LEXUS UX300h AWD – APPLIED SCIENCE

LEXUS UX300h AWD

APPLIED SCIENCE

Few are knockin’ the doors down to get one. In the 35+ years that comprise the history of the Lexus brand, perhaps no Lexus model has gone about the business of transport more quietly than the UX300h, and that’s considering the brand’s first accessible 4-door, the Camry-based ES250, launched during the first George Bush administration. If we assume the ‘U’ means urban and the ‘X’ references crossover, the smallest, most affordable Lexus is what many Americans need, but far fewer want. This, then, is for those that might want it…

In updating its designation from ‘250’ to ‘300’, the smallest Lexus receives a bump in total power to 196, along with a new hybrid transaxle and lighter weight lithium-ion battery. The press release tells me that these changes infuse the updated UXh with dynamic attitude; regrettably, I drive these press loan cars for only a week, and as this is written I’m still searching for the attitude. With that, if your expectations are appropriate to a small, efficient, urban-oriented (it has just six inches of ground clearance – a credible SUV will typically offer eight) hatch, I can’t imagine you’ll be disappointed – you can always find ‘dynamic attitude’ in the aftermarket – or a Mission: Impossible download.

In the walk-up you might easily confuse the UXh sheetmetal with that of Subaru’s Crosstrek. Both vehicles boast easy-to-park footprints (the Lexus is 177 inches long sitting on a wheelbase of 104 inches), both feature somewhat angular (but well short of the Cybertruck) sheetmetal, and both provide owners with the fender cladding that is apparently de rigueur when navigating shopping malls with gravel lots.

Finished in what Lexus labels Copper Crest metallic, the color was pleasantly distinctive, although I gotta’ admit it had me searching for a pronoun. The good news for the UX prospect is that the smallish hatch can be as feminine or masculine as you want to make it, but probably rolls best in that gender-neutral category so popular in our junior high schools. And while a $40K hatch is – for many – a tad too expensive to pass onto your kid, if he/she/they get that full ride to university…why not?

Inside, comfortable seating for four (although rear seating is tight…it’s not a Grand Highlander) is accessible through a comfortable step-in which is neither up nor down…just comfortable. Once inside you’ll enjoy dual-zone climate control, leather-trimmed steering wheel, manual folding rear seats and luggage cover. The real win is for those of you with activities like cycling. With the rear seat(s) folded you can easily fit a road bike without removing the front wheel, helped in no small way by the easy liftover provided by the low load floor. You could, of course, get a hitch-mounted or roof-mounted rack, but if it’s just you…don’t bother!

Behind that leather-wrapped wheel don’t expect the level of engagement that ‘dynamic attitude’ might suggest; I’d call it simply benign. But in a day or days of errand running and/or the commute, there’s nothing wrong with the level of interaction or feedback. The UX300h is a comfortable conveyance with adequate acceleration (Car and Driver arrived at 60 in 7.7 seconds) and a comfortable cruising capability if – and only if – you can handle the drone from its CVT transmission. In hybrids the trans is typically a CVT, and those (again, more often than not) tend to drone. The UX300h’s CVT certainly isn’t the worst, and if you’re listening to the Beatles Channel you may not even notice. Regrettably, it’s not a DSG or conventional automatic. 

In opening the hood or, for me, reading the press information, you’ll find two liters of DOHC Atkinson cycle four delivering – by its ownself – 150 horsepower and 139 lb-ft of torque. Add electric motors and the total is bumped to 196 maximum horsepower and a maximum speed – which reads like a typo – of 177! With any luck, if such a speed is achieved your attorney is riding with you…and you’ve pre-ordered a Presidential pardon.

The reason, of course, for this ingenuity (enginuity?) is efficiency, and given its comfort and capability, the UX300h delivers. With the available all-wheel drive of our test vehicle, the UX300h promises an EPA-estimated 44 City/40 Hwy/42 Combined. And while that falls short of the Prius, the Toyota hybrid – in any of its iterations – delivers little more in its customer waiting area than hard chairs and low-octane coffee. At a Lexus store you’ll enjoy better coffee, and perhaps can grab a bagel.

With a base price of $41K and an as-tested price of $45K, the UX300h in Premium trim with all-wheel drive is two or three stories removed from bargain basement. But if, on close examination, you like what it delivers, well…it’ll undoubtedly deliver what you like.