Lexus UX

Toyota's Lexus brand continues to cash in on their crossover hits such as the RX and the NX and because most European luxury carmakers pooling in with their smaller crossover offerings such as BMW's X1, Audi's Q2, and Mercedes' GLA, Lexus responds with their smallest crossover offering dubbed the UX. Let's investigate what's what with the new UX.

2019 Lexus UX

2019 Lexus UX

This is Lexus' smallest crossover offering for people who are spending the rest of their free time going to places in the Metro they've never been before. The UX truly responds to the urban city life with its hatchback-like styling which is average by crossover standards, well-minded interior, decent performance, and tech fit for the urban millennials ready to go for more.

For a glorified Toyota C-HR, the UX's styling is quintessentially Lexus indeed from front, center, and back and from every angle, you can really trace the UX's styling from its big brothers such as the NX and the RX. It's all in the family, right? And then, we check on the inside of the UX...

2019 Lexus UX interior

2019 Lexus UX interior

The inside of the UX maybe inspired from the LS but some say, the UX's interior feels somewhat average for a luxury compact crossover so it's hard to take chances with its interior. On the driver's side, toying around with the dashboard is a bit more on the NORMAL level so you may or may not be familiarized with the layout of the UX. There's the steering wheel, the LC-inspired speedo, the Remote Touch that takes time to familiarize with it, the Mark Levinson premium surround sound system, climate controls, everything offered on the UX's dashboard and it takes some reasonable time to toy around with it. On the passenger side, it's not so bad to get into the sweet spot and the boot space is reasonable enough to fit some stuff you bought from the thrift store or from a rummage sale you found on the sat-nav.

2019 Lexus UX

Yes, the Lexus UX is basically a glorified Toyota C-HR because the T-NGA platform underneath is the same one used on the C-HR as well. People who are familiarized with the Toyota C-HR may have the same driving feeling they get on the Lexus UX but what's under the hood is a different story. In the UX200, it's powered by a M20A-FKS 2.0L Dynamic Force 4-cylinder petrol engine producing 174PS of power and 209Nm of torque, mated to a new Direct-Shift-Continuously Variable Transmission which promises a smoother driving feel and when you put your foot hard, it can freely adjust the transmission ratio to simulate gear changes like a multi-gear automatic transmission. Not bad for such gearbox that promises 16.4kmpl of fuel economy combined by WLTP standards.

The UX250h, meanwhile, features the M20A-FXS 2.0L Dynamic Force 4-cylinder petrol engine connected to an electric motor and Ni-Mh battery. It's weird that while most carmakers are adopting Li-ion batteries for their hybrids, Toyota's lagging because of extensive use of Ni-Mh batteries for cost-effective reasons, but let's not talk about it for now because what matters with this hybrid powertrain is that it can be equipped with E-Four electric all-wheel drive, which can actively improve stability by adjusting rear-wheel power to help correct an over- or understeer condition. Sounds nice but if the WLTP combined fuel economy is you're after, the front-wheel drive hybrid variant promises 22.8 while the E-Four can get up to 21.6kmpl.

In terms of dynamics, the UX comes with the Lexus Adaptive Variable Suspension which decreases body roll when cornering and enhances ride comfort over bumpy urban streets. In other words, it's decent to handle and nice to live with while driving on your night out at the City of Dreams, especially when the UX comes with a sophisticated suspension layout that works like a European car, Active Cornering Assist, and Vehicle Stability Control. Behind the wheel, it feels quite normal, and on the passenger side, it feels quite normal also. However, if you go for the F Sport variant, your reaction changes because with all the sporty dynamics actuated for this variant, expect some drama while driving.

Going home after a night out at the City of Dreams, the UX comes ready with the Lexus Safety System+ with All-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Road Sign Assist, Adaptive High-beam System and Intelligent High-Beam headlamps/Automatic High Beam. It also comes with eight airbags, Parking Support Alert, and Parking Support Brake as well for a much safer experience worth noticeable.

Should you buy it? The UX starts at 3,900,000 Yen for the petrol and 4,250,000 Yen for the hybrid variant. It maybe more costly to own than the now-outdated CT200h but it's now the most affordable Lexus to own right now. It's cheaper to own than all of the saloons Lexus offered so it's hard to explain why more and more people are buying SUVs like these and for a glorified Toyota C-HR, the Lexus UX is not half bad to start with and while this is not a very exciting car to drive on your free time, it's one of the most interesting luxury compact crossovers ever to emerge from the land of hybrids. Who wouldn't?

Available colors: Sonic Quartz, Mercury Grey Mica, Platinum Silver Metallic, Sonic Titanium, Black, Graphite Black Glass Flake, Mader Red, Amber Crystal Shine, Blazing Carnelian Contrast Layering, Terrain Khaki Mica Metallic, Celestial Blue Glass Flake, and Heat Blue Contrast Layering.

Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation