First 'long' drive with the NX - it was good!
05-03-15, 04:40 AM
#1
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First 'long' drive with the NX - it was good!
So we leased the NX for my wife but I've found that I REALLY like driving it. We had to drive some family members on a one day haul with two hour trips each way. This was the first time I was able to spend a lot of time in the NX so I figured I would share a few thoughts.
First of all, the drive did nothing but impress me more with this car. It was comfortable, fuel efficient and had plenty of power getting on the highway and passing - much more than I had anticipated. We just broke 500 miles so I figured that was enough of a break in period
We hit just shy of 26MPG for the trip. This was going a 'bit' above the speed limit most of the way. I was very impressed with those numbers.
The power was more than sufficient for passing and merging. I had no concerns with any maneuvers at all during the drive. We had 4 adults in the car and it didn't feel like there was any impact on acceleration that I could tell.
Seat comfort was pretty good. I still think Lexus needs to add a thigh bolster that can be pulled out on the driver's seat as the seats still feel a bit short on thigh support. With that said, I was actually very comfortable in every other way on the drive. In my wife's RX, I could NEVER get comfortable for some reason. Not the case with the NX. It was so comfortable I didn't really mind the missing thigh support but it would have made things just a bit better.
The dimensions of the NX are perfect for us. We don't have kids so the ability to take another couple with plenty of room is great. We have another trip coming up soon so we'll see how we do with a number of small carry-ons for everyone - I am a bit nervous about that but it's rare we need space for more than the two of us.
Still trying to get used to how the nav works. I'm pretty tech savvy but there are a few settings that I'm trying to get a handle on since I liked them when they appeared. One, I can't seem to be able to get the intersection/turn announcements to come up on the center console screen (between the tach and speedo) with any regularity. I have to look at the manual again but sometimes I would get the intersection pop up and other times I wouldn't.
One thing that was really cool that I had not seen before - the nav actually shows graphics of the road signs at highway exits. At least it did a few times toward the end if the trip. Again, not sure how to consistently get these to show up but I finally figured out that you have to be in full screen mode to get the lane guidance (when there are 7 lanes and the road splits, the NAV will show you which lane(s) to get in to prepare for the next turn or for the exit). The actual road sign graphics were a very cool addition and do help a lot on those multiple lane exits. I have this on my Infinit but this actually took it to the next level with the graphic of the signs instead of just the text - very cool! A bit hard to read but they do help.
Used the Enform remote to auto start the car to cool it off since it was warm and sunny yesterday. I did get quite a few 'connection' error messages and the communication was pretty sluggish. I couldn't tell if the engine was on for a while and the error messages are kind of bland. They just say something like 'still communicating with the car from your last command'. The response time on the system could be better. If it takes 5 minutes to confirm remote start of the car with the Enform remote app, it just isn't as useful a tool. Still, it was good to be able to make sure the doors were locked, etc. Just needs a bit more speed in the communication area.
Blind spot monitor was great to have! Driving on 3-4 lanes on I-95 can be a harrowing experience. The blind spot monitor really hepled a lot. It adds a degree of confidence and my wife says the system has helped her a bunch of other times as well. Definitely an option I would recommend without hesitation!
The intelligent cruise control worked great! Anyone who know I-95, you can go from speeding to stop and go and then speeding again in a matter of minutes. I used the cruise system and impressed my passengers with the system keeping up with the stop and go traffic without my having to press the brake or gas. I do think having the intelligent cruise control helped with the short thigh support as I didn't need to constantly use the pedals so I could relax my leg a bit. FYI, with the stop and go traffic, the system will brake the car to a full stop and then resume if under 3 seconds (IIRC) but leaves the brakes on so you don't roll. On my Infiniti, it only holds the brakes for a few seconds. Then it beeps and you have to activate the brakes yourself or you will roll. Not a big difference but I'm thinking I like each system for different reasons. Anyway, great system!
I do wish lane departure assist was available. I do regret not having that on the highway. It's just easier and less fatiguing to drive when you aren't correcting so much and the car helps you do this. Not a huge deal but the one thing I really wanted but was not available.
Finally, we received a LOT of compliments on the NX - the lines, the interior, the seating room, the size of the side mirrors(our passengers are in the market for a CUV and they notice these things!). I was really surprised with the strong positive reactions.
Lexus really nailed it with the NX in my opinion. Handles great, fuel efficient, roomy enough, good tech and fun to drive.
First of all, the drive did nothing but impress me more with this car. It was comfortable, fuel efficient and had plenty of power getting on the highway and passing - much more than I had anticipated. We just broke 500 miles so I figured that was enough of a break in period
We hit just shy of 26MPG for the trip. This was going a 'bit' above the speed limit most of the way. I was very impressed with those numbers.
The power was more than sufficient for passing and merging. I had no concerns with any maneuvers at all during the drive. We had 4 adults in the car and it didn't feel like there was any impact on acceleration that I could tell.
Seat comfort was pretty good. I still think Lexus needs to add a thigh bolster that can be pulled out on the driver's seat as the seats still feel a bit short on thigh support. With that said, I was actually very comfortable in every other way on the drive. In my wife's RX, I could NEVER get comfortable for some reason. Not the case with the NX. It was so comfortable I didn't really mind the missing thigh support but it would have made things just a bit better.
The dimensions of the NX are perfect for us. We don't have kids so the ability to take another couple with plenty of room is great. We have another trip coming up soon so we'll see how we do with a number of small carry-ons for everyone - I am a bit nervous about that but it's rare we need space for more than the two of us.
Still trying to get used to how the nav works. I'm pretty tech savvy but there are a few settings that I'm trying to get a handle on since I liked them when they appeared. One, I can't seem to be able to get the intersection/turn announcements to come up on the center console screen (between the tach and speedo) with any regularity. I have to look at the manual again but sometimes I would get the intersection pop up and other times I wouldn't.
One thing that was really cool that I had not seen before - the nav actually shows graphics of the road signs at highway exits. At least it did a few times toward the end if the trip. Again, not sure how to consistently get these to show up but I finally figured out that you have to be in full screen mode to get the lane guidance (when there are 7 lanes and the road splits, the NAV will show you which lane(s) to get in to prepare for the next turn or for the exit). The actual road sign graphics were a very cool addition and do help a lot on those multiple lane exits. I have this on my Infinit but this actually took it to the next level with the graphic of the signs instead of just the text - very cool! A bit hard to read but they do help.
Used the Enform remote to auto start the car to cool it off since it was warm and sunny yesterday. I did get quite a few 'connection' error messages and the communication was pretty sluggish. I couldn't tell if the engine was on for a while and the error messages are kind of bland. They just say something like 'still communicating with the car from your last command'. The response time on the system could be better. If it takes 5 minutes to confirm remote start of the car with the Enform remote app, it just isn't as useful a tool. Still, it was good to be able to make sure the doors were locked, etc. Just needs a bit more speed in the communication area.
Blind spot monitor was great to have! Driving on 3-4 lanes on I-95 can be a harrowing experience. The blind spot monitor really hepled a lot. It adds a degree of confidence and my wife says the system has helped her a bunch of other times as well. Definitely an option I would recommend without hesitation!
The intelligent cruise control worked great! Anyone who know I-95, you can go from speeding to stop and go and then speeding again in a matter of minutes. I used the cruise system and impressed my passengers with the system keeping up with the stop and go traffic without my having to press the brake or gas. I do think having the intelligent cruise control helped with the short thigh support as I didn't need to constantly use the pedals so I could relax my leg a bit. FYI, with the stop and go traffic, the system will brake the car to a full stop and then resume if under 3 seconds (IIRC) but leaves the brakes on so you don't roll. On my Infiniti, it only holds the brakes for a few seconds. Then it beeps and you have to activate the brakes yourself or you will roll. Not a big difference but I'm thinking I like each system for different reasons. Anyway, great system!
I do wish lane departure assist was available. I do regret not having that on the highway. It's just easier and less fatiguing to drive when you aren't correcting so much and the car helps you do this. Not a huge deal but the one thing I really wanted but was not available.
Finally, we received a LOT of compliments on the NX - the lines, the interior, the seating room, the size of the side mirrors(our passengers are in the market for a CUV and they notice these things!). I was really surprised with the strong positive reactions.
Lexus really nailed it with the NX in my opinion. Handles great, fuel efficient, roomy enough, good tech and fun to drive.
Last edited by DigMyM35x; 05-03-15 at 04:48 AM.
05-03-15, 05:15 AM
#3
Thanks for this great review ! I also took a hour 1/2 drive yesterday, and you summed my thoughts equally well. The more I am on the road with this vehicle, the more I love it ! I can say that the NX is the most fun of any I have owned, and of course all the attention it gets is fun too ! Sure, there are new models coming out, but this is a true piece of art with it's looks. At least for awhile, hopefully nobody will try to copy it
05-03-15, 06:02 PM
#4
The pursuit of F
I echo your sentiments on the qualities of the NX, especially its comfort, hwy passing power, and fuel economy. And in case you need to load up with cargo, don't worry there's about 28 cu Ft behind the rear seats! 
Thanks for the writeup.
Thanks for the writeup.
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