I've own an IS250 AWD since 2007 and I'm currently torn between getting an IS350 and an NX200t.
One of the main reasons (which could be a misconception) is that a cuv like the NX tends to be more forgiving in terms of road conditions - given that I live in New England, we have tons of potholes. The IS has seen its fair share of unexpected road conditions which has my heart sinking every time I run into a pothole. In addition, I've always felt that my IS could use more 'space' for those occasional trips to IKEA or garage sales.

I have some questions:
- In terms of ride quality, is the NX200t F-Sport really that bad as people say it is compared to the NX200T?
- When people say its 'bad' over broken pavements, what do they really mean? My IS isn't that great over broken pavements - I mean.. which car is?
- For those of you who have the F-Sport, do you have any regrets or wished that you had gone with the 200t instead?

I want a car or cuv that is comfortable and quiet with decent amount of power.

 

Just came back from IKEA in the NX 200t Fsport this morning! No problems loading everything up.
Firstly, ride quality is fine in the NX f sport. Yes the non f sport is softer and more comfy but looks lame unfortunately.
The IS 350 is a gem of a car to drive. Leaves the laggy 2l turbo of the NX for dead. But... its interior is aging and the update is 4 months away. Utility is limited. Its not a go to Ikea car, its a enjoy on a sunny day car.
Ideally, a NX 350 f sport with adjustable dampers.

 

I owned the same car as you and the latest IS as an F Sport, both 250 AWD. Also have the NX F Sport.

A key factor for you is if you'll keep tires/suspension stock, the extra suspension travel and 60-series tires on the NX F Sport (65-series on base NX) will inherently have more absorption capability over potholes compared to the 40/35-series IS tires. The NX will take a bigger pothole to bottom out and damage the vehicle. But the feel of the impact prior to bottoming out, both cars feel similar, while their F Sport variants a tad harsher.

Where the IS is better in the ride department is it provides a smoother, less bouncy, better-controlled ride quality over broken pavement, contact patches, speed bumps, and so on thanks to the 6-inch longer wheelbase and platform/suspension based on the GS.

Utility... well obvious one.

If you enjoyed the response of the 250's V6, you may be disappointed in the NX's soft response thanks to the Turbo lag. The 350 will be a rocket in comparison. Also, the NX's safety systems are the most intrusive I have ever had in a car, holding back power in situations you critically need it for accelerating. For instance, out of a right yield or left turn at a traffic light. IS, no problem.

Fuel economy... NX is better by 2 or so MPGs...

There no perfect vehicle. Lots to factor in and test drive! Good luck.

 

as you know, I am 2016 NX 200t Fsport owner.
Its getting time to replace our 2010 RX350.
Test drove BMW428, just okay. Test drove both the IS200t and GS200t yesterday. I was impressed with both. These 4 cylinders sure do behave differently than NX, I was very surprised and impressed.
Probably due to lots of reasons, mostly rear wheel drive and mount position of engine, 8 speed transmissions, not sure.
My NX goes over shallow pot holes fine, lots better than 2010RX.
Our main thoroughfare to get out of neighborhood is horrible rough road.

 

I don't see or feel the turbo lag being discussed about the NX. I believe the 4 turbo is the smoothest I have ever felt or drove. This is not the opinion of all

These are two totally different cars by far. The IS 350 has over 300hp, 6cyl and 8 spd. transmission. The NX is a CUV with a very capable turbo 4. Only you can decide what is best for you. They are both very good cars/CUV . It's a Lexus and that's all that matters.

 

I really appreciate all the feedback and comments that everyone has given (if there is more to add, please do as I'm probably not the only one).
Most of my friends are Audi/BMW die hards - then again, they're all in the category of loving to 'feel the road' drivers. I'm not in that group.

One of the bad things about me is that I find it hard to discern between some of these cars that I've test driven. At first, MPG was my first priority (still somewhat is) but after driving the NX300h, i just found the braking hard to adapt to and the whining sound it makes when trying to accelerate irritated me. Then again, I was just test driving the car for about 15 minutes.

Reliability to me is important and after having the IS, I've grown to like the treatment I've gotten at the service place I've used for the last 10 years.

Speaking about turbo lag, I'm not sure if I understand the concept well. In any case, I had my IS in for some servicing and was given the NX200t as a loaner for a couple of days - I liked it as it didn't feel bulky like the RX350. However, when I got my car back, I realized how different the response was in between my car and the NX immediately after driving it out .. which brought me to consider the IS350.

 

Are you saying that the NX F-Sport handles these roads better than the RX?

I do like the F-Sport look much better :-).. so I'm inclined to get the F-Sport but I'm worried about comfort. Obviously the dealership isn't going to let me drive around in broken pavement roads..
Sometimes i wished I could rent some of these cars for a week.

 

I have a NX F Sport w/ the summer tires. In Houston the roads in town are basically a broken concrete jungle. I feel all the road imperfections in the F sport... though it was marginally better in the non F Sport Loaner car I had too. However, I think the ride in both the IS and NX models are firm.

 

My suggestion is be sure that the F Sport seats are comfortable for you. For some they are fine, for others (like me) they are not. The non F Sport (in the USA) version also opens up certain options via the Luxury package that are not available on the F Sport and I found the standard 200t and 300h to have rides more to my liking in potholed southern Michigan. I understand the grill thing, but please avail yourself of some thorough test drives and make your own judgment about the trade offs.

Good luck.

 

Why wouldn't they? Pick out a rough road in the neighborhood of your nearest Lexus dealership (ahead of time) and then when you go to test drive, drive to that road. Unless that road is 10 miles from the dealership, it's that simple.

 

I don't know. There are two dealerships in my area. One is two miles down the road and the other (where I've been servicing my IS250 for the last 10 years) is 15 miles away.

For some reason, I feel bad about taking a vehicle out to test drive because there seem to have a 'fixed' route at both dealership. I really want to :
- drive the vehicle without a sales person next to me
- take it to roads where I know I'll be driving most often

Is that even allowed?

 

Ok - I just got back from a dealership nearby and test drove both the 200t and the 200t F-Sport. Honestly, to me, there seems to be little difference between the two.
Really nice sales consultant just gave me the keys and told me to take it for a drive wherever I wanted. In terms of ride quality, the F-Sport feels a little more 'stiff' but I think I won't notice the difference after a while but that's probably a personal preference.

The seats.. for some reason, my hamstring started to cramp up a little in the F-Sport - it didn't when I drove the regular version. Strange - so I guess there is some 'truth' in the difference between the seats.

 

Ok - I just got back from a dealership nearby and test drove both the 200t and the 200t F-Sport. Honestly, to me, there seems to be little difference between the two.
Really nice sales consultant just gave me the keys and told me to take it for a drive wherever I wanted. In terms of ride quality, the F-Sport feels a little more 'stiff' but I think I won't notice the difference after a while but that's probably a personal preference.

The seats.. for some reason, my hamstring started to cramp up a little in the F-Sport - it didn't when I drove the regular version. Strange - so I guess there is some 'truth' in the difference between the seats.

 

Don't worry too much about the firm ride. Swap the stock tyres to better ones and your comfort level will increase dramatically. I got the Michelin Latitude Sports 3 and the difference was night and day.

 

Good point - Thanks