Joanf927

I have had 2 RX 350s since 2007 and I am looking at the NX 200 but I was disappointed to see that it does not have leather seats. I have never had a problem with sweating or sticking with the leather seats, and I am concerned about going to Nuluxe. Has anyone had an issue with this in the heat?

15RC350F

You may know this, but only the F-Sport does not have optional leather seats and, thus, also does not have ventilated seats as an option.

Joanf927

Are you saying that there is an option to have leather seats in the NX 200?

15RC350F

Yes. In the non-F-Sport version it's available in Creme or Black as part of the Luxury Package when also combined with the Navigation Package, so about $6400 in added packages.

One addition: building the NX just now it looks like the configurator allows the addition of the Premium Package (incl. ventilated seats) to a NuLuxe NX. Not sure that this is true in the U.S.

Joanf927

I am not very car savvy and as a senior citizen, I don't need the navigation package, but I have it in my RX 350 because I wanted the blind spot indicator. I will have to look into it when I go to the dealer. I just want to be as prepared as possible.

jim256

On your original question, I have NuLuxe in eastern NC, pretty hot and humid, and had NuLuxe on a '13 ES 300h for 3 summers, having had leather in an RX and an IS as well as other makes. I did not note any negatives with the NuLuxe compared to leather. I had a Mini Cooper with their "leatherette" and it was awful in summer. NuLuxe was so good, both for feel and for upkeep, and the way it looked after 3 years, that I wanted it on the NX versus leather.

TechNut

I have NuLuxe with my NX and it has the premium package, so yes - it is available in the US. As I understand, the f-sport is available only with NuLuxe, but I don't think that excludes ventilated seats as an option.

As to the original question, we have NuLuxe on both the NX and the ES. I don't really sense any difference from leather in terms of comfort, but then we also have extremely low humidity here so we may not be a fair comparison. I will say that there is actually a fan to push air in the seat with the NX so it feels like it will provide better cooling than our 2013 RX (which coincidentally had leather).

My impression of the ventilated seats is that they make your backside stick to the seats slightly less, but in the end they don't help much. Just personal opinion based on low humidity climate, although we do have high temps (110 F by June last summer).

corradoMR2

Joanf927 welcome to the forum and hopefully we can help you make an informed decision.

+1 on the comments with regards to Nuluxe. On the comfort side, of course, if you go from a tan leather interior to a black Nuluxe interior it will be hotter. But comparing like for like (color), Nuluxe is the same in comfort, look, and feel. In fact, when people enter the NX or IS, they comment on "how nice the leather seats" are. I stay quiet and soak it in

Only real difference is you won't get the nice leather smell but on the flipside, Nuluxe will wear much better (minimal creasing, dirt, surface wear) and is easier to maintain (no need for leather cleaners, conditions, etc just water or mild cleaner and a microfiber cloth). I'm speaking from experience with the CT, IS, and NX, all of which have Nuluxe.

Your deciding factor in my opinion would be whether you like the F Sport look/model (Nuluxe-only) vs the non-F Sport model (Nuluxe or optional leather).

Happy shopping and come back here for any other opinions!

Mr645

No issues with the NuLux for me in South Florida. Many luxury brands are going away from leather

SteveDeech

Still most people buying a luxury car will opt for leather. It coincides with luxury. If there is no other choice, they will opt for what's available as in the Fsport.

TechNut

True, It certainly coincides with people's perception of luxury.

Many people in the RX forum complained about cracks developing in their leather, along the original stretch marks of the animal hide. I had those same cracks on Toyota leather seats in the past. It is my hope the NuLuxe will have all the benefits of leather without the wear marks that can develop with leather. Time will tell... There was a time I would have preferred leather, but at this point I am not so sure.

Mr645

Our Mercedes is loaded, but still has "MB-tex" seating with alcantara inserts and after 3 years still looks virtually new. In the past, true leather seats I have had from VW & Volvo looks all wrinkled up after 3-4 years.

SteveDeech

There are so many factors that go into the durability of leather interior. I just sold my 2005 RX 330 last year and after nine years my leather never cracked and looked really good. I took care of it but frankly only once did I use an aftermarket cleaner and conditioner. A few other times I just used soup and water to remove some dirt.

Some people are harder on there cars than others and therefore the end result is not so good. Another factor is the weight of the occupants and how they get in and out of there cars. So it really is hard to tell how well leather wears.

I thought the nu-lux interior was nice but clearly you can tell it is not leather even other than the smell. The test of time will decide how durable it really is and if it in fact is more durable than leather.

Just my 2 cents on this thread. I'm sure others may think differently and that's okay.

Koetsu

NuLuxe is OK, IMHO, but it doesn't look, feel, or have the aroma of real leather. I also believe that the ventilated leather seating surfaces that come as part of the Luxury package with both heating and cooling are a real plus with temperature extremes. A real plus for folks in Florida, I would think. After 10 months, the creme leather in my NX200t Lux looks just like Day 1.

Suggest that folks approach this question with some care and not let perceived aesthetics of the front grill lead one into less desirable choices of interior features.

TechNut

You have a point about the aroma, and SteeveDeech has a point on the care making a difference as well as occupant weight and how they exit the car. All fair points, but despite the care, leather is still animal hide with all of nature's imperfections. They can remove those imperfections with synthetic materials, but questions about longevity undoubtedly remain.

Our NuLuxe seats are ventilated as well so that option isn't unique to leather or luxury packages, but I agree they help in temperature extremes.