1st Lexus UX
Angular looks and hybrid drive help the smallest Lexus SUV to stand out from the crowd
THE UX is a car that makes the most of the latest tech that’s on offer to Lexus, which has been bequeathed by parent firm Toyota.
It sits on Lexus’s Global Architecture – Compact platform, with double wishbone rear suspension, and MacPherson struts at the front.
The UX 250h uses a 150bhp 2.0-litre non-turbo petrol engine, mated to a nickel-metal hydride battery and two electric motor/generators. With 107bhp from the electric motors, it means a total hybrid output of 181bhp – plenty for a 1,540kg car.
But it’s how Lexus’s fourth-generation hybrid system delivers its power that indicates an improvement over previous hybrids. The software feels more intelligent and, with an improved CVT automatic transmission, engine and electric motor revs are better matched with each other, so there’s a stronger connection between powertrain and driver, plus better refinement, because revs are kept lower.
This was enough for a 0-60mph time of eight seconds, and while this was 0.8 seconds slower than the X2, it’s still enough performance.
The CVT transmission, with no gears, keeps the surging sensation, for which these gearboxes are sometimes known, to a minimum, so it’s easy to make relaxed progress. The electric assistance takes the load off the petrol unit to aid refinement.
Put your foot down and the engine sounds a bit coarser as the revs rise, but performance is good.
Where you can compare the UX and X2 directly is for ride quality, and here the Lexus offers much more comfort. The chassis is set up on the softer side; the UX ’s compliant damping means it doesn’t feel as frenetic or as firm as the BMW.
This approach infiltrates many areas of the car, too; the cabin is nicely made and trimmed, with leather on plenty of surfaces and decent plastics throughout. So it’s all the more disappointing that some of the tech isn’t up to scratch; in something of a Lexus tradition, the infotainment is quite far behind the best in class, represented by the X2.
At least F Sport gets lots of kit with the Premium Plus, Tech and Safety Packs – and the UX still comes in £1, 260 cheaper than the X2 in M Sport spec.
The UX F Sport features heated seats, a seveninch infotainment system with nav and a reversing camera, parking sensors and auto high-beam LED lights. The Premium Plus Pack brings leather trim, keyless operation and a larger screen, while the Tech and Safety Pack adds to the impressive standard protective equipment with blind-spot monitoring, cross-traffic alert, wireless charging, a head-up display and adaptive suspension.
DRIVING
The GA-C platform is at the root of the UX ’s sweet balance of ride and handling. It’s mostly smooth and comfortable on 18-inch wheels, and while the steering isn’t full of feel, the car is more agile than you might imagine.
REGEN The hybrid system uses the motors to recharge the battery when slowing down and on the brakes. Sometimes this regeneration can cause a very dead and spongy feel in the brake pedal, but here it’s not bad.
RUNNING COSTS
Hybrids come into their own when you look at costs. With lower CO2 emissions of 97g/km next to 124g/km for the diesel BMW, if you’ll be running either of these as a company car, the Lexus will be far cheaper.
BiK The lower list price allied to its cleaner petrol-electric powertrain means higherrate taxpayers will pay £3,480 a year in company car tax on the UX (23 per cent BiK). But in the BMW (32 per cent) the bill comes to £4,992.
PRACTICALITY
Although the battery is under the rear seats, the UX ’s boot is compromised. It’s much smaller than the BMW ’s, offering only 320 litres, compared with the X2’s 470 litres, and is less than in some family hatchbacks, too.
SPACE The UX is closer to the X2 in terms of cabin space. There’s less glass area in the Lexus and slightly less legroom, but the difference isn’t much; it will still be fine for children, and even adults will be comfortable enough back there for reasonably long journeys. The BMW is a little more spacious and feels a little lighter, and the same is true in the front, although the UX’s driving position is almost as good.
INTERIOR & TECHNOLOGY
Cabin quality (always a Lexus strong point) is good here, with nice materials and decent ergonomics. However, even with the upgraded 10.3-inch screen, the UX ’s infotainment is a real let-down.
TECH The touchpad is very imprecise, so it takes too long to select what you want through the complicated menu system. There’s also no Android Auto or CarPlay, so you’re forced to use the nav. It’s okay, but the BMW’s is better.
OWNERSHIP
Lexus is our Driver
Power champion and has taken top spot in our annual owner satisfaction survey three years in a row, so life with the UX should be easy, not least because of the safety tech on offer.
SAFETY Auto braking, adaptive cruise and lane-keep assist are all standard, in the Safety System+. The Tech & Safety Pack adds blindspot warning and cross-traffic alert.