2019 Lexus UXBrian Harper / Driving Sport-cutes, faux-by-fauxes, crossovers; belittle them all your want, but theyre all the rage, especially in the entry-level luxury segment. Indeed, there appears to be no limits to how small you can make these soft-roaders, as long as they sport a recognizable that should be read pretentious badge and some fancy leather. Hence why, despite already having the cuter-than-thou NX in its lineup, Lexus recently released in its UX, an SUV so small that it feels like it could fit in the glove box of a Suburban. Yes, it really is petite, at least by sport-brute standards.If calling them crossovers or SUVs is what it takes to notice hatchbacks, so be itLexus bills the new UX as a crossover, another of those soft-roaders that trade on the robustness of the classic SUV, but offer the familiarity of a passenger car. But, the line betwixt car and crossover has been blurring lately and nowhere more so perhaps than in this baby Lexus. For all intents and purposes, this is a hatchback with a little more ground clearance and a butch grille.Thats no insult, as said pseudo car status result in excellent space utilization and surprisingly because were all still getting used to Lexus new performance push good handling while still looking butch enough for urban adventurers. Im not sure if this trick is going to work, but so far, consumers have proven willing to buy anything as long as you bill it as something that claims some sport and a modicum of utility.The interior is truly incredible I just finished testing a $44,599 Ford Escape Titanium, a sport-cute whose cabin I lauded for its dramatic improvement over its predecessor. It cant hold a candle to the UXs interior, which is as luxurious if not more so than anything Ive seen in this segment. The leather used in the seats is worthy of a full-float luxury sedan. Ditto for the dashboard, which really feels it should be in an LS rather than a bargain-basement for a luxury marque hatchback passing itself off as a sport-cute.The ergonomics are also well thought-out. The controls the traction control and drive mode switches placed on the upper binnacle around the gauge cluster were a good idea when Nissan tried it on its iconic 300ZX sports car and theyre still an advantage compared with reaching over to centre console, or further cluttering of the turn signal stalk. Lexus still relies on more buttons than most automakers who have succumbed to the allure of touchscreens, both the climate controls and audio system having fully physical switchgear. This last is truly innovative; the radio controls are set back in a little pod atop the centre console.To minimize distraction, the volume knob is at the front of the pod while the tuning control is on its side, making operating the audio system so easy that you never have to take your eyes off the road or reach for the dashboard. In fact, if you are particularly ADDd who, me? you can operate both the volume control (with your middle finger) and the tuning knob (with your thumb) simultaneously.Better yet, the little pod also has two little buttons on either side again, well placed so that they can be operated by thumb, and this time, the ring finger so you can toggle up and down the station spectrum even more easily. These are, by far, the best radio controls I have ever tested on any car, regardless of the marque, segment, or price. Well done Lexus: more convenient and less distraction!Well done, Lexus; more convenience and less distraction!These exemplary controls are probably a good thing. Lexus insisted on staying with the touchpad control system for its infotainment systems; its much improved in its iteration, but at best, it takes some getting used to, and at worst, some will never make their peace with it. Its the only sticking point, however, to the best interior in this entry-level luxury segment. It could use a little more gutsLexus offers the UX in two guises the base, front-wheel-drive UX200, and the top-of-the-line UX250h Hybrid. Both use small, 2.0-litre four-bangers for motivation and neither, as is so common in this segment nowadays, is turbocharged. That means, while some players in this segment boast more than 200 horsepower, the base UX200 claims but 168. Even the UX250h, with the addition of two small electric motors only nets out at 181 horsepower. Perhaps more damaging is that the base UX200 is purely front-wheel-drive, no AWD option available. The UX250h, having an electric motor powering the rear axle, directs at least some power to all four wheels.It may not be as damaging as those numbers indicate, though. Despite the lack of forced induction, the little 2.0L has enough low-end guts for pretty much everything short of serious hooliganism. Its also decently quiet and smooth. In fact, the only flaw in its comportment is that Lexus, always concerned about efficiency and fuel economy, has paired the small four-cylinder with a CVT.
Origin: 5 things we learned driving the 2019 Lexus UX200