Lexus UX: Prestige but at a price

What is it?

The Lexus UX range of compact SUVs has been on sale in Australia since 2019, originally as the UX 250 with the choice of petrol or hybrid powertrains.

A fully electric variant was added in 2021 with the current UX 300 replacing the UX 250 and dropping the petrol option.

The UX 300e was discontinued earlier this year.

We’re told the name stands for Urban Explorer which, sort of, identifies its target audience.

A compact SUV, the UX 300 sits on the same platform as the Toyota Corolla hatch, Corolla Cross and C-HR SUV.

What’s it cost?

Although classed as a compact SUV the UX 300h is 4.5 metres long and so just 10 cm shorter and 15 cm lower than the Toyota RAV4, giving it more of a hatchback than an SUV profile.

The UX 300h hybrid comes in three variants: Luxury, Sports Luxury and F Sport.

Prices range from $55,370 for the 300h 2WD Luxury through to $73,210 for the AWD F Sport.

Luxury is front-wheel drive only, the higher-spec models adding the option of all-wheel drive.

On-road costs need to be added.

Optional Enhancement Packs are available with additional features over those that are standard in the particular models.

These range from $2050 through to $5600 with the F Sport.

Our test vehicle was the UX 300h Sports Luxury.

The front of the UX 300h is dominated by the characteristic Lexus ‘spindle’ grille with vertical fins on the outer edges and eyebrow-like LED headlights and vertical.

Standard in all models are heated and powered folding door mirrors, rear privacy glass, roof rails and a shark fin antenna.

F Sport gets its own design for its front and rear bumper, F Mesh grille, jet black plating and front fender emblems.

A moonroof with opening tilt and slide function is standard on the AWD Sports Luxury and F Sport and available through Enhancement Packs in the other variants.

UX 300h Luxury comes with 17-inch alloy wheels; Sports Luxury and F Sport get 18-inch alloys of differing designs.

Up to 10 exterior colours are available depending on the variant.

A 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen supports full smartphone pairing including wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

The digital instrument cluster is also 12.3-inch and can be customised according to driver preferences.

Luxury and 2WD Sports Luxury get a 10-Speaker Lexus Premium Sound System, with AM/FM radio, MP3 and WMA (Windows Media Audio) compatibility

Sports Luxury and F Sport graduate to a 13-Speaker Mark Levinson premium system, with Clari-FI and Quantum Logic Surround.

Safety starts with eight airbags include driver and front passenger dual stage, driver and passenger knee bags, driver and front passenger side airbags and left and right full curtain protection.

The Lexus Safety System+ is the brand’s Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) that uses sensors, cameras and radars to alert drivers on potential problems.

It includes a pre-collision safety system with pedestrian and daylight cyclist detection, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, road sign assist, blind sport monitoring and parking support.

Other safety features include rear cross-traffic alert, hill start assist, low tyre pressure warning, rear ISOFix child seat anchors and rear seat occupant reminder.

F-Sport and Sports Luxury add auto-levelling three-eye Bi-Beam LED headlights.

What’s it go like?

The cabin of the UX 300 has a premium look and feel, which is expected from any Lexus vehicle.

The front seats are comfortable and supportive with synthetic leather in F-Sport and Sports Luxury. The entry level Luxury gets Nulux interior trim.

All models come with 10-way power adjustment for the driver and eight-way for the front passenger. All are heated but only the F-Sport and Sports Luxury are cooled.

The steering wheel is powered with both height and reach adjustment.

Switches for the seat heaters and seat ventilation are integrated into the upper console.

Leather-accented steering wheel and gear knob are standard in all variants.

Power is provided by a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder direct petrol injection engine producing 112kW of power and 188Nm of torque.

This is backed by a permanent-magnet motor and a lightweight lithium- ion battery, giving combined maximum outputs of 146kW and 206Nm.

This is put to ground through an electronic continuously variable automatic transmission and all-wheel drive system.

F-Sport and Sports Luxury AWD variants come with the Lexus E-Four system.

This uses a dedicated electric motor mounted to the rear axle to automatically provide extra grip in slippery conditions.

Although it’s a relatively small vehicle it’s easy to get into and out of thanks to large doors and a fairly high ground clearance.

There is a colour head-up display but it only comes with Enhancement Packages in the F- Sport and Sports Luxury.

On the road the Lexus UX 300h is quiet inside, at least on smooth bitumen.

It’s versatile, easy to manoeuvre around town but not challenged on motorways, where it’s reasonably smooth and can be pushed hard without biting back.

The transmission is smooth with instant response. In manual mode switching between 3rd, 4th and 5th gears keeps the engine in the preferred power zone at all times.

The steering is relatively light with a nice level of feedback.

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Handling is neutral, thanks to a low centre of gravity, with progressive breakaway, controlled with some steering input, but some tyre squeal is evident during tight cornering.

The brakes are well-balanced although a bit too aggressive for our taste.

There are three drive modes: Eco, Normal, and Sport. Eco mode maximises fuel savings across all driving conditions by smoothing the throttle response and by moderating air conditioning operation.

Normal mode provides an optimal balance between driving performance and fuel efficiency.

Sport Mode delivers quicker throttle response and increased power steering feel.

Fuel consumption is listed as 4.4L/100km on the combined cycle. We averaged a tad under 5.0L/100km during our test.

What we like?

Large colour choice
Easy to get into and out of
Premium look and feel
Mark Levinson premium sound

What we don’t like?

Head-up display optional
Brakes a bit too aggressive
Tyre squeal during tight cornering

The bottom line?

Comparisons between Toyota and Lexus models are inevitable, often coming down to comparing the cost/benefit analysis between similar vehicles.

In the case of the Lexus UX 300h it sits around the same size as the Corolla Cross SUV which costs almost $20,000 less.

Both are hybrids with the same powertrain including an all-wheel drive option.

The UX brings the higher level of prestige and extra quality that’s expected from any Lexus vehicle, but is that, together with the different badge, enough to justify the 20-grand price hike?