Lexus see the primarily market for the Lexus UX as the 30 plus city dwellers with a taste for adventure, fondly referred to as ‘ urban explorers’ so they have designed the Lexus UX around this brief.
The Lexus UX
The UX is clearly the most car-like SUV on the market, with a low coupe-like profile and a rigid body structure that delivers a sporty driving feel, no roll and with liberal use of aluminium to keep the overall weight down the handling improves further.
So how does the UX look and perform?
Exterior
The Lexus UX certainly stands out, with its eye-catching front grille, sharp angular lines, bodywork covered with creases. These creases extend through to the rear light clusters that span the full width of the boot lid at the rear providing plenty of interest.
Inside
The cabin is 'Smart' with an easy to follow layout, the space feels generous and uncluttered.
The trim is beautifully made with superior quality in mind, the finish is contemporary and stylish, angular and original.
Indeed, Lexus make a point of the superior craftsmanship – in Japanese it’s referred to as Takumi and as such they have named the top UX trim after it - "The Lexus UX Takumi".
The UX uses tech borrowed from that used in other Lexus models for the infotainment system for example. The standard 7.0in screen gives access to navigation, audio, safety cameras and is operated by a small haptic track pad close to the gear-lever which can be somewhat fiddley to access. The standard 7.0in screen is a bit small by usual standards, we would suggest an upgrade to the optional 10.3in screen that is available.
Missing at the moment is Apple Car Play but the good news is that this will be retro fitted soon.
Boot space seemed a little smaller in the hybrid, this is due to there being less room due to the extra equipment under the load floor.
Driving
The UX is one of the new generation Lexus cars so it comes with high spec equipment. With comfort paramount there are eight-way adjustable electric driver and passengers seats complete with variable lumbar support, air cooled for warm weather driving.
With the seating position lower than most SUVs, the UX delivers car-like manoeuvrability and handling. This combined with the use of lightweight aluminium and composite panels gives the Lexus UX the lowest centre of gravity in its class.
The result is excellent agility when driving on tight country roads with sharp bends, further improved further by Active Cornering Assist, that monitors the vehicle’s trajectory through curves and applies the appropriate braking on the inside wheels to correct understeer.
The UX has Driven Mode Select via a knob situated on the side of the driver display cowl with three settings, Normal, Eco, and Sport - the steering feel is increased in the sport mode.
In eco mode around town vehicle test, the UX returned 63.4mpg while the best we could get at an average of 60 mph in Sport mode was 42.8mpg
Value for money
The Lexus UX enters at £30,000 with the Hybrid Takumi priced at around £40,000, so yes, they do represent good value.
The Lexus UX will be offer in a choice of two and four-wheel drive models with Lexus promising up to 68.9mpg, and CO2 emissions as low as 96g/km.
The UX should be one of the most fuel-efficient cars in its class, with economy to rival many diesel alternatives.
In conclusion
The Lexus UX 2.0 Hybrid Takumi
The hybrid drivetrain is refined and easy to use around town and this is where it’s at its most efficient, turning great mpg figures.
The UX is really good fun to drive, with sure and positive handling, responsive steering, get up and go when needed, is easy to park and it does all this while looking good.
We get It! We love its versatility, love its handling, its looks, and on top of that it is good to the environment.
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