2024 Lexus NX vs Audi Q5 Comparison / Within the Lines

when a car pushes boundaries we're intrigued but the Lexus NX and AUD Q5 live within the lines they're both easy to live with cars that happen to be luxurious so which one is better for many the Lexus one before I was even born the brand is known for longlasting Quality more than Miami is associated with public and decency going against that reputation gives the Q5 an uphill battle but it puts up an admirable fight for starters it behaves more like a luxury car and the price reflects this and so how does the Audi justify this price premium well hint it's not with the features each of these will come with LED projector headlamps and fog lights though with the Audi it's actually integrated into the headlight the NX gets a giant LED light bar around back that will impress teenage Gamers and car Rie viewers the Lexus also comes standard with proximity entry something that Audi makes you pay extra for with the Audi or the Lexus you'll find a power rear tailgate on most the availability of a 360 View Camera and various options to customize the exterior briefly I'd like to thank Royal on the east side and Bloomington Indiana for letting me test drive the Q5 used in today's video Royal on the east side is friendly aggressively priced and Community focused if you're in the market check them out I'm in no place to critique Swagger but I prefer the more restrained design of the Audi I think its crisp lines and elegant curves have helped it age well the Lexus IS distinct it's aggressive it's just also not as pinkies up fancy as the Audi tell me your thoughts in the comments section one advantage for the Q5 is that its platform from the ground up was designed to be a luxury vehicle something the Lexus cannot boast while some of you may think of this as simply a Rav 4 with soft hands the NX has actually gone through a thorough makeover and they even changed the door handles which are now electronic releases I've grown to like them the buttons feel high-end and after explaining them to your passengers they're easy to use while that is neat other Innovations are less helpful the cabin of the NX is eye-catching there's big swooping lines premium materials that improve further on the luxury trim and build quality you expect for the price at 63 I may wish for the wheel to come out a little further but there's soft padding for where my knees and elbows lie the soft seats also come with great thigh and back support now with the Audi or the Lexus you'll have standard leather upholstery and heated front seats with the availability for things like a panoramic sunroof ambient lighting ventilated seats and a heated steering wheel something that you'll actually get as standard with the Audi but the similarities end there the Lexus takes a more Tech forward Ward approach so standard you'll have a 9in infotainment system that integrates the HVAC controls I have the 14-in display now user interface itself is simple the response time is good and it comes with Wireless Apple carplay and Android auto but a decent chunk of the screen is constantly taken up by the HVAC controls which has me wondering why they would remove those to begin with then there's the head-up display which to its credit offers a lot of functionality but I may actually skip this option because it does make some actions require more steps especially if you want to change something on your standard digital gauge cluster the Comfort continues into the back seat where I still find good thigh support sufficient space for me to sit behind myself and enough recline to nod off on long trips the Lexus trunk is short on height but the length and width keep it competitive for the class unfortunately there's no spare tire you have run Flats instead which is the automotive equivalent to fixing your finances with a gambling addiction comparatively the Audi's cargo area is not only larger but it's also smarter you have a 40 20 40 split rear row with seat releases plus they left space for a compact spare and the rear seats are comfortable I have enough Headroom though I'm noticeably down on room for my knees plus the seat back uses a hard touch plastic still I think this could work for most small families while there's less going on with the design and you don't have the same wow factor as 14 in of pixels I think the cabin of the Audi 25 is more wellth thought out first it's mechanically satisfying while they're not electronic the door handles and how the door shuts are reassuring all of the individual controls are clicky including the ones on the steering wheel this is the kind of thing that feels upscale and Audi also provides strong build quality you have these very nice looking metal and wood accents though the Lexus definitely packs more soft touch stuff this feels more solid and I also like the smaller yet still responsive and crisp infotainment system wireless carpls standard too and the optional banging Olson stereo has well-placed speakers though I think the mark levenson of the Lexus packs more base the high volume Clarity for both are behind the best in the segment though I'm happy to see that the base stereo in either of these cars still has 10 speakers and while you can get a head-up display with the Q5 the available virtual cockpit is more configurable easier to use than what's in the Lexus plus the Audi is still a comfortable card in fact go with the premium plus and you have thigh extensions that are great for people well over 6 ft the support is good though I should note the cushioning is more firm both of these cars come with pretty good storage levels and each have some unique Solutions like a hidden compartment underneath the wireless charger with the Lexus and in the Audi you have a pretty big compartment next to your knee and the center armrest has an adjust ible height which is such an underrated feature in the Lexus you can actually flip the door open either way which is less useful but cool both of these are luxurious but the Audi feels more understated and traditional whereas the Lexus feels more Posh yet more trendy and the differences grow on the road under the hood is the Workhorse Audi 2 L turbocharged inline 4 while it may appear to be down on power with just two 1 ponies in the q54 OR 261 with the 45 Audi is notorious for underrating their engines this thing can get to 60 in under 6 seconds even the base power plant is neck and neck with the turbo NX and compared to the hybrid this just blows it out of the water but of course you're not drag racing these what is important is passing power and this has plenty of that once it downshifts this feels effortless it also sounds more refined than anything you'll find in the NX with the Audi a s-speed dual clutch transmission is standard one clutch will basically pre-eng into the next gear so the moment you touch that paddle or the car decides to shift you're back into the Power Band which is also quite Broad and torky the Dual clutch in most scenarios also shifts smoooth though sometimes it draws attention to itself from a stop this is also a mild hybrid which helps run the accessories and give it a smooth Auto Stop start if you want an actual hybrid they will sell you a plug-in version that will make it even quicker but you will pay for that and on top of it the EPA gives it just a 23m all electric driving range limiting the functionality when it comes to all-wheel drive systems this uses Audi's Quattro Ultra which is not like the traditional Quattro where you had a limited slip Center differential this this instead prioritizes efficiency and is actually not a full-time system like the Lexus it can disconnect the rear axle and engage all-wheel drive automatically in bad weather twisty Corners spirited acceleration and so on however the Audi system reacts quicker from my experience and a majority of its torque can be sent to the rear too each come with a breake based off-road mode to divert power side to side I mean the transmission here it's not really something that's built for Offroad roading and neither of these cars are in fact if you go with a hybrid Lexus it doesn't even have a drive shaft connecting the front rear instead it uses a separate electric motor around the rear both of these are good for snow if that's what you're looking for I would say the Audi gets the advantage though in terms of raw capability and it also has an advantage around corners the steering while it only has a cough of feedback it feels precise and the steering weight builds up nicely it's natural it's not here to give you a concerning grin rather it makes the car feel capable and substantial and I'd say the same thing about the suspension tuning though it has its limits body roll is present if you want something more flat you definitely need to go with the SQ5 but it remains well under control now on a mangled Indiana Back Road the Q5 does a remarkable job of not just soaking up the bumps but also smoothing out the ride the undulations hardly pester the Audi and while it doesn't float over things like a luxury barge it insulates you well from most imperfections and even potholes don't crash their way into the cabin even if that rough road also gets windy it's so confident and this thing may now be in its seventh model year but the chassis doesn't feel a Day Too Old another thing that I really find myself enjoying about the Q5 is the view outward the windshield is close to me it's of a reasonable size the belt line also isn't crazy high for a 50 or $60,000 luxury automobile this is approachable and oddly enough it can tow over twice of what any NX can pulling up to 65 mph this is revving at just 1,500 RPM Tire noise is subdued there's a little bit of wind noise but this is a quiet Serene vehicle and I don't see anyone having problems with this for a long journey behind the wheel of the NX it's a Lexus in all the right areas now just like most other Lexus products underneath it is a Toyota so instead of thrust you have efficiency and that is highlighted with the hybrid model which can even achieve 40 m a gallon if you're easy on it unfortunately Lexus and Audi advis premium fuel here with the only exception being the Pokey NX 250 acceleration from the hybrid NX is more than adequate it's fun to see when compared to the Audi how it did need to lose traction before it sent power to the rear all hybrids are going to be hooked up to an ecvt which uses an electric motor to change the gear ratio for the engine it can do it quite quickly and a planetary gear set to actually put the power to the ground the result is a more linear feeling CVT that still sounds exactly the same if you want more thrust or less um you can go with the non-hybrids which will have a traditional 8-speed automatic though I would advise stepping above the base 2.5 L because that is straight out of the Rav 4 and I just don't think it's going to fit the luxury car personality unless you truly do not care about how the car accelerates and would like to save the money for more cash you can get a 2.4 L turbocharged engine that still sounds fresh out of the Toyota parts bin but my experience with that powertrain has been mostly positive outside of some hesitancy at low speeds that should have a noticeable Improvement in passing power over the base engine and the hybrid when at higher speed but if you want the most py NX get the plug-in hybrid which actually provides a very respectable range but you need to complete a scavenger hunt and bribe your dealer in order to get one once you're up to highway speed and the engine dies down it may have a smidge more Road and tire noise than the Q5 but for the cost I'm pleased and I'm torn between which one of these is the better car for long distances because even though I like the driving position more in the Q5 I think the interior of the NX is more plush over the same dastardly Road the Lexus takes it on the chin just as well as the Audi and lets in similar road noise with less Poise but its soft suspension does help it absorb the roads slightly better than the Q5 now Lexus does offer an Adaptive variable suspense supension though that's more so to help it be more sporty something that's really not a strong suit for the NX anyway but overall with either of these if you're roads look like this I think you'll be happy the least smooth aspect of the Lexus are the brakes of the hybrid while the Audi feels firm and linear the NX 350h can be jerky as it goes from regenerative to friction breaking throwing it around corners in its sport mode the steering is not just numb it's also pretty vague the weight just doesn't build up like the Audi's which results in a completely disconnected sensation you could say that if you're driving a vehicle like this you want to be separated from the road but this just doesn't feel natural and it's not really any easier to drive in fact I would say it requires more thought than the Audi do I see it being a deal breaker to most people in this class no body roll is present but it changes Direction in a timely manner it still feels secure which is key in making an upscale vehicle seeing out of the NX is not a tricky task but I think I was spoiled by the Audi this has a longer dashboard and a little bit higher Belt Line chances are if you're considering the Lexus you prioritize reliability thankfully the first generation of the NX was remarkably Problem free and the new car has had a good start too while this model is still fresh it's only big complaint from owners appears to be with the electronics and infotainment time will tell how the 2.4 L turbo performs but it has been robust so far and is based on Toyota's reputable 2.5 L direct and port injection means no carbon cleaning maintenance too the Q5 has had even more complaints with its Electronics powertrain problems are limited after some initial oil consumption wos in the beginning of the generation the biggest issue was with a fragile module underneath the rear seat that would brick the car if it got wet that was recalled in 2022 owner reviews on cars.com and Edmonds seem to favor the Lexus when it comes to complaints if reliability is key to you I'd predict a brighter future for the Lexus but the Q5 has been good to most of its owners too when it comes to crash tests the Lexus wins but it hasn't undergone the same torture as the Audi and they have comparable active driving AIDS everything from autonomous braking to Adaptive Crews and Lane centering is standard across the board something that Audi only recently added the Lexus and the Audi use relatively proven Powertrain and platforms they have enough space for small families without the physical heft to scare away the loners outside of that these contrast one another at basically every angle by the books the Audi Q5 does luxury better it has a more reassuring power train it handles better while still providing strong comfort with more Timeless looks inside and out at least in my opinion the Audi has no internal conflicts whereas the NX doesn't have the same sense of identity but that actually works out in its favor Lexus made a luxury SUV for mainstream people if you hop out of a Rav 4 or Forester and into the NX the big screen plush materials striking design and quiet ride are impressive you wouldn't think twice about the Rav 4 and Highlander powertrains or dead steering the excessive Tech might be a nuisance but you'd probably be intrigued otherwise and you would retain the Peace of Mind that this is a car that won't destroy your rainy day fund however the Audi fixates on the details and delivers the Driving Experience you would expect from a modern luxury car it doesn't need to grab your attention through big screens and dramatic Body Lines that's why it's going to win today as the luxury pick it may cost more but it has the substance to back it up if I was personally buying a new car 50 Grand would stretch my budget the Audi's worse resale value and the nx's better reputation and lower price would all be enough to sway my opinion it's the smarter choice and the one I'd spend my money on though I think the case for the Q5 grows stronger with a lightly used certified model under a nice warranty undoubtedly the Audi Camp will throw shade at Lexus fans because the NX isn't as competent and the Lexus folks will laugh after their warranty is up but I think both sides should appreciate these two they're each sensible well executed crossovers that cater to the same needs just different desires thanks for watching if you enjoyed the video then please leave a like to help me take on the maniacal YouTube algorithm subscribe and hit the notification Bell for more fun detailed car content and become a channel member to get an additional podcast and help me take this to the next level I'll catch you in the next one

Channel: Realistick

Views: 15,872

Keywords: lexus nx, lexus, nx, nx350, nx350h, hybrid, nx450, nx250, 2024 nx, 2024, 2023, 2022, reliability, 0-60, 0 to 60, luxury, luxury suvs, new suvs, cars, mercedes, glc, acura, rdx, audi, q5, 2.5l, 2.4l turbo, awd, 2.0l, 2024 q5, genesis, gv70, bmw, x2, volvo xc60

Id: 8LCJSTv4xKc

Length: 17min 55sec (1075 seconds)

Published: Fri Feb 02 2024