Having been a loyal Lexus RX owner for three generations, my family recently transitioned to the Lexus NX. The allure of a more budget-friendly, compact, stylish, and fuel-efficient Lexus crossover proved too strong to resist. This detailed comparison will explore how our new NX 200t F-Sport measures up against our previous RX 350 F-Sport.
Grab your favorite beverage and settle in, as this is an in-depth exploration. For your convenience, it’s divided into key categories, allowing you to jump directly to the aspects that matter most to you.
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Size, Room, and Cargo: Is Bigger Always Better?
When it comes to dimensions, the Lexus RX clearly outmeasures the NX.
Exterior: The RX extends over 5 inches longer and boasts a couple of inches more in width and height, accompanied by a wheelbase that’s greater by 3+ inches. These seemingly minor inches translate to a noticeable difference in real-world practicality. The NX’s more compact footprint makes parking in tight garages considerably easier, offering improved front and rear clearance. This eliminates the anxiety of accidentally hitting something when opening the rear hatch in confined spaces.
Interior: Inside, the RX provides an inch more of combined front and rear legroom, and just under an inch of extra headroom. Seating width is also approximately 2 inches greater in the RX. This translates to the RX comfortably accommodating three child seats or three adults across the rear bench. While the NX can manage three in a pinch, it’s a tighter squeeze. The front seating area in the RX also feels more spacious, largely due to a less intrusive dashboard and center console design.
Cargo: In terms of cargo capacity, the RX offers 40 cubic feet with the seats up and a generous 80 cubic feet with them folded down. The NX, in comparison, provides 18 cubic feet and 54 cubic feet respectively. While official figures might suggest a larger disparity, real-world usability tells a slightly different story. Based on practical measurements and user discussions, the usable cargo space of the NX is closer to 28 cubic feet.
In practical terms, the NX can accommodate 4 standard grocery bins, while the RX can fit 5 with a bit of room to spare. However, the NX still offers sufficient space to load two large and two small grocery bags, effectively matching the square footage of the RX’s cargo area. One notable difference is the rear seat configuration. The RX features a versatile 40/20/40 split rear seat, while the NX is limited to a standard 60/40 split. Furthermore, the RX includes convenient handles in the trunk to easily fold down the rear seats – a feature absent in the NX (although power rear folding seats are available on certain NX models, controllable from the driver’s seat, passenger seat, and trunk). The RX’s rear seats also slide forward and backward several inches, offering added cargo flexibility at the expense of rear passenger legroom.
OVERALL (Size, Room, and Cargo): The RX emerges as the winner in this category, leveraging its midsize CUV dimensions to offer superior space and versatility.
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Powertrain Responsiveness and Power: Turbo vs. Naturally Aspirated
Let’s delve into how these Lexus crossovers perform in terms of power and responsiveness.
Standing Start Acceleration: At partial throttle, the RX demonstrates quicker responsiveness. This is attributed to its more responsive 8-speed transmission, the robust torque of its V6 engine, and a slightly firmer pedal feel. Throttle tip-in and overall response are noticeably quicker in the RX, even when comparing it to the NX in its Sport S or S+ driving modes. The NX, on the other hand, offers smoother transmission shifts from first to second to third gear compared to the RX. However, this smoothness comes at the cost of a slightly slower launch and less immediate shifts. When pushing both vehicles to full throttle, the RX achieves a fractionally quicker launch, but the NX rapidly builds power and actually surpasses the RX in 0-60 mph acceleration, clocking in approximately 0.7 seconds faster. At full throttle, the NX transmission shifts become less sluggish, although they still aren’t as rapid as the closer-ratio 8-speed transmission in the RX.
Passing Power: In Normal or Eco driving modes, the NX feels less responsive when needing to downshift for passing maneuvers. The somewhat soft pedal feel further accentuates this sluggishness. To elicit a proper kickdown and access sufficient passing power in the NX, greater throttle input is necessary, unless you’re already in Sport S or S+ mode. In these sportier modes, the NX’s responsiveness becomes comparable to the RX.
Manual Mode: Interestingly, both the RX and NX require the engine and transmission to reach their optimal operating temperatures before unlocking full manual control. In manual mode, the RX benefits from its additional gears, resulting in quicker shift times, albeit slightly less smooth than the NX’s manual shifts.
Special Note 1: True to Lexus’s marketing claims, the NX Turbo delivers power in a linear fashion, avoiding the sudden surge or lag often associated with older turbo engines or some competitors. In essence, more throttle input in the NX ultimately translates to a sensation of even greater power compared to the RX.
Special Note 2: When engaging Reverse, the RX demands a complete stop. Even the slightest forward motion can result in a jarring jolt. In contrast, the NX allows for a smoother transition into Reverse, even while still rolling forward slightly.
OVERALL (Powertrain Responsiveness and Power): The RX takes a slight lead in this category. Its readily available, usable, and more responsive power delivery with less throttle input gives it an edge in everyday driving scenarios. However, in a drag race or for drivers with a naturally heavy foot, the NX’s turbocharged engine will likely prove to be quicker overall.
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NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness): A Refined Cabin Experience
Let’s assess the noise, vibration, and harshness levels in both Lexus models.
Tire/Road Noise: Both the NX and RX exhibit similarly low levels of tire and road noise at highway speeds. Notably, the NX incorporates triple-seal doors, a feature that significantly contributes to reducing road noise and bringing it on par with the RX, which does not have this feature.
Engine Noise: While the engine sounds differ due to their configurations, the NX’s 4-cylinder Turbo engine is surprisingly a touch quieter than the RX’s V6, even under full throttle acceleration. The NX’s turbo engine emits a less throaty and more refined sound, characterized by a subtle “smooth sewing machine-like” whine in the background, adding to its sophisticated character. It’s worth noting that, unlike US F-Sport models, Canadian versions do not offer Active Sound Control.
Wind Noise: The RX edges out the NX slightly in terms of wind noise suppression. In the NX, a bit more wind buffeting noise is perceptible around the driver’s window and mirror area. This difference is likely due to the NX utilizing single-pane windows compared to the Lamisafe double-pane windows found in the RX, which offer superior sound insulation.
Engine Smoothness/Vibrations: The NX’s 4-cylinder Turbo engine is remarkably smooth and vibration-free across its entire powerband, arguably even smoother than the RX’s V6 in most conditions. However, under a very specific and somewhat unusual set of circumstances, the 4-cylinder engine in the NX can exhibit a noticeable vibration at idle. This occurs when the engine temperature is around 1/4 mark, the HVAC system is active, engine RPMs are between 750-800, the transmission is in Drive (D), and the brake pedal is fully depressed (such as when stopped at a red light). Removing any of these conditions, for instance, allowing the engine to reach a warmer temperature, resolves the idle vibration, and the engine idles smoothly.
OVERALL (NVH): This category results in a tie. Both vehicles offer a refined and quiet cabin experience, with subtle differences in engine and wind noise characteristics.
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Ride Quality: Comfort on Varying Road Surfaces
Let’s evaluate the ride comfort offered by the Lexus NX and RX.
Over Small Road Imperfections: Both the NX and RX deliver equally smooth rides when encountering minor road imperfections. This is partly attributable to both vehicles being equipped with front and rear lateral performance dampers, which effectively minimize vibrations and enhance ride composure.
Over Larger Imperfections and Speed Bumps: Surprisingly, the NX demonstrates a smoother ride than the RX when traversing larger road imperfections and speed bumps. The initial impact is absorbed more effectively, and rebound is better controlled, particularly in sub-freezing temperatures. In cold weather, the RX’s shocks and overall suspension feel noticeably harsher, while the NX exhibits less of this harshness, despite having a shorter wheelbase.
Highway Ride: On the highway, the NX maintains a ride quality that is just as smooth and comfortable as the RX.
Special Note 1: My NX is equipped with AVS (Adaptive Variable Suspension), a system engineered to further enhance bump absorption and motion control. It’s important to note that, at the time of writing, AVS is exclusively available in Canada on the F-Sport Series 2 package in North America.
Special Note 2: I opted to switch to larger, albeit lighter, 20″ rims and wider, lower profile 255/45/20 Yokohama Parada Spec X A/S tires on my NX. Remarkably, this change has had no discernible negative impact on ride comfort compared to the OEM 225/60/18 Michelin MXM4 tires.
OVERALL (Ride Quality): In a surprising turn, the NX wins this category. It provides a more polished, composed, and smoother ride, creating a sensation of effortlessly gliding over the road. The inclusion of AVS in my NX configuration may be a contributing factor to this superior ride quality.
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Handling: Nimbleness and Control
Let’s compare the handling characteristics of the Lexus NX and RX.
Maneuverability: Overall maneuverability is quite similar between the two models. In low-speed parking situations, the NX’s slightly poorer visibility (due to a taller beltline and smaller windows) and surprisingly larger turning circle (by approximately 1 foot) are counterbalanced by the RX’s greater overall size and bulk.
Cornering/Body Roll: The NX exhibits a similar level of minimal body roll during cornering as the RX, maintaining composure in turns.
Quick Transitions: When making rapid steering inputs for quick lane changes or evasive maneuvers, the NX feels more nimble and lighter on its feet. It “carves” through turns more readily, whereas the RX tends to “plow” slightly. The NX inspires greater confidence during high-speed emergency lane changes, thanks to a quicker steering ratio, a lower center of mass and ground clearance, and a weight advantage of approximately 400 lbs.
Traction and Stability: Both the NX and RX offer equivalent AWD traction in snowy conditions, thanks to their similar Active Torque Control AWD systems with on-demand 4-wheel lockup capability. However, the RX’s VDIM (Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management) system adds an extra layer of control. VDIM proactively integrates steering, braking, and throttle inputs to subtly assist in maintaining the driver’s intended line, based on steering, throttle, and braking inputs. In contrast, the NX relies on standard VSC (Vehicle Stability Control), TRAC (Traction Control), and ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) systems, which reactively intervene to maintain stability.
OVERALL (Handling): The NX takes a slight victory in the handling category. Its more nimble and surefooted control contributes to a more engaging and confident driving experience.
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Seating and Creature Comforts: A Matter of Priorities
Now, let’s examine the seating and comfort features of these Lexus crossovers.
- Seats: The RX boasts softer and wider perforated leather seats that are both heated and ventilated, prioritizing plush comfort. In contrast, the NX’s sport seats are designed to hold you more snugly, contributing to a sportier feel. However, the firmer bolsters (both bottom and back) and narrower seat dimensions in the NX can become less comfortable on longer drives. Imagine the difference between sinking into soft, room-temperature butter (RX seats) versus sitting on firmer, refrigerated butter (NX seats).
For those familiar with the Lexus IS and RC models, the NX seats share a similar shape and movement control mechanism. However, the injected foam in the bolsters of the NX seats is considerably firmer. Interestingly, the Nuluxe upholstery in the NX (similar to the IS) surprisingly feels softer and richer to the touch than the genuine leather in the RX.
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Rear Passenger Foot Room: The RX provides more foot room beneath the front seats for rear passengers. The difference is akin to accommodating bulky construction boots (RX) versus more streamlined running shoes (NX). While raising the NX seats can create clearance for larger footwear, it compromises front seat headroom. However, the NX’s rear seat is positioned higher, promoting a more upright seating posture with improved thigh support for adults.
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Driver’s Position: The NX’s driver’s seat is positioned slightly lower (approximately 1 inch) than the RX, yet still maintains an elevated SUV-like driving feel. However, the high bottom bolsters somewhat negate any potential ingress/egress advantages that the lower front seating might have offered.
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Cup Holders: The NX’s cup holders are ingeniously designed for water bottles, featuring spring-loaded prongs and a sticky bottom base that allow for convenient one-handed cap twisting and operation. The RX’s cup holders are elegantly covered in genuine wood but feature hard plastic holes, though they do include a removable center section for flexibility. The RX also offers a third cupholder conveniently located by the driver’s side air vent.
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Console Space: The NX’s center console is a bit smaller than the RX’s. However, when considering the NX’s “secret” sub-floor console compartment and the cubby space beneath the transmission, the RX still emerges with clearly superior overall console storage space.
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Glove Box: The NX’s felt-lined glove box is larger and deeper than the RX’s but its opening can potentially bump against the passenger’s knees. The RX’s glove box is made of soft-touch plastic with felt lining inside, but the inner door is hard plastic.
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Door Map Pockets: The RX’s fold-out door map pockets are superior in terms of accessibility, convenience, and offering more generous space for bottles, books, papers, and other items. The NX features rigid lower cubbies with less overall space.
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Lighting: The NX’s touch-sensitive LED ceiling lights are bright and more easily accessed compared to the traditional push-button lights in the RX.
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Sun Glass/Mirror Console Cubby: Both the NX and RX offer overhead compartments suitable for storing mid-sized sunglasses. The RX’s overhead sunglass holder is not available in US models due to the SOS button occupying that space.
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Heat-up Time: Seats and engine in the NX warm up slightly quicker than in the RX.
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Wiper Deicer: Both vehicles are equipped with effective wiper deicers, but their activation through the Remote Touch Interface (RTI) is somewhat cumbersome, requiring multiple clicks and menu navigation.
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A/C Button: The NX features a convenient dedicated physical A/C button on the HVAC controls, whereas accessing the A/C function in the RX requires navigating through three or four clicks within the RTI system.
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Screens: While the RX boasts a larger 8″ screen compared to the NX’s 7″ screen, the RX’s screen is positioned further away from the driver, effectively negating the benefit of the 1-inch size difference.
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Power Rear Hatch: The NX’s power rear hatch opens and closes slightly slower than the RX’s. A more significant drawback is that the NX’s hatch cannot be manually closed. Attempting to manually close it immediately engages the power mechanism. In contrast, the RX offers the flexibility to manually close the hatch quickly (useful in inclement weather) or use the power door button for automatic closure. The only manual override for the power hatch on the NX is a setting accessible through the steering wheel controls and the center 4.2″ display, requiring the key fob and the car to be electrically powered on. The RX provides a more convenient physical button located in the glovebox to disable the power hatch if desired. Both vehicles feature the same power control button on the lower dash for opening and closing the hatch and identical buttons on the exterior hatch for opening, closing, and locking the doors. The NX’s hatch offers height adjustability and can be stopped at any desired height, while the RX’s hatch only fully opens or fully closes. Inconveniently, both vehicles require the hatch to be fully closed before the door lock command can be engaged.
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Flooring: The NX’s floor carpeting and floor mats are of comparable high quality to those found in the RX.
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Headliner: The RX’s velour/felt-like headliner material exudes a more premium feel compared to the NX’s coarser “polyester-like” material.
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Wipers: The RX’s wipers and wiper arms are more substantial and provide a more planted, cleaner “arc-sweep” across the windshield compared to the NX’s simpler, less premium-looking, and less effective rotating wipers.
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Power Folding Mirrors: Power folding mirrors, a convenient feature for navigating tight spots and visually confirming door locking, are available on the RX but not on the NX.
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Headlights and Exterior Lighting: The NX’s full triple “L” LED headlights, daytime running lights (DRLs), and fog lights, combined with active Cornering Lights that illuminate in turns, provide a brighter and more comprehensive lighting experience compared to the RX’s HID/Halogen combination. Both the NX and RX offer effective exterior courtesy/proximity lighting. However, the NX’s lit door handles, concealed key lock, and lock dimple (on all four handles) offer greater convenience. The RX, however, includes door lights, a feature absent in the NX.
OVERALL (Seating and Creature Comforts): The RX is the clear winner in this category. It is the more comfortable and “easier to live with” vehicle overall, prioritizing passenger comfort and convenience in numerous aspects.
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Tech: Modern Features vs. Time-Tested Systems
Let’s examine the technology features offered in the Lexus NX and RX.
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Wireless Charger: The NX’s wireless charging pad is a convenient feature, quickly charging my Nokia 830 (with built-in Qi wireless charging).
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Remote Touch Interface (RTI): The NX’s Remote Touch Interface with the touchpad controller represents a slight improvement over the physical mouse-like controller found in the RX. However, I found the control to be truly enhanced only after disabling the haptic feedback emanating from the touchscreen with each cursor movement between selection items, which I found distracting.
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Sound System: The RX’s top-tier 7.1 15-speaker Mark Levinson surround sound system delivers a richer, clearer, and more powerful audio experience than the NX’s top-end 10-speaker Premium sound system. However, to my non-audiophile ears, the difference is not dramatically significant.
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Head-Up Display (HUD): The NX’s Head-Up Display (HUD) surpasses the RX’s HUD in several aspects. The NX features a larger color display capable of projecting a wider array of information, including engine RPM, Eco bar, road speed limit, Pre-Collision and Lane Departure alerts, in addition to standard information like speed, radio station, and GPS directions.
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Rear Backup Camera: The NX’s Rear Backup Camera is brighter and incorporates active grid lines that move with steering input, offering enhanced guidance compared to the RX’s simpler, plain camera display.
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Navigation: The NX’s navigation system offers a 3D map view, while the RX’s navigation is limited to a 2D view.
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Parking Brake: The NX features a modern auto electronic parking brake, while the RX utilizes a traditional manual foot-operated parking brake.
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Additional Tech Features: My NX configuration also includes several advanced tech features that were not available on my particular RX model: Heated Steering Wheel, Blind-Spot Monitoring with Rear-Cross-Traffic Alert, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control with Pre-Collision System, Parking Assist, and Lane Departure Alert.
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Center Cluster Display: The NX’s 4.2″ center cluster high-resolution color display significantly outshines the RX’s older, more pixelated display, offering more comprehensive and visually appealing information.
OVERALL (Tech): The NX emerges as the clear winner in the technology category. It incorporates a more modern and advanced suite of tech features, reflecting its newer design compared to the RX’s technology, which dates back to spring 2009 in its fundamental design.
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Fuel Economy: Efficiency and Cost Savings
Let’s compare the fuel economy of the Lexus NX and RX.
- Fuel Consumption: The NX demonstrates approximately 20% better combined city/highway fuel economy compared to the RX. However, it’s important to consider that this fuel efficiency advantage is partially offset by the NX’s requirement for Premium 91 octane fuel, whereas the RX can run on Regular 87 octane fuel.
OVERALL (Fuel Economy): The NX wins by a slight margin in fuel economy. Despite the need for premium fuel, the 5-10% price premium for premium gasoline still results in approximately 10-15% lower overall fuel costs compared to the RX, thanks to the NX’s superior fuel efficiency.
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Fit, Finish, and Build Quality: Modern Refinement
Finally, let’s assess the fit, finish, and overall build quality of the Lexus NX and RX.
Exterior: Both the RX and NX exhibit equally impressive body panel gap consistency, panel and trim alignment, and top-quality paint finishes, hallmarks of Lexus craftsmanship. However, the NX demonstrates slightly tighter door gaps, representing a subtle improvement over the RX in this aspect.
Interior: Hard plastics are present in the lower doors, dashboard, center console, and C and D pillar covers in both vehicles. However, the thickness and overall feel of the plastic materials are superior in the RX’s lower door panels compared to the NX’s, which feel slightly thinner and potentially less premium. The hard plastic surrounding the window switches and the switches themselves in the NX also appear to be of slightly lower quality than those in the RX. The RX’s glove box lid is covered in soft-touch plastic, while the NX’s utilizes harder plastic. The RX’s glove box handle also feels more substantial and premium compared to the NX’s push-style, more basic-looking latch.
However, the soft plastics used in the upper door panels and dashboard, the stitched Nuluxe dashboard and HUD pad, and the upper stitched door plastics in the NX are of higher quality than the soft plastic uppers in the RX. Furthermore, the fit and finish, particularly panel gaps, within the NX’s interior are visibly tighter and more refined than in the RX. This is noticeable in areas such as the center console around the transmission and HVAC controls, and around the driver and passenger side air vents.
Quality Feel: The HVAC and Radio button controls feel equally solid and high-quality in both vehicles. However, the new turn signal and wiper stalks in the NX operate with a buttery smooth action, contrasting with the RX’s more mechanical clicking feel. The high-quality cruise control stalk is virtually identical in both models. The steering wheel in the RX is slightly larger and thicker, featuring higher-quality looking and feeling steering wheel buttons and richer leather compared to the NX’s steering wheel. The console armrest sliding feature in the RX results in a slightly less solid feel compared to the NX’s fixed, pivot-only padded console lid, which feels more robust. Similarly, the RX’s sliding rear seat feels less structurally solid than the NX’s fixed rear seat. A final indicator of build quality is the sound and feel of the door slam. The NX’s front doors close with a noticeably more solid “thump” compared to the RX’s front doors, which exhibit a more “tinny” or vibrating sound and feel, partially attributed to the bottom valence cover and mirror rattling when the door is slammed. The rear door slam sound and feel in the NX are not quite as solid as the front doors but are comparatively better than the RX’s rear doors.
Squeaks and Rattles: While it may not be entirely fair to compare a brand-new NX to a significantly older RX, it’s worth noting that I recall the RX developing the infamous B-pillar ticking sound and rear seat rattle relatively early in its ownership. The NX, thus far, has remained remarkably solid and free of any squeaks or rattles.
OVERALL (Fit, Finish, and Build Quality): The NX wins this category, showcasing visibly better build quality and material choices, reflecting its more modern design and release compared to the RX, which is due for a redesign.
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Closing Statements: The Verdict – NX or RX?
Ultimately, the choice between the Lexus NX and RX hinges on your individual priorities and needs. While the NX excels in areas like ride quality, handling, technology, fuel economy, and build quality, the RX retains its优势 in spaciousness and overall passenger comfort.
Consider your styling preferences and budget, as these factors will also play a significant role in your decision. The NX offers a more contemporary and sporty aesthetic, often at a more accessible price point, while the RX presents a more traditional and luxurious presence.
Reliability is a crucial factor for many Lexus buyers. While the NX features a newer turbocharged engine, Lexus’s (and Toyota’s) long-standing reputation for reliability should alleviate any major concerns regarding long-term dependability.
Finally, pricing considerations are essential. Currently, a pre-owned RX of a similar year can often be found at a comparable price to a newer NX, creating a compelling value proposition for those prioritizing space and comfort above all else.
Which Lexus crossover is right for you? If you value a more compact, nimble, technologically advanced, and fuel-efficient vehicle with a modern edge, the NX is a compelling choice. If spaciousness, maximum passenger comfort, and a more traditional luxury SUV experience are paramount, the RX remains the benchmark.
Any further questions? Feel free to ask in the comments below! Thanks for reading this detailed comparison.
