy BIf the 2018 model is the facelifted one, I think it is worth having as it includes extras that did not come with the previous model: apart from the new lights (front and back), I believe it also adds the enhanced safety system (lane trace assist, adaptive cruise control, and road sign assist). Also, the newer car will have the wider and improved satnav screen.

It is likely that the 2017 car you are considering has the standard satnav, as opposed to the premium version. The standard satnav uses a rotary dial, the latter a trackpad and has more options.

Another point to consider is that Lexus is testing Android Auto and Apple Car play, and rumour has it that this upgrade may be retrofitted. I would speculate that if a retrofit is indeed on the car, it is more likely to be compatible with the latest version of the infotainment system that with the previous one.... but this is all speculation on my part.

The SatNav in both models offers traffic alerts and camera alerts. Both work reasonably well, but not as well as Google Maps.

With regards to servicing costs, these are all on the Lexus website.

Hi @DanD. Many thanks for your response - very helpful and informative.

With regards to apple CarPlay and Android Auto, I must admit that I was quite surprised to learn that a premium car company such as Lexus hadn't started installing those systems in their cars yet, especially when other car manufacturers have been doing it for a numbers of years. Pleased to hear though that Lexus is aiming to offer this functionality in the near future so let's hope it can be retrofitted.

I'm definitely leaning towards the 2018 one - just waiting on my local Lexus dealer to get it in their showroom.

Andy B · July 18, 2019

An update on this (albeit slightly belated).....

I went for the 2018 model in the end (Luxury Premium Navigation in Sonic Titanium) and am very pleased with it. Still getting used to how it drives and all the on-board toys but I am getting there. Having read some not too complimentary reviews of the SatNav / Infotainment system coupled with Remote Touch I was a bit pessimistic about that aspect but I have to say that I quite like it. I would agree that it's not the most user-friendly but it's not as bad as I feared.

The car itself drives very well. I have seen the term "waft" used in reviews and would agree that this best describes how comfortable and nice it is to drive. I find it has the necessary "ooomph" when you need it too (although admittedly my boy racer days are far behind me 😃 ).

So far, so good.

Thanks again for the responses and advice.

(Now need to work out how to increase the volume of the speed camera alerts 😄)

LexusIS300h · July 19, 2019

On 7/18/2019 at 11:04 AM, Andy B said:

(Now need to work out how to increase the volume of the speed camera alerts 😄)

You could link your phone to your car and use Waze on your phone instead of the built in Satnav. The speed camera alerts are loud enough to let you know one is coming up.

Andy B · July 19, 2019

Thanks for the suggestion @LexusIS300h

Am I right in saying though that you only get alerts in Waze (and Google Maps for that matter) if you set a destination (and therefore start a navigation route)? You don't get them if you simply have Waze open on your phone? i.e. it needs to know where I'm going in advance as it were.

If that's the case then I'll need to start a navigation route for every journey I make. Not too onerous I guess.

olliesgrandad · July 19, 2019

On 7/1/2019 at 9:37 AM, Andy B said:

Thanks very much for all the responses posted to date - they are very helpful.

I'm hoping to be able to take a look at both cars sometime this week and will then make my decision.

Thanks again.

Just make sure to have a good long test drive in the car yoeare considering as I wanted an NX but found the seats crlppingly uncomfortable and that's why I bought a slightly older RX.

First_Lexus · July 20, 2019

13 hours ago, olliesgrandad said:

Just make sure to have a good long test drive in the car yoeare considering as I wanted an NX but found the seats crlppingly uncomfortable and that's why I bought a slightly older RX.

It's a good point regardless of the vehicle @olliesgrandad

@andybyou'll find that the vast majority of NX owners find it very comfortable, but seats can be a very sensitive issue, especially if you have any existing problems. I find it hard to be sympathetic with owners who will buy a car - let's not forget a very significant purchase - without a thorough test drive, and then complain it isn't what they expected!

If it helps, I have a disability affecting both legs, including my hips and lower back. I've had surgeries, and have various nuts, bolts and rods holding my legs together! The NX is one of the few cars I've been able to select because of the seat design, and in two years I've had no issues at all. It's the most comfortable car I've owned. Generally I know which manufacturers seats cause me issues because of their design. BMW - bad. Mercedes - good. Honda - excellent. Lexus - excellent. All with the proviso that I also need height in the car for access, but not too much...so the UX is slightly too low, and the RX slightly too high! It certainly makes choosing the right car pretty important...

Andy B · July 22, 2019

Thanks to @olliesgrandad and @First_Lexus for their advice regarding the seats and overall comfort. I've had the car for nearly 2 weeks now and so far have had no issues. I find the seats extremely comfortable, as have my passengers.

First_Lexus · July 22, 2019

7 hours ago, Andy B said:

Thanks to @olliesgrandad and @First_Lexus for their advice regarding the seats and overall comfort. I've had the car for nearly 2 weeks now and so far have had no issues. I find the seats extremely comfortable, as have my passengers.

^^ Excellent news. Enjoy the NX.

Ken R · July 22, 2019

I too find the seats extremely comfortable and probably the best that I have experienced (and I have owned and driven quite a few cars over the past 40 years!)

Enjoy your NX.

LexusPartsDirect · July 23, 2019

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