2022 NX350h AWD Quick Preview

[Rabbers]

Yesterday I got to drive a 2022 NX350h AWD taking turns at the wheel with two other prospective customers.  This was not a formal test-drive, for which I still don't have a date (maybe early December?), but a sneak preview in a car obtained by my dealer for his private use.  I understood this particular car, a fully specced model, unnamed but presumably corresponding to a Takumi, may have been among a fleet of Lexus models used to chauffeur VIPs around the Venice film festival in September by way of promoting brand awareness.  That it already had 7000km on the clock is a measure of its popularity with Lexus personnel, and I gather there is some management concern about reducing inventories of the earlier model, no car in recent years having been considered so much of an improvement over its predecessor.

Fifteen minutes at the wheel and twenty as a passenger were frustratingly short but enough to convince me that the new NX is a difficult car to fault.  So difficult, in fact, that I can't help thinking, wrongly I hope, that months of pre-launch brainwashing prevented me from seeing the car other than favourably.  I was mainly interested, probably like most people, in trying out the new infotainment system, and, having owned both the IS300h and the RC300h, I was also looking forward to assessing the benefits of the increase in power to 245bhp.  Regrettably the brevity of the drive and its limitation to town roads meant that any viable conclusions about the latter will have to wait for a proper test-drive.  Although declared figures clearly favour the NX, it did not feel much faster or more responsive than my RC when I had the chance to accelerate from about 50kmh to 120kmh+ upon approaching and merging with fast traffic from a secondary road, though it was certainly smooth and perceptibly quieter.  I gather that the F-Sport, which is the version I would normally want, differs only in some aesthetic details but has the same suspensions, and wheels and tyres, and therefore drives no differently.

The 14inch touch-screen is so visually dominant that the whole cabin and not just the dash seems designed around it. Being perfectly positioned in height and angle, it has an almost "magnetic" attraction for the  eye and hand.  Despite being angled towards the driver it can be operated almost as easily by the front-seat passenger, not that this is something I would encourage.  Full appreciation of the system and the amount of data it can provide requires a period of familiarisation and practice, but major functions like navigation, media and climate are immediately and invitingly simple to operate.  The display is graphically pleasing, sharp in definition, and readability is not seriously impaired by direct sunlight.  The full-screen maps are particularly impressive in their size and clarity.  I experienced no feeling of visual or mental overload from the large amount of data available, not least because of the summary data provided by the excellent HUD.  My only complaint, in addition to the continuing proneness to error of the supposedly improved voice command function, is the absence of the traditional split-screen showing two sources, which I initially thought was because I couldn't find the relative control but, as it turned out, is actually no longer present.  Lexus has done a very good job in re-designing the system, and the sooner it is adopted across the range the better.  Unless competitors match it for functionality and quality (for all I know some of them already do), it will help Lexus to sell more cars and gain market share, and I don't doubt that quite a few existing Lexus owners will bring their plans for a new car forward in order to have it.  By comparison, the otherwise perfectly serviceable system in my RC now suddenly seems - indeed is - out of date and, despite my long familiarity with it, much too fiddly to operate.  In fact, I now dislike it.

My drive of about 20km, during which I generally kept to the speed limits, was entirely on good roads in normal town traffic and included a stretch of dual carriageway where I was briefly able to get up a bit of speed.  Before commenting further, I should say that I am generally not fond of SUVs as a type of vehicle.  Based on my own admittedly limited experience, I find them too large for my everyday needs, uncomfortably high in driving position, wobbly at high speeds and on winding roads, overbearing in traffic, inelegant in appearance, and too numerous.  The new NX, like the previous one, shares few or perhaps none of these drawbacks and lives up to its billing as the sort of "luxury compact" I would be proud and happy to own.  Compared to the UX, it looks and feels better built and more luxurious inside and out, and compared to the RX, its size better suits my physical requirements and my finances.  On the two occasions I have had the "old" NX as a courtesy car (RWD both times) I was slightly disappointed by the quality of the ride, describing it as choppy on uneven services when posting my thoughts on this forum back in 2016.  Minor asperities on otherwise good roads remain detectable in the new NX and can be momentarily startling because of the contrast with the general feeling of insulation from the outside world.

Did I like the new NX enough to buy it?  The answer is a borderline No, though I will be keeping this decision under constant review.  I still prefer my RC even if the time when it will become tiresome to own and drive (but probably not to look at) has now come significantly closer.

[Don C]

It seems a shame that you would take up a test drive with no intensions of owning one when there are so many others that legitimately want to drive one.  Why do you think the infotainment screen should be exclusively operated by the driver?

[Rabbers]

You misunderstand me.  I might well reconsider my initial decision as the result of a formal test drive, though my feeling is that I won’t.  As regards the infotainment screen, I have no objection or right to object to other drivers allowing it to be operated by a passenger, and they should feel free to do what they prefer, just as I will.

 

[Andy B]

@Rabbers - Thanks for putting your thoughts on the new NX into words - very interesting and probably took longer to type than the actual test drive 🙂

I'm glad to hear that you were impressed with it - every review I have read or viewed so far has reinforced my belief that I made the right choice in ordering one early "sight unseen". Time will tell though I guess.

They just need to get a move on and start building it.

[Rabbers]

36 minutes ago, Andy B said:

They just need to get a move on and start building it.

Absolutely right.  I think they might have jumped the gun a little with pre-marketing and hoped to have reduced inventories of the previous model more than they have.

[First_Lexus]

A very useful summary @Rabbersmany thanks. I was interested in the new NX to replace my current (second) NX, but I decided to go RX for a couple of reasons.

First, I’d always be a little reticent to own the first of a brand new model, albeit coming from Lexus there’s probably nothing to worry about.

Second, the deal just wasn’t good enough. I can own an RX for significantly less - and I mean thousands of pounds less - than the new NX. The NX will be my next car after 4-5 years with the RX that I’ll get in December, and will be the one I take into retirement.

[Al D-Much]

Interior is still too Toyota, rather than Lexus though. There's too much RAV-4 DNA, so loses it's special "it's a Lexus" brand in my opinion.
That's only from photos / videos, I might change my mind once I see one in the real.

[Rabbers]

On 11/15/2021 at 8:46 PM, Al D-Much said:

Interior is still too Toyota, rather than Lexus though. There's too much RAV-4 DNA, so loses it's special "it's a Lexus" brand in my opinion.
That's only from photos / videos, I might change my mind once I see one in the real.

Interesting comment, Alex.  It raises the broader question of how and why some of us tend to refer to Toyota when expressing an opinion about a Lexus, so I thought I'd start a new topic in the Lexus General Discussions Forum.  See Lexus v. Toyota - A Fair Comparison? posted a few minutes ago.

[Rabbers]

Although my admiration for the NX350h (see my OP of November 14 2021 above) is now confirmed, indeed reinforced, after a proper test drive of approx. 3 hours/260km, I have finally decided against buying one.

The version I tested was an F-Sport, full-spec with ML and a panoramic roof, which is precisely what I would have bought.  As in the case of my earlier much briefer drive, which was also of a top-spec car, though not an F-Sport, my criticisms were very few, mainly subjective and almost entirely based, in the final analysis, on my prejudice against SUVs.  I was able to confirm that the NX pleases in all traffic conditions and at all speeds;  it pulls away powerfully and smoothly from low speeds, feels perfectly stable at speeds well above motorway limits, and instils a high level of confidence in all circumstances;  it remains straight and firmly planted under hard braking;  it does not feel over-large or cumbersome on country roads and in narrow spaces, and can fairly be described as agile despite its size;  it is impeccably built and finished inside and out;  the infotainment system is functionally and visually superb, and it is easy to see how novel features (to me, at least) such as the programmable HUD and the panoramic view monitor, among others, will soon become indispensable to owners.

And yet, in spite of this technological excellence and all-round practicality, not to mention comfort and elegance, I was simply unable to get away from the fact that I really don't want or need an SUV.  Certainly, better overall economics might have made me a little more flexible, but a list price of €70.5K for the spec I want (which I believe to be around the same Europe-wide except for VAT differences), with a discount of only €5.8K (probably improveable  with negotiation) is simply too high even despite a fairly generous trade-in valuation of €35K for my RC.  So high, in fact, that I suspect it might push prospective customers less loyal to Lexus and/or in more urgent need of a new car than myself towards the Germans.

As things stand, I guess I'll now maybe find myself looking more closely at an ES even though my enthusiasm will not be as great as it was when Lexus offered a wider choice.

 

[Don C]

There’s a surprise.  

[rayaans]

On 11/15/2021 at 5:15 AM, Don C said:

It seems a shame that you would take up a test drive with no intensions of owning one when there are so many others that legitimately want to drive one.  Why do you think the infotainment screen should be exclusively operated by the driver?

This chaps not in the UK so may have a different situation to us here.

Besides Ive test driven one. The offer was through the dealer and silly not to take up just to see what its like. I dont have any plans on owning one either but will wait for the next RX. 

[Rabbers]

2 hours ago, rayaans said:

This chaps not in the UK so may have a different situation to us here.

Besides Ive test driven one. The offer was through the dealer and silly not to take up just to see what its like. I dont have any plans on owning one either but will wait for the next RX. 

One has the impression that prospective customers for the new NX have been kicking down UK dealers’ doors to get a test drive, seemingly as the combined result of pre-marketing hype and regrettable delivery delays.  As far as I am aware this situation has been less noticeable elsewhere even though the car has also been greeted with enthusiasm.

 I hope the new RX will meet your expectations when it comes out.  As for me, I had hoped that a test drive of the NX would convert me to a liking of SUVs but, disappointingly, it didn’t.  

[AJ500]

I cannot help but think Lexus are missing out on a decent market for smaller saloon/ hatchback cars.The CT and IS were discontinued here ,leaving only the SUV range or the ES ,which is quite large.

Had the new IS come to these shores we would have considered it when our daily BMW was renewed last year.It would have had to be exceptional but at least it would have been an option.

Not everyone wants an SUV especially when the interior space(UX) is pretty limited.

A J.

[rayaans]

18 minutes ago, AJ500 said:

I cannot help but think Lexus are missing out on a decent market for smaller saloon/ hatchback cars.The CT and IS were discontinued here ,leaving only the SUV range or the ES ,which is quite large.

Had the new IS come to these shores we would have considered it when our daily BMW was renewed last year.It would have had to be exceptional but at least it would have been an option.

Not everyone wants an SUV especially when the interior space(UX) is pretty limited.

A J.

I think they don't want a CT replacement as UX was designed to take over that market due to the obsession with SUVs

There is an IS coming but it'll be fully electric. They're just updating it overseas until that happens

[AJ500]

Its a shame the US market petrol IS isnt here as that looks great.

Fully electric gets no interest from me.

A J.

[rayaans]

1 hour ago, AJ500 said:

Its a shame the US market petrol IS isnt here as that looks great.

Fully electric gets no interest from me.

A J.

It's a weird thing to do. They make it in RHD so even if they brought the IS300h over it would have been ideal