Gary H

I have to say, judging from those pictures, that boot looks a really decent size and certainly an improvement over the UX I used to have. As someone who has an NX now (and one of the main reasons for upgrading to one was due to a lack of boot space), I'd probably get away with an LBX, boot-space wize, 80-90% of the time. I also like the fact that the interior fabric makes it up onto the door panels - which was another minor gripe I had about the UX (a little 'plastic-tastic' in that particular regard). 

Rear seat space doesn't look brilliant in the LBX though, but I was expecting that given the segment it sits in. As someone who does carry occasional passengers in the back at the weekends, I think that would ultimately kill it for me. It's hard to judge from pictures though, I will admit.

No doubt I'll get to poke around one at some point and make a better judgement of the LBX when I see one in person.

It's all common sense really - or rather, it ought to be.

Gentle acceleration. Gentle braking where possible and smooth, fluid steering input. 

I generally keep my washer fluid topped up anyway so mine very rarely gets low. However, last Friday my washer jets had frozen solid and I had to look through various arcs of smeared road dirt on the way into work when I thought it was safe enough to use them. That was...interesting. 

On 1/19/2024 at 9:22 PM, Spock66 said:

I have a recollection of driving on black ice on a dual carriageway, car in front spun hit the kerb and then rolled over three times (fortunately no one was injured).  I stopped and got out of the car, immediately falling on my arse it was so slippy.

I'm pleased to hear no one was injured. That could have been very nasty. 

This reminds me of our works' car park - which for much of last week resembled an icing rink barring a small 10ft or so length beyond the entrance gates. I almost ended up doing the splits walking away from the car last Thursday morning. 😬  The chap in the warehouse who usually salts/grits the car park at this time of year did eventually get round to it - but only about an hour after everyone had already been in and 'skated' their way to the entrance door!

My renewal is due in early March and I'm already dreading what the price will be... 

When I got it in September I think I was charged something along the lines of £20 more than the UX on my existing cover... If I can 'get away' with a smallish increase I'll just take it. Obviously if it's a double-digit percentage increase, I will certainly be shopping around. I think we've all been reading some of the horror stories out there. 

From my experience, Direct Line isn't the company they used to be. They used to be my 'go to' insurer some 10-15 years ago, but despite no changes in my circumstances and full no claims, they started quoting silly money when it come to renewal time. It always used to involve a phone call to bring it back down again. One year they tried to almost double my premium (it was about £8 short of actually being double) and that's when I decided enough was enough. I've actively avoided them for several years now. In more recent years, they've been pulling the same stint with my father who's now also moved elsewhere. He'd been with them for many years. 

I can't say I've noticed any condensation on the inside of the rear screen of mine. 

The only thing I can suggest...and I'd find it incredibly hard to believe on such a young car, is what's already been said - a window seal gone/split or alternatively outside moisture is getting into the rear hatch at some point. I recall Rover used to have issues with water getting into the boot through the rear light cluster seals. 

It's certainly worthy of further investigation if it's clearly more than just a 'one off'. 

@RXtoNX It's a regular 'thing' with mine, unfortunately. It'll work perfectly well for a bit but then it'll go several days at a time where it just refuses to work. I can stand right next to the car and get the same message. Yet, as what happened when it was only a few weeks old, I can stand in the middle of a field, the best part of 300yds away and it worked perfectly. 🤔 🤷‍♂️ So yes, as @Hayzee says, I don't think it's down to distance. 

It's all academic at the moment as I had these this morning - after my phone decided to update itself overnight. No options for remote climate - just an immediate error message and not being able to detect anything about the car other than what it is:

Pfffffff..... 🤦‍♂️ I literally have no words...! Well, I do have words to describe this app - but if I actually spoke my mind on here, I'd likely end up with at least a warning so I'll keep those choice words to myself!  

Anyway - in better news in this freezing weather... Still no issues at all with regards to the door handles. It's been faultless over the course of this week. I've had slightly 'sticky' doors caused by the ice and frozen washer jets this morning, but the actual door handle pressure pad things, which many owners have issues with, are all fine on mine. 👍

I must admit I'm surprised by this. No matter how poor my dealer was throughout my 16 months of waiting (as well documented on here...), I did at least get a full tank off them if nothing else. Thinking back, I can only recall one occasion where I've purchased a new car and it to not have a full tank. Even then, it was half a tank. 

Considering car dealers (main dealers) have a legal obligation, that I'm aware of at least, to make sure cars leave the forecourt with insurance, I'm very surprised by the lack of the standard three day free cover. I remember many years ago where this wasn't the case and I had to prove I had insurance on the new car before they handed me the keys. The free temporary cover these days basically covers any forgetfulness or mistakes in this respect. It would be an incredibly poor and retrograde step to make for Leuxs or that particular dealer at least. 

No issues with my handles this morning. Again, I can only assume mine came with the updated/revised handle pad sensor things... The offside of the car was facing the coldest side of our driveway this morning too (more exposed to the elements) - so it would have been a decent test. Both my door and offside passenger rear door were a little sticky to open with the ice, but fortunately that wasn't down to the actual door handles which functioned correctly. 

On a slightly different subject and it's one I've brought up before - the only issue I have is the remote climate only works sporadically on mine. Naturally when you really need to use it, such as this morning, it doesn't want to play ball. 🙄

So, it was a manual defrost for me this morning... Including unfreezing the wiper blades from the windscreen. Oh joy... 

Like @ArneT, I prefer the driving position in the NX to the UX. It's also easier to get in and out of. Whilst I did very much like the 'cocooned' feeling of the UX's driving position, it did feel a little 'low' for me. However, I did have an Audi Q5 prior to that...so I did drop a class-size in car. 

Another thing I preferred about the UX to the NX is the styling. Don't get me wrong, the NX is a nice-looking thing, but I do think the rear of the UX is prettier - and I prefer the 'light bar' across the tailgate being in one piece, rather than it split into two like it is with the NX. 

Practicality-wise in my humble opinion though - the NX is a clear winner in this regard. 

Very good indeed! 😄

I wonder if anyone could possibly book one and save on the cremation charges?! 😉

I had the option of getting the protection pack with my NX at the time of ordering but decided against it at the time as the salesman was quoting me something like an extra £10 per month on my monthly payments... 

I decided to order the boot liner separately after I got the car...

On 1/14/2024 at 8:48 AM, szhrmp said:

* PW241-78002 NXP2: this is the genuine rubber one. seems very expensive (£100) and looks very flimsy. in the USA they have a different boot liner which is much better plastic - but not available here (PT908-78220-02) https://lexuspartsdirect.co.uk/product/lexus-nx-phase-2-boot-liner/

Peter

This is the one I have. Indeed, expensive but it does fit more or less perfectly. 

I have to agree with @RXtoNX. Compared to the equivalent 'official' one I had in my previous UX - it does feel rather 'thin' and lightweight in comparison. The rubbery surface of it feels about the same, but whatever backing it's been put onto is certainly a thinner plastic than I remember the one in my UX being. It'll do the job fine, but for £100 - I did expect it to feel more 'robust' than it does. 

19 hours ago, Gureamu said:

The seatbelt rattle is a really frustrating one and seems to be due to the use of cheap 'scratchy' plastics on the inside of the B pillar in the NX. In my view these may be appropriate in a Toyota but Lexus should aspire to the quality of say a BMW and banish scratchy plastics from the cabin. They just scream 'cheap'.

Agreed. Especially for the price you pay for the car, you'd expect a much softer plastic, or even for it to be lined - like the interior 'A' pillars running up/down the windscreen. Considering this was a relatively common issue on the UX (and my example was prone to the 'passenger seatbelt buckle knocking syndrome'), I was surprised to see Lexus appear to have overlooked this when they designed the new NX - giving it a similar set up. 

Again, it doesn't seem to be the same prevalent issue in my NX as it was in my old UX, but it still happens. 

16 hours ago, Richolf said:

Thanks all, it’s going in again on Thursday.  The dashboard squeak/creak seems to be worse over rougher roads and as the car is heating up.

I definitely agree that once you hear it the mind gets attuned to it and you subconsciously listen for it again.

will be interesting to see what the dealer says.  The loan car I had did not have this particular noise.  It had a couple of rattles but these seemed to come from distinct places.

it does feel like this car simply was not screwed together with the correct torque settings !

I also agree some of the interior seems cheap, my wife’s previous 2 Yarris has been completely rattle and squeak/creak free.  

 

Good luck for tomorrow and fingers crossed they can deal with it - or at very least source the issue(s) and rectify it on a subsequent visit. Keep us updated. 

My UX did have an odd, muted 'buzz' coming from the centre of the dashboard and it used to occur at a certain 'rev range'. Lower or higher than that and it stopped. It was only a minor thing so I never took it back for it - as I didn't fancy them pulling out the dashboard and potentially not fitting it back correctly again - i.e - more subsequent noises! I just lived with it in the end. It was one of those noises where if you were tuned into hearing it and knew about it - you pretty much knew when it would happen. You couldn't hear it from the back of the car. 

20 hours ago, hintonwood said:

A further point - my annual Road Tax on the NX left my account today - £ 560😱 There is a  surcharge included for the car having a list price of over £40k. My UX was just under the limit.

I've got this to look forward to when my first road tax is due at the end of August... I'm already dreading it. 

The 2020 UX I had previously was also just under the limit. I specifically ordered it to be that way. It was the F-Sport with the Tech & Safety and Premium Plus packs. It took it to an 'almost Takumi' spec and at the time it come to something like £39,700 ish. 

1 hour ago, BonzoSPB said:

You wouldn't believe how many new cars there are that have a list price of just over £40k.

I know... It's a limit which sounds reasonable enough but when you have a look at the costs of new cars these days, especially with the way they've literally gone skywards over the last decade, even some relatively modest cars are now comfortably over £30k. The £40k limit really out to be at least £10k higher now. 

My previous UX was prone for the front passenger seatbelt buckle knocking against the 'B' pillar if it wasn't straight. My NX isn't so bad but it still crops up every so often. Indeed - a case of lean across, adjust it and all is well again until the next few times the passenger seat is in use. 

The only other creak/buzz I've detected so far in 2800 miles is an odd knock coming from the driver's/offside 'B' pillar. Similar to the seatbelt buckle sound on the passenger side - but of course, the seatbelt is in use so it can't be that... 🤔 I've only heard it twice so far and that's been on a notably rough pieces of road. It's not cropped up enough for it to be a concern - just something I'm keeping my ear open for. 

Other than that, I've got nothing else to report on this front so far. 

A shame you didn't like the NX350h Takumi @e-yes - as that's exactly what I have! I'm pleasantly surprised they had one available to test drive as my dealer was unable to get any NX350h for majority of the 16 months I had to wait for mine... They did have an NX450h - but it was literally always out in use... So basically, the first time I'd experienced one out on the road was my own car... 

I've never experienced the ES unfortunately but it's very much a car my eye was on if my circumstances were different. 

Personally, I do like what I have but of course, it's each to their own. I've only had it four months but has already proven itself to be an excellent motorway cruiser. Well equipped and I personally find it comfortable (although I do see your point over the thigh support). Certainly more so than the UX250h it replaced...and that was decent for what it was.

All the best to you @Derant and I hope the Volvo serves you well.

Talking about Volvos, my brother had a very nice 04 plate S60 with the five cylinder diesel in it for a few years. It was a nice plum colour with beige leather. He very much rated it. Sadly, he wrote it off on an icy Suffolk country lane some time ago one evening after he'd just finished work. The car would have been about six years old at the time and I remember it was already knocking on the door of 150k. Cutting a long story short, it ended up in a ditch upside down. A very slow roll-over, no one else involved and fortunately he was completely unharmed. He replaced with with another Swede - this time a 56 plate Saab 9-3 saloon which he had for a number of years (there wasn't a decent Volvo of similar spec for sale anywhere near him at the time). I wouldn't knock those underpinnings either - as that also proved to be a thoroughly comfortable and reliable car for him.

I remember an Uncle of mine also had a few Volvos in his time. A 'T' plate C70 coupe which he bought nearly new and then a lovely S60 similar to what my brother had - but his was silver with black leather. If memory serves me, that was a brand new purchase. Both were solid cars from what he told me. He currently drives one of the last of the last model Lexus NX's, ironically!

Many moons ago, a now sadly deceased cousin of my mother. It was a metallic blue 'E' plate 740. He already had that car when I was a child and started taking an interest in cars (so it would have only been about two years old at the time) and only sold it on in around 2012/13. It was still pretty much immaculate too. Naturally he regretted selling it. He only passed away a few months ago but was still talking about that Volvo the last time I saw him, at a wake (ironically) about six months prior to his own passing.

I'd happily consider a Volvo and future and indeed had an XC60 in mind as the second-choice option to the NX350h. I suspect I'll own a Volvo at some point. Given my poor sales experience in buying the NX (and the ongoing wait for a second key and locking wheel nuts), I strongly suspect I'll be moving away from Lexus whenever it comes to my next purchase. 

I haven't driven an ES, so unfortunately I can't comment on them in comparison to the UX. 

In terms of comfort and road noise in the UX - I was impressed with mine, given the size of the car. I had an Audi Q5 before it and I found it equally as quiet thanks to the hybrid engine. It was only on rougher, surface-dressed surfaces did the run-flat tyres really make themselves known. It was fine at dual carriageway and motorway speeds.

My only complaint with regards to comfort, again, relates to it's run-flat tyres where the UX did have a habit of 'hopping/skipping' over bumps. Particularly if you were mid-turn or half way through a bend and come across, say, a filled trench going across the road. It did take a little bit to get used to. With regards to the seats - I'd say they're the best seats I've come across in that size of car to date. I tend to suffer from lower backache every so often and it only really made itself known (even then it was minimal) after around drive of about 240 miles. I've had cars in the past which I've only got to little over half that mileage before the back starts giving trouble - just to give you an idea!

I had three and a half years with my UX250h, before moving onto an NX350h last September. The main reasons for the change was pretty much for the reasons which don't matter to yourself - more boot space and easier access/headroom in the rear. For me, that's literally the only things which let the UX down. The boot space proved itself to be too small for practically anything beyond the daily commute to/from work and the aging parents were starting to struggle a little bit getting into the rear because of the relatively low roofline (they were mostly fine with the legroom). 

I agree with @Tickedon over the quality of materials used and sound deadening being a 'step up' on the NX over the UX - but you'd expect that at it's price point. The UX's interior door panels were a bit 'plastic-tastic' I will admit. 

It really is down to personal preference. I prefer the NX to the UX in most aspects - but I did enjoy my time with the UX. It's a thoroughly decent all-rounder if you can cope with the lack of boot space. I would have been tempted to get another rather than the NX if the boot had been about 25% bigger. It done almost everything else very well indeed. 

I'm now just over the four month mark into waiting for my second key (and locking wheel nuts). Typically I've not been kept updated by the dealer or anything so I do occasionally come back to this thread just to see where people are at. 

As I said last time, I'm going to wait until around March (then it'll be six months - which seems to be around 'average' judging from other people's experiences) before I'll pluck up the courage to get in touch with my dreaded dealer... 

Speaking of performance, I have to say I feel my NX350h is notably quicker than my previous UX250h was - something I wasn't really expecting given the increase in size and weight. I imagined it would be 'about the same'. I haven't truly pushed it yet as it's only done little over 2600 miles, but on the odd occasion I've briefly put it into sport and given the throttle a bit of a prod from from the likes of a standing start - I've been very impressed. 👍

Again though and indeed, it's not designed to be a sports car. It's designed to be a comfortable cruiser which it does very well indeed. However, she'll certainly get her skates on as and when required. It's not really my driving style though - which is why a CVT probably suits me because most of it's life so far has been spent comfortably in the 'eco' bar on the speedo! Even when I'm going to work and accelerate onto the dual carriageway, it just about breaks into the 'power' bar on my usual acceleration, before inevitably dropping back down again...then slipping down into 'charge' on the slightly downhill section! 😁 

I recall my father had a 2008 Audi A4 where something similar happened - but to the nearside fog light surround. The car was only about six/seven months old at the time and we went to the Grassington Christmas Market. 

Anyway, we had come through some snow and it was a bit of a trek to get into the makeshift car park - snow built up on road edges e.t.c... Anyway, we reversed into the bay, commented that we'd need to wash the car the following day (as it was clearly going to dry mucky) and went to the market, come back and drove home again. 

On the way back we did have to go up some of those snow banks to make way for oncoming traffic. Most people exiting were doing the same. Anyway - by the time we got home, we noticed the gaping bare hole in the front bumper and a rather 'marooned' looking (and undamaged) foglight in the middle. No damage to the bumper either. The foglight surround had just literally vanished somewhere between Grassington and home. 

We have no idea where the cover went and just presumed there must have been just about enough 'flex' in the bumper after the day's action of going through the snow and turning into/away from snow verges that it eventually 'popped out' on the way home. 

On 12/7/2023 at 5:59 PM, RXtoNX said:

Add to that the “bee in a bonnet” that car journalists have about the CVT gearbox. They just copy each others remarks because they don’t know how to drive a hybrid car with this type of box.

Agreed. I do take issue with many mainstream car journalists because over the decades I've seen articles of them slating cars which I've personally found decent and indeed, would recommend to others. For car journalists, it's just a case of the manufacturer giving them a quick loan of a car which they have for a short time - rather than actually owning and living with the car, getting to know it properly, over a period of time. Then of course their own egos have to get in the way of actual facts on the car. Unfortunately, you'll find some of them over on YouTube these days... 

Anyway, with regards to CVT gearbox, I generally have no issue with them. What car journalists don't appear to like about them is that they're not really designed for race tracks in mind - rather than public roads which is where 99.5% of the time, you'll find yourself on. Whilst they'll certainly 'crack on' in terms of acceleration, car journalists also have a habit of having an incredibly heavy right foot. All of the time. Therefore any 'downside' of a CVT gearbox will be regularly highlighted to them. 

Meanwhile, a sensible driver who knows what they're like will just drive normally. Cruise along gently. Feather the throttle. Allow the car to pick up it's own speed without the need to make the engine 'roar' high up the rpm gauge. Do this and they'd find CVT gearboxes are actually incredibly refined and silky smooth for everyday use. Match it up to a hybrid and I've had both my UX and NX run on the electric motor for brief spells at dual carriageway speeds.

I don't think CVTs are the best automatic transmissions out there strictly from a personal perspective - but I'm mechanically minded and fully aware that different cars need different driving styles to get the best from them. I'm perfectly happy with it. Sadly, many car journalists seem to lack this ability or just want to 'prove a point'. 

I pretty much had my heart set on the NX - so I knew even before I ordered it, I knew it was going to be the likeliest option. I had a UX at the time and was happy with the car and the service I had. 

I did briefly consider a Volvo XC60 and Mazda CX90 as 'back ups' in case anything went wrong with my NX order. After a grueling 16 month wait, I can say there we're a few occasions where I come very close to cancelling the NX simply down to frustration. Close to the point where I did actually pick up the phone to call the dealer at one point to tell them I'm on my way down to get my deposit back, but put it back down again before I dialed the number. I know the situation isn't as chronic now, but as I've said before, it's something I've promised myself that I'll never go through again. 

Another option for me was an Audi Q5 - a car which I've had and adored in the past. However, I'm not overly keen on the current model and I don't think the interior is as nice as the original (I had one of the very last of the original models, on a '66' plate). One of the reasons I moved to Lexus after the Q5 is because I didn't like the direction Audi we're going with their designs afterwards - and I still don't. 

Another reason for the move to Lexus back in 2020 (well, the Toyota Group in general) is because of it's well developed self-charging hybrid systems. As diesel was starting to be demonised during the time I had the Q5, I wanted to go back to a petrol but I didn't fancy losing the MPG I was getting. A self-charging hybrid seemed like a sensible and no-fuss alternative to me. 

Anyway, during the three and a half years I had my UX, it proved to be just that little bit too small for me after having the Q5. In many circumstances, such as commuting to/from work, it was absolutely perfect. However, at the weekends and trips away - the lack of boot space was always an issue (which deep down I did suspect would happen...) and elderly parents getting in and out of the back was starting to become a bit of an issue with it's low roofline. A bit of a shame really, because otherwise it was a car I found difficult to fault. 

Happy New 2024 to all members. 

Fingers crossed it's a happy, successful and healthy year for us all. 🍻🥳

When I had my UX, the most I ever done was wipe them over with a clean, damp window leather every few months or so (mine was an F Sport with the red leather). I did use a proper leather cleaner on the front seats a couple of times but to be honest, I hardly noticed any dirt being collected... So the seats were either cleaner than I thought (I thought the drivers seat was slowly turning more maroon than remaining bright red...) or the cleaner I had was rubbish! 

On 12/25/2023 at 7:56 PM, NemesisUK said:

I'd take leather as I like the character it gains in usage, a patina if you like. My experience with alcantara, whilst being very comfortable, it shows signs of wear by the pile flattening and it can be difficult to keep clean.

Horses for courses, we are all different and there is no 'correct' choice!

I'm of the same opinion. I don't mind fair wear and tear. Even after three and a half years with my UX, it had only developed a few minor creases. Almost all of them on the offside bolsters of the driver's seat as you'd expect. 

I do like Alcantara when it's new and/or been well cared for. I recall once having a courtesy car many years ago with it. However, I'm all too aware it's flattens out, bobbles e.t.c... It's always put me off considering it.

For Christmas, I received a genuine Lexus boot liner for my NX350h. I kind-of knew about getting it anyway so it wasn't a real surprise - but an excellent and well received gift nevertheless. 

I should have got one with the car in September when I collected it, but idiot me decided against the idea at the time of ordering - and regretted it ever since...!