15RC350F

You're right...my apologies.

athiker

OP, the RAV4 is nice. I almost bought one, but driving the 2 back-to-back...and a Toyota salesman that did not know how to close a deal...swung me happily to the NX. Its my daily driver and I am very happy with my choice 1,300 miles in.

Yes, you may find yourself switching back and forth between driving modes, but I actually enjoy that. It kind of, in a very small way, takes the place of a manual gearbox. At least there is some control over how the car drives and I almost never use the full manual mode in the NX.

I stay in Normal most of the time, but flip it to Sport in tight traffic, pulling into traffic, or just when I want a little more throttle response and firmer steering. In the RAV4 to access Eco or Sport you have to push a button low on the dash. In the NX it is much more accessible. You twist a fairly large **** near the gear shift for Sport and tap in the **** to revert to Normal. It is very easy to do w/o looking.

You could stay in Normal 100% of the time and be fine IMHO, I am sure my wife has never taken it out of Normal and she loves the car, it just takes a little more definite action on the gas pedal to get the fuel where it needs to be. You can see my RAV4 vs NX comparison in the link below if interested. Actually, interestingly in rereading it I note my wife and I commented that actually with the RAV4 we would likely keep it in Sport mode 24/7. This was after test driving the NX mostly in Normal mode.

Bottom line, two good vehicles.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/nx-...ml#post8916387

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Which RAV4 do you currently own?

If you have a 4 or 6 cylinder NA, you're probably use to the linear power delivery vs the turbo which admittedly has some lag at take off, though this is inherent of most turbo applications.

LexBob2

+1 These small turbos take some getting used to. Once off idle and moving things are fine. Even with all of the new technology (twin scroll etc.) there is some lag now and then.

sg021

To the OP, this was also one of the main reasons I did not purchase. I come from a 4 cylinder turbo, and was hoping for a bit of a step up in performance over my 2006 VW. At highway speeds in sport it's not bad, but off the line it feels intentionally limited to me. The X3 and MKC (and my vw) give a decent jump once the revs pick up, but the NX feels like it's trying to smooth out the acceleration or something IMO.

1811Lexus

I haven't tried "flooring" it from the stop, but I did "floored" it last night from rolling at about 20mph up to 70mph (had to slow down as the road was coming to an end) and have to tell you that I was surprised how well it was pulling. I was at 70 and NX was still going hard and pulling hard. Now I'd be curious to know when the pull exhausts itself, but for everyday driving, the NX being a CUV type of a vehicle, there is more than plenty power it produces to keep a smile on my face.

LexBob2

That 20-70 or so range is definitely the sweet spot with these small turbos. Very nice for merging, passing or just having some fun. My Q5 starts running out of steam in the 70-80 range. Nothing dramatic, but noticeable. The BMW pulls longer but it's also 400-500 pounds lighter and more aerodynamic.

sg021

Agreed. I notice a distinct difference between my turbo and my wife's IS250 on the highway. The v6 is seriously dying off, but there's still some decent overtaking acceleration left in my turbo.

Swacer

The IS250 is very slow for a v6. The 2.5L is the size of a normal 4 cylinder. Lexus went to a V6 design for the IS250 because by having a smaller displacement per cylinder they were able to push 200ish hp out of 2.5L back in a time when most motors were getting 150hp. Toyota hasn't redesigned this engine in quite some time. However, by doing that, it becomes a dying dog in regards to acceleration. Mainly...it has none. It still greatly confuses me why Toyota continues to use that small displacement V6. You can take a long nap before the IS250 finds 60mph....

THAT is why you're starting to see boosted applications. Now, you can go back down to 4 cylinders, force some air in, and now you have the hp numbers from the v6, and the acceleration of the 4 cylinder at that displacement. You create the best of both worlds.

If you want to compare to a V6, compare to the IS350.

sg021

It was actually a pretty interesting comparison for me because the specs on my 2.0T are very similar to that small v6. They drive very differently, I'd take the turbo any day as it's more fun and I get better mileage. The IS350 would blow out my current ride, there wouldn't be much to compare.

1811Lexus

Yes, you're bringing up a good point here... Today I did a pass going from 70 to 80 (not flooring, just giving it enough in a Regular mode) and NX again performed flawlessly and with ease. Yet, my mpg is at 20.4 and I drive it around having some 'fun' with acceleration.

Turbo power delivery is definitely differs from a V6, but boy it is fun and punchy, yet economical.

corradoMR2

Owning both IS and NX, I prefer the IS' 2.5L V6 over the NX's 2L Turbo for most day-to-day city driving.

The V6 is instantaneously responsive (especially at launch) whereas you need to anticipate an extra second with the Turbo making quick split-second passing or left turns at traffic lights easier with the IS. But in a drag race or at Hwy speeds, the NX leaves the IS in the dust.

My0gr81

Agreed. I've had various 4 cyl engine cars over the years and found all lacking at the top end. Interesting that mostly all were under 2 litres, except for the 22R in my Celica that was 2.4l.

The 2.5l inline 6 in the e46 was one of the better one for small displacement and linear power distribution. Too bad it was plagued with various sensor issues, a bad water pump design and a reverse gear problem in the ZF transmission.

The 2.5l in the later model 2IS and 3IS are good for what they are, daily drivers that can take the occasional abuse of a spirited drive. They are not track worthy. I've had both, the current in a 2 weeks old 3IS 250 AWD f-sport and a current NX F-Sport. They both re different in their own way, but neither is lacking if pushed properly within reason.

Got to love the back seat, wannabes race drivers that comparing the IS250 and the NX to track car performance or "Fast and Furious" type driving.

spwolf

actually you do not :-)

You may preffer it in 400-500lbs lighter IS, but in NX, it would be undrivable vehicle. NX is about the same weight as GS250 I tested, and that car is dog slow, nothing happens under 4000 rpm at all.

For me, I dont find 10s 0-60 vehicles really slow, since thats "fast" for Europe, but GS250 gave impression of being very slow and non responsive due to the weight.

So I cant imagine NX with 2.5l V6 to actually be good, while heavier than 2.0t version, but I can imagine that IS with 2.0t will be much faster car than NX, in every way :-)

My0gr81

How much of that slow feel is due to Toyota's tuning, gearing and fuel/air mapping decisions rather than what the engine is capable off. I think that little 2.5l V6 is capable, but Toyota chooses to hobble it, either to optimize fuel consumption or to prevent cannibalizing sales from the next step up models.

While those who say that the IS250 is a dog, they are right, but let's not loose the sights that the IS250 is what it is for its intended use. A daily driver, not a highway monster or a track car. The IS350 is more suited for those purposes.