Nx300H or RAV

Whites · July 12, 2020

Hi

not 100% Sure about my decision but i have just traded in a Audi Q3 1.4 TFSI Auto for the NX300h premier , but looking at the reviews most if not all moan about the harsh ride and the very noisy transmission, i have had a CT and 2 Prius in the past and did not mind, as it only made the noise when thrashed and i do not do that anyway, the specs on the NX are better than the RAV but the ride is better, the premier model i have purchased (2015) supposed to come with active suspension does it make much difference to the ride quality

thanks

ColinBarber · July 12, 2020

The NX seems to rev up the engine a bit more than the CT/Prius so can be a little noise. The current gen Rav (2019 onwards) has a better engine and hybrid system compared to the older generation system in the NX but interior materials are nicer in the NX.

Steve Oliver · July 12, 2020

I have the 2019 FSport. I read the same as you, was deeply worried about the ride being harsh. I needn't have worried it feels plush and rides beautifully in my mind. The AVS system apparently makes it harder in Sport mode, but frankly it doesn't seem to make much difference to me. Comfortable whichever way you drive it. I also had the new RAV4 in my final list but went for the NX because it looks loads better than the RAV (in and out) and is a luxury brand. I'm very happy with my decision. Worry not, it's a lovely car and only sounds a bit noisy when the engine races. I find I rarely drive it that way! I love my car.

Whites · July 12, 2020

What is , self healing paint,

wesk · July 12, 2020

NX300h 2015 & 2016 has very comfortable suspension, sport version is stiff, but don't know about Rav

Grumps · July 13, 2020

I traded in a Q3 2.0TDI Quattro that I had owned for nearly 6 years for a new NX luxury over 2 years ago.

I do miss certain aspects of the Q3, but overall much prefer the NX. I am looking to change in the next 12 months but there is nothing out there that is as good as an 'all round product' than my NX. The question I keep askng myself is do I want dependability over desirablity?

royoftherovers · July 13, 2020

53 minutes ago, Grumps said:

I traded in a Q3 2.0TDI Quattro that I had owned for nearly 6 years for a new NX luxury over 2 years ago.

I do miss certain aspects of the Q3, but overall much prefer the NX. I am looking to change in the next 12 months but there is nothing out there that is as good as an 'all round product' than my NX. The question I keep askng myself is do I want dependability over desirablity?

If you are paying for your own car Paul, the answer has to be dependability.

If it is a Company purchase and I am your Fleet Manager, the answer is still the same.

Steve Oliver · July 13, 2020

55 minutes ago, Grumps said:

I traded in a Q3 2.0TDI Quattro that I had owned for nearly 6 years for a new NX luxury over 2 years ago.

I do miss certain aspects of the Q3, but overall much prefer the NX. I am looking to change in the next 12 months but there is nothing out there that is as good as an 'all round product' than my NX. The question I keep askng myself is do I want dependability over desirablity?

I'd simply wait for the NX facelift! There are few cars better looking than the NX to me. So I don't agree with your desirability comment. An Audi is very undesirable to me, they're as common as muck! 😏

royoftherovers · July 13, 2020

1 minute ago, Steve Oliver said:

I'd simply wait for the NX facelift! There are few cars better looking than the NX to me. So I don't agree with your desirability comment. An Audi is very undesirable to me, they're as common as muck! 😏

And there seems to be an awful lot of Audi drivers whose road manners are undesirable.

royoftherovers · July 14, 2020

9 hours ago, Don C said:

There is a collective opinion that German cars are utterly reliable when in many cases they are far from it and are quite capable of breaking their owners. I will say that they are stylish and hi tech but they don’t seem as durable as legend has it. The Japanese are masters of mass production whether it be cars, cameras or TVs and if you can make clones you can control reliability.
I can remember Ford in the early eighties trying to reduce warranty issues with gearboxes by attempting to emulate gearboxes from Toyota Carinas. They bought and accurately measured several of these gearboxes and when they realised how similar and accurate they were, they concluded that it would require that much investment in new and so far not available machinery to make them that it would make far more sense to keep paying the warranty claims. We used to mock and scoff “jap crap” cars but nobody in any Quality Assurance Dept in any industry anywhere in the world does it now.

In our family Don and over a period of 40 years we have had 7 German cars (Audi and Merc ) and all have given trouble.

We have had 7 Japanese cars (Nissan, Daihatsu, Toyota, Mazda and Lexus and not one has had ANY problems.

First_Lexus · July 14, 2020

11 hours ago, Don C said:

There is a collective opinion that German cars are utterly reliable when in many cases they are far from it and are quite capable of breaking their owners. I will say that they are stylish and hi tech but they don’t seem as durable as legend has it. The Japanese are masters of mass production whether it be cars, cameras or TVs and if you can make clones you can control reliability.
I can remember Ford in the early eighties trying to reduce warranty issues with gearboxes by attempting to emulate gearboxes from Toyota Carinas. They bought and accurately measured several of these gearboxes and when they realised how similar and accurate they were, they concluded that it would require that much investment in new and so far not available machinery to make them that it would make far more sense to keep paying the warranty claims. We used to mock and scoff “jap crap” cars but nobody in any Quality Assurance Dept in any industry anywhere in the world does it now.

I've posted this previously, but the unreliability of the VAG cars I've owned was scandalous. Ever since I went back to Japanese manufactured cars (Honda and now Lexus) no problems.

@Whitesit is worth remembering that the VAG DSG gearbox is known to have issues, both with hesitancy and reliability. Mine went 'bang' (literally, at speed on the M1!) at 40k miles, and my dealer had four others awaiting replacements at that time. Once you get used to driving the eCVT gearbox it is a smooth companion, and I'd not want to go back to another type. However, as others have said, if you drive aggressively it probably won't be for you. Drive like a civilised human being and you'll love it...

royoftherovers · July 14, 2020

Ed, I could not agree more.

I have yet to read or learn about one failure with the Toyota/Lexus ECVT box. It speaks volumes.

DanD · July 14, 2020

I have had a plethora of cars over the years but I have to say that only Japanese cars have given me the confidence to undertake 1000 miles plus journeys with wife and kids, reasonably assured that I would get to my destination without incident. I have had some small Japanese cars such as a Honda Z600 and large ones such as the RX450h, and all have been utterly dependable and reliable.

First_Lexus · July 14, 2020

As a (related) aside, I know somebody who had trouble with their VW Golf. Surprise, the DSG gearbox was on its way out. They decided to trade it in and having had two Golfs, both giving trouble, they decided a change was needed. They asked my advice, and I recommended Japanese or Korean.

We forget sometimes that lots of people really don't know that much about cars. Imagine my surprise when the individual concerned turned up in a brand new...Audi A3! They told me that they'd become tired of unreliable VWs and had decided to buy a 'premium' (lol) brand instead. They had no idea that their new Audi was essentially the same as their previous Golf, and I didn't (and still haven't) had the heart to tell them.

One thing is for sure. They told the Audi salesman about their VW woes. Un-surprisingly he opted not to enlighten them...

royoftherovers · July 14, 2020

36 minutes ago, First_Lexus said:

As a (related) aside, I know somebody who had trouble with their VW Golf. Surprise, the DSG gearbox was on its way out. They decided to trade it in and having had two Golfs, both giving trouble, they decided a change was needed. They asked my advice, and I recommended Japanese or Korean.

We forget sometimes that lots of people really don't know that much about cars. Imagine my surprise when the individual concerned turned up in a brand new...Audi A3! They told me that they'd become tired of unreliable VWs and had decided to buy a 'premium' (lol) brand instead. They had no idea that their new Audi was essentially the same as their previous Golf, and I didn't (and still haven't) had the heart to tell them.

One thing is for sure. They told the Audi salesman about their VW woes. Un-surprisingly he opted not to enlighten them...

You are spot on Ed.Those that know a lot drive Lexus ?

JeffL · July 14, 2020

6 hours ago, DanD said:

I have had a plethora of cars over the years but I have to say that only Japanese cars have given me the confidence to undertake 1000 miles plus journeys with wife and kids, reasonably assured that I would get to my destination without incident. I have had some small Japanese cars such as a Honda Z600 and large ones such as the RX450h, and all have been utterly dependable and reliable.

Hi Dan. Off topic a little, but how do you find the NX for size and comfort after having the RX450?

DanD · July 14, 2020

Hi Dan. Off topic a little, but how do you find the NX for size and comfort after having the RX450?

I changed because I no longer needed the bigger car. Also the RX was getting old and I wanted a newer, more up to date model.

They are very different cars.

RX...
+ More space
+ More cosseting. Excellent seats
+ Effortless performance
+ Quiet, unless you thrash it
+ Good visibility
+ excellent reliability
- aging design (mine was a 2009 model)
- frustrating infotainment system
- poor lights (mine was the SE-I)
- collected far too many car park dings
- unexpectedly, too many rattles (mainly from rear seats, but not only)

NX...
+ smaller, but plenty big enough
+ Still love the design, especially the front with the triple LED headlamps, which are very good
+ Harsher ride, but still very comfortable, even in the F sport
+ More up to date tech
+ Panoramic roof (extra)
+ Excellent seats (mine is the F Sport)
+ Utterly reliable
+ Excellent build quality
+ Cheaper to run, obviously
+ Easier to park
- frustrating and outdated infotainment system
- noisy and unrefined when pressed
- under powered (relatively speaking)

Up front, the NX feels cosier, still with plenty of space. The RX felt more airy, but to be fair, this may have been because of a very light interior colour scheme. The seats keep you in place better than they do in the RX if you are of a relatively slim build, especially around roundabouts. Some people find the ride too harsh... I don't. To me it's just right and helps the car maintain some composure around bends.

Room at the back is very good for two, but is only acceptable for 3 on short journeys. 2 six footers can sit behind one another without problem, and we haven't found the pan roof to be an issue. The car is definitely narrower, which can be a problem if you need to fit children seats/boosters, but is a bonus on narrow roads and when parking.

Boot is of course smaller and is not as deep as the competition because of the batteries, but is certainly usable and big enough. You don't have to compromise as in the CT or UX.

Does this help?

Sent from my Galaxy Note 10 Plus using Tapatalk

Whites · July 15, 2020

Thanks for all the comment received the car yesterday and yes when pressed is a bit noisy but then the Q3 1.4 petrol turbo was, but overall the NX beets the Q3 in every area we’ll delighted, i did have a CT about 3 years ago , but found it a bit small ( having 3 prius before) and to low, well chuffed

DanD · July 15, 2020

29 minutes ago, Don C said:

I’d love a new RX but I’m reluctant to keep throwing money at cars.

as an aside, surely VW have sorted the DSG issues? I can’t get exited about anything VW or BMW group but just interested.

I agree. I think that if I were to move away from Lexus, I would seriously consider Volvo. I find their current lineup particularly attractive.

I love the current RX, but now that the kids no longer live at home I find the size difficult to justify. I find it too cumbersome on our narrow country lanes: our last RX got occasionally scratched by brambles and poorly maintained hedges... the fact that it was solid black didn't help either.

DanD · July 15, 2020

Good points.

Next on my list would be Tesla, ideally the model Y.

First_Lexus · July 15, 2020

2 hours ago, Don C said:

I’d love a new RX but I’m reluctant to keep throwing money at cars.

as an aside, surely VW have sorted the DSG issues? I can’t get exited about anything VW or BMW group but just interested.

^^ A quick scan of a forum or two indicates there are still quite a few reliability issues with them. More worryingly for VAG some of the motoring press have started to (finally) criticise the hesitancy and 'hunting' for gears. Seems they work better when driven hard, but drive more calmly and they are easily confused. Should add I've driven BMW and MINI with DSG gearboxes and while not perfect they are miles ahead of the VAG versions imho.

Plenty on Honest John about them, seems there are good ones and bad ones...

https://www.honestjohn.co.uk/askhj/answer/112154/are-there-any-reliable-dsg-transmissions-used-by-volkswagen-

Whites · July 15, 2020

Very unreliable car the tesla, came out top in most unreliable car survey

royoftherovers · July 15, 2020

18 minutes ago, Whites said:

Very unreliable car the tesla, came out top in most unreliable car survey

If you have not done so Wayne, then join the Tesla Owners Forum and have a few laughs.

Those Americans do take some beating on the World`s stage.

JeffL · July 16, 2020

On 7/14/2020 at 10:36 PM, DanD said:

I changed because I no longer needed the bigger car. Also the RX was getting old and I wanted a newer, more up to date model.

They are very different cars.

RX...
+ More space
+ More cosseting. Excellent seats
+ Effortless performance
+ Quiet, unless you thrash it
+ Good visibility
+ excellent reliability
- aging design (mine was a 2009 model)
- frustrating infotainment system
- poor lights (mine was the SE-I)
- collected far too many car park dings
- unexpectedly, too many rattles (mainly from rear seats, but not only)

NX...
+ smaller, but plenty big enough
+ Still love the design, especially the front with the triple LED headlamps, which are very good
+ Harsher ride, but still very comfortable, even in the F sport
+ More up to date tech
+ Panoramic roof (extra)
+ Excellent seats (mine is the F Sport)
+ Utterly reliable
+ Excellent build quality
+ Cheaper to run, obviously
+ Easier to park
- frustrating and outdated infotainment system
- noisy and unrefined when pressed
- under powered (relatively speaking)

Up front, the NX feels cosier, still with plenty of space. The RX felt more airy, but to be fair, this may have been because of a very light interior colour scheme. The seats keep you in place better than they do in the RX if you are of a relatively slim build, especially around roundabouts. Some people find the ride too harsh... I don't. To me it's just right and helps the car maintain some composure around bends.

Room at the back is very good for two, but is only acceptable for 3 on short journeys. 2 six footers can sit behind one another without problem, and we haven't found the pan roof to be an issue. The car is definitely narrower, which can be a problem if you need to fit children seats/boosters, but is a bonus on narrow roads and when parking.

Boot is of course smaller and is not as deep as the competition because of the batteries, but is certainly usable and big enough. You don't have to compromise as in the CT or UX.

Does this help?

Sent from my Galaxy Note 10 Plus using Tapatalk