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Test drove a 200T - some details others may be interested in
Hi everyone. Been learning a lot from these boards so I thought I would contribute a bit. Here are my thoughts from my first test drive yesterday.
Took out a 200T. Felt just a tad tighter than the RX in terms of space but comfortably so. Headroom with sunroof was fine for us. Back seat headroom was a bit weird with the sunroof cutout. Only way to describe it is slightly claustrophobic but not horribly so. Just takes a bit to get used to.
Rear storage space was much larger than I expected. Seemed like just a touch smaller than our RX. Let's put it this way, when I saw the Lincoln MKC I remember being shocked at how small the rear storage space was. I was nervous about the NX but was pleasantly surprised when I finally saw it.
The drive was really interesting. Much more spirited than the RX. I was nervous about the power in this car but was pleasantly surprised by the NX here as well. It's no barn burner but plenty of pickup for an SUV and although we didn't drive on the highway, it seemed like there was plenty of power at the higher end for passing (only had minimal chance to check this out but it was confidence inspiring).
Handling was much more nimble than our RX. RX feels very luxury, NX feels a mix of luxury and sport. Definitely not as quiet, engine has a growl, steering is much more responsive - still feels Lexus inside just a step down from the RX but a step up in driving dynamics.
One concern - and this has been on EVERY RX we've owned - is the thigh support on the driver's seat. It seemed very short to me. I thought I read that there was an adjustable thigh support on one of the models (Luxury maybe?) and would love to see if that's true in the U.S. I didn't find the NX uncomfortable due to this but will need a longer drive to tell. I have had major problems in all of our RX's due to this though and avoid long drives with the car.
So some details that I was curious about and may help others - and I'm sorry I forgot to take pictures!!
Interior colors: this was a biggie for me as so many pictures differ online. So the ivory/cream color is definitely a touch more 'yellow' than our 2012 RX. Also, the door inserts above the handrest, the front of the dash on both the driver's and passenger's side have the ivory leather/nuluxe. The non-sport seats have a line of black leather on the bolsters and then the BACK of the ivory seats are black - NOT ivory. The center armrest is black - nice touch since our current RX ivory armrest tends to show dirt. My wife wanted the ivory interior again until she saw the car in person. Probably going a different interior now. I think there was just too much of the light ivory on the dash and the black seat backs just looked a bit odd for us. YMMV
Flaxen interior - pretty nice. Dash and door inserts are black and match the rest of the trim. The back of the seats are flaxen not black like with the ivory. Not the wife's favorite color but probably her first choice in the NX. Just less stark looking and less opportunity for showing dirt like the ivory. I would definitely recommend checking out the colors in person and looking at the differences for yourself.
Sport mode definitely adds a bit of punch to acceleration but I did notice some torque steer. I can't believe I'm going to say this but I may have been driving a front wheel drive model and didn't even know it!! We literally popped by the dealership on a whim and the manager tossed me the keys for an NX sitting outside. My wife doesn't like all of the fanfare involved with buying a car and I was lucky to get her to stop in with me so I will have more to share when I do my typical overnight review with the exact specs we are looking for. Is there even a FWD version of this car? So embarrassed I don't even know. Either way - enough power to create torque steer when I punched it.
Looks like the Luxury packages are coming with the precollision system and BSM on the sticker as standard deliveries right now. That may change. I'm happy with that since I want both of those safety items and the Luxury package. Unfortunately, it looks like lane departure is a special order item only right now - at least in our geographic area. Not sure why that would be? The other two safety features are much more important to me though.
Regarding the question many have had about the stickers showing the electro chromatic mirrors with BSM - I think this is just a wording issue. I believe that item is just the BSM and they put the mirror listed first since they do need special side mirrors with the warning lights built in.
Non-nav versions get an odd wheel to work the info screen. We're getting nav but thought I would mention this.
Steering wheel felt nice and chunky - like a sport sedan, I really liked it!
The exterior is very nice. As many others have mentioned, the shark nose front looks much better in person. As do the fogs and the normal headlights on the 200T without the LED lights. Pics make one long for the LEDs but barely noticeable in person - at least to me. Not sure it matters as standard delivery Luxury package is also coming with the LEDs in our area for now but if someone is looking and not sure if they want to splurge for the LEDs - I don't think it's as mandatory IMHO.
Sport seats seemed very tight to both my wife and I. Side bolsters seemed a bit intrusive. For reference - she is tiny. . .I am not. So think opposite ends of the spectrum and we both felt it was a bit snug. Plus, I want the ventilated seats and that isn't an option in the sport.
We got to see all 3 'silver' colors right next to each other. Not too much variation but enough to give people choice. The red looks super and there is a new brown that looks similar to the Mica Truffle on our previous RX - very nice. Wife wants to go Eminent White with Flaxen interior on this one - at least at this point.
Rear legroom was very good although it's a little bland back there - again, comparing to the RX.
Definitely a noisier engine and ride than the RX but not in a bad way.
Entry and egress were very good. I remember noticing how much less I felt I had to step down to get out of the NX vs the RX. It's only an inch lower but feels much more like a car in every way vs. an SUV.
All in all, very impressed. Need more time in our spec'd car with the options we want but really liked the NX and to be honest, I was very nervous that both my wife and I would not like it anywhere near as much as we did.
Sorry for the long post. Hope some if this helped some folks out!
Your review is in line with a lot of automotive reviews out there which is a good thing. Glad to see that you see the cargo is a good size and that overall you liked it more than your expectations!
F-Sport seats are snug and if you feel the bolsters in a bad way now, you're better off with the non-Sport like you're interested in. I don't believe a thigh extender is available on the NX's seats...
Agree, the shark nose front end is nice in person. Pics don't do it justice.
Yes, FWD is standard so you likely drove that model if you felt a little torque steer.
Just waiting to get numbers. Our lease isn't up for a few months so we'll see if it makes sense to do something earlier. We were really impressed with the NX!
I'm probably just confused on the "engine noise" comment. Was it actual noise from the engine itself or was it generated/amplified noise?
This was a 200T so it didn't have the f-sport 'piped in' artificial engine noise.
The sound insulation in the NX isn't quite as tomb like as the RX (i.e. from what I read somewhere doesn't have the double insulated glass for the windshield). I think this is a good thing. You definitely hear the growl of the engine in the NX when you punch it. It's not disturbing, it's actually pretty nice sounding.
The sound insulation in the NX isn't quite as tomb like as the RX (i.e. from what I read somewhere doesn't have the double insulated glass for the windshield).
Yep, close. It's the side front glass that's doubled in the RX.
For those interested in the interior colors I mentioned, I found some pics online. Will try to post. I thought there would be more uniformity between colors in the same level (i.e. All sport colors or non-sport colors) but this is the best I could find. Notice the differences on the back of the seats (ivory is black, flaxen is flaxen), the dash and the door panel insert.
^^^ Yeah there are some differences and even within the Ivory color. Nuluxe Ivory (Creme) has black inserts and Ivory (Creme) on the back side while the Leather Ivory (Creme) has the black back.
Yeah - VERY confusing. I guess we'll need to see the exact model and color we want before purchasing. Seems like a lot of variation that doesn't seem necessary but what do I know.
I had seen this brochure page posted before but didn't know if it applied to the U.S. And it's hard to get a feel for these interior colors and matches without actually seeing the car - at least for me.
Just found out we're stuck with Ivory or gray interior since we want the Luxury package and the flaxen is only available in a nuluxe so no flaxen for the wife! not sure if that's a deal breaker but we really didn't care for the ivory that much.
Anyone with the Luxury package willing to take some pics of the ivory interior, especially the dash, door inserts, seats and seat backs of their car? I just can't figure out what the luxury ivory interior should look like. I'm thinking we may have been looking at the nu luxe version if the ivory??? Just cornfused so thanks in advance!
Just found out we're stuck with Ivory or gray interior since we want the Luxury package and the flaxen is only available in a nuluxe so no flaxen for the wife! not sure if that's a deal breaker but we really didn't care for the ivory that much.
Anyone with the Luxury package willing to take some pics of the ivory interior, especially the dash, door inserts, seats and seat backs of their car? I just can't figure out what the luxury ivory interior should look like. I'm thinking we may have been looking at the nu luxe version if the ivory??? Just cornfused so thanks in advance!
No gray interior is available. Black would be the color opposite the ivory. I think the luxury package has a nice perforated look to the real leather but not 100% sure though.
With the Luxury Package in Ivory the back of the seats are Black. I kinda have a problem with that look. When you get the NuLuxe interior in Ivory/Crème the backs of the seats are Crème. I thought I would just get to get the NuLuxe interior but you have to order the Luxury Package to get the Power Folding Seats which is a must have for me. Good luck with your purchase.
With the Luxury Package in Ivory the back of the seats are Black. I kinda have a problem with that look. When you get the NuLuxe interior in Ivory/Crème the backs of the seats are Crème. I thought I would just get to get the NuLuxe interior but you have to order the Luxury Package to get the Power Folding Seats which is a must have for me. Good luck with your purchase.
I'm with ya on the seat backs. I don't really care for the ivory look in the NX. I think my wife is leaning toward the black interior now. I meant to say black not gray in my earlier post. Sorry for the confusion!
12-28-14, 04:46 AM
Test drove a 200T - some details others may be interested in
but if someone is looking and not sure if they want to splurge for the LEDs - I don't think it's as mandatory IMHO.
