katekebo

So by now I have spent my first 10 days with our 2023 NX 350h. Here are my first impressions:

Likes:
- Fuel economy is great. 39 mpg average so far.
- Reasonably quiet and "tight", with no rattles or squeaks. Let's see if it holds this way.
- Engine noise is acceptable, but not what I would expect from a premium vehicle. It's quite loud and has a harsh, unpleasant note under harder-than-average acceleration. Nowhere as good as European cars.
- The hybrid powertrain is very smooth and the transition between electric and gas power is almost unnoticeable once the engine is warm.
- Front, and even rear, seats are pleasantly comfortable, although I find the front bottom cushion to be very short. I'm only 5'7 and even with my short legs I would prefer a better support for my knees. Again, Europeans win in this area.
- Ride is reasonably comfortable.
- Handling is pretty good but not as precise as expected. I guess Lexus (Toyota) will never reach the level of "mastery" and perfect balance between ride comfort and handling of a BMW.
- Dynamic cruise control and other "driver assistance" functions work pretty well.

Dislike:
- Door handles (or rather lack of). What's wrong with mechanical handles? Unnecessary "innovation".
- Headlights: High bean is OK-ish (but not as good as my Highlander), low beam is OK-ish too (but worse than my wife's RAV4).
- Small cargo area for the size of the vehicle
- Run-flat tires. Again, why change something that works perfectly well? I would rather prefer a normal full-size spare, and decent conventional tires with good tread live, better ride and lower noise.

Overall, it's a decent offering, albeit I wouldn't call it a "luxury" car. It deserves to be called "premium" but it doesn't reach the "luxury" level.

Bimmer32

It think it is a luxury level in the sense that there is a package name with certain amenities/features/options. The car itself is considered a midlevel SUV in every way. For a high school student, it's a baller ride. For a Hedge fund manager, it is an econo ride.

gcskoor

If a Tesla Y can be classified as a luxury car, I would think a NX350h Lux package is over-qualified as a luxury car. LOL

Lexus22563

I have Bi-Led headlights on my 350h and I have to say they are way better than the 2018 highlander I had. I forget the safety rating agency but they gave a top rating to these headlights.

Agree don’t like run flats. After first light snow, did not like the performance of these tires, so I just put on reg Michelin Defender LTX ms tires. All season tires with good snow performance that I had on the highlander

Xanadu350

Thank you for your honest review.

I heard the Bi-Led headlights give off better lighting than the triple beams is that correct? I saw a video of an IS and the reviewer said the lighting was better with the Bi-Led headlights.

katekebo

I think many people confuse "luxury" with "bling".
True luxury is in things like comfortable ride, excellent handling, superb noise insulation, powertrain performance, solid brakes, quality of the upholstery and paint, acoustic glass all around, tight interior that doesn't rattle even on most challenging cobblestone roads, even the sound of closing doors. Many of these things aren't apparent at first sight to a casual looker, but become something you appreciate with time, and only notice when you miss them.
Options and features are "bling".
You can take a Merc S600, strip it of all "options" and "features" and even "bare bones" it will still feel and drive like a luxury car.
On the other hand, you can take a Hyundai Sonata, load it up with all "options" and "features" from a Merc S600, and it will still feel and drive line a cheap mainstream sedan. Or, as they say, "you can put lipstick on a pig ..."
It's like the difference between living in a XVIII century French "petit chateau" vs. a 5000 sq.ft "Mac Mansion". The old chateau may not have all the amenities of the Mac Mansion, but it will stay true to its character for hundreds of years, while the Mac Mansion will be a heap of rotten timber in a few decades.
The NX, regardless of options and features, feels upscale and above mainstream brands, but it doesn't reach the same standard as traditional luxury brands: Mercedes, BMW or Jaguar. In a way it feels like Audi - a pimped out VW.

chuuck1e

Just like the NX is a pimped out Toyota RAV4.

anoop

Thank you for sharing.

From your review, the thing that bothers me the most are the headlights.
Can you say which headlights you have since there are multiple options?
Can anyone compare the headlights to the RDX? I find those excellent, especially low beam performance.

Some other comments...

I don't regard BMW as the best balance in terms of comfort and handling. Nowadays BMW steering is numb and suspension is either too soft or too hard. I actually like my RDX better in that regard. I was a long time BMW owner before the RDX. The old BMWs were great, but starting around 2011/2012 everything changed.

The engine noise under hard acceleration issue has been noted by many youtube reviewers as well as Car and Driver.

With respect to door handles, I agree that it's an unnecessary innovation, kind of like engine sound piped into speakers. Hopefully this won't catch on in the industry, but it looks like the new RX has it as well.

What has me wanting a 350h is the seat comfort and mpg. Seat comfort is personal and for me, the seat pan in this car works really well at removing the pressure on the low back. With respect to mpg, unless you're going full BEV, there is really nothing else that comes close. And then hopefully there's Lexus reliability.

I think they could have done a much better job with interior design. There's too much piano black. I actually prefer the interior of the lowly UX to this one especially given that it has more physical controls.

dklanecky1

Interesting take on "Luxury", so why did you buy the Lexus instead of the other "true" Luxury brands?

blueless

The NX starts at $40,000 car and is appropriately "luxurious" for that price. Body metal, soundproofing, various bits (glass, door handles, etc), assembly quality are the same whether you buy a stripper 250 or a blinged-out 450.

anoop

I think the luxury pack definitely makes the interior feel a bit more upscale with the quilted leather seats and the wood trim.

Lexus could have done better with the base and premium trims which use glossy plastic options there.

I don't think it's true for the NX, but in some cars, higher end trims include better glass (e.g. acoustic windshield and/or side glass) which makes for a quieter ride.

watmind

@katekebo agree with so many of your first impressions. The car is quiet but not so much on highway speeds. And the engine is far noisier than I was expecting, especially when it’s cold. Coming from my BMW, that engine was super quiet in comparison and the handling and steering response were much better.

Having said that I’m still enjoying this ride very much!

Roffles

I originally intended on buying the BMW X3 30i but you can’t even configure it to an apples to apples comparison because BMW is dealing with ongoing parts shortages. For example, the base features of the Lexus Safety System 3.0 more or less equal BMW Driver Assistance Pro and Premium Package… you have to step up to the X3 M40i to configure it this way. Now you’re comparing a $45K NX350 Premium to a $65K X3 M40i. I just don’t see the point in drawing a comparison between the two when the X3 30i can’t be configured to compete on features. It’s like this across the entire BMW lineup right now… if you want the best features, you have to choose the more expensive drivetrain. It wasn’t like this pre-COVID and now war in Ukraine. I own the M340i fully loaded (bough it in July 2019 before parts shortages and covid and you could actually negotiate the price down!) and I’m reading now on bimmerpost about people taking delivery of their new cars but features they paid for are missing because of parts shortages. Missing heated seats, passenger seat not adjustable like the driver seat, no touch screen on the navigation, no premium sound system, missing puddle lights etc. They even eliminated the executive package entirely from the 3 series and nixed the laser lights… have to step up to 5 or 7 series to get them now. I would naturally assume a similar thing is happening at Audi and Mercedes because they all have similar logistical channels. It seems like Toyota has a better grasp on their supply chain, and so it was an easy choice this time around to go with a Lexus.

blueless

I dislike the Prism inserts on the front doors - The prism design is lost under a too-thick layer of glossy plastic. I wonder if they are easy to replace. Off to eBay to research alternatives, haha!
Anyway, what I was trying to say is that a lot of the car's "bones" is the same regardless of trim level. And a car an be judged by the quality of it's cheapest trim.

anoop

Those inserts (stippled or prism) really ruin it for me. I’d be ok with the tiny LCD and plastic seats if those trim pieces were done better (e.g. I’d be fine with aluminum-looking plastic or any other non glossy material). And I’d actually prefer 18” wheels (lighter, more comfortable) and no moonroof (lighter, and I never use it).

But now I’m just waiting for a luxury and will be paying $7k++ for it. Way more car than I actually want.