Official Lexus NX thread
05-17-14, 08:02 AM
#1666
Lexus Champion
With the direction Lexus is going with the GS and IS I'm sure the NX will have good ride/handling characteristics.
NX is late to the party in this segment, so engineers have had time to learn from the competition and have things buttoned down right out of the box.
Since these luxury CUV's are primarily used as daily drivers and family haulers I'm not sure how much slalom time and back road carving they do, but these days with younger buyers, the handling is important.
NX is late to the party in this segment, so engineers have had time to learn from the competition and have things buttoned down right out of the box.
Since these luxury CUV's are primarily used as daily drivers and family haulers I'm not sure how much slalom time and back road carving they do, but these days with younger buyers, the handling is important.
05-17-14, 08:42 AM
#1667
Considering the RX is not in the same class as the NX and hence not the NX's direct competitor, there's no contradiction in the NX Chief Engineer's claims.
He said that they tested the NX's competitor before tuning the NX's suspension. The X3 is one of the competitors to the NX as they target the same segment.
RX is not in the same class as the NX and also is from the previous Lexus era.
The newer Lexus' following Akio Toyoda's company mandate for better/class-leading handling and driving involvement date from the 2012 4th gen GS onwards (including the 2013 3rd gen IS). Thus far the products under the new direction of Lexus have live up to the claims : GS and IS are class leading or at the very least superior to their direct BMW counterparts in handling and surefootedness, the 5 series and 3 series. If the NX follows the same pattern, the X3 may well be eating NX fumes on the winding road/slalom.
He said that they tested the NX's competitor before tuning the NX's suspension. The X3 is one of the competitors to the NX as they target the same segment.
RX is not in the same class as the NX and also is from the previous Lexus era.
The newer Lexus' following Akio Toyoda's company mandate for better/class-leading handling and driving involvement date from the 2012 4th gen GS onwards (including the 2013 3rd gen IS). Thus far the products under the new direction of Lexus have live up to the claims : GS and IS are class leading or at the very least superior to their direct BMW counterparts in handling and surefootedness, the 5 series and 3 series. If the NX follows the same pattern, the X3 may well be eating NX fumes on the winding road/slalom.
05-17-14, 08:49 AM
#1668
I think you're taking my comments a little too seriously. I'm simply poking fun at them for essentially criticizing their current CUV lineup by knocking other's road feel and ride height. Up until the NX is released the RX does compete in this class out of necessity. Even then the RX will sit between the German classes until redesigned.
Only time we saw that is with IS and GS, and they delivered.
05-17-14, 09:32 AM
#1669
Pole Position
Exactly. They walked the talk. There's been no reason thus far to doubt Lexus Chief Engineers' claims with regard to the dynamic handling of their new products.
05-17-14, 11:28 AM
#1670
I wasn't making any claims about the NX and their ability to deliver the best handling CUV. It was just amusing to me that although the RX does not handle well and is the only current CUV offering Lexus has, they felt able to look down their noses at the handling of competitor vehicles.
05-17-14, 08:03 PM
#1671
That's kind of my point...
I wasn't making any claims about the NX and their ability to deliver the best handling CUV. It was just amusing to me that although the RX does not handle well and is the only current CUV offering Lexus has, they felt able to look down their noses at the handling of competitor vehicles.
I wasn't making any claims about the NX and their ability to deliver the best handling CUV. It was just amusing to me that although the RX does not handle well and is the only current CUV offering Lexus has, they felt able to look down their noses at the handling of competitor vehicles.
As I said, talk is cheap, it matters little... but Lexus engineers dont usually tell us their cars are the best in something, it is not something Japanese engineers usually do unless they can back it up. Unlike for instance European or American (including Toyota USA btw), which will outright claim their cars are best in everything at introduction.
05-17-14, 08:24 PM
#1672
^^ +1 I have NEVER heard Lexus say the RX was even remotely sporty until the '13 F-Sport. Otherwise just five years ago when the 3RX was released, Lexus was just further developing their L-Finesse design language and not focused on aggression and performance like they are now
05-18-14, 01:36 PM
#1673
The pursuit of F
Thread Starter
^^^ Agree, the engineers never said the RX F-Sport handles best in class like they now say with the NX. Although I'm happy with the RX F-Sport's improved handling and near-flat cornering, it's still not as nimble as an X5 and won't beat it in a slalom course. There is hope for the NX with their best-in-class claim seeing how Lexus has a winner with the IS and the NX has some of its DNA... 
05-18-14, 04:42 PM
#1675
Lexus Champion
When you think about the majority of these vehicles are used as daily drivers and family haulers, handling is important but comfort and smoothness are equally, if not more important. I'm sure Lexus will consider this in the final versions of RX and NX.
05-18-14, 06:13 PM
#1677
This NX system is a lot more advanced, but it isnt air suspension though. It will have standard Lexus Normal/Sport/Sport+ most likely.
05-19-14, 12:50 PM
#1678
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Ok, I had the chance to go see a NX yesterday at my local Lexus Dealership and here are my thoughts and observations. I did not take any photos, as it would have been somewhat awkward and the photos I have seen elsewhere are certainly better than anything I could have shot with my phone.
Reference is that my wife has had a 2014 RX350 for about 5 weeks and I have driven it quite a bit and am generally very happy with it. My daily driver is a 2002 BMW 330i which I bought new and have no problem moving to a larger SUV-type vehicle, but would like it to have some power and decent handling.
Model: NX300h (non-F-Sport)
Outside: Paint color was: Silver, I have had a silver car before and would not buy another, but that is just me. The size was slightly smaller than an RX, the front was the non-F-Sport version and it looked just “ok” to me, having seen the F-Sport front in in photos that would be my choice (should I eventually buy). The LED headlights are very cool and of course there is the Lexus “check-mark” under them. The rear-end looked fine, nothing super spectacular, but clean and new. The Rear door opens and closes like the RX. Overall the outside looked fine, not disproportionate like some of the on-line photos seem to portray. I suspect that some of the odd-angle photos you see around are taken with a wide-angle lens that is distorting reality. Standing on the side of the NX, it has great lines and body contours.
Inside: with a Black and Cream (almost Orange) interior. It looked nice, but again, if I was to buy, I prefer the Black/Red interior shown in some of the photos. The Rear Cargo space was fine, almost as large as the RX. The 60-40 Rear seats looked like they folded down (I did not try this). I sat in the back seat and it was a little tighter than the RX but still a pleasant and un-cramped amount of space, I’m 5-10 180lbs and was fine in the back. I sat in the Driver’s seat, the seat was a bit sportier and felt more form-fitting than the RX, I liked the feel a lot! Since the car is narrower, the center armrest and controls are very close, with less spacing than the RX. The Drink holders and arm-rest are comparable. I did not open the arm-rest to look for the hidden storage, but based on the design, they may very well be there! The Subwoofer looked to be at least 8”, was in the rear-door.
Dash/Center Dash/GPS: The keys were not in, so I could not see the speedo/tach area lit up, it was black. The GPS is floating out there in space with no cover, it is directly below the window and I asked the Rep about Glare and he thought it might have an adjustable angle (I would be surprised if it did. I am not impressed with the round “Infiniti” clock in the center of the upper dash, I would prefer a digital read-out. The upper center-dash is crammed with controls and buttons, looked ok though, definitely busy.
$64 Dollar QUESTION: After seeing and sitting in one, would I still consider buying one? Yes, I was very happy with it overall, of course I would still need to see the prices, feel the 4-cyl turbo power and see how it handles, but Lexus has done a good job with it. It felt like the same quality level as the RX. The Salesman said the NX will be made in Japan.
Reference is that my wife has had a 2014 RX350 for about 5 weeks and I have driven it quite a bit and am generally very happy with it. My daily driver is a 2002 BMW 330i which I bought new and have no problem moving to a larger SUV-type vehicle, but would like it to have some power and decent handling.
Model: NX300h (non-F-Sport)
Outside: Paint color was: Silver, I have had a silver car before and would not buy another, but that is just me. The size was slightly smaller than an RX, the front was the non-F-Sport version and it looked just “ok” to me, having seen the F-Sport front in in photos that would be my choice (should I eventually buy). The LED headlights are very cool and of course there is the Lexus “check-mark” under them. The rear-end looked fine, nothing super spectacular, but clean and new. The Rear door opens and closes like the RX. Overall the outside looked fine, not disproportionate like some of the on-line photos seem to portray. I suspect that some of the odd-angle photos you see around are taken with a wide-angle lens that is distorting reality. Standing on the side of the NX, it has great lines and body contours.
Inside: with a Black and Cream (almost Orange) interior. It looked nice, but again, if I was to buy, I prefer the Black/Red interior shown in some of the photos. The Rear Cargo space was fine, almost as large as the RX. The 60-40 Rear seats looked like they folded down (I did not try this). I sat in the back seat and it was a little tighter than the RX but still a pleasant and un-cramped amount of space, I’m 5-10 180lbs and was fine in the back. I sat in the Driver’s seat, the seat was a bit sportier and felt more form-fitting than the RX, I liked the feel a lot! Since the car is narrower, the center armrest and controls are very close, with less spacing than the RX. The Drink holders and arm-rest are comparable. I did not open the arm-rest to look for the hidden storage, but based on the design, they may very well be there! The Subwoofer looked to be at least 8”, was in the rear-door.
Dash/Center Dash/GPS: The keys were not in, so I could not see the speedo/tach area lit up, it was black. The GPS is floating out there in space with no cover, it is directly below the window and I asked the Rep about Glare and he thought it might have an adjustable angle (I would be surprised if it did. I am not impressed with the round “Infiniti” clock in the center of the upper dash, I would prefer a digital read-out. The upper center-dash is crammed with controls and buttons, looked ok though, definitely busy.
$64 Dollar QUESTION: After seeing and sitting in one, would I still consider buying one? Yes, I was very happy with it overall, of course I would still need to see the prices, feel the 4-cyl turbo power and see how it handles, but Lexus has done a good job with it. It felt like the same quality level as the RX. The Salesman said the NX will be made in Japan.
05-19-14, 01:44 PM
#1680
Lexus Champion
I think the concern about glare on the nav screen is something that will prove to be a non-issue.
In my IS, there really isn't a hood over it, just a small lip. The attached photo is a picture of it in full sun, so I don't believe the NX will be any more difficult to see/read.
In my IS, there really isn't a hood over it, just a small lip. The attached photo is a picture of it in full sun, so I don't believe the NX will be any more difficult to see/read.