bunka

The Edge is a LOT larger than the NX and is more in-line with the RX or larger vehicles so an "Edge vs. NX" simply based on size is apples-to-oranges.

The wife sat in the MKC and stated "You are going to HATE these seats" and...she was RIGHT. I am a fairly "normal sized" guy at 5'10" and 205lbs. The seats are...well, for lack of better words, TINY. Only took those few seconds to eliminate it (for us).

CUV options are now down to the Q5 or NX
Sedan options are ES or A6. The wife actually said that the A4 would be plenty big enough as well

The NX F-sport was on a pedestal in the center of the Lexus floor area so that nobody could get to it so no sitting or touching ANYTHING on the inside...for most people. After we told the presenter that we were waiting on one to arrive at the dealership he let my wife sit in it... for about a minute. She LIKED it a lot. The seats are what you would expect from Lexus as was everything else so it may be back in the running...

pamiboy

We can argue all day about the merits and virtues of NX Vs Ford Edge and never reach a consensus. In the end it is what the customer wants. Each of these cars caters to a slightly different clientele as will be evident by their sales.
Lexus is a premium brand and please don't argue that brand perception (badge) has no part to play in people's decision to buy one. There will always be some compromises you make when you buy a luxury brand (Such as price/ space,etc )
You should always buy a car which fits YOU and it may be different than anyone else. There is no right or wrong decision while choosing between NX and Edge.
BTW Hyundai and Kia are also making great cars recently which rival many premium brands, but I won't be dead caught in one (due to previous experience).

bunka

Premium or TRUE luxury cars typical have a number of features that are simply not even available on the non-premium competitors. One of the most glaring examples is in the way the steering wheel works. You will notice that in many of the lower-end vehicles, the steering adjustments are either non-existant or are manual. Take VW/Audi or Honda/Acura as examples. In both cases the lower end varients are all manual and the higher-end are all automated and typically tied into the vehicle's memory seating positions.

Other examples are memory seats. In 2006, our top of the line Highlander Hybrid Limited could not even be ordered with ANY memory seats. We were told that in order to get the memory seats, we would have had to of bought the RX450h which was some $8K more expensive

One of our current requirements in our next car is one that has memory seats that are tied into the power-adjusted steering wheel and side mirrors so that everything is automatically properly adjusted based on whichever key is used to unlock the vehicle just like it does on my BMW X5d. As you crest the middle of life you don't want to be constantly having to adjust things when you get in the vehicle. you should simply be able to get in it and GO! My wife is 5-foot even & 110lbs and I am a 5'10" & 205lbs. I can't even SQUEEZE into her car and then adjust the seating, steering column, etc. I literally HAVE to adjust the seat BEFORE I can even sit down in the car and since there is no memory controls, I also have to continue to make additional changes once I DO sit in it. Needless to say, it's the same thing on her side. She gets tired of having to re-position EVERYTHING after I have driven it so it DOES get old if you do it enough and in our opinion, those are options worthy of the expense. I think the Ford may have memory seats but does it have the manual or power steering adjustments?

These little things are the types of things people often don't think about when they test drive. Something as basic as "auto-diming" rear-view mirrors can be a surprise when they aren't there. I can't recall the vehicle I rented but it was SUPER nice inside with leather & most of the other "luxury" items but I quickly realized that there was "something WRONG" with the side mirrors when driving at night as I was continually gettign blinded by cars following me. When I got home I looked up the car to discover that there was ZERO option to even have that feature in that particular vehicle so you have to be careful as the manufacturer's are figuring these things out and not all luxury vehicles are equal in features.

pamiboy

Very true. Great points to consider. It is very easy to criticize a luxury car for price and lack of features but when you downgrade to a regular car then you really feel the pinch of what you are missing.

corradoMR2

Agree. I downgraded from my first used RX to a new 08 Mazda Tribute and after just a few weeks of ownership I realized the mistake. It's easy to be swayed by a new car and test drive but quality issues only creep up during ownership. Needless to say, I sold it after 9 months thanks to the coarse engine, poor fuel economy, suspension jolts, rattles, and fit issues. I got into a Venza V6 (better), but I still missed the Lexus polish so I got rid of it after just over a year and got into second hand RXh. No turning back since.

ThermonMer

very good points.

value factor and everything else aside,

for those that have / have sat in the NX, is it large enough for a married couple with an infant and a small dog?

we are looking to move out of NYC to suburbia to start a family, in which case we need to get a car. We both work/commute, so only need one car. it would be used on the weekdays to drive 5 minutes to the station together (we keep the same hours), but on the weekends it would be packed with a infant (toddler by the end of a 3 yr lease), us, small dog in crate, and stuff for the baby.

is that doable given the size of the NX?

corradoMR2

Yes it is large enough having seen it and taken measurements in person (see here). As an owner of three RXs, I can tell you the NX is 90% the RX in interior room and about 75% its cargo capacity. Where you need to be careful is the cargo is a little short in height at 26.25 " but so as long as your pet crate, stroller, play pen, and so on is shorter, you're good since width and depth are nearly like the RX.

Also, here are a couple of shots showing how nicely a child seat fits in the rear.

sg021

Thanks a bunch for those pictures, I'm pretty sure that is our exact car seat. When mounted rear-facing it is monstrous. It fit in the smaller MKC so I wasn't too worried, but it's nice to have confirmation nonetheless.

ThermonMer

thanks guys. surprised kicking tires already did a test fitment in the NX.

I just walked passed a Rav4 on the street that had a rear facing child seat. it seems like reclining the seat all the way back is a must, or at least helpful. luckily, the 60/40 is in favor, as a passenger side rear facing seat allows you to only sacrifice trunk space by reclining 40% of the seat, not 60%.

anyway, looking forward to seeing it in person. i think it is doable, but a roomy small family car it is not. going to compare this to the Edge when that comes out in Jan/Feb.

cross shopping this. interested to see how two very different brands lease out under the same MSRP

$42k - NX F Sport AWD, comfort package, premium package - moonroof, memory and heated seats, rear camera, universal garage opener. no nav, no premium radio, no tri-LED headlights

VS

$42k Edge Titanium (limited) AWD with premium package - full leather, memory seats, heated/cooled front, heated rear, LED DRLs, interior ambient lighting package, myFord Touch system, voice activated nav, pano roof, blind spot monitoring, rear camera, auto hatch, rear cross-traffic sensor, remote start, perimeter alarm, Sony HD Audio system with subs, 19" wheels, and best of all, the EcoBoost engine with 30 mpg HWY. no HIDs unfortunately, as that is part of a $1,500 tech package with adaptive steering, front 180 degree camera with washer, adaptive cruise, and lane assist. anyway, HIDs could be added for $100 aftermarket. there are a few more tech options left out that could get it into the mid-high $40s.

I LOVE lexus, but this will be a tough one. a cramped hot *** compact SUV, vs a loaded tech crazy ford with very, very boring styling

ThermonMer

pamiboy

Moving into the suburbs, having an infant and having only one vehicle .......Man I don't know ... It's a real tough call. In your particular situation I would really look hard into a larger SUV. A compact SUV such as NX would be low on my priority list in this case (unless you both love this car sooooo much).
I guess you already know that in addition to car seat, an infant travels with a stroller, a bag of essential supplies such as food and diapers...etc in addition to whatever else you may need to carry or buy (esp larger items)..!!!!
Unlike NY city there would be very little public transportation in the suburbs.
My feeling is that your GF/wife will be more thankful if you get a larger vehicle. May be you should look into an RX or Edge after all. Just my two cents.

ThermonMer

yup, going with the edge for those reasons.

plus ill probably keep it garaged in NYC during the 6 months or so we are house shopping and waiting to close on a house. NYC parking near me is $3-400/mo plus 18% tax, add $100/mo for SUV (applicable for both NX and Edge) and add another $100-$150/mo for luxury brands (which is ferrari down to lexus). I hate the idea of NYC parking costs, and just adding insult to injury to park a Lexus SUV...its double the lease payment...F that.