ABC

i agree 100%. I had an NX loaner recently for 24 hours and although it was nice, IMO, there are better options for one's money.

Fizzboy7

A couple of nitpicks...
- He claims they rushed a refresh because of all the competition. However, nearly all vehicles get a normal refresh three years into the run. Nothing abnormal with what Lexus did.
- Dumping 2WD for the hybrid is backward. Most people buy a hybrid for fuel economy. The AWD adds weight and penalizes efficiency. AWD + hybrid also combines a double price increase.

oldcajun

The Lexus hybrid AWD is just adding an electric drive motor to the rear wheels. Minimum additional cost and no reduction in efficiency. The RX450h has been AWD only for a couple of years.

Jmask5

rogerh00

As usual Alex is right on for the most part. I just turned in my NX after 3 yrs being a first adopter in Jan 2015. I was excited when it came out as it was the perfect size for my wife and I as empty nesters.

It is the most reliable vehicle you can own, which I think is the reason it is the best selling compact crossover. I would have probably leased another but Lexus was unable to provide me with a hybrid model at the time of turn in so i have moved on to another brand. Lexus has no other model I'm interested in.

It does have some turnoffs for me however. The infotainment system is awful, especially the Navigation coupled with the unbearable touchpad. The requirement of Premium fuel after having a reg fuel RX! Also, I was tired of having to drive to my dealer that is in the worst possible location with heavy traffic in Tampa.

spwolf

as supposed to what? Whats bottom half of the door in competition, leather? Its not.

When you compare the price when equipped, NX is very good value overall. What Alex gets wrong here is complete disregard for shopping reality which is based on price. He does mention it often but he keeps mentioning XC60 T8 Hybrid, which is loaded $20k more expensive than NX.

For $48k for loaded 2018 NX, be it turbo or hybrid, you cant get loaded GLC or X3... not even X1, which is not even a luxury vehicle of any kind. Loaded X3 is $12k more.

There is a good reason NX sells so well everywhere, worldwide, it is a good combination of features, luxury for reasonable price.

Also, what exactly is its hybrid competition? I dont think it currently even has luxury competition with similar hybrid system, not plugin hybrid that is $10k more expensive and basically that nobody buys. Hows 28.5 mpg "average" mpg for luxury suv competition? Actual petrol competition gets like 21-22mpg at best in comparo tests (like 2016 from MT). He is likely again comparing it to plugin hybrids like XC60 which is 15k-20k more expensive.

So sure, for $60k I would rather much get very nicely equipped RX450h... but $40k NX is very nice value. And obviously people are buying it in droves.

mmarshall

Welcome to CL as a new poster. I see you started off your membership here wth some strong opinions....but, hey, that is what Car Chat is for.

Alex, IMO, is one of the best, if not THE best auto-reviewer in the business, but that doesn't necessarily make him the world's best salesperson or marketer.

heidihidin

i only drove this vehicle for 2 days as a service loaner but I did not enjoy it at all
front pillar visibility is terrible
noise level is pretty high
a lot more like a RAV4 than an RX

X1 is nicer if for lease/short term ownership
even the buick encore is ... never mind

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

Same here, test drove the NX when I was shopping for small/midsize suv and came away unimpressed. I understand it's an entry level vehicle, but I still expect it to be a Lexus rather than a nicer RAV4. I got one as a loaner recently and my opinion of the NX hasn't changed.

mmarshall

Agreed. I wasn't impressed with it when I did a review, either. For one thing, Lexus seemed to have skimped on sound insulation. It also doesn't have anywhere near the ride comfort the RX does.

JDR76

I seem to be in the minority on this thread, but I had an NX loaner for a week and thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked the size, comfort, room, interior, and the engine. I would seriously consider buying one.

I think it is easily the best looking small SUV/CUV on the market right now, especially in F Sport trim. Very reasonably priced, too.

jwong77

For 48k, I would spend an additional extra 2k for the RX with premium package. We test drove both cars back to back, and they are worlds apart. I understand you are partial to Toyota products, but the NX does not have a luxurious interior. Yes, you said at the end you would spend 60k on an RX, but you don't have to in order to get a much better vehicle than the NX.

arentz07

+1. I acknowledge the RX is more comfortable and quieter - having driven both. However, I think it's just too big for my tastes. If I was going to own one, I'd probably get the NX. I'm already paranoid parking my IS in the city, so I don't think I'd be happy driving the RX around. Besides, I do prefer the tuning of the NX - it's just a little bit more fun than the RX even if it's not exactly a corner-carver.

SW17LS

I too have had the NX as a loaner and was overall unimpressed with it.

Quite frankly, I don't "get" these little CUVs. The NX, UX, Q3, GLC, GLA, X1...they're small, crappy inside, dumb looking a lot of them, don't offer any utility to speak of because they're so small...I just don't get it.

Jmask5