sdiver68

I just got back from looking at every competitive luxury sedan and compact SUV under $50k. For my money and tastes, the Lexus NX FSport had the 2nd nicest interior next to the MB C/GLC. Jaguar the worst with BMW, Hyundai Genesis and Infiniti Q somewhere in the middle.

Ruled out jumping up to an E class or GS unless the 17 E class really makes a case for itself. Also ruled out the Lexus IS and anything from Acura or Cadillac.

TeaAholic1

I think the issue is that you live in the US. Here in Australia, any car with a "luxury" badge has a lot of options as standard while it's not the case in the US.

Apparently you NX's in USA don't have power folding mirrors or ventilated seats in the F Sport?

You can still get a Mercedes GLS with halogen headlights in the US? For example, EVERY Mercedes model, apart from the A180 comes with LED headlights or Xenon for older, yet-to-be-facelifted models.

So I can't compare. It seems the US is backwards in this way, your normal cars like Kia and Hyundai are making really nice interiors and features for the price while on your "luxury" brands, they are stripping the features.

TechNut

That is an interesting observation TeaAholic1. I don't think it used to be that way, but I also think the lines are blurring between "luxury" versus "near luxury" or "entry level luxury". I imagine it is a marketing decision to strip the options and make the base models more affordable. What I don't get is why that decision point would be any different in the US than any other country. Who knows what drives these sorts of decisions, probably some statistician.

hwitten

I think the marketing folks are pushing the Lexus label, which just happened to be attached to a vehicle.
Supposedly luxury brands are being sold, rather than luxury vehicles. I equate luxury to comfort. My 2001 Buick is more comfortable than any vehicles we've looked at over the last 6 month. Too bad today's tech isn't retrofittable

With the NX they have the lowest priced Lexus CUV/SUV I believe. To make further inroads in the demographic they seem to be after they offer a 2k incentive on Sport models vs 1k on the NX that costs more. 1.5% lease for either, but I prefer to own.

Had there been an equivalent incentive for the trim I wanted back when I put a deposit down I'd be driving an NX today. We waited to see if there was a change in the following month but no luck. By then the Santa Fe had been announced with tech that is somewhat equivalent to the NX Executive (Canada). Some pluses and minuses for both. I decided that I owed it to myself to see the Santa Fe in the flesh so I took my deposit back instead of taking delivery.

I may regret that yet, but had I not done so I'd always be wondering. Serious week of shopping coming up. Could be I'll end up paying more for an NX due to earthquake but that's ok as whatever vehicle I end up taking there will be no regrets as I'll know that I did my homework.

TechNut

Please be sure to let us know what you decide and why. Both should be fine choices - but they are very different cars.

Pinkab0o

Actually nx does have line departure warning, I added that feature on my car.

TeaAholic1

You are absolutely right. The lines are blurring. A lot of higher end trim levels of "normal" branded cars are now really nice, look at the new Mazda CX-9. Its interior is lovely.

For Mercedes, BMW and Audi, they tend to skimp on things, but in the past few years, Mercedes have stepped up the game with the standard options making the other two Germans add in more base options as standard.

For example if you look at a base GLA 200 CDI, it has pretty much everything, HID headlights, sat nav, camera/sensors, autonomous braking, dual zone climate, heated seats etc. I would think an average person would be quite happy with the standard options.

Lexus tends to be a little different here. Our base trim is a "luxury" trim, and since Lexus has a very small presence here, they load up the car with quite few niceties as standard, although now they are pretty much on par with the German with the equipment level.

If you want a real comparison, my friend just got a Mercedes CLA 250 Shooting Brake. It's RRP of $80K here. Same price as my NX. From a 1 minute ride I noticed that it doesn't have a 360 camera, and the dash is all plastic. I guess the only cool thing is that the seatbelt tightens when you put it on . Still uses HID although I think the facelift model is LED.

hwitten

It came down to space.
While I liked the snugness, my wife liked the more open and free feeling of the Santa Fe in what she calls 'her' space, I.e. passenger seat. Have to admit, I was a bit concerned about the reduced cargo space.

While she was ok with the NX, she was happy when I decided Santa Fe.

Don't know if I got played or not but since I was neutral between the 2 vehicles I let common sense prevail. Haven't lasted 50+ years with her without the occasional application of common sense
May be back for a '17/'18 if they add some of the tech I was compromising on. (Cruise to stop, Cameras all around, hands-free tailgate).

TechNut

Hey, we all know the drill. Happy wife, happy life.

The Santa Fe is a nice rig. I'm sure you will enjoy it. The NX is definitely snug so I understand her concern.

batchelor

Hopefully the newer models are better. My partner has a SFS and there is a known issue with the oil pump that causes rods or Pistons to blow and blows the engine. Just had this occur and we have heard anecdotally from at least 10 others with the same issue. When towed back to the dealer they weren't surprised at all, replaced the engine completely in a day. Service guy told me they have five or six new engines at the ready because they see this issue regularly.

As there is no recall for this, we lost faith in Hyundai and won't but another one.

hwitten

Can I assume pre-2013? or?

I put 80k+ km on the '13 2.0T Limited and all was good. My daughter drives it now.

Just curious as to vintage(s) affected by oil pump issues.

batchelor

Hers is a 2013 base model, I'm also in BC like you and was shocked to hear how many people have had this issue. The issue seems to occur for people between 40-60K, not sure if the turbo engine is affected though.

Mr645

When it comes to tech check out Ford, Cadillac and Lincoln. They have touch screen systems, Car Play and Android Auto. It seems the US brands are on the cutting edge of technology