Lexus UX – charged with style

THE floodgates may have opened long ago but Lexus believes there’s still plenty of scope for the right product to rise to the top of the ever-expanding SUV pile.

That’s because people desire style, they aspire to something more premium and they want to embrace a greener, more responsible, way of driving without necessarily going the whole hog with a fully electric vehicle.

In the UX compact SUV the Japanese brand has just the model to fulfil that criteria, while at the same time attracting young families wanting an agile, felixible car and also people wishing to downsize from larger vehicles.

The UX comes as either a self-charging hybrid powered by a 2.0-litre petrol engine mated to an electric motor and with a continuously variable (CVT) transmission, or in the form of the new UX300e – the first fully electric Lexus.

The hybrid boasts a total power output of 181bhp and can accelerate from 0-62 in 8.5 seconds (8.7 for E-Four all-wheel drive versions), and on to a potential 110mph – so for a compact SUV the performance is more than adequate.

And as a self-charging hybrid it doesn’t need to be plugged in for recharging and has no issues over driving range. In fact it can be driven at up to 70mph in fully electric mode relying entirely on battery power.

Better still, in everyday city conditions we were able to use that electric power for almost half of each trip and our average fuel return was pretty much the same as the official Lexus figure of 47 miles per gallon.

It’s a smooth and relaxing car to drive too, benefiting from a low centre of gravity and refined suspension tuning, the upshot being terrific handling allied to trademark Lexus ride comfort.

Five drive modes add to the UX experience, allowing you to tailor the car’s characteristics between Normal, Eco, Sport S, Sport Plus and Custom.

Compact SUVs aren’t generally the sharpest looking vehicles on the road but the UX bucks the trend with its dynamic profile while its cabin has been designed to feel more like a luxury saloon, but with crossover versatility and a raised seating position.

The materials, notably the finish of the soft, perforated leather seats, are of top notch quality as well as being eight-way power adjustable.

According to Lexus the springs and foam in the cushions were specially constructed to envelop the occupant and diffuse pressure under the sciatic area – so there’s a genuine benefit for sufferers of back or leg pain.

The cabin is spacious too, the only downside concerning a centre rear passenger who can find shoulder room quite tight, though to be fair the seating position is level rather than perched and also soft.

Our tested model was in F Sport trim – middle of the three equipment grades, UX, F Sport and Takumi – and included some stand-out styling features like an exclusive black spindle grille design, larger foglamp bezels and a smarter rear bumper.

Inside, the dash gets a movable meter ring originally in the Lexus LFA supercar and which allows the driver to change the display by pushing a switch on the steering wheel.

Sports seats, a leather-covered F Sport steering wheel, leather-trimmed shift knob, aluminium footrest and aluminium pedals are also part of the package.

And the Takumi Pack upgrade includes all the comprehensive content of the optional Premium Plus and Tech & Safety Packs, together with front seat ventilation, a Mark Levinson 13-speaker Premium sound system, Lexus Navigation, a sunroof, door mirror memory settings and 360-degree camera.

It all comes at a cost though, taking the tab to a hefty £42,450 for a model that actually starts at £29,995 – and you get plenty of standard kit with that entry level UX 250h model.