SIZING THINGS UP
COMPACT YET NOT CRAMPED. SMALL LEXUS FITS THE BILL
HONESTLY, when I first walked up to the UX250h I thought, “this’ll be a pretty tight squeeze for the family”. But the little Lexus managed to prove me wrong. With COVID restrictions lifting in Victoria, I finally managed to get in a couple of trips with the entire clan in tow before having to return the car to Lexus (until then it was more or less a four-wheeled dust collector). Here’s the first revelation – the kids have enough room without having to compromise seating positions up-front. Even full-size adults will fit without any complaint, so long as we cap the height at six-foot. The kiddos appreciated having air-conditioning vents back there, but more importantly, dual USB charging ports earned the thumbs ups, too. Moving on to the boot, the 368-litre capacity is good, but not great. It’s bested by the similar-sized BMW X1’s 505L and the Audi Q3’s 530L, though for everyday activities the Lexus’s space is more than enough. The flat, high sitting boot floor makes loading and unloading easy, with another compartment under the cover for extra storage (handy if you run an Uber for a bikey gang). The powered tailgate also manages to rise just high enough that I never feared splitting my noggin on it. Where the UX really does shine is in the front cabin. The plush seats and great driving position still manage to impress and I’m fond of the clean dash design – its overall finish lives up to Lexus’s high standards of quality. Behind the wheel the driving experience has been pleasant; the TNGA platform, after all, is now a very evolved dynamic quantity. The hybrid system is well-suited for around town and tries to please when pushed, but to be sure, for thrills in this segment you need to spend up to get something like an Audi RS Q3. One thing that’s raised an eyebrow is the fuel consumption. The claimed figure of 4.7L/100km is a fair bit lower than the number I’ve recorded. I put that down to this; there’s a straight stretch of road that runs along train tracks near my place which must’ve been used by drivers aspiring to be the next Victor Bray. This would explain why the council a few years back decided to install speed humps every hundred metres or so. It’s great for keeping hoons away but terrible for keeping fuel figures down, yet it’s a road I have to use constantly to access local amenities. If my commute to work was still a thing, I’m confident the 6.7L/100km we averaged would have dropped lower. Launched in late 2018, the UX now makes up just under 20 percent of Lexus’s sales and is closing in on its larger sibling, the RX. By the time you read this the UX300e battery electric vehicle will have joined the range locally which may help those figures increase. While the UX may not be as big as some competitors – and arguably lack a bit of badge pedigree – I’ll argue it’s a better looking and finessed option than some of its rivals.