Lexus NX and it's CVT?

[Easternlight]

I've been looking at the NX 300h and I like everything about it but having had a quick test drive in one, I just don't know about the odd gearbox.
It seems a very marmite experience.
I'm looking at used so can't really get an extended test drive.
Anyone care to share their views please.

[Sycamore]

I had the CT200h with the CVT and had no problems or complaints. It's a little odd at first but that's it.

They are hardly racing cars

[Martyn76]

Quite a few reviews: https://youtu.be/jbw1SaRojHs

[Truckosaurus]

Sycamore said:

I had the CT200h with the CVT and had no problems or complaints. It's a little odd at first but that's it.

They are hardly racing cars

Indeed. You just have to understand what the CVT (and also hybrid system) is trying to do and then change your driving style to make the most of it.

And to be honest a lot of newer cars with 'traditional' autos with 8/9/10 gears pretty much act like a CVT anyway unless you are using the manual mode to keep it in a certain gear.

[vikingaero]

I've had my Mums Honda Jazz for a while to zoom around in as she has cataracts. At first I hated the car for being slow off the line. Now it's the car of choice for lots of city driving. Why? Well the CVT is perfect for soft controlled stops and acceleration - even a conventional slushmatic feels jerky in comparison and the DSG is on another lever of crap compared to the CVT in city traffic. The speed limit in Japan is 62mph/100kmh and despite being petrol engine lulls along at a low 2,000 rpm and makes perfect sense in this CVT.

[kurokawa]

Easternlight said:

I've been looking at the NX 300h and I like everything about it but having had a quick test drive in one, I just don't know about the odd gearbox.
It seems a very marmite experience.
I'm looking at used so can't really get an extended test drive.
Anyone care to share their views please.

It seem it is quite marmite, some owner love it, and some really dislike it
had a is300h and sold it just under 3 months of ownership
poor mpg when you push the engine to work
i dislike the CVT, worse than traditional torque converter

[CABC]

I have one in a Rav4 (similar to NX). perfectly smooth and quiet for what it is, a barge. I have other cars to drive enthusiastically.
if you want to "press on" you won't like it. Also, given size of Rav/NX they're well insulated from engine bay noise.

[Snow and Rocks]

They take a while to get used to and a lot depends on your driving style. If you're the type of driver that mashes the pedal to the carpet before being the last of the late brakers on the approach to a roundabout then it'll spend all of it's time screaming away and you'll likely hate it.

Try to be smooth and feed in the throttle steadily and you can make surprisingly quick, silky smooth and economical progress. You're aiming to stay just below the point that the revs "flare" which soon becomes natural and effortless.

[BlueJ]

Snow and Rocks said:

They take a while to get used to and a lot depends on your driving style. If you're the type of driver that mashes the pedal to the carpet before being the last of the late brakers on the approach to a roundabout then it'll spend all of it's time screaming away and you'll likely hate it.

Try to be smooth and feed in the throttle steadily and you can make surprisingly quick, silky smooth and economical progress. You're aiming to stay just below the point that the revs "flare" which soon becomes natural and effortless.

This is a good summary, along with CABCs comment that if you like to press on you probably won't like it.

CVTs are at their best when accelerating gently and cruising. If you want to accelerate quickly, the engine sounds like it's over-revving, and revs will stay high until you ease off the accelerator when you reach / approach the desired speed.

I had a Lexus RX for 8 months and sold it because I couldn't live with the gearbox. It was fine when I was in a sedate mood, but when in the mood to make progress - hated it!

On the plus side they are the smoothest thing out there apart from an EV.

[biggbn]

I can't imagine ever wanting to make progress in a Lexus automatic, unless it's an 'f' car of some sort

[Easternlight]

Thanks for all the replies.
Just confirms what I thought. Perfectly fit for purpose 95% of the time but I just got the feeling it would grate on me.
Shame really as I found the car a very nice place to be.

[Snow and Rocks]

I wouldn't go as far as to say it's not suited to making progress just that it really doesn't reward aggressive driving. I was still happily overtaking most traffic on Northern Scottish A roads but just took a more flowing approach conserving lots of momentum than I would in a manual. Probably not that much different than I would in any other comparable automatic now I think about it.

The hybrid system really is impressively engineered and eliminates a lot of the common failure points of the ICE drive train. No clutch, no turbo, no timing belts, no starter motor etc means long term ownership is generally very simple and stressfree.

[Tinkermantony]

NX, RX and ES are being stolen via their headlight canbus. Not worth the hassle.

Agree with the CVT. My IS300h sounded like a wounded Chewbacca on full throttle.

[Elroy Blue]

I bought one new in 2019 because I liked the test drive around the town centre. However, I sold it after three months. ANY attempt to accelerate was just an incredible frustrating experience. I'm not talking about boy racer driving, it was joining duel carriageways, motorway slip roads and overtaking on NSL roads. The experience of the car trying to catch up with the revs was just an awful experience. I knew I would never enjoy driving it.
Changing to a BMW auto just amplified what an awful drive the Lexus was.
If the gearbox doesn't make you bang your head against the windscreen, then the sat nav and media interface with the awful track pad thing will. It's a car that I liked on the test drive and I convinced myself I could overlook it's foibles because of the reputation of the brand. I quickly realised I couldn't.

[MrSpanky49]

we have a UX. Don't have an issue, very smooth. easy to live with. just don't thrash it.