F-Sport vs Takumi ride

pws · March 12, 2022

Seriously considering ordering an NX 450 (provided the wait times are not too extended!), but slightly confused by what I'm reading in various reviews about ride comfort in F-Sport vs Takumi trims. Seems odd that the F-Sport is apparently the only trim with adaptive dampers yet seemingly gets a demerit for its irritable motorway ride. I'm guessing that the F-Sport gets somewhat firmer suspension than Takumi and so needs adaptive dampers to compensate, though there's nothing I can see in the sales literature to confirm this.

Anyone here care to comment please? I'm well aware that individual reviews can be outliers in terms of perceived pros and cons, but once a doubt has been raised it's good to follow it up. My current drive is a Q3 45TFSI which has 20" 40 profile tyres and so is on the firm side (TBH as firm as I'd like to go). But I do also like a car that handles well eg through fast roundabouts, so is a 450 F-Sport or Takumi likely to wallow in such circumstances?

RXtoNX · March 12, 2022

See post mid way through this thread, although can’t comment on the “jiggly ride” you mention it may be of help

pws · March 13, 2022

Thanks, that's useful extra information. I perhaps should have added in the quote that was giving me pause for thought, which is from the recent What Car review:

'It's not as impressive at motorway speeds, though – the NX jostles you around, almost as though you're sitting on a washing machine during a slow spin cycle. The experience isn’t too irritating, but the Q5 TFSIe is more settled at faster speeds.'

TBH I'm not sure which trim this comment refers to. It could be the standard suspension or, perhaps more likely, F-Sport suspension, but then was the mode set to comfort or sport settings (or whatever Lexus calls these)? Actually, now I come to look closer, the summary highlights one con as 'Choppy high-speed ride on F Sport versions' and the BMW X3 is singled out as offering a notably better driving experience. And it's interesting that while many of the review sections get 4 or (often) 5 star ratings, 'Ride & Comfort' is relegated to 3 star. i suppose, to an extent, the substantial extra weight of the PHEV is almost bound to cause extra problems for the suspension.

I'm not, just to be clear, seeking to knock the NX - in many ways it looks like an excellent car. But it would be good to hear any further comments on the ride & handling aspect of the 450. A test drive is obviously going to be important here, but OTOH there's often not a good opportunity to appraise such things in detail in a limited test drive period.

RXtoNX · March 13, 2022

Another point worth making is that my RX F Sport can jostle you around a bit on our local B roads in normal mode, but put the AVS into different setting and it rides perfectly as well as taking out much of the roll on bends

er-minio · March 13, 2022

I have an F-Sport. It is my first SUV and I was very worried about roll, etc.

It has some noticeable "pitch roll" at lower speeds when in standard mode, plus it is easy to feel its weight and a bit of understeer when entering faster corners at speed. Nothing major though. It is comfortable on motorways though (already put a few thousand miles on mine).

The drive improves noticeably if you stiff the car up, switching into Sport +.

mitadoc · March 13, 2022

I would not trust paid automotive journalists.

DoubleVeteran · March 14, 2022

I'm with @er-minioI have a UK spec NX 350 F-Sport and have been very impressed with the Sport setting (chassis and steering), even with the car on 20" run-flats ride is IMO excellent.

From memory the Takumi comes with the "sunroof", that will alter the handling dynamics with all that extra mass at the car's highest point.

Don C · March 14, 2022

15 hours ago, mitadoc said:

I would not trust paid automotive journalists.

Neither do I. If one says they don’t like the electric locks, they all do and they’re absolutely fine. How else are you going to include this bike and vehicle protection, you’d have to have some electrical mechanical de-couple device which would cost a fortune and be unreliable. Then they jump on the run flat bandwagon. I think they flick through a few reviews to see what other are writing before going to the trouble of making their own full assessment. This NX of mine with 20 inch wheels is super compliant over the bumps.

Joey020 · March 14, 2022

I tested (and ordered) 450 f sport 20inch wheels. It was absolutely fine. You don't notice the extra weight much because of the electric assistance with instant torque. Note that takumi doesn't actually get any real mechanical differences to standard. I loved the car with only gripes being: 1. I just don't understand how the car feels smaller inside when it's roughly the same size as an X3 and Q5 and 2. Silly parcel shelf.

RXtoNX · March 14, 2022

@Joey020 I asked the dealer why they fitted that type of parcel shelf.
He said it was because people were moaning about the roller type cover as fitted to my current RX because they had to roll back the fabric cover to put things in the boot rather than the boot being fully accessible when the tailgate is lifted.

My view, I prefer the roller cover, it is much less fiddly to take off and store but hey ho, we are all different in our thoughts and opinions

Simon F · March 14, 2022

What's the issue with the parcel shelf?

RXtoNX · March 14, 2022

I think it’s just that the parcel shelf is a one piece section of flimsy, flexible flocked card which attaches to the tailgate by straps so that it lifts up when opening the tailgate.

I didn’t study it much but on 1st appearance it looked cheap & not in keeping with the quality of everything else.
TBH it is only a minor trivial point to me but I would have preferred the cassette roller type of boot cover

Simon F · March 14, 2022

14 minutes ago, RXtoNX said:

I think it’s just that the parcel shelf is a one piece section of flimsy, flexible flocked card which attaches to the tailgate by straps so that it lifts up when opening the tailgate.

I didn’t study it much but on 1st appearance it looked cheap & not in keeping with the quality of everything else.
TBH it is only a minor trivial point to me but I would have preferred the cassette roller type of boot cover

Ah, right, thanks.

I have the cassette roller type in my current car (Mercedes E Class Estate) and that's nice - although quite heavy to remove. Like you though, it's not something I'll stress about too much.

hintonwood · March 14, 2022

2 hours ago, Simon F said:

What's the issue with the parcel shelf?

It is far better than the spring-loaded piece of cloth that comes with the UX! I feel lucky to have a shelf!😜

mitadoc · March 18, 2022

Hopefully, I will be able to test the boot cover later this year.

Ken R · March 18, 2022

Boot cover is a bit disappointing on the 450h+ compared with the previous 300h. It's basically a nylon panel stretched over a metal frame. It folds for storage beneath the boot floor which is a useful feature however unlike the previous version it is limited in what it can safely carry.

Not ideal on a luxury car.

Yorks2000 · January 14, 2023

I'm also considering a 450h+ and wondered if anyone had compared ride quality between f-sport and other versions? I have tried a standard version and i must admit that the ride and noise wasn't quite as good as I had expected (my LR DIscovery Sport PHEV is better - although I was able to specify that with 18inch wheels (with standard tyres rather than the 20 inch run-flats) - I did a back to back test on the same test run.

I’m hoping to have another try to check again - I really like a lot of the features on the NX and the EV range is ideal for my journey pattern - so I’m hoping to convince myself to order one. Otherwise, I may wait and see what the new RX is like.

talaipwros · January 14, 2023

34 minutes ago, Yorks2000 said:

. Otherwise, I may wait and see what the new RX is like.

There are still a few V6 RX's for sale that are a real bargain

Harrier Man · January 14, 2023

50 minutes ago, talaipwros said:

There are still a few V6 RX's for sale that are a real bargain

The Car Care Nut on You Tube has a review of the new model (/watch?v=KVsyJE5nSz4) and I think there was one a few months ago on the old V6. He also has a technical review of the new NX. Of course they are the US model specs but all are worth watching in my opinion, if you are still undecided.

royoftherovers · January 14, 2023

On 3/18/2022 at 7:49 AM, mitadoc said:

Hopefully, I will be able to test the boot cover later this year.

Later this Year ?

My word it is almost February now !

mitadoc · January 17, 2023

On 1/14/2023 at 6:12 PM, royoftherovers said:

Later this Year ?

My word it is almost February now !

Or never actually.

I cancelled the order as I got fed up with lack of comms and I lost trust and confidence in AD in general.

I just bought GLC300d AMG Premium Plus.

Life goes on.

Good luck ,guys and enjoy your vehicles.

Al D-Much · January 17, 2023

I think many people will be doing the same, if Lexus don't sort out their deliveries and comms.
IMO Lexus as a brand expanded too quickly with a limited range, a couple of saloons, a couple of sports cars, everything else is SUV / Crossover vehicles, and no small car.

My dad has driven Lexus cars (IS then CT) for over 20 years, but now has to look elsewhere, due to lack of a small model in the range, sadly.

royoftherovers · January 17, 2023

36 minutes ago, mitadoc said:

Or never actually.

I cancelled the order as I got fed up with lack of comms and I lost trust and confidence in AD in general.

I just bought GLC300d AMG Premium Plus.

Life goes on.

Good luck ,guys and enjoy your vehicles.

Thanks for the update. Enjoy the Merc.

Simon F · January 17, 2023

3 hours ago, mitadoc said:

Or never actually.

I cancelled the order as I got fed up with lack of comms and I lost trust and confidence in AD in general.

I just bought GLC300d AMG Premium Plus.

Life goes on.

Good luck ,guys and enjoy your vehicles.

Shame it had to come to that. Enjoy your new car though!