beachdora

I am on my third ES. Love it, esp the smooth yet powerful ride. Time for a new car and thinking of switching to either the NX or NXh. Mainly for the slightly higher ride and open storage space. But heard the nx ride is not as comfortable. And the engine seems like much less power. The es has spoiled me in terms of cabin comfort. Anyone else made the switch? Thanks for the input.

lesz

I have a 2017 ES and a 2005 GX. For about a year, I considered trading the GX for something smaller and more fuel efficient, and one of the vehicles that I was considering was the NX.

After taking a couple of extended test drives in an NX, my conclusion was that the NX was actually a nicer vehicle than I had expected it to be, but it is a very different vehicle from the ES. Further, some of the major differences are related to things about which you say you are concerned. First, much more noise from the road and engine enter the cabin with the NX than with the ES. The 4 cylinder turbo engine with the NX is, not only louder, but it produces a much harsher sound than does the silky smooth V6 in the ES. And the difference in power between the engines in the two vehicles was also immediately noticeable. I would describe the power of the 2 liter turbo as being satisfactory, but using the available power requires keeping the rpms up. The 3.5 liter ES engine has a much wider power band, which makes it much more responsive. While the ride quality in the NX is not awful, it is not nearly as smooth as the ride quality of the ES. Also, while I did not feel cramped in the NX, the cabin is not nearly as roomy as the ES cabin. Finally, the quality of interior materials in the NX was a notch below that of the ES.

Ultimately, I decided that the NX wasn't the vehicle for me, and I decided to keep my GX. While I would appreciate upgrading to some of the 2018 technology that I would get in a new NX, in terms of comfort and a luxury feel, moving from the GX (or the ES) to an NX would have been, for me, a step down. While I could certainly live with an NX, getting one would have involved too many compromises for my tastes.

FmrAccord

Another perk of the 3.5 v6 of the ES is the use of regular gas. Premium isn't required nor recommended.

The NX calls for premium gas.

TechNut

BradTank

I had an NX as a loaner for several days. I wanted to like it, even was considering buying one for my next car, but too many things bothered me. The ride was choppy, had lots of road noise, cramped back seat, etc.

Also, this might sound like a strange issue, but the AC could just not get the car "cold". And it wasn't that hot out, just seemed to constantly struggle. My ES can make the car a meat locker even on the hottest days. Where I live in AZ, that's pretty much a deal breaker. Lexus usually does a fabulous job with their AC, the best of any car company I've ever owned, but the NX reminded me of my old Honda Civic.

What I liked about the NX was the styling, it handled nice, the rear cargo area, and reasonable base price.

Really, the NX is an economy hatchback with some extra ground clearance and bells and whistles. That's not a bad thing, but it's not a luxury sedan. It's like a Honda CR-V with a nicer interior. Just not for me.

reposado2

Sounds like you should give the RX a try. Just about everything checked in terms of what you want(smooth, powerful, higher ride, lots of room, comfortable, etc). Not the best in terms of MPG which can be solved with hybrid.

dsvetcov

As much as I am a big fan of the Lexus brand (RX and ES), the NX (in my opinion) is a P-O-S. As described, it is cramped, road noise and uses Premium only (ridiculous). Other brands have developed superior products to the NX. Lincoln MKC, ACURA TDX, Audi, Maxda CX - 5 are really solid . Would not recommend the NX Interested to hear from others as well. Good luck but stick with the ES.

JDR76

I haven't owned either, but have had extended periods in both as loaner cars.

I think the ES is just an awesome car. So smooth and roomy.

I am also quite fond of the NX. Unlike others, I have not found them to be cramped or noisy. It's definitely not the smooth cruiser that the ES is, but it can still comfortably seat 4 with reasonable cargo. I found the size to be ideal in the city. Very easy to navigate through tight corridors. The engine is very perky and had decent gas mileage. If I were in the market for a smaller CUV, the NX would be near the top of my list.

jloftus

Dude, stick with the ES !!!

lesz

In order, I'm sure, to get the perspectives of both ES and NX owners, the OP started a similar thread on the CL NX board.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/nx-...x-from-es.html

I find it interesting to compare the responses to the same question from ES owners and from NX owners. In some cases, you would think that people were talking about different cars in the two threads. For example, I, as an ES owner, find the 2 liter turbo NX engine to be somewhat lacking in power and to be loud and harsh, and I think that there is significant engine noise that enters the cabin. Yet, many NX owners think that NX engine is smooth and provides good power, and they think that the NX cabin is quite quiet.

I suppose that the comparison of responses in the two threads is an indication that we are talking about 2 very different vehicles and that typical owners of each vehicle evaluate various aspects of each vehicle very differently.

TechNut

TechNut