adamsmith

Hi all,

I'm new to lexus and new to hybrid... but as you know i've reserved an nx300h. I have good expectations with this move.

Now my worries are if they vehicle will perform sufficiently considering the hybrid limitations. I've tested the is300h and is fairly good for me. Its not a 240CV petrol engine (e.g. evoque, giving 7,4 sec from 0to60), but is enough for me...

I know that no one will look for the hybrid and the performance, but... do you think the figures are enough? How does this compare to an RX or prius?

I can't wait to try it... but there's no way doing it here in less than a month...

Cheers!

caudlek

If i recall the numbers correctly the H has ~194HP combined, compared to the T's 235HP. Of coarse there different engines and transmissions so we won't know for sure ....but.... i would expect a 1-2 second slower 0-60 time.

One of the u-tube vids roughly tag the H at 8.4 (traction off) seconds? Anyway, the hybrid's about lowering MPG and emissions for most people ... whats more important?

KC

spwolf

hybrid will be fine... much faster than Prius and a bit slower than IS300h, but then again it is SUV, not sports sedan... it is built for a bit more sedate driving style.

adamsmith

Don't misunderstand me!!

I'm not pretending I'm buying a sports car. I know that this isn't the same.

But I'm just wondering if the NX will provide a decent balance between performance, economy and ecology.

spwolf

seems like it.

corradoMR2

I had a CT and was fine. Where you will feel it slower is loaded with passengers and luggage going uphill. If this is the exception you'll be fine with the NXh.

bunka

Why did you reference the IS300h as a comparison? The IS300h is a MUCH smaller, lighter vehicle than the NX. If you want to align with another Lexus Hybrid, wouldn't it make more sense to compare the NX to it's next closest model, the ES300h?

spwolf

because OP tested IS300h... and there is no ES300h where he lives.

Just FYI, IS350 and ES350 weight roughly the same, because IS350 is RWD based off GS.

And their engines are not the same - IS300h has some extra 25hp compared to ES300h and NX300h due to D4S system being used.

adamsmith

I will self-reply... I have finally tested an NX300h and have some opinion to my question.

The car is lazy. It's not even close to any 150CV turbo diesel engine, or any 140CV direct injection. There's no sudden push and there's a slow answer to acceleration. Reviews mentioning a big acceleration noise due to the CVT are right, and it feels strange hearing loud noise and not being pushed back.

Is it disappointing? Well... it depends on the expectations...

However, even being used to much faster and well performing cars, I have confirmed my preorder and in a couple of weeks I will be driving my new NX. I'm sure I will not regret it.

rogerh00

I don't understand. It sounds like you are disappointed with the NXh. Why would you order a vehicle with all the concerns you had and now have confirmed? What are your expectations? Sounds like you would happier with a diesel.

spwolf

did you try sports mode? It should be faster than 150 diesel... it is just that it is heavy car so 150hp diesel isnt going to be fast in it either... I had 150hp Rav4 and it was a lot slower than same engine in Avensis.

Of course, NX is also a lot heavier than Rav4 too.

sg021

I was thinking the same regarding sports mode. Honestly it'd be nice if driving mode had steering wheel shortcuts instead of only being a console dial. I tried switching around as needed with the ES300h and it's not convenient.

bunka

This statement above seems "odd" to me as the Hybrid/Gas system in the NX is supposed to be the EXACT SAME Hybrid/Gas system in the ES300h and the ES300h DOES NOT experience that dreaded "lazy start" that affects the (underpowerd) Ford Hybrid. Are you CERTAIN you didn't mistakenly have it in eco mode or something? Otherwise, the NX would HAVE to weigh a LOT more than the ES300h to react in such a different manner, right? I haven't read this type of feedback from any of the other NX Hybrid reviews. If this is the case... it would remove it from our consideration.

Of course, it won't accelerate like the V6/electrics in the RX but the I4/Hybrid in the ES was pretty solid when we test drove that so we are hoping that the NX will be nearly identical to the ES300h's perfomance.

Augmented - I just reviewed the specs and the NX Hybrid is 10% heavier than the ES Hybrid so that could explain some of the weaker performance observations in this thread... unfortunately.

Mors

I have an RXh, which is 295hp combined so it's definitely more powerful than the NXh, but I wanted to chime in with what I notice in it:

In eco mode, the performance is lacking for sure, and that's fine because you specifically put it in eco mode for a reason. The acceleration from a stop does take time, but it's ok (and i mean JUST ok). I used eco mode for a couple of weeks, but finally stopped because it seems like I was aging faster than I should be. Just slow response from accelerator, poorer performance from A/C, all without an improvement in MPG (undetectable anyway)

In normal mode, it seems to be a good balance between eco mode and sport mode and that's where I drive mostly. Starts from a dead stop are good - no worries at all. My MPG is 25.5 (should be 29), but I expect worse MPG than the EPA stated. We have a Camry Hybrid that gets about 35 I think, but it should get 40.

In sport mode, you press the accelerator and it flies, well...as well as the huge beast that the RXh is. Very responsive. It's definitely nice that Lexus put this mode in.

If you haven't driven a hybrid before: yes the CVT whines on hard acceleration, but I don't think it's all that bad. Sure it may be louder than a normal 8-speed transmission, but I rarely think about how loud it can be at times. This noise shouldn't be a factor when deciding to buy a hybrid (in my opinion)

With all that said, I think the NXh in normal mode may still suffer in performance because of the extra weight along with low HP, and just might not be worth buying due to that. I'll definitely check it out when it finally arrives, but my excitement level has deteriorated. That is...until i test drive one.

sg021

I got to play around with an ES300h for a day as a loaner, and this was my impression. I did not get onto the highway that day.

Eco Mode - Borderline unusable. Response is so slow that to me it felt dangerous at times, but it'd be okay when cruising if there was a quick way to switch back and forth from Normal Mode.

Normal Mode - Acceptable acceleration from a stop. Honestly a little more pep than I expected. Dies off as you increase in speed, but I expected to feel that coming from my usual car which is a similar HP turbo.

Sport Mode - Response from dead stop felt marginally better at most from Normal, while the engine revved really high and loud for what it is. I didn't find this terribly appealing.

Extrapolating that to the NX, I'm not sure what to expect. I can't imagine it would be faster in any way. The supposed 0-60 times aren't pretty, even when compared to this ES.