Beneath the LBX’s body, Lexus has made some very performance-oriented moves
what Lexus calls a ‘Tsuyasumi’ finish that involves multiple layers of film to create a charcoal-like effect. We wish there was a little more muttered around the cabin.
The LBX uses a 9.8-inch multimedia touchscreen that’s powered by nowfamiliar software. Without the old touchpad, it’s a hint less clunky, yet the low-contrast graphics don’t look high quality. There are connected services and live navigation that are included in the package for life.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are wireless, and there are four USB-C charge points (two front, two back). The standard stereo is a six-speaker system which is entirely acceptable. Moving up to the Sports Luxury’s 13-speaker Mark Levinson stereo adds surround sound and power, yet we found its timbre a little bright.
Interior space is respectable for such a small vehicle and is honestly preferable to the larger UX thanks to more thoughtful packaging. The rear bench is upright and supportive but anyone over six feet will still feel pretty cramped. There’s no fold-down armrest, either. That said, the LBX’s boot is pretty stellar. Lexus lists capacity at 402 litres for the frontdrive, and 315 litres with AWD.
Lexus was keen to emphasise the LBX’s sporty nature in the product presentation, despite there being no F-Sport trim available. From experience in the soft and wafty UX small SUV, how flat and planted the LBX Luxury FWD felt came as a surprise. This suited the first part of the drive program – down the Old Pacific Highway just north of Sydney – very well indeed.
The quick, firm steering (2.73 turns lock-lock) inspires confidence in the front end straight away. Flowing through a set of corners, the LBX’s incisive turn-in invites you to push the chassis harder. It’s helped by a natural brake feel (Lexus says the pedal ups assistance on-demand) that makes it a cinch to drive smoothly in town as well. There’s no kickback from the steering over bumps and grip levels are strong from the 225/55R18 Yokohama Advan V61 tyres.
Beneath the LBX’s body, Lexus has made some very performance-oriented moves with a new front strut design and low-friction dampers that keep body roll to a minimum. Then there’s the track widths. At 1570mm, its stance is not only 45mm wider than a base Yaris Cross but also broader than a GR Yaris (1535/1565mm front/rear).
Having this much fun on twisty roads isn’t a Lexus calling card – it feels very much like Mr Toyoda has been deeply involved in the success measures of the LBX’s dynamics.
But we should get back to the Lexusness of this SUV because, although
the base car rides admirably at speed on its torsion-beam suspension, there’s detectable thump into the cabin over potholes. Tyre noise is pronounced on coarse-chip surfaces even with the active noise cancellation engaged.
The Sport Luxury AWD with its independent rear suspension maintained better control of the back axle but didn’t noticeably improve the ride quality on Sydney’s scabby roads. Whichever grade you choose, beware that the urban ride quality is jiggly.
Most of the time, the powertrain is like a silent partner. The new BiPolar NiMh battery chemistry (first seen in the Japanese-market Toyota Aqua) gives more instant power flow than the Yaris Cross Li-Ion item, making the LBX convincingly zippy in EV mode.
When you demand a little more grunt, the 1.5-litre ‘M15-FXE’ threecylinder petrol takes a moment to kick in and drive the front wheels through a CVT automatic.
At around 70km/h up steep grades the off-beat grumble is pronounced, and in no way is the LBX ‘fast’ – 0-100km/h taking 9.2 or 9.6 seconds depending on whether you go for front- or all-wheel drive.
It’s no straight swap of the Yaris Cross powertrain, with further upgrades to the transaxle and electric motors to lower friction. The rear motor is a little 4.7kW/52Nm item, so any increase in outright pace is offset by the extra weight. It does add security on loose surfaces, though.
Safety-wise, you get all the usual features, including forward collision warning, front AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, and eight airbags. The lane-keep and adaptive cruise control features showed promise in initial testing, as did the car’s progressive and helpful stability-control tune.
The Lexus LBX’s ADR combined fuel consumption rating is 3.8L/100km and its 36-litre fuel tank requires 91-octane fuel. On our route, the
AWD Sports Luxury trim was showing 4.7L/100km on the trip computer. In more typical use cases, that will drop much closer to the ADR rating.
Lexus has succeeded in making the LBX more than just a Yaris Cross for yuppies. There’s a depth to its chassis engineering that runs deeper. The fact that gentleman race driver Akio Toyoda picked one of these as his daily driver over other Lexus models is probably all you need to know.
There’s little point spending more on the Sports Luxury when the base variant offers so much. Our pick is the front-wheel-drive Luxury – equipped with plenty of gear for a relatively reasonable price. Though the LBX does feel a little confused, it’s certainly a unique offering. It’s not for everyone, but the LBX’s definite slant towards youthful sportiness above Lexus’s traditional leather-bound luxury may very well do the job of pulling new customers into the brand. For now, we’re waiting for Lexus to announce a hi-po LBX F.