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NX200t or NX300h

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NX200t vs NX300h: Which one is Best for You?

21924 Views 16 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  mojo
Realistically this conversation begins and ends with the drivetrain, as the 200t and 300h should have identical options.

So, are you better off with a Hybrid or a Turbo? Naturally this becomes more a question of who are you than what vehicle. How do you drive, not HOW like you think your James Hunt's reincarnate, but how is in where to, how often, average miles per year.

NX300h Fuel Economy: 33/30/32 (AWD), 35/31/33 (FWD)
NX200t Fuel Economy: 21/28/24 (AWD), 22/28/24 (FWD)

When looking at the 300h short travel distances will greatly reduce your dependence on gasoline, however the fewer miles you put on a vehicle per year the longer it will take to reach payback for the premium you will be paying on the NX 300h. So if you're a low mileage type of person the 200t may be better for you.

Without pricing information on either of the NX's its difficult to figure out just how long payback will be, but on average its been said that 7 years is a safe assumption for your fuel savings to pay back your hybrid premium.

So which NX makes the most sense for you, 200t or 300h?
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Great difference in city mileage, for a while the hybrid is a model i have decided on.
I think I am going to go for the regular petrol model. Don't want to pay the extra premium. By the time the fuel efficiency ends up paying itself back, I will probably be looking for something new.
I think I am going to go for the regular petrol model. Don't want to pay the extra premium. By the time the fuel efficiency ends up paying itself back, I will probably be looking for something new.

You raise an interesting point about resale actually. Do we think resale values will be better on the 200t or the 300h? Ostensibly I would say the 200t simply becasue the Hybrid system may be fatigued by the time turn over comes...
For me the hybrid. Most of my daily driving is city. That works out to be 12 mpg in the hybrid's favor, plus the cheaper cost of regular. I tend to keep my vehicles for longer periods of time, so sevens years would not be unreasonable to meet. However, I have found that hybrid cars often come standard with navigation, back-up camera and other features that would be options on gas only models (varies with manufacturer). This needs to be factored in for a truer comparison and is often overlooked.

That being said, if I don't like they way the hybrid system feels, than a gas only model may be my future. Btw, my wife has a '10 Ford Fusion hybrid and I find it acceptable once I get used to the brake feel (much more responsive than my RX).
Let's take 9 mpg difference b/w the two. Of course, if you drive city more, then the difference will be greater...and vice versa for highway.

Assume 12,000 miles driven a year. If you drive more than 12k miles / year, then the difference in cost will be greater.

At least around me, REGULAR gas costs $3.10; PREMIUM gas costs about 35 cents more, $3.45. YMMV.

200t: 24 mpg (combined)

12,000 miles / 24mpg = 500 gallons used.

500 x $3.45 = $1,725 / 12,000 miles driven.

300h: 33 mpg (combined)

12,000 miles / 33mpg = 363.6 gallons used.

363.6 x $3.10 = $1,127.16 / 12,000 miles driven.

DIFFERENCE = $597.84 / 12,000 miles driven.


So, it all depends on the price difference b/w equally-equipped 200t vs. 300h. (BTW, $597.84 x 7 years = $4,184.88...just FYI.)

NOW, this is ONLY about gas consumption.

Hybrids do NOT require starter, transmission maintenance, belt vs. chain (not sure about 200t engine, but i think hybrids are chain-driven), and brakes maintenance & replacement. Oil changes may differ too. Again, the last part is questionable since we don't know if 200t engine requires any special oil or how long in b/w changes.

As noted previously in my other post, hybrid batteries (from Toyota) are proven beyond doubt that they can last well past 200k miles. And used (or even new) batteries are fairly cheap...around $2000 (new). Think of it this way...if i make it to 150,000 miles (worst case scenario), and all i had to spend was $2000 on maintenance outside of oil changes and tire rotations, then i did pretty good IMO!

Toyota hybrids generally have good resale value.

So, it's up to your priorities...but i am sticking with 300h. :)
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Ostensibly I would say the 200t simply becasue the Hybrid system may be fatigued by the time turn over comes...
Not true, at least with Toyota hybrids. I would venture that maintenance cost over the LIFE of a vehicle is much less in a hybrid.

Here is my post from another thread:
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A new hybrid battery cost is dropping with every passing year. For my Prius, i think that the cost of a NEW battery is around $2000-2500 at most. You can also buy a USED one for a lot cheaper. And not sure about other hybrids, but resale value is one of the strong points of a Prius.

Link: The 200,000-mile question: How does the Toyota Prius hold up?

"....Based on data from over 36,000 Toyota Prius hybrids in our annual survey, we find that the Prius has outstanding reliability and low ownership costs. But we wanted to know if the effectiveness of the battery degraded over the long run. So we hooked up a 2002 Toyota Prius with nearly 208,000 miles on the clock to our testing instruments and compared the results to the nearly identical 2001 Prius we tested 10 years ago.

Conclusion: We found very little difference in performance when we tested fuel economy and acceleration.

Our testers were also amazed how much the car drove like the new one we tested 10 years ago. It certainly didn’t seem like a car that had traveled nearly the distance to the Moon. We were also surprised to learn that the engine, transmission, and even shocks were all original.

If the battery ever did need to be replaced, it would run between $2,200 and $2,600 from a Toyota dealer, but it’s doubtful that anyone would purchase a new battery for such an old car. Most will probably choose to buy a low-mileage unit from a salvage yard, just as they would with an engine or transmission. We found many units available for around $500.

So is an old Prius a still a good value? We think so."
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So, after 10 years and 208,000 miles, the original battery is still in near perfect condition. This is why there are plenty of stories of cabbies running well over 300k miles on the original battery and still going!
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The fastest one please, thank you!
The fastest one please, thank you!
Porsche dealership just down the road....
Porsche dealership just down the road....
What am I, rich now? $40K OTD is my limit. I make $40K a year + $30K from the wife.
If I wanted a faster crossover, I would get me a 2007-2009 RDX and put a Hondata tune on it, low 6 sec., still thinking about it, if only a used Acura wasn't so **** expensive!
What am I, rich now? $40K OTD is my limit. I make $40K a year + $30K from the wife.
If I wanted a faster crossover, I would get me a 2007-2009 RDX and put a Hondata tune on it, low 6 sec., still thinking about it, if only a used Acura wasn't so **** expensive!
That is true...Porsche cars are too **** expensive! Doesn't the previous RDX drink premium gas like there's no tomorrow???
Doesn't the previous RDX drink premium gas like there's no tomorrow???
17/22 mpg, constant awd and 5 gears doesn't help.
what about the suspension, do we think there will be a difference between the 300h and the 200t? Could the 200t be strung a little bit sportier than the Hybrid?
what about the suspension, do we think there will be a difference between the 300h and the 200t? Could the 200t be strung a little bit sportier than the Hybrid?
Yes, somewhere on here, Lexus stated that the 300h is softer than 200t and F-sport. 300h is made to handle "rough roads" or something like that.
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