![]() | #16 | |||
Senior - BHPian ![]() Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Thiruvanthapuram
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| ![]() Great review @Turbanator and hope to see more reviews from you. Feel Lexus should have brought the 2.4 turbo petrol and the 450h PHEV too. Especially the latter would be an image booster even with an inflated price tag. Quote:
1. We are getting UK spec cars? Am assuming as a few cars we got as CBU/CKD were UK spec. Especially the Prado. 2. Some survey of theirs might have found that Indians think LHD oriented stalks= European = premium car. ![]() Quote:
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No. Audi- VW- Skoda were different companies that came under the VW umbrella and started to make parts sharing a success. Lexus was Toyota's way to sell more premium cars without the mass market badge problems. Yes. Just like VAG cars share parts, Toyota and Lexus share platforms and engines. The NX does share platform with the Rav4, but if you are looking for a same to same model, the Toyota version of the NX is the Toyota Harrier/Venza. | |||
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![]() | #17 |
BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: New Delhi
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| ![]() Its not a traditional CVT at all and I am not sure what you mean when you say rubber band effect in the earlier NX because it has largely the same hybrid system but with nickel metal hydride battery instead of lithium ion. Its only called a CVT because it has infinite ratios but its not driven by belt and pulley systems that most CVT's are and hence the rubber band effect. The Lexus hybrid system's CVT works via a planetary gearset or what is a power split device which can drive the car on combustion power alone, on battery power or a combination of everything. Its a genius system and we are doing it a huge disservice by calling it a CVT and then comparing with a typical CVT. Here is an excellent video describing how it works. Bear in mind Toyota and Lexus hybrid system are the same. |
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![]() | #18 |
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Delhi
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| ![]() Thanks Turbanator and Aditya for a great review. I have a few questions, if you can help out: 1. How is the insulation - is the road / tyre noise evident inside when the music system is off? 2. How is the perceived build quality - in comparison to the Germans? Door closing sound, etc. 3. The biggest question (a subjective one) - in your opinion, is it worth the wait till end of year vs. an X3 which may be available immediately/ 1-2 months? Thanks in advance. |
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Distinguished - BHPian ![]() ![]() Join Date: May 2007 Location: bangalore
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All other aspects like build quality, NVH, comfort features, etc. will be very much comparable IMHO. Lexus being a CBU is likely to have superior material quality (leather etc.) It is a brilliant system for sure but it is still a CVT programmed for efficiency. A typical AT gearbox can shift to the best power band instantly with milliseconds response time. eCVT as far as I know, can't do it and more importantly the designers prefer that the car is driven with efficiency in mind. Last edited by Axe77 : 23rd March 2022 at 03:58. Reason: Minor typo. | |
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Team-BHP Support ![]() Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Gurgaon
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Frankly, I will still like to drive fast but the reality of our road conditions and the risks associated with fast speeds. The best will be to test drive one for yourself, all the Lexus dealers will be having vehicles for drives already or in near future. If you are flexible on the colours, you may not have to wait that long. If BMW excites you more, do have a look at the X4, that feels more modern to me. Last edited by Turbanator : 23rd March 2022 at 04:50. Reason: Minor corrections | ||||
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![]() | #21 |
Distinguished - BHPian ![]() ![]() Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bombay
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| ![]() Superb review Turbanator! Glad to see you doing the reviews. Hope to join you on one soon! |
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Senior - BHPian | ![]() Thank you Turbanator, Aditya for a terrific and detailed review. And as GTO pointed out, for your first review Turbanator it was right up there with T-BHP's expected high standards! For me it was an unexpected bonus, thanks to Akhilesh's video. I had no idea that there is a CVT using an electric motor-cum- planetary gear train (deeply complex as it is and without that - cringe inducing! - mechanical rubber-band effect!). As always, if you want a handle on state-of-the-art automotive tech, there is no place other than T-BHP in the Indian media! Last edited by shashanka : 23rd March 2022 at 06:26. |
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Senior - BHPian | ![]() Quote:
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BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: New Delhi
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![]() | #25 | |
Distinguished - BHPian ![]() ![]() Join Date: May 2007 Location: bangalore
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CVT is a necessity for an Hybrid to work. If CVT was so good at everything and only a matter of programming, why do you not find CVT used in sporty cars? In fact, I would say ZF8 is the do-it-all transmission. It shifts smooth like a CVT if you drive it gently - unless you look at the current gear info, you hardly notice the shifts. And it can be mental if you bury the pedal. Don't get me wrong. I like the hybrid drivetrain of Toyota and I read about it with great interest. Right tool for the right job is what I would say. Last edited by androdev : 23rd March 2022 at 11:49. | |
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Senior - BHPian | ![]() Quote:
As far as the designers preferences regarding driving habits are concerned, wouldn't that need a very different skill set - telepathic perhaps! ![]() And comparing the Atkinson NA with a turbo-petrol seems like that old adage about the alfonso verses the dasehri – to each his own! | |
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BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: New Delhi
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Distinguished - BHPian ![]() ![]() Join Date: May 2007 Location: bangalore
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| ![]() My post was a reply to @mayjay who asked about NX vs BMW X3. I simply wanted him to understand the difference between CVT drivetrain vs BMW drivetrain. I didn't recommend one over the other. You leave me no option but to offer a reality check about this drivetrain. Quote:
LC 500 has a v8 mated to dual clutch transmission. LC 500h has a v6 mated to a unique transmission, which consists of a four-speed automatic transmission embedded inside a continuously variable transmission. (Lexus calls it multi-stage transmission) Quote:
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You can hear it directly from LC chief engineer Koji Sato himself: Quote:
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![]() | #29 | ||||||
BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: New Delhi
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Most advanced Hybrid transmission would be right. The rest is incidental. Quote:
Not sure what your point is but it is still a Lexus Hybrid transmission. Quoting verbtim "Back to the LC500h: The CVT half of Multi Stage is an evolution of the longitudinal hybrid transmission found in those Lexus sedans. The big difference in Multi Stage from the older transmission is the additional four-speed planetary gearbox attached at the CVT’s output. In the current GS and LS, MG2 gets a two-speed reduction, but in the Multi Stage the ICE drives MG1 and/or MG2 directly, but both MG2 and the ICE get the additional reduction of the four-speed auto. This keeps MG1 from hitting its redline, the cutoff for electric-only driving, and allows for EV driving as fast as 87 mph (up from 40 mph in the GS and LS). Quote:
Not sure the cost issue stands. Toyota uses basically the same fundamental transmission all the way from a Yaris to an LC500h! I can't speak for Hyundai/Kia but sacrificing efficiency and performance in a hybrid that is meant to be efficient does not sound very intelligent to me. In fact looking at how popular Toyota/Lexus hybrid's are I would expect them to do better. For performance, they have their N division now anyway. Quote:
My last post on this topic. Thanks. Last edited by Turbanator : 25th March 2022 at 16:53. Reason: Fixed quote | ||||||
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![]() | #30 |
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Chennai
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Allow me to chip in on this topic. I’ve driven the Camry a bit and the Lexus ES 300h more and I can tell you the new NX has a much much better drivetrain. I took a test drive of the new NX yesterday and was blown away by the instantaneous response. I’m not sure if it’s the new Li Ion battery or AWD or new transmission - the car just launches and how. Feels completely different from the Camry / ES. It’s closer to an electric car now. |
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