Why is the suspension so stiff?
10-22-17, 10:00 AM
#16
Behind the wheel of the NX I do feel the same comfort in handling I had on my old IS350, I can tell you for a fact, the NX F-sport is smoother and softer riding than a stock IS350. Nothing wrong with an IS350, its a great car, even after adding F-sport Springs and sway bars, the IS was by no means stiff or had a bumpy ride. It actually rode smoother than a few stock German and Japanese cars I've owned with the suspension mods. Which is perplexing when the OP started off about the CX-5 and its ride. It's most likely to be tuned to be soft, but driven harder will it out handle the NX? i doubt it can, its sure can't out power it. The stiffer suspension is what attributes to that, I just think the OP has a lower tolerance for what he/she considers as a stiff aka "bumpy ride". The NX does fit a nice compromise of ride quality and handling, failure or lack of understanding what the NX is capable of is on the owner not the car.
10-22-17, 12:07 PM
#17
Pole Position
Hello,
I just bought a 2017 NX 200t, and I'm loving it. My biggest complain though is how bumpy the ride is. I didn't notice the bumpiness on my test drive, I guess the route the sales person took it on was smooth. Given that this is a luxury car, I would expect the ride to be a little more smooth, and soft. My friend just got a new Mazda CX-5, and the ride is so much smoother, and quieter on a car which is 10k cheaper. Is there a reason Lexus opted for the stiffer suspension on this model? Does it add any benefits?
I just bought a 2017 NX 200t, and I'm loving it. My biggest complain though is how bumpy the ride is. I didn't notice the bumpiness on my test drive, I guess the route the sales person took it on was smooth. Given that this is a luxury car, I would expect the ride to be a little more smooth, and soft. My friend just got a new Mazda CX-5, and the ride is so much smoother, and quieter on a car which is 10k cheaper. Is there a reason Lexus opted for the stiffer suspension on this model? Does it add any benefits?
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astinus4 (10-23-17)
10-22-17, 02:02 PM
#18
True the spring is just one factor in what may cause a ride to change. But just because the Mazda is lighter doesn't mean its by defaults handles better. If you really want to go down the rabbit hole, what do you define as handling? Day to day city driving? freeway? on the track? at its limits? If you really want to compare the CX-5 to the NX, we can start talking about stability control, braking.. go on and on. We can agree to disagree, however saying how a CX-5 will outhandle the NX (of any variant) is a blanket statement or some may call "spreading fud".
10-22-17, 11:34 PM
#19
Behind the wheel of the NX I do feel the same comfort in handling I had on my old IS350, I can tell you for a fact, the NX F-sport is smoother and softer riding than a stock IS350. Nothing wrong with an IS350, its a great car, even after adding F-sport Springs and sway bars, the IS was by no means stiff or had a bumpy ride. It actually rode smoother than a few stock German and Japanese cars I've owned with the suspension mods. Which is perplexing when the OP started off about the CX-5 and its ride. It's most likely to be tuned to be soft, but driven harder will it out handle the NX? i doubt it can, its sure can't out power it. The stiffer suspension is what attributes to that, I just think the OP has a lower tolerance for what he/she considers as a stiff aka "bumpy ride". The NX does fit a nice compromise of ride quality and handling, failure or lack of understanding what the NX is capable of is on the owner not the car.
10-23-17, 07:21 AM
#21
The car was designed to be “sportier” hence stiffer suspension. Tire pressure makes a difference, after I service the dealer likes to fill my tires to 37psi and it is rough. I drop it back to 32psi and the ride is fine for me. The Yokohama tires mine came with doesn’t help either. Obviously it doesn’t feel floaty like my RX330 but I’ve test drove the car 3 times at different dealers and different trims to know what I was getting myself into... due diligence comes a long way to prevent buyer’s remorse.
10-23-17, 11:58 AM
#23
True the spring is just one factor in what may cause a ride to change. But just because the Mazda is lighter doesn't mean its by defaults handles better. If you really want to go down the rabbit hole, what do you define as handling? Day to day city driving? freeway? on the track? at its limits? If you really want to compare the CX-5 to the NX, we can start talking about stability control, braking.. go on and on. We can agree to disagree, however saying how a CX-5 will outhandle the NX (of any variant) is a blanket statement or some may call "spreading fud".
The NX does accelerate a lot better though and will last longer and is quieter and a lot of other things that the Mazda isn't.
10-23-17, 01:58 PM
#24
The car was designed to be “sportier” hence stiffer suspension. Tire pressure makes a difference, after I service the dealer likes to fill my tires to 37psi and it is rough. I drop it back to 32psi and the ride is fine for me. The Yokohama tires mine came with doesn’t help either. Obviously it doesn’t feel floaty like my RX330 but I’ve test drove the car 3 times at different dealers and different trims to know what I was getting myself into... due diligence comes a long way to prevent buyer’s remorse.
10-23-17, 02:12 PM
#26
I'm a former Mazda owner and have driven several variants of the CX-5...driving dynamics is one thing Mazda does very well and IMO bests the NX. Quick look at skid pad numbers shows the Mazda with a 0.03g lead on the NX as well...but even just the feel of the steering and confidence in the chassis is better in the Mazda.
The NX does accelerate a lot better though and will last longer and is quieter and a lot of other things that the Mazda isn't.
The NX does accelerate a lot better though and will last longer and is quieter and a lot of other things that the Mazda isn't.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, the world isn't ceteris paribus. The NX is great at what it is, an entry level luxury CUV with nice balance of sport and refinement. The CX-5 is great as well as a value minded CUV with great road handling attributes. They all reside in their price points, are either of these cars the most luxurious? fastest? best handling in its CUV class? No, nor are they in competition with each other, and they have their differences. To make a point, what if I were to say that instead of my NX, the Porsche Turbo Macan was bumpy and not smooth vs the CX-5, and its $50K cheaper why can't my luxury CUV ride as smooth as my buddy's CX-5? It's absurd, just be realistic. I'm in the market for a ND hardtop Miata myself, and I driven one, the roadster handles great and its going to be my weekend car, but regardless of what I do to it, will it beat a ferrari in handling....doubt it. No point beating this subject over and over. As for the other people who are interested in adjusting their ride quality and handling I'm sure there are components out there that can help by changing springs (same as coils, just another terminology for the one member who asked), shocks, sways and even new tires and wheels combo. Be realistic and understand the limits of what can be done to the NX, but before one does, please understand that any combination of those components will change the characteristics of the ride for better or for worse.
10-24-17, 08:35 AM
#27
Try adding some paragraphs lol
The Macan makes the NX and the CX-5 feel like a 60's american car (aka a boat). Having driven them all Macan > Jag F-Pace > BMX X3 > Q5 > CX-5 > Merc GLC > NX > XC60 > Evoque when it comes to HANDLING only. The NX is by far a better overall vehicle, no arguments there, it's why I bought one (an F-Sport with AVS even) but the CX-5 handles better.
The Macan makes the NX and the CX-5 feel like a 60's american car (aka a boat). Having driven them all Macan > Jag F-Pace > BMX X3 > Q5 > CX-5 > Merc GLC > NX > XC60 > Evoque when it comes to HANDLING only. The NX is by far a better overall vehicle, no arguments there, it's why I bought one (an F-Sport with AVS even) but the CX-5 handles better.
10-24-17, 12:16 PM
#28
Fixing my grammar wouldn't do any good if you have zero comprehension of the subject matter. If you want to talk about which CUV's that handle better, go ahead start a new thread, and I'll be glad to discuss it objectively. This is a discussion about the OP stating how the NX's ride is so stiff and bumpy, and can't understand why Lexus didn't make it smooth like the CX-5, which is $10K less. I already stated in previous posts that these comparisons only highlight one aspect and not the total picture. Also that dollar amount has no correlation between how soft or smooth the ride is.
You are entitled to your opinion, we can agree to disagree, you can even make it personal. I'll keep my conversation at a mature level as I do believe there maybe some merit for those looking for solutions whose perceived ride quality is not to their liking.
You are entitled to your opinion, we can agree to disagree, you can even make it personal. I'll keep my conversation at a mature level as I do believe there maybe some merit for those looking for solutions whose perceived ride quality is not to their liking.
10-24-17, 01:57 PM
#29
Fixing my grammar wouldn't do any good if you have zero comprehension of the subject matter. If you want to talk about which CUV's that handle better, go ahead start a new thread, and I'll be glad to discuss it objectively. This is a discussion about the OP stating how the NX's ride is so stiff and bumpy, and can't understand why Lexus didn't make it smooth like the CX-5, which is $10K less. I already stated in previous posts that these comparisons only highlight one aspect and not the total picture. Also that dollar amount has no correlation between how soft or smooth the ride is.
You are entitled to your opinion, we can agree to disagree, you can even make it personal. I'll keep my conversation at a mature level as I do believe there maybe some merit for those looking for solutions whose perceived ride quality is not to their liking.
You are entitled to your opinion, we can agree to disagree, you can even make it personal. I'll keep my conversation at a mature level as I do believe there maybe some merit for those looking for solutions whose perceived ride quality is not to their liking.
10-24-17, 06:17 PM
#30
Cant we all jus get along. This totally remind me of how an ex member ( pinhead ) use to come in here owns an NX but yet bashes it and claims how his Macan GTS is greater than the NX. The op came in here got his answers and now Maybe he figured it out who knows. But for me personally I bought the NX for its looks and the mods I can do it. Not talking about jus wheels.
Last edited by Rozay604; 10-24-17 at 06:21 PM.
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Floorance (10-24-17)