My wife and I, after an extended shopping process (anyone know a good divorce lawyer? ), settled on the NX 350h earlier this year. (I was partial to the 2022 Hyundai Tucson, which my petite wife thought was too high for her to get in and out of easily, and she liked the RAV4, which I personally think is about the least attractive car on the road today.)

There seem to be 2 trim levels being built, one with the Premium package and some other stuff I don't necessarily need, and the other the base model with installed options that approach but do not equal the Premium package. Specifically:

• Intuitive parking assist
• Ventilated front seats
• Memory system for seat/wheel/mirrors
• Kick sensor for rear door (wave foot under the car, door closes)
• Power tilt-and-telescopic steering column adjustment
• 'Prism' design on the black leather (versus 'stipple' on the base)

The only one of these that seems more than a 'nice to have' is the Intuitive Parking Assist. Can anyone speak to why this is, for them, a "gotta have" item? Is there is any other way to tell how close you are to the car / garage wall / tree in front of you besides a visual in the base model? I would imagine that there's a backup camera with lines even on the base model, but can anyone confirm?

Thanks in advance!

 

My understanding is that rear camera is available even on the base model, along with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert. I didn’t consider intuitive parking assist a must have for myself.
The trim levels are different in Canada, but here in Toronto, where it gets really hot in the summer, and because I park outside ventilated seats were a must for me. I would also say that the memory seats are a very nice to have if you’re not the only driver. Saves you from having to readjust everything when you get in the vehicle.

 

The parking assist is mostly for head in parking. The backup camera will help if you back in all the time. Its just a assistance to help you on the days you just not at it. Helps you not breaking the large spindle grill.

I find the 360 camera also helps knowing how much you need to back in. You'll know you are but sticking out of your spot.

Power tilt-and-telescopic steering column adjustment is great to setup the driving position, but it also is helpful to enter and exit the driver seat as the steering wheel will go all the way in to allow better entry and exit.

 

The only important, must have options, are the ones your wife wants! Saving a few bucks and getting the hairy eye ball for as long as you own the car is not worth it. The 360 camera is a very nice option...must have in my wife's book...so we got it and all the other stuff that comes with that package.

 

I considered the cost of IPA, to be an insurance policy against curb rash. My wife is smaller, and doesn't have the best sense/vision about parking. It's also super helpful to avoid pot holes when driving less than 7mph. Gives you a transparent top down view of th car, and you can see exactly where pot holes are relative to tires👍

 

I have the 350h premium and I do like the intuitive parking assist. I have a tight garage space so the visual on the screen and the beeps with varying speeds help me avoid hitting anything. When I back out the Side mirrors point down so I can see better and coupled with the intuitive assists really does help avoid bumping into anything. Personally I think the premium package is a good value

 

I agree with all the above - particularly the ability to see the overhang in a parking space without getting out of the car to check! 😬 These little things make all the difference!

 

Thank you for the replies and insights @BSB80 @lsft @ttaylor121 @Lexus22563 @hintonwood I agree will all of the above, the problem is how much longer we would need to wait for a Premium with our desired color combination. It's a question of whether a bird in the hand is indeed worth two in the bush. And @FastFord , you're absolutely right about the wife factor, but in this case she's excited to get her *** in the new fine Corinthian leather seat -- it's me who'd rather wait for the upgrades!

 

Are you in the US? I know that the majority of hybrid nx being allocated are the premium trims.
I agreed to pay $1000 deposit for MSRP price back on Jan 20 and took delivery on march 30.
Though I was on a list with no deposit early January. So if you are ok waiting, go for what you want

 

Actually, most of the USA Lexus NXs , at least the h models are being optioned as "Luxury Package" and then on top of that almost every option except the Power Folding and Heated rear seats which seems to be unavailable.

Also be ware, the the towing package doesn't allow towing and the accessory, Activity Mount,does not have a standard 2 inch hitch. Wait for Curt to come out with hith like they did for generation 1 NX.


So as I wait, I am focest to contune enjoying my Golf R turbo. Only 2 liters , only 292 hp, but30 mpg on highway , and 0 to 60 in 5.3 seconds with short shift - rain sensing wipers; upgade audio beyond Fender, Only a range of 449.5 ( high milaeage rateing 31 , 14.5 fallon tank)

Also thanks to Lexus delays my trade in value dropped $1,400


So what do I gain by waiting for a new Lexus NX 350h\

Positives:

1.Lexus quality and Luxury
2 Lexus quiet, although with additional sound deadening golf R almost as quiet
3. ML audio , slightly better than my upgraded audio ..I think
4. Heads Up display ( and yes I will show you guys how to add tachometer to HUD)
5. Ventilated front seats
6. 1/2 inch more passenger leg room
7. Digital mirror
8. panoramic view ( even though Golf R has multiple sensors on closeness and parking)
9. advanced park - probably will never use but some additional views and safety alerts.
10. New car - o miles

Negatves:
1. run flat tires; currently added a spare and jack to Golf R; also individual mode( persistent) on ride: normally good, comfort good
2. NX lot lower performance and no shifting
3. Slightly less cargo room
4. A lot longer car ; need to adjust garage parking length ( actually already did at both houses)
5. Higher Lexus service cost.
6. Lots of problems still with with Lexus Cat Herders( memory seat, smart Key, phone app, billfold key, multiple profiles, multiple phones);
7. Trade-in drop in price additional 30-35K$out of pocket.
8. no quad exhaust

I have my n ew NX order in, My first little dealer cancelled special order after about 5 months waiting since last November 2021, so waiting 3-4 months now


P.S. - On most forum questions, the answers are already found in the Lexus Owner's manual. There are two new features in the Lxcus Owner's manuals which are helpful : (1) TOC and (2) Index
, which seem to be overlooked.

 

If your both going to be driving it, and unless you and your "petite" wife are the same size, the lack of memory seats is something that will (in my personal experience) come to annoy both of you over time.

 

In the US, backup camera and rear cross-traffic alert are listed as standard equipment.

I would say that the necessity of IPA is a matter of personal skill/preference/spatial awareness. Once a driver is comfortable with the physical extent of their vehicle, it may not be necessary. Of course, it takes some practice/training to figure that out for each car, such as placing a person or other tallish object at the corners of the car (in Park!) while the driver is looking out the windows and using the mirrors and cameras available to them. However, without IPA, you are limited when it comes to objects that are below the front hood. I very much like having it for entering parking spaces front-in more quickly, but I've managed fine without for decades, especially after I did lightly scrape a prior car's bumper against a wall one time lol. Hopefully, you can test drive one before having to decide, or just take the car that has more features since the hybrids can be so hard to come by.

Some of the discussion above may be confusing Intuitive Parking Assist with Panoramic View Monitor.

• IPA beeps when you are getting close to objects or other cars at very low speed (note that there are varying volume levels for this feature in Settings, plus there is a mute button on the center screen to quiet it one-time). IPA also has visual indicators on the center screen. In general, it works well for avoiding hitting other cars, bushes in planters, walls, etc. while parking. You probably still need to watch out for the occasional metal pole that these systems may not notice on the sides of the car.
  • The IPA option also includes another feature that can be turned off if desired: automatic braking by the car if it thinks you are about to actually hit an object at low speed (aka Parking Support Brake in the manual); this can be great if you somehow ignore or misinterpret the beeping mentioned above. It does take some getting used to if you need to park a couple of inches from the front wall in a garage, plus you may need to consult the manual to understand the conditions under which it will activate, or rather outsmart it so that you can ensure it doesn't when you don't want it to.
• PVM is part of a different option package and gives a bird's eye view of the area around/"under" the vehicle at low speed, in addition to showing the view out the front or rear camera when in the corresponding gear. This feature is in addition to IPA.

I don't personally have experience with an NX that does not also have PVM, so I can't speak as well as others to how IPA works by itself. However, one item from my 450h+ manual is below, which shows that the visual indication for IPA distances is displayed at the top right of the center screen in an overhead diagram. With PVM added, instead distance markers show on the front/rear camera view as well as the overhead camera view.

Brief notes on other features you mentioned:
Kick sensor for rear hatch works both to open and to close. Great when your hands are full and you can't or don't want to put your stuff down or fumble with pressing the button on the hatch. Does require balancing briefly on one foot with stuff in your arms though, so just be mindful of not slipping/falling.
Prism design is on the door trim piece, just below the windows, extending from the dash air vents, bordered by the silver plastic. Also found on the rear doors in a similar position.

 

For anyone who wants instructions for how to adjust the volume of the IPA alarms:

 

There is also the Parallel Parking feature as stated on the Lexus website.

AVAILABLE ADVANCED PARK

Four Panoramic View Monitors, and 12 ultrasonic sensors help take the guesswork out of parking. Select the space, press the Advanced Park* “start” and NX automatically parallel parks or backs into a parking space without any need for you to select the gear, accelerate or brake. It’s that easy.

A video of the Advanced Park by Toyota. I am now very curious, going to have to test it out.

 

Had this on my 2015 Ford CMax hybrid for parallell parking, although we still needed to work the brakes. Worked well. First few times it freaked us out as the car came what appeared to be very close the the vehicle we were parking behind, but we never hit anything and the positioning of the car in the spot was excellent. Close to the curb and with the braking, positioned well between cars. Won't be available until Lexus releases a software update "later this spring" I've read. But it appears all the hardware is in place if you have the right package.