I tested drive NX 200t three times last week and here are my impression:

Exterior: very sharp and attractive
Interior: modern, yet a little bit overwhelming at first, the wheel is a little bit cheap, especially materials for the buttons.
Trunk: small, yet practical, if you have 0-1 kid and it might be enough

Driving expression: that is what kills me, the car is very nimble, responsive, acceleration and brake are good. However, the car feels heavy, with annoying engine howl, especially when accelerate. I do not know whether it is normal for "sporty" car, but the ride felt rough and bumpy for me, especially at local road.

The dealer told me NX was much more noisy than traditional Lexus cars, and because it is a "smaller" car, that limits how they can damp the noise. Really?

I will use this car for daily commuter and I am worried the rough ride and cabin noise will make me regret the purchase.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

In regards to sound, was the sound generator turned up, or turned down? You have the ability to control the amount of sound you get.

 

where is the switch to turn of the sound? I am not driving the F sport model so there should be any artificial sound, right?

 

Even though small, the NX is heavy, as are the other compact luxury CUV's, so I can understand the heavy feeling. Also the 2.0t 4 cylinder engine will be a little nosier than say a V6 or V8. If you like the car those are areas that you'd probably adjust to in a short time.

 

switch is on the lower dash, about 5:00 on the steering wheel. ASC- active sound control.

 

Unfortunately NX sold in the US does not come with the sound control feature or adjustable dampers even in F Sport trim as far as I know...

 

What bothers me most is the heavy feeling, especially when starting from traffic light. I heard sporty car is kind of like that

 

The car feels lazy when not in sport mode because you don't really start getting boost until you're in the 2000RPM range. If you turn to sport, you'll notice the car be more responsive.

When test driving I kept switching the mode to see when the car would fall on its face and see where the boost range was.

And I have on idea what sports car you've been driving that drives heavy....

 

No NX comes with adjustable dampers. They are just sport dampers. When you go into sport mode, it only adjust throttle response and fuel mapping.

As for the sound, I thought all Fsports got them. Regardless of region.

 

I thought it was the opposite....
I know for a fact that (ASC) is NOT available in Canada and (ASC) IS available for the U.S.
Now for what trim?...I'll let the U.S. peeps answer that.

 

turbo lag is what you are feeling. Torque wont kick in until it builds some revs

 

I drive the 200t in Sport mode and my wife drives in Eco (she is always trying to save gas an improve fuel economy, I blow her MPG every time I drive,LOL) I do notice a difference when I forget to switch it to Sport. It feels like there is a little more lag and not as responsive. I do enjoy driving in Sport mode. Has some awesome pick up when merging on the freeway. To me, the NX could be quieter, but we upgraded from a Honda CRV, and the NX is much quieter then the Honda was. I am also hoping that when it comes time to replace the tires (now has Yokohama), I will buy Michelins and it will be quieter. I don't regret for a minute buying the NX though!

 

ASC (Active Sound Control) is only on the F Sport (standard). It is a feature of US NX F Sports but not available in Canada. In contrast, AVS (Adapative Variable Suspension) is only available (standard) in Canada on F Sport Series 2 models which helps smooth out the bumps.

To the OP: The salesman misinformed you stating that it's noisier because it's a smaller car. In my experience, the NX is as quiet as the RX in most instances except for wind noise at medium to higher speeds heard from the side window. This is because the NX does not have Lamisafe (double-pane) sound-reducing windows like the RX has. My IS (which is decent) is notably noisier than the NX.

In fact, C&D found it very quiet:
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...wd-test-review

http://www.caranddriver.com/lexus/nx

Which car have you owned to understand what levels of noise you are used to? Do you have an ES or LS?

 

If these are your perceptions, I think the decision is easily made.

 

Thanks for the clarification