CX-5 or nx200t?

I

ilreceiver

Member
:
CX5
Hi all,

Going to purchase my very first car this month. Been lurking on this forum for a month now and mostly decided on getting the CX-5 GT with Tech. However, having some last minute second thoughts about getting the Lexus nx200t instead. Right now I would not be using the car for daily commute - just groceries and weekend trips. The reason I'm hesitating is that I intend to keep the car for a long time (10 years?), and I will be using it more in the years to come.

I understand that nx200t is a luxury car, so it will be quieter, more reliable, etc. The other big draw for me is a more powerful engine (2.0T) with better acceleration. And it is only about 10k more.

I wonder if you guys have considered luxury versus affordable compact SUV? What drives your decision?

Also, am I right that I should expect the CX-5 to have lower insurance cost, but higher maintenance cost and depreciation?

Thank you very much in advance.
 
I do believe the CX5 will have lower maintenance cost and lower depreciation. I also the think the reliability will be approximately the same. You need to do some more homework before tossing out so many "I thinks"
 
CX-5 would be cheaper to maintain, if the GT is 10K less = aprox $200 per month less payments than a base nx200t, and the CX-5 has strong resale value as per KBB. The Lexus should be the better car though considering its price point. Its essentially within the 4-Runner's price range which I would prefer.
 
I don't know which categories of the two cars you were comparing, but the Mazda CX -5 was going to cost me $15,000 less than the Lexus NX. The salesman told me that I would have to shell out $48,000 in order to get what I wanted. What appears to be a big issue with Lexus is that you don't have any room to move your legs because the Consul comes up so high. Also, the backseat had some issues with head room. If you're going to keep a car for a long period of time, you better feel comfortable in it because there's no going back. The dealbreaker for me was lack of legroom and I just felt claustrophobic in the Lexus.
 
Mooman said:
I don't know which categories of the two cars you were comparing, but the Mazda CX -5 was going to cost me $15,000 less than the Lexus NX. The salesman told me that I would have to shell out $48,000 in order to get what I wanted. What appears to be a big issue with Lexus is that you don't have any room to move your legs because the Consul comes up so high. Also, the backseat had some issues with head room. If you're going to keep a car for a long period of time, you better feel comfortable in it because there's no going back. The dealbreaker for me was lack of legroom and I just felt claustrophobic in the Lexus.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the reply. I'm in Boston, and a CX-5 GT with Tech here is around 32k after tax, whereas the nx200t with Premium and Nav is about 42k after tax. I don't really have an issue about the interior space - I'm not a big person!

I did absolutely fell in love with CX-5 during the test drive, but since I've never owned a car before, I'm just being extra-cautious. Thanks again for your information.
 
CX-5um said:
CX-5 would be cheaper to maintain, if the GT is 10K less = aprox $200 per month less payments than a base nx200t, and the CX-5 has strong resale value as per KBB. The Lexus should be the better car though considering its price point. Its essentially within the 4-Runner's price range which I would prefer.
Click to expand...

Good point on the resale value! I do hope to get a small CUV, so 4-Runner is not an option :)
 
erhayes said:
I do believe the CX5 will have lower maintenance cost and lower depreciation. I also the think the reliability will be approximately the same. You need to do some more homework before tossing out so many "I thinks"
Click to expand...

"homework" is precisely what I'm doing by asking here :) Anyway, thanks for your reply!
 
A word of caution with any premium brand of vehicles (BMW, MB, Audi, Lexus....etc) they cost much more to maintain and repair. They are great cars and drive very nice but maintenance costs are typically much higher on those luxury cars. For one, the NX your considering is Turbo charged, so there is extra costs in just fueling the thing. I would assume that it requires premium. Shop charges are going to be higher for luxury brands then Mazda or the other non luxury brands. I would wager that the CX-5 will hold it's value longer then a luxury brand as well. My wife drives an Audi A4 and we rarely get out of the service garage for under $200-$300. My previous Mazda Protege5 rarely went above $200 for a trip to the mechanic. I do most of the work myself and can tell you the Mazda Protege5 was much easier to work on then the A4 ever is. I had to replace the thermostat in both cars not to long ago, the A4 was about $150 for the part and a pain to change out, I had to take the intake manifold off to get to it. The P5 was about a $20 part and required to bolts to be removed, and a bit of coolant added back in. Same function between the two parts but vastly different install times and prices. I can't speak to maintenance costs yet on the CX-5 since mine is only about 2000mi old but I suspect it will be much cheaper then any turbo'ed german or luxury car. Sometimes simpler is better. I drove the NX and found it to be a nice ride but felt small inside, not uncomfortable but just like it wrapped you up more and didn't have a lot of space.
 
Drove a Mercedes GLA 250 for a while. Luxury cars come with luxury maintenance and repair costs :)

The Lexus is nice....but $10 grand nicer....not IMHO.

Drive both...if money is not an issue then go with what moves you.

Do you need to get to the grocery store faster and the point of weekend trips is to relax and enjoy the ride.

Now commuting....you have a serious destination to get to...so I'd think you'd want to get there faster :)
 
i don't think you can go wrong with either car. whether the brand cache, extra hp, and extra "luxury" is worth the $10k to you is really your own sense of value. to me, it is not. i traded in a Lexus to get my CX-5 and the novelty of having a lexus wore off pretty quick. you may actually notice the CX-5 driving manners are better than the NX but only a test drive will decide that for you based on your preferences.
 
ilreceiver said:
Hi all,

I understand that nx200t is a luxury car, so it will be quieter, more reliable, etc.
Click to expand...

Your reasoning is solid, except for this point. Luxury cars are not necessarily more reliable - if anything, the opposite is true. And the maintenance is MUCH more. If it's a car you plan on keeping for a long time, then I would stay away from the Lexus or any other luxury brand. Those luxury brands are for super affluent people (which maybe you are?), or should be leased so one never pays maintenance on it (but that opens up a whole other can of worms on leasing vs buying).

Personally, I don't think the looks of that nx200t are going to age well, and I could see it hurting resale value. It's a nicer car, I'm sure, but IMO I think the loaded CX-5 is the much smarter way to go.
 
Hey socalcx....

You are spot on IMO.

I personally think the front bumper and that grill especially are hideous.
 
4d4bb7f4453078734ee0b36c7f527ef5.jpg
 
ilreceiver said:
The reason I'm hesitating is that I intend to keep the car for a long time (10 years?), and I will be using it more in the years to come.

I understand that nx200t is a luxury car, so it will be quieter, more reliable, etc. The other big draw for me is a more powerful engine (2.0T) with better acceleration. And it is only about 10k more.
Click to expand...
If you intend to keep the car for a long time, don't get turbo. Although turbo technology has been improved for recent years, but you still can see problems and class-action lawsuits on turbo engines. No matter how good the quality is from Lexus, the expensive turbo charger spinning with very high rpm and temperature eventually will wear out a lot faster than engine itself and need replacement. This is something not for longevity.

You'll pay at least $10K more for NX 200t. 235 hp 2.0L turbo does have more punch but will have some turbo lag. More horsepower means consuming more fuel on turbo engines, hence worse EPA MPG at 22 city/28 highway (FWD and AWD) than CX-5's (26/33 FWD and 24/30 AWD). NX 200t has more power and smaller cargo room, its 0-60 is 7.2 sec. on FWD and 7.0 sec. on AWD whereas 184 hp 2.5L SkyActiv AWD CX-5 is bigger and rated at 7.7 sec. by Car and Driver. Mazda should learn AWD technology from Lexus who makes AWD accelerating faster than FWD in the mean time keeping the same fuel efficiency!

Personally I really hate "X" front fascia on all current Lexus models and Mazda's "Kodo" design language looks a lot better!
 
socalcx-5 said:
Your reasoning is solid, except for this point. Luxury cars are not necessarily more reliable - if anything, the opposite is true. And the maintenance is MUCH more. If it's a car you plan on keeping for a long time, then I would stay away from the Lexus or any other luxury brand. Those luxury brands are for super affluent people (which maybe you are?), or should be leased so one never pays maintenance on it (but that opens up a whole other can of worms on leasing vs buying).

Personally, I don't think the looks of that nx200t are going to age well, and I could see it hurting resale value. It's a nicer car, I'm sure, but IMO I think the loaded CX-5 is the much smarter way to go.
Click to expand...

although i would agree with you (esp. with german imports and possibly infiniti, where the reliability track record is suspect), Lexus has maintained the highest reliability rating amongst car brands even according to consumer reports. yes, IF something goes bad, luxury cars are more expensive, but the probability of something going bad is less likely with a Lexus than with a Mazda. the numbers don't lie.

having said that, i am not sure i could justify +$10k for that extra reliability. Mazdas still are quite reliable (one of the top 5 brands).
 
jcpharm said:
socalcx-5 said:
Your reasoning is solid, except for this point. Luxury cars are not necessarily more reliable - if anything, the opposite is true. And the maintenance is MUCH more. If it's a car you plan on keeping for a long time, then I would stay away from the Lexus or any other luxury brand. Those luxury brands are for super affluent people (which maybe you are?), or should be leased so one never pays maintenance on it (but that opens up a whole other can of worms on leasing vs buying).
Personally, I don't think the looks of that nx200t are going to age well, and I could see it hurting resale value. It's a nicer car, I'm sure, but IMO I think the loaded CX-5 is the much smarter way to go.
Click to expand...
although i would agree with you (esp. with german imports and possibly infiniti, where the reliability track record is suspect), Lexus has maintained the highest reliability rating amongst car brands even according to consumer reports. yes, IF something goes bad, luxury cars are more expensive, but the probability of something going bad is less likely with a Lexus than with a Mazda. the numbers don't lie.
having said that, i am not sure i could justify +$10k for that extra reliability. Mazdas still are quite reliable (one of the top 5 brands).
Click to expand...
(iagree)
 
I think mazda could have upped the anty a bit with the CX-5 and made it a bit more high end with a few additions. Memory seats for one, which can be found on the Euro CX-5, Auto up/down windows for all windows which can be found on the euro car as well. Few other options and the CX-5 would compete, on paper, with some of the smaller luxury SUVs
 
I've seen a few nxts and I'm starting to like how they look. A little low and nice wheels will do a lot on tat car, plus its already turbo. Ofc it about 5k more than a cx5.
 
Kedis82ZE8 said:
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...s-on-consumer-reports-2015-lexus-nx/index.htm
http://www.edmunds.com/car-news/2015-lexus-nx-200t-recalled-for-brake-problem.html
http://www.carcomplaints.com/news/2015/lexus-nx-200t-recalled-stability-problems.shtml
Click to expand...

Infotainment system failure sends Consumer Reports' 2015 Lexus NX 200t back to dealer
2015 Lexus NX 200t Recalled for Brake Problem
Lexus NX 200t Recalled Over Stability Problems / Lexus NX 200t offers anti-lock braking when you don't need it, 3,000 cars recalled.

It's the first year car and first turbo engine by Lexus and it'll have some glitches. May be Lexus spent too much time to overcome the shortcomings on turbo and neglected other areas. Lexus should find some other innovations like Mazda's SkyActiv Technology to improve engine performance and efficiency.
 
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