First_Lexus

I've had at least one CVT in my fleet for 15 years now, and I prefer them to torque converter boxes and MUCH prefer them to hesitant, constantly hunting for the right gear, DSG gearboxes. However, you do need to get used to driving them. Hard acceleration - as you would to 'kick down' a traditional auto - will simply send the revs soaring and create a load of noise and little progress. Accelerate gradually as speed builds, and you'll find the experience much better, and far smoother than a traditional gearbox. It does take some getting used to though, and probably doesn't suit a more aggressive driving style. They seem to be reliable too. I'm hoping I never have another gearbox go 'bang' (literally!) like my VW DSG did at 40k miles on the outside lane of the M1...it's quite an experience to see bits of gearbox casing and gearbox oil fly out of the back of the car at - ahem - 70mph...

Only paint issue has been stone chipping for me. I'd be surprised if your NX left the factory with an issue like that, especially in a fairly visible area. Good luck getting it sorted, hopefully the dealer will look after you.

Personally I'd advise against a diy ceramic coating if you don't know precisely what you are doing, as the preparation needs to be perfect. I used to show cars so like to think I know my way around a good (amateur) detail, but with advancing years and less mobility I had my NX professionally coated using GTechniq. Best thing I've done in ages. Very quick and simple maintenance now to get it looking (almost) perfect. Cost was £500 total. The company I chose was recommended on Detailing World, and was superb. My huge collection of polishes and waxes has stayed untouched since it was done, I now just use C2v3 to finish as required. The cost of your quote seems high, but as your car is 2014 there may be considerable correction needed before a coating can be applied properly. I'm actually not sure whether I'd bother on an older car, just not something I'd considered. Look on DW, plenty of information there. These are the guys that did mine. Summit Detailing Instagram Summit NX Detail

Having just driven home down the M4 I find the post above astonishing, but @Physiogirl as I said earlier in the thread, the problem with asking a question such as this is that you'll get various opinions (and some opinions presented as facts) based on perceptions. As we know, perception is reality at least in the mind of the individual with that perception. My perception is no more right or wrong than others represented on this thread. The only way to know for sure is to go and take an extended test drive yourself and make your own mind up. Interestingly, when I took my extended test drive I remarked to the dealer how quiet and relaxing I felt the NX to be. The reply? 'Everybody says that, Sir.' A good salesman won't disagree with a customer where he feels he cannot reverse the opinion - there is no point. In agreeing, whether it is 'truthful' or not, he builds rapport and hopes to sell something else instead.

Out of interest Jon @Farnewhat issues are you having?

That Volvo is a seriously nice vehicle. The T5 is well reviewed, even though most motoring media reckon the diesel is a better bet. Sigh...🙄 One of my very close friends has just got one to replace a Merc and aside from a couple of minor quality issues to be sorted that should have been done at the PDi - rattles in the cabin, driver's door doesn't sit properly and a mis-aligned rear bumper - she loves it to bits. Personally I'm a bit surprised at some of the quality issues, especially on a brand new £40k top of the range car, but having had Japanese cars for years I guess I'm spoiled in that respect. Even so, this will be on my list for next time, have always liked Volvos. I must be getting old...

Congratulations on your new NX. On the forum actual NX owners seem to be very happy with their choice, I certainly am. Manual wise I asked Lexus customer service on the day I picked up the car and had a full set - for free - just a few days later delivered by registered post. I reckon it took them three days (at most) from request to delivery, which was just superb. Brace yourself though...they are big! Plenty to read to keep you busy finding out what it can do, especially the navigation system.

Make sure you try both the F-Sport and the 'standard' NX (i.e. SE, Luxury or Premier) models. I found the F-Sport to be noisier and have a harder ride. The problem with your question is that different people will perceive noise based on how they drive, on what roads, and based on what they may have driven previously. I consider my NX Luxury to be very quiet - as do others that have been in it - with the exception of a new LR Discovery owner who thought it was quite noisy...

Given just a few short years this sort of thing will be implemented in every city and large town. Consultations are on-going almost everywhere if you look hard enough on local Government websites, although some are better publicised than others - Bath being a good example. Interestingly on their website they even recommend drivers choose petrol over diesel when changing their vehicle. I've posted a couple of the links to the consultations/plans active at the moment - but if you use a search engine with your nearest large town and 'clean air zone' you should - eventually - be able to find what they are consulting on. They're all having to come up with plans to meet central Government air quality targets. Bath low emissions zone Bristol clean air zone Leeds clean air zone

Try using CarWow as a starting point for negotiations. I found it useful as it highlighted the dealers who are keen to do a deal. Problem may be that the ES is new. If you could wait a few months you may get a more tempting offer... Lexus Swindon are offering 0% PCP on all new cars (excl. the UX) with £2000 deposit contribution OR £4000 deposit contribution until Feb 21st. Might be worth giving them a ring.

^^ Not sure about that in terms of pricing. I've just built an 'Excel' on the Toyota website, and although it has a few extra bits that my NX Luxury doesn't it is the closest in spec to mine. Oddly it has a smaller nav screen. With the AWD engine it comes to £36,645 (with metallic paint). My NX (after discount) was pretty much the same price. Granted, discounts on the RAV should bring that down a bit after a few months on sale, so it will be a very interesting option...as long as the interior perceived quality is better than the previous one, which was the main reason I wouldn't consider it. Ride quality is an interesting one. Having owned two NXs now across 18 months, I don't find it an issue and the rural tracks around here are - ahem - less than forgiving. Back to back with a GS it isn't as good, but how many people get to experience that sort of comparison over an extended period? My guess is that most people don't really notice. Fully accept it could be better though - will be interesting to see if real owners note it as an issue in the Auto Express Driver Power survey which has just launched. Also interesting to see a Lexus dealer advertising a used RX Sport, and pointing out in the advert that this RX has the standard suspension rather than the firmer set up of the F-Sport. Having spoken to a dealer after having the F-Sport RX - where the ride really was hard and not in keeping with the rest of the vehicle imho - he said that was common feedback and that most people preferred the standard set-up, as I did. Had I only driven an RX F-Sport I'd have considered the car overrated (I noted at the time that I didn't understand all the fuss about the RX having had that for a couple of weeks) mainly because the seats were too hard, the ride was hard, and it was noisy on the motorway. When the dealer then gave me the standard 'Sport' next, it was a car transformed and I finally understood why so many people love the latest RX. Of more concern to the NX and RAV is probably the new Honda CR-V Hybrid, which in SR spec is also about the same price (slightly cheaper, albieit marginal) and which looks very good indeed...and as a serial Honda owner before my current Lexus I still feel that Hondas are that bit more thoughtfully designed and feel slightly better engineered.

^^ Not sure this is the case when compared with the non-Lexus competition. Diesel options have more grunt, that's for sure, but petrol competitors I've driven (and owned) from Honda and Mazda have a 2.0 litre engine and don't have the same power as the NX (in automatic form at least). I'd describe NX performance as entirely adequate, and it is bound to be different to a non-4WD rear drive option which is also likely to be lighter. Economy wise I get between 39-42mpg without issue. That compares well to similarly sized competitors in the real world. A friend with a new Volvo XC40 (diesel, front wheel drive) is getting only mid-30's against figures she was promised of 50-60! A colleague with a BMW X3 diesel (4WD) only gets mid-30s mpg as well. My previous Honda CR-V 2.0 litre petrol managed 40mpg when driven carefully, but driven 'normally' it was also mid-30s and my enthusiastic brother-in-law who had one the same was often in the high 20's. The only competitor where I have real experience of superior mpg (and I accept the above is quite limited in terms of scope) is the CR-V with the 1.6 i-DTEC diesel unit, which has been achieving high 40's mpg, although it is fair to note that on Honda forums there are plenty of owners complaining of poor mpg (only in the 30s) from the same engine/gearbox configuration. Again, we need to accept that expectations of a car (or any appliance I suppose) depend on previous experience and on personal style. I'm not a fast driver, so an NX is great. I can see that if I came from a more powerful car or if I was the sort of driver who likes to press on more, then an NX probably wouldn't suit. But then, I'd have established that during the test-drive phase and bought accordingly, if performance was more important than other priorities such as vehicle height, availability of 4WD, luggage space, passenger space etc.

I will probably be looking to down-size from my NX next time, in 18 months or so, and will be interested to see a UK in the flesh. As long as the 4WD option isn't too expensive at that stage, this will be a contender.

^^ As with most things it depends on personal circumstances. I had a GS300h Premier last year as a courtesy car and loved it, more than my NX. Even so, it would be absolutely no good for me as my daily driver: - I have mobility issues, and it was a struggle to get in and out of, and; - I live in a very rural part of Wiltshire, more than 2 miles from even the nearest 'B' road. Rear wheel drive saloons are not seen often around here - putting aside the lack of traction in bad weather, the visibility isn't great on the lanes with high hedges either side. The best car will be different for every user based on their requirements. It also depends what you've come from. I came from a Honda CR-V 2.0 litre petrol, and while it was a great car the NX trumps it in almost every way (apart from ultimate practicality). I guess if I'd come from a GS my opinion might be different. In terms of the ride, and having driven them all back to back over an extended period (long story, but I was without my original NX for 4 months due to a fault which ended up with Lexus replacing it), the NX stacks up pretty well against the new RX imho. The F-Sport NX and RX are too hard for my tastes, but the standard suspension is just fine. I prefer the standard NX ride over the F-Sport RX ride for instance. Over the course of the 4 months I was without my original NX I had - in order (mostly for 1 or 2 weeks but I had the NX and RX F-Sport for the longest periods), an IS300h, an NX F-Sport, an RX F-Sport, a GS Premier and an RX Sport. Currently I'm in an RC300h as I have a nail in one of my tyres and a replacement isn't available until Monday. That's a pretty fair percentage of the range I've covered and I haven't found a car I didn't like yet...😀...and the customer service from Lexus Swindon is always superb.

Agree. Why call them 'Sports' utility vehicles? They are just 'utility vehicles' - although maybe UVs doesn't sound as good to marketing types as 'SUV.' 🙄

If it was an F-Sport then it is pretty hard. If it wasn't an F-Sport it probably just felt hard in comparison to a much softer set up in your current RX. Manufacturers seem to be obsessed with harder rides and larger wheels for better handling, even though my own anecdotal discussions indicate that more people want comfort...

I've got an NX Luxury (2018) and have had new RX, GS and today an RC as courtesy cars over a number of months. The RC and NX have the trackpad to work the new large screen. The RX and GS had the 'floating button' to control. Neither is great on the move imho, but you get used to it as with most things. All I would say is that both options are better than the awful BMW 'wheel' set up so beloved by the motoring press. I work alongside many people with BMW company cars and there is very little love for that arrangement. Unless you are a motoring journalist it seems... Comparisons when you get a chance to drive cars back to back are really useful though. I had a new RX F-Sport for a couple of days and was seriously unimpressed. The ride was hard and I found it surprisingly noisy, indeed more so on the motorway than my NX. Later on I had a new RX with the standard suspension set-up and it was an amazing difference. We all like different things - I like soft and relaxing personally - but there is also the factor of what we get used to. If you are used to a hard ride, then I'm sure the RX F-Sport feels fine. And after all, how many people get the chance to really see the differences between models back to back?

Unfortunately one of my Winter tyres has a nail in it - and it's unrepairable ☹️ Worth pointing out this exact model - the Blizzak Evo-80 - has now been discontinued. I have been able to get a new tyre to match online, but won't be able to for long so have to hope this doesn't happen again. There is a new Bridgestone Blizzak available instead. Only upside is that while we await the replacement tyre to get to Lexus Swindon - 3 or 4 days - I have a nice courtesy car...

I’m at Lexus Swindon this morning having my tyres checked (TPMS activated a couple of times). There is an ES Takumi in the showroom and a new GSF in the same colour. I think the GS looks better, and has more presence. It certainly looks longer. The interior is lovely, but a few areas seem a bit cheaper than the GS. Even so, the ES looks like a great option. Most drivers won’t mind the move to FWD - after the snow last week maybe some will prefer it! I’m impressed.

Fair to say that the Winter tyres have had a good workout this week! Snow yesterday gave way to rain and then it all froze solid. Some of the rural lanes were almost impassable with even a slight incline - a stranded BMW was very brave even attempting the lanes in those conditions imho and even fwd cars found one long hill impossible to get up - but my NX with the Bridgestone Blizzaks took everything in their stride without any fuss at all. I'm unable to compare what the NX would have been like on the standard Summer tyres, but I am impressed with how surefooted it was with the Winters fitted. Very pleased. Money well spent.

Many congratulations on your new NX 🍾 When I chose mine I was split between the Mesa Red and 'your' blue. Although I'm happy with the red, it is a bit 'flat' in the Winter when the sun doesn't shine. Don't see as many in the blue either. It's a great choice imho.

^^ Unless somebody can get Lexus UK to re-open the GS withdrawal agreement, I guess it does...😂

This has been an interesting read, especially the latest posts comparing driving standards in the UK vs Germany. I've never driven in Germany, but have heard from those that have - and that have lived there - that lane discipline is much better as recent posts have also noted. The latest road fatality figures that I can find (from 2015) are enclosed for those interested. Germany is by no stretch the worst, but the UK performs better (in the sense that fewer deaths is better) and that surprises me based on the anecdotal evidence. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic-related_death_rate From other sources I've read, the trend in Germany has been reducing fatalities faster than in the UK. Anyway, I think what I've established from reading this thread is that some drivers want a faster car and some don't. Some consider the 300h perfectly adequate while others want more power. Some would prefer to stick with rwd, while others think the ES is a step down from the GS. I think that's what thirty-five pages has shown me...people want different things. Who knew? 🤓

Totally agree with your post @i-s The DSG is flawed, but the motoring press are unwilling - for some reason - to come to the same conclusion that nearly everybody I've spoken with on the subject. More fool them and those taken in by their pro-German drivel. I've been duped once, but never again. I'm more than happy with the CVT in my Lexus. It wouldn't be suitable for hurtling around a track, but driven like a normal human being in normal circumstances it is just lovely.

I’ve never understood the press love for DSG gearboxes. Putting aside the questionable reliability, the lag and hunting for the right gear all the time drives me mad. Having owned the VAG verson - and it having gone bang after 40k miles - I’d never want to own one again. CVT is superior for most normal driving imho.