LEXUS UX HYBRID

The most lasting impression of the Lexus UX is the seats. We would almost sell our soul for seats this comfortable, and to have them in a reasonably priced mid-size SUV is simply amazing. By Cathy Parker.

There is no one thing about them; they hold you firmly, but also cosset you and pretty much anyone should be able to find a comfortable position with 10-way power adjustment and three memory slots for the driver and eight-way power adjustment for the passenger. Oh, and did we mention they are heated and cooled?

Having made such a good first impression with the seats, the UX didn’t disappoint dynamically. If you are not used to a hybrid, then the lack of action when you press the start button might initially be disconcerting, but it rolls smoothly as soon as you apply some throttle, operating at low speeds just on the electric motor.

On the road driving behaviour is fairly normal, despite the more complex drive train. Low and mid-range power is excellent, although absolute top end may be a bit less than a non-hybrid, even if on paper the max combined power is slightly higher for the hybrid (135 kw vs 128kw for the petrol), but the hybrid’s petrol engine has a lower 107kw output, so when the electric motor is not assisting, it loses out a bit.

On the other hand, you certainly gain that back in terms of economy, with a claimed 4.7 l/100km fuel economy for the AWD model (4.5 l/100km for the FWD) VS 5.5 l/100km for the petrol.

The interior has the ambience you would expect from a Lexus. The dash is dominated by the 10.3-inch widescreen multi-function display with all the usual audio, navigation, surround camera and phone abilities (but does lack Carplay or Android Auto phone mirroring).

The interface though is a little quirky, with a laptop style trackpad next to the gear lever – not the most intuitive interface, especially when driving.

Lexus’s safety Tsars also seem to have had a field day, as you can’t access your phone contacts when driving – although you can access a recent calls list to reply to a missed call.

The driver’s side is dominated by a large circular rev counter with digital speed display in the centre. You don’t really need to use this, as the UX had a very nicely done heads-up display. This shows your speed next to the speed limit and the speed limit indication changes to red if your actual speed is higher. The heads-up also displays navigation commands and the current gear.

Whilst the front of the car is exemplary, the rear seats and luggage space, despite being well finished, are small in stature. If the driver has their seat right back, there is minimal legroom for a rear passenger, and the luggage area is small – getting two sets of golf clubs in would be interesting.

Part of the problem is that there is a very low load height for an SUV between the floor and roof. Fold the back seats down and the space improves, but you may not be able to get larger items in due to this.

If you want a stylish and very comfortable SUV the UX will definitely tick your boxes, but if space for four people and ability to carry a reasonable load is part of your requirements, then the UX may not be the best choice with its

220 l luggage capacity.