Thinking of an NX - Help needed

Deathstar · March 10, 2021

Hi all,

I'm looking at changing my beloved IS250. I do love the car, however I fancy a change to something a little newer. I have had a few NXs over the years as courtesy cars when my IS has been in for services. Prior to this I was looking at the GS, however, servicing and warranty seems a little higher; plus as my wife has pointed out on many occasions, my daily commute is through many 20mph and 30mph zones with lots of speed humps 😞. I do like the elevated seating position of the NX too, having had saloons for the last 16 years it's time for a change.

I do love to have a few gadgets on the car, therefore I have been looking at the Premier models from 2017 (67 plate) and above to get the newer style front end and interior, however I do have a few questions about this.

Kit that I want on the car:

Mark Levinson sound system - I love listening to music, and being a little deaf I really want a good sound system. My IS has the 12 speaker Pioneer system which is very good.
Larger new nav screen - This is a nice thing to have, and it seems they have sorted the 'peeling' issues from the screen, plus this might mean the car can have apple car play installed.
Heated steering wheel - Nice to have and I suffer from Reynaud's, this might help me out in the winter
Heated seats - I think every NX has heated seats now, so it's not going to be an issue.

Takumi vs Premier
My budget doesn't stretch as far as the Takumi spec, however I have seen one car in Takumi spec which is within my budget. Is there much difference between the Premier and Takumi?

Cream Leather
I love the thought of cream leather. How easy is it to keep clean? My black leather in the IS looks great. I do clean the car on a regular basis and moisturise the leather whenever possible, however I have been in many show rooms and seen some brand new gorgeous cream leather seats covered in blue 'jean' scuffs. I wear jeans often therefore I don't want to ruin the leather.

Premier vs F-sport
I've seen a number of F-Sport cars which are slightly cheaper than the Premier spec however, they have the 'Premier pack' added, what's missing between the F-sport with Premier pack and a Premier model? From what I've seen they both have Mark Levinson and a heated steering wheel, however I can't see HUD and rear heated seats. Rear heated seats isn't a dealbreaker as is just the two of us at the moment. I was told by my Lexus dealer that the F-sport is a much firmer suspension setup and some people complain it's a little too hard.

Old NX vs New NX
I read somewhere (I can't remember where) that on the newer generation NX they changed the engine mapping slightly so that the CVT doesn't sound as winey when you put your foot flat to the floor? - How true is this? Are there any other notable changes?

Weak points / common faults?
As mentioned my IS has been excellent. Are there any weak points on the NX?

Essential servicing not an option on the NX? - Why?
On many of Lexus' models they have cheaper essential servicing, this doesn't seem to appear on the Lexus website even though the oldest NX is going to be 7 years old. Does anyone have any ideas why? Servicing aside, with the Hybrid Battery i'd probably get the servicing done in Lexus. Its a bit of a trek, but it keeps the Battery warranted.

I have also looked at the RX, however, these are again above my price bracket for the facelift (2016+) with the added cost of servicing and maintenance which near equal the GS, I have kind of written it off, unless someone can tell me otherwise? I have looked into servicing costs and maintenance costs e.g. tyres and these seem on par with my IS.

royoftherovers · March 10, 2021

You have not looked well enough Dylan. https://www.lexus.co.uk/owners/

Chris111 · March 10, 2021

48 minutes ago, Dylanlewis2000 said:

Essential servicing not an option on the NX? - Why?
On many of Lexus' models they have cheaper essential servicing, this doesn't seem to appear on the Lexus website even though the oldest NX is going to be 7 years old.

28 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

You have not looked well enough Dylan.

OP is correct John. In Lexus Essential Care section the NX is not offered when you are asked to choose your model. Might not be the case if you phone a dealer but someone looking online would understandably think that it doesn't apply to the NX.

royoftherovers · March 10, 2021

39 minutes ago, Chris111 said:

OP is correct John. In Lexus Essential Care section the NX is not offered when you are asked to choose your model. Might not be the case if you phone a dealer but someone looking online would understandably think that it doesn't apply to the NX.

Thanks Chris, much appreciated.

Martin J · March 10, 2021

2 hours ago, Dylanlewis2000 said:

Cream Leather
I love the thought of cream leather. How easy is it to keep clean? My black leather in the IS looks great. I do clean the car on a regular basis and moisturise the leather whenever possible, however I have been in many show rooms and seen some brand new gorgeous cream leather seats covered in blue 'jean' scuffs. I wear jeans often therefore I don't want to ruin the leather.

It's pretty easy to keep clean. Mine looks okay, though not concours, after over 5 years. For the first few years of its life I used the Supagard leather wipes supplied with the car, and now use Autoglym leather cleaner about twice a year. I mostly wear jeans too - on one occasion getting back into the car after getting caught in torrential rain with newish jeans meant a bit of cleaning the day after, but I didn't make that mistake again. If you like the look of the cream - and I think it makes the cabin feel much airier - then I wouldn't hesitate.

On the drivetrain, I thought Lexus left it pretty much untouched for the facelift. I've had several facelift loan cars and the drivetrain felt identical to my 2015 pre-facelift. In any case the motoring press always exaggerate the "whiney" characteristics of hybrids, and while the NX can be vocal if you mash the accelerator, most of the time it's far quieter than its non-hybrid competitors.

subria88 · March 10, 2021

3 hours ago, Dylanlewis2000 said:

Takumi vs Premier
My budget doesn't stretch as far as the Takumi spec, however I have seen one car in Takumi spec which is within my budget. Is there much difference between the Premier and Takumi?

Premier vs F-sport
I've seen a number of F-Sport cars which are slightly cheaper than the Premier spec however, they have the 'Premier pack' added, what's missing between the F-sport with Premier pack and a Premier model? From what I've seen they both have Mark Levinson and a heated steering wheel, however I can't see HUD and rear heated seats. Rear heated seats isn't a dealbreaker as is just the two of us at the moment. I was told by my Lexus dealer that the F-sport is a much firmer suspension setup and some people complain it's a little too hard.

Old NX vs New NX
I read somewhere (I can't remember where) that on the newer generation NX they changed the engine mapping slightly so that the CVT doesn't sound as winey when you put your foot flat to the floor? - How true is this? Are there any other notable changes?

Takumi v Premier. Effectively the same, the difference is Takumi is the current top end model specification, and Premier the previous top end mode specification.
F-Sport with Premier Pack - the F-Sport with a pack to bring the F-Sport spec (mostly) up to the Premier spec. What's missing? The memory seats is the most obvious omission from the standard Premier. I seem to recall for the Takumi spec, the panoramic glass roof is standard.
Do note that F-Sport with Premier will get you additional suspension options due to AVS being included. The facelift has an upgrade AVS that is more responsive. The Premier will not have AVS. You can check for this by looking at the mode dial - if there is an S+, AVS is fitted. Others who have the F-Sport with AVS have said the ride is much improved over the standard F-Sport. With the Premier Pack, you should be getting both the HUD, Mark Levinson and the 360 surround camera. Otherwise the standard F-Sport will be missing those versus the Premier/Takumi.
The facelift 2018 models onwards (though some may have registered in 2017), have the larger screen, he touchpad interface, larger wireless charging bay (if fitted, apparently useful if you have a larger phone) and the ability to have apple Carplay and Android Auto fitted. Visually the facelift has larger corner vents for the front bumper, and slightly larger taillights.
Pre Facelift have the smaller screen, pointing device (though there may have been some specs that did have a touchpad pre facelift) and a smaller wireless charging bay. Not upgradeable to Carplay and Android Auto without replacing the entire screen unit with a 3rd party option.

Deathstar · March 10, 2021

2 hours ago, Martin J said:

It's pretty easy to keep clean. Mine looks okay, though not concours, after over 5 years. For the first few years of its life I used the Supagard leather wipes supplied with the car, and now use Autoglym leather cleaner about twice a year. I mostly wear jeans too - on one occasion getting back into the car after getting caught in torrential rain with newish jeans meant a bit of cleaning the day after, but I didn't make that mistake again. If you like the look of the cream - and I think it makes the cabin feel much airier - then I wouldn't hesitate.

On the drivetrain, I thought Lexus left it pretty much untouched for the facelift. I've had several facelift loan cars and the drivetrain felt identical to my 2015 pre-facelift. In any case the motoring press always exaggerate the "whiney" characteristics of hybrids, and while the NX can be vocal if you mash the accelerator, most of the time it's far quieter than its non-hybrid competitors.

Thank you for your comments.

1 hour ago, subria88 said:

Takumi v Premier. Effectively the same, the difference is Takumi is the current top end model specification, and Premier the previous top end mode specification.

F-Sport with Premier Pack - the F-Sport with a pack to bring the F-Sport spec (mostly) up to the Premier spec. What's missing? The memory seats is the most obvious omission from the standard Premier. I seem to recall for the Takumi spec, the panoramic glass roof is standard.

Do note that F-Sport with Premier will get you additional suspension options due to AVS being included. The facelift has an upgrade AVS that is more responsive. The Premier will not have AVS. You can check for this by looking at the mode dial - if there is an S+, AVS is fitted. Others who have the F-Sport with AVS have said the ride is much improved over the standard F-Sport. With the Premier Pack, you should be getting both the HUD, Mark Levinson and the 360 surround camera. Otherwise the standard F-Sport will be missing those versus the Premier/Takumi.

The facelift 2018 models onwards (though some may have registered in 2017), have the larger screen, he touchpad interface, larger wireless charging bay (if fitted, apparently useful if you have a larger phone) and the ability to have Apple Carplay and Android Auto fitted. Visually the facelift has larger corner vents for the front bumper, and slightly larger taillights.

Pre Facelift have the smaller screen, pointing device (though there may have been some specs that did have a touchpad pre facelift) and a smaller wireless charging bay. Not upgradeable to Carplay and Android Auto without replacing the entire screen unit with a 3rd party option.

This is interesting to note. It sounds like the F-sport with premier pack could be a good compromise between that and full Premier. What does AVS actually do? I recall reading about the old air suspension in the previous generation RX and it was great when the cars were, new but a pain in the bum when they were a few years old and going wrong.

subria88 · March 10, 2021

5 minutes ago, Dylanlewis2000 said:

Thank you for your comments.

This is interesting to note. It sounds like the F-sport with premier pack could be a good compromise between that and full Premier. What does AVS actually do? I recall reading about the old air suspension in the previous generation RX and it was great when the cars were, new but a pain in the bum when they were a few years old and going wrong.

Adaptive Variable Suspension
Lexus has comprehensively upgraded the Adaptive Variable Suspension, available in the new NX F Sport Premier Pack.
By introducing a new continuously variable control, the system’s control levels have been increased from 30 to 650, helping secure smooth and precise vehicle control. Excellent damping force control response has also been achieved, which contributes to even better ride comfort and a reassuring driving feel with reduced roll.
The AVS controls shock absorber damping force on all four wheels in response to the way the vehicle is being driven and road surface conditions. For example, when travelling on a rough surface, a lower damper rating is set to maintain a comfortable ride. Damping force is controlled when the vehicle is cornering, to optimise its posture and maintain stability.
The system provides control in five distinct areas: -
· Vehicle Speed-sensing Control, adjusting control in line with vehicle speed to enhance comfort at low speed and stability at high speed.
· Roll Attitude Control, maintaining the optimum vehicle attitude when cornering through control of damping force on all four wheels.
· Anti-dive Control, maintaining a higher damping force in line with brake master cylinder pressure, to moderate the speed at which the vehicle pitches forward under braking.
· Anti-squat Control, reducing the change in vehicle attitude under acceleration to maintain comfort and stability.
· Rebound control, providing fine control of damping force on all four wheels, based on signals from a vertical G-sensor to provide smooth and natural damping of even small amounts of vehicle sway.

Nabbed from below

https://media.lexus.co.uk/wp-content/files_mf/1517228099180125MNXfullrelease.pdf

Which incidentally on page 14 lists the differences between the specs for the facelift model

Deathstar · March 10, 2021

8 minutes ago, subria88 said:

Adaptive Variable Suspension
Lexus has comprehensively upgraded the Adaptive Variable Suspension, available in the new NX F Sport Premier Pack.
By introducing a new continuously variable control, the system’s control levels have been increased from 30 to 650, helping secure smooth and precise vehicle control. Excellent damping force control response has also been achieved, which contributes to even better ride comfort and a reassuring driving feel with reduced roll.
The AVS controls shock absorber damping force on all four wheels in response to the way the vehicle is being driven and road surface conditions. For example, when travelling on a rough surface, a lower damper rating is set to maintain a comfortable ride. Damping force is controlled when the vehicle is cornering, to optimise its posture and maintain stability.
The system provides control in five distinct areas: -
· Vehicle Speed-sensing Control, adjusting control in line with vehicle speed to enhance comfort at low speed and stability at high speed.
· Roll Attitude Control, maintaining the optimum vehicle attitude when cornering through control of damping force on all four wheels.
· Anti-dive Control, maintaining a higher damping force in line with brake master cylinder pressure, to moderate the speed at which the vehicle pitches forward under braking.
· Anti-squat Control, reducing the change in vehicle attitude under acceleration to maintain comfort and stability.
· Rebound control, providing fine control of damping force on all four wheels, based on signals from a vertical G-sensor to provide smooth and natural damping of even small amounts of vehicle sway.

Nabbed from below

https://media.lexus.co.uk/wp-content/files_mf/1517228099180125MNXfullrelease.pdf

Which incidentally on page 14 lists the differences between the specs for the facelift model

A lot of that sounds like sales patter. I suppose the only way to know is to take both out for a drive... when showrooms return to some sort of normality.

subria88 · March 11, 2021

10 hours ago, Dylanlewis2000 said:

A lot of that sounds like sales patter. I suppose the only way to know is to take both out for a drive... when showrooms return to some sort of normality.

Yes - members here have reported that F-Sport with AVS has a much improved ride over the standard F-Sport

How F-Sport with AVS compares compares to the standard suspension setup in standard and Premier has never quite been clear to me though

Deathstar · March 11, 2021

1 hour ago, subria88 said:

Yes - members here have reported that F-Sport with AVS has a much improved ride over the standard F-Sport

How F-Sport with AVS compares compares to the standard suspension setup in standard and Premier has never quite been clear to me though

That's something that i'm also unclear about. Its one of those things that it could be something big to break for not very little benefit. If it was something that transforms the ride and handling of the car then its something to really think about, however, it seems that it's not.

First_Lexus · March 11, 2021

17 hours ago, Dylanlewis2000 said:

Old NX vs New NX
I read somewhere (I can't remember where) that on the newer generation NX they changed the engine mapping slightly so that the CVT doesn't sound as winey when you put your foot flat to the floor? - How true is this? Are there any other notable changes?

^^ I’ve owned a pre-facelift NX and now have the post-facelift and didn’t notice any difference in this area between the two.

17 hours ago, Dylanlewis2000 said:

I was told by my Lexus dealer that the F-sport is a much firmer suspension setup and some people complain it's a little too hard.

^^ Having had an F-Sport for a couple of weeks as a courtesy car, I did find the suspension too firm for my tastes. However, I’m not an enthusiastic driver, so you’d need to try and test both set-ups (when you can) to determine if the improved handling is an acceptable trade-off or whether you find the F-Sport ride firm at all as we are all different.

Either way, I can thoroughly recommend the NX. It’s comfortable, relatively practical and beautifully made. I’m keeping my current one as I’ve not found a better compromise vehicle for my needs.

subria88 · March 11, 2021

15 minutes ago, Dylanlewis2000 said:

That's something that i'm also unclear about. Its one of those things that it could be something big to break for not very little benefit. If it was something that transforms the ride and handling of the car then its something to really think about, however, it seems that it's not.

wardy1 · March 11, 2021

Hi.
I’ve been on this site for years when I owned an RX400h and had to reregister for some reason. However to the point.

I’ve recently bought a 2015 NX Luxury. A brief test drive was all I had before purchase and following a few hundred miles my initial impressions are:

Internal sound suppression is excellent. I didn’t notice how good until I stepped straight from mine into a friends car which I thought was quiet to start with.

CVT is an improvement on the RX400. More noticeable going up hills than during acceleration but not too bad 95% of the time.

Build quality and comfort excellent.

Gear lever is horrible. Like something from the 80’s. Very mechanical and notchy. Nowhere near as good as VAG cars.

Suspension is too firm for my tastes, especially around town. Tyres aren’t the problem it’s just too crashy. Gets better on the open road, just. My previous three cars were a Ford Kuga 2015, Vauxhall Zafira Tourer 2016 and a Golf SV 2016. All had far superior suspension in any situation.

Overall a very nice car but because of the suspension I’ll probably only keep it for a year while it’s covered by the dealer warranty then change.

First_Lexus · March 11, 2021

1 hour ago, wardy1 said:

Gear lever is horrible. Like something from the 80’s. Very mechanical and notchy. No we’re near as good as VAG cars

^^ Funny, I couldn’t agree less! I love the fact that it feels mechanical, especially going into reverse. For me it feels well engineered and just oozes quality. I’ve had my fair share of VAG automatics too - the last being a Tiguan with the exploding DSG gearbox - and just can’t see how you could think that...which just goes to prove how different perceptions and opinions are!

royoftherovers · March 11, 2021

13 minutes ago, First_Lexus said:

^^ Funny, I couldn’t agree less! I love the fact that it feels mechanical, especially going into reverse. For me it feels well engineered and just oozes quality. I’ve had my fair share of VAG automatics too - the last being a Tiguan with the exploding DSG gearbox - and just can’t see how you could think that..which just goes to prove how different perceptions and opinions are!

I`m with you on this Ed !

wardy1 · March 11, 2021

22 minutes ago, First_Lexus said:

^^ Funny, I couldn’t agree less! I love the fact that it feels mechanical, especially going into reverse. For me it feels well engineered and just oozes quality. I’ve had my fair share of VAG automatics too - the last being a Tiguan with the exploding DSG gearbox - and just can’t see how you could think that..which just goes to prove how different perceptions and opinions are!

Yes it’s all down to perception and personal taste.
I’m a mechanical engineer and just don’t like it. Going from drive back up the box is a lot better than from park down the box. The VAG dsg’s to me, are much smoother and more precise and I’ve had a few different types.
Once the cars in drive I use auto hold so hardly use the lever.
However, the cvt is a much nicer gearbox in operation at low speeds than the dsg’s.

wharfhouse · March 11, 2021

20 hours ago, Chris111 said:

OP is correct John. In Lexus Essential Care section the NX is not offered when you are asked to choose your model. Might not be the case if you phone a dealer but someone looking online would understandably think that it doesn't apply to the NX.

They seem to have stopped adding newer cars to the Essentials Care list... But I have an Essentials Care service plan on my IS 300h (2014 model), which also isn't on the list. The cost of the Essentials Care services was only a few pounds more than the IS250 listed and so I would expect the NX300h will be similar.

paulrnx · March 11, 2021

4 hours ago, wardy1 said:

Hi.
I’ve been on this site for years when I owned an RX400h and had to reregister for some reason. However to the point.

I’ve recently bought a 2015 NX Luxury. A brief test drive was all I had before purchase and following a few hundred miles my initial impressions are:

Internal sound suppression is excellent. I didn’t notice how good until I stepped straight from mine into a friends car which I thought was quiet to start with.

CVT is an improvement on the RX400. More noticeable going up hills than during acceleration but not too bad 95% of the time.

Build quality and comfort excellent.

Gear lever is horrible. Like something from the 80’s. Very mechanical and notchy. Nowhere near as good as VAG cars.

Suspension is too firm for my tastes, especially around town. Tyres aren’t the problem it’s just too crashy. Gets better on the open road, just. My previous three cars were a Ford Kuga 2015, Vauxhall Zafira Tourer 2016 and a Golf SV 2016. All had far superior suspension in any situation.

Overall a very nice car but because of the suspension I’ll probably only keep it for a year while it’s covered by the dealer warranty then change.

You might find the car will be transformed if/when you change to a decent premium tyre. My experience is that all of the bump thump and poor secondary ride quality disappears once moving away from the OE fit tyres.

wardy1 · March 11, 2021

6 minutes ago, paulrnx said:

You might find the car will be transformed if/when you change to a decent premium tyre. My experience is that all of the bump thump and poor secondary ride quality disappears once moving away from the OE fit tyres.

It’s got Avon ZX7’s on which get good reviews so I doubt it would make much difference. There is no tyre noise at speed which some owners complain of on original tyres.
It’s not a massive problem as such because I don’t spend much time on urban roads, just a disappointment after being used to cars with compliant suspension. For once the car reviewers got it right.
The reason I ignored them was that most reviewers said the Kuga ride was firm but I didn’t find that at all. It was a good compromise between comfort and handling.
I didn’t notice it so much on the test drive only when I got onto roads I know after I bought it. My wife who doesn’t drive and wasn’t on the test drive noticed straight away how crashy it is.

But, overall it’s a nice car in lots of areas. The pros outweigh the cons. I normally change my cars every 12 to 18 months anyway. I get bored quickly.

paulrnx · March 11, 2021

11 minutes ago, wardy1 said:

It’s got Avon ZX7’s on which get good reviews so I doubt it would make much difference. There is no tyre noise at speed which some owners complain of on original tyres.
It’s not a massive problem as such because I don’t spend much time on urban roads, just a disappointment after being used to cars with compliant suspension. For once the car reviewers got it right.
The reason I ignored them was that most reviewers said the Kuga ride was firm but I didn’t find that at all. It was a good compromise between comfort and handling.
I didn’t notice it so much on the test drive only when I got onto roads I know after I bought it. My wife who doesn’t drive and wasn’t on the test drive noticed straight away how crashy it is.

But, overall it’s a nice car in lots of areas. The pros outweigh the cons. I normally change my cars every 12 to 18 months anyway. I get bored quickly.

Me too 👍

I’ve had 19 cars in the last 20 years. Got to keep this one much longer. My wife said she would remove my danglies if I change within three years. Which is a fairly good incentive if I’m honest 😀

Deathstar · March 13, 2021

Thank you for your comments so far. I have been tracking a few cars over the last two or so weeks, and they seem to be moving quite quickly. Hopefully when the dealerships reopen properly more stock will appear which will allow me to compare models. Either that or to try something new.

In the back of my mind is the 2030 deadline the government has placed on ICE cars; it could cause car values to tank!

royoftherovers · March 13, 2021

1 hour ago, Dylanlewis2000 said:

Thank you for your comments so far. I have been tracking a few cars over the last two or so weeks, and they seem to be moving quite quickly. Hopefully when the dealerships reopen properly more stock will appear which will allow me to compare models. Either that or to try something new.

In the back of my mind is the 2030 deadline the government has placed on ICE cars; it could cause car values to tank!

Dylan, there should be a glut soon with the new reg coming in. Try to be ahead of the curve, not merely tracking.

2030 might be put back but in any event is only for NEW vehicles.