Husker4the

Caveat - I test drove the 200t front wheel drive w 17" wheels ... I have a deposit to order a loaded F-Sport ... I also sat in a loaded 200t.

Some initial thoughts:

- the front seats were VERY comfortable and supportive and seemed fairly well bolstered regarding what I was expecting for the "base" seats. I have sat in the F Sport seats in the IS and am expecting the same feel in the NX ... i think I will be pleased. The interior is pleasing to look at, but am understanding all the talk about it feeling like a cockpit. Imho this isn't necessarily because of the middle console and whatnot but rather because of the lower roof. I found myself wanting to lower the seat but it was down all the way. I am 5'11" but have a longer torso. I fit fine, but just found the headroom up front to be a bit less than I was expecting. Overall I liked the feel up front however - like sitting up but the feel of a sports car size wise.

- the rear seat area is very spacious for this class size. They do a nice job carving out the headliner to increase headroom. The rear seats recline A LOT for the class. I did find the further you recline the more you bring the headliner into play, but it's still roomy. The further you recline the further your head is behind the window. You're not really level with the window in the back seat at all. Not a bad thing perse but maybe lends the the car feeling a bit more cozy? I like the rear seat overall. Rear heated seats would be a nice option though (these are available in X3 and MKC). Nice there are rears vents back there too. I wouldn't want to sit 3 across the back for very long.

- the rear cargo area seems a bit small to me, but was about what I expected. I like how they carved out room along the sides however to make it wider. You're definitely not taking luggage for 4 for a long trip.

- I disliked the snub nose less in person than I thought I would (still want the F Sport though) ... Overall I agree with previous thoughts that the car looks better in person than in pictures. I was concerned it would look square from directly behind, but it looks very nice with the dual exhaust.

- road noise seemed decent but not super typical for luxury ... But that's probably the point. Overall it seemed the nice mix of comfy and sporty to me.

- the gauges looked nice and I like the info available in center LCD. I found the Nav screen size to be good ... Was worried it'd feel small. I think the touch pad will be OK with some repeated use. I noticed the heated steering wheel only heats along the sides (no heating element on top and bottom of wheel) and didn't seem to get too hot. Our 2014 Acura MDX heated steering wheel heats all around and gets really toasty.

My only concerns center on 1) front headroom 2) cargo space 3) iPod ease of use/functionality with touchpad/screen 4) ride quality w AWD, F Sport, 18" tires with lower profile (summer tire). I state this because I drove one with FWD, 17" tires.

Overall I was really pleased for the most part. Now I have to be patient. I think I have to special order because I want a loaded F Sport with the superchrome wheels (that come w summer tires). Our region is not receiving builds of F Sports with triple LEDs currently ... Also unsure of availability of Lane Keep and Radar Cruise on F Sport (last I knew I thought F Sport could have Radar Cruise but couldn't have Lane Keep?). Only machined wheel w all season tires are coming to this region. I hope to be able to special order soon but dealer is unsure when options will be available for order, etc. Also sounds like special orders won't exactly arrive in a quick or certain fashion.

Thanks everyone for sharing your perspectives. It has helped make my mind up about many things.

Husker4the

Also ... Didn't like atomic silver in person on NX as much as I'd thought .., Eminent White is the color we are going with for sure now.

corradoMR2

Thanks for your thorough review. It supports a lot of what journalists have said so far. I also share the same sentiments regarding the interior room: front headroom a little tight, yet rear is pretty good overall. COngrats on the most difficult yet rewarding part in car shopping journey - your decision to move forward with the model, options, and color. Next most difficult is the wait...

ALE81

iTrader: (1)

Today I saw what I think was the first NX at Lexus of Lexington. It was an Atomic Silver with Rioja Red. I liked the color a lot, wife not so much. The car was sitting in the shade and she commented that it looked taupe and she didn't like colors that took on different shades depending on the light.
We have an Eminent White with Black interior F Sport on order. After I saw the vehicle in person I'm more excited than ever to get it. I was worried it was going to be way smaller then our 2014 RX but it really isn't. We had a Gen I RX from 2001 to 2013 and the NX is about the same as that.
The NX on the lot today had the standard headlights and they looked really nice but I'm glad I spang for the triple LEDs, they look bad a** imho).

Nights

Great choice. We have White/Black interior (with red stitching) F Sport on order too, but fully loaded (Australian F Sports get virtually every option available except the panoramic roof).

I agree with you about the lights, the triple LEDs suit the design of the car so much. In Australia, when speaking with the dealer about the RC F, he commented that the F Sport is dominating sales over the non F Sport versions.

Grats to the OP; it's a fantastic car

rogerh00

I'm glad you pointed that out since I always liked the size of my RX300.

I looked up the numbers and surprisingly enough they are very similar, the NX is even a tad larger

RX300-L180.1, W71.5, H65.7, Wb103.1
NX L182.1, W72.6, H64.8, Wb104.7

I'm still waiting to see an NX, Must be the west coast of Florida is the last to get them.

ALE81

iTrader: (1)

As others have pointed out the difference is going to be in the luggage stackability. Luggage area width is the same as the RX300 but we are not going to be able to stack suitcases as high as the RX300/RX350. In reality I rarely stacked suitcases higher than the top of the rear seat for safety/visibililty reasons anyway. I knew that going in though and will have to pack creatively.
I wonder if there is some space below the rear floor board where some small soft sided luggage or misc. items could be stored. I guess it would depend if hybrid or non hybrid.

NurseDMB

Wasn't a whole lot of space underneath that lid where the tonneau cover goes. I don't even think a toiletry bag could fit in it. From what I remember its not very deep.

Freds430

Have not seen it in person but the pics show enough. Overall I think it looks great inside and out except for two issues. The black plastic trim around each wheel well looks cheap. It looks as if the design engineers forgot the nav screen until it was to late and velcroed an Ipad to the top of the dash. Big enough issues in my opinion not to purchase.

Wagnerian

I cross shopped two cars before deciding on NX. BMW 4 series had similar IPad on top of the dash. Mercedes GLA had nav screen attached in front of the dash like an afterthought. I agree this is not pretty. I wish NX nav screen slides out of the dash and tilts upright like the one on Audi A7.

doomdealer

I completely agree with your comment about the GLA nav screen. It looks like an iPad with a stand stuck to the dash. I have no idea why they designed it like that.

I also agree that the Audi dash with the slide-in/out Nav screen looks super-slick. It is another 'motor thing" that can break though, so it's a trade-off.

I personally don't mind the NX nav screen that much. It's partially tucked into the dash area and still looks decently clean to me.