The Drive Takes Out the UX 200 and UX 250h

Urban Explorer

The 2019 Lexus UX is billed as a nimble urban explorer and will serve as the brand's latest entry-level product, slotting in just below the half-size larger Lexus NX. The Drive was on hand in Stockholm, Sweden, to test drive both versions of the 2019 Lexus UX, the conventionally powered UX 200, and the hybrid UX 250h. 

2019 Lexus UX Details and Availability

The UX 200 is powered by a 2.0L inline four-cylinder engine offering 169-hp and 151-lb-ft of torque, it will be available in front-wheel drive only. It's hybrid sibling, the UX 250h, uses an Atkinson cycle version of the same engine that makes 143-hp and 133-lb-ft of torque, but gets front and rear electric motors for a combined system output of 175 hp. 

Pricing for the UX 200 starts at $32,000, and $34,000 for the UX 250h. The 2019 UX 200 will be available at dealerships in December 2018, while the UX 250h is scheduled to arrive at dealers in January 2019.  

>>Join the conversation about the new UX models right here at ClubLexus Forum!

Urban Xennials

Lexus is working hard to attract the "Xenial" demographic, those with an analog childhood and digital adulthood. Basically, people born between 1977 and 1983. The Drive describes them as "horrific images of aspirational middle management—women doing yoga on piers, smiling men holding cameras or gesturing at laptops."

Lexus says themselves "the UX will not only be their first Lexus but also their first luxury vehicle." It's a car clearly designed for the confines of urban life where things like comfort, parking ability, safety tech to save you from your distraction, compactness, agility, and cost efficiency reign supreme. 

>>Join the conversation about the new UX models right here at ClubLexus Forum!

2019 UX Exterior

The proportions are deemed "decent enough" and the 2019 Lexus UX's rather busy designed is deemed a plus in the downtown jungle, crowded with hundreds of thousands of other cars "the ability to stand out quickly is appreciated."

What makes the 2019 Lexus UX stand out on crowded streets is the selection of bright and fun paint colors scattered among the 12 available to UX shoppers. The bodywork is "easy to notice but hard to take in" partially because of the big chunks of exterior plastic, in particular, the wheel arches. However, the rear of the car is the "cleanest angle and the most futuristic," with particular affection shown for the long light signature created by a thin horizontal band connecting the brake lights. 

Even the grille is given praise for the beveled details that make up the spindle grille, "there is a depth and texture lacking on many modern grilles."

 >>Join the conversation about the new UX models right here at ClubLexus Forum!

2019 UX Interior

Because it's the least expensive Lexus, don't expect it to offer the same levels of material quality as range toppers like the LS or LC. The simplicity helps the UX's cabin by being clean and understated, with a durable, soft textured material called washi, named after a piece of Japanese paper. The UX is an easy car to get in and out from, and the seats are "supportive without being hard, and soft without being mushy."

The Human Machine Interface infotainment system is odd and finicky as ever. The control pad at least now offers external audio controls integrated into the armrest with scroll wheels or push buttons for the channel, volume, and source. Unfortunately, "the trackpad is frustratingly imprecise, and the display tends toward the overcomplicated."

The 2019 UX also gets Apple CarPlay, but not Android Auto, and that's because roughly 80 percent of Lexus buyers use Apple products. Lastly, Amazon's home-assistant, Alexa, has been integrated into the 2019 Lexus UX, you can use the service to order Amazon products from your car, there's also supposed to be WiFi as an available option.  

>>Join the conversation about the new UX models right here at ClubLexus Forum!

2019 UX Driving Impressions

The 2019 Lexus UX is the first Lexus built on the company's new Global Architecture Compact platform, which is rigid, lightweight, and offers a low center of gravity. 

Accordingly, the 2019 UX "feels small and it moves quick—especially the hybrid version, which gets a bit more juice from the pair of electric motors." Of importance for city life, the UX has a petite 34-foot turning circle. Even with the low power metrics, the 2019 UX manages to be "quiet and comfortable on the highway."

Unfortunately, the car's claimed Sequential Shift feature wasn't terribly impressive. Instead of offering the responsive engine braking force promised by the press release, it offers no feeling at all from the continuously-variable transmission sourced from the Toyota Corolla. 

>>Join the conversation about the new UX models right here at ClubLexus Forum!

Safety and Stuff

The 2019 Lexus UX offers the Lexus Safety System 2.0 as standard equipment. Included in the suite is a pre-collision system with pedestrian detection, radar cruise control, lane-departure alert with steering assist, lane tracing assist, road sign assist, and intelligent high beams. There's also eight standard airbags and run-flat tires. 

There's also Predictive Deceleration Support technology on UX 250h models, which can be turned on when using navigation functions. It uses accumulated data about how and where and when you drive in order to predict the next time the car will slow down or stop. So when the driver releases the accelerator near a place that's associated with stopping or slowing, PDS increases regenerative braking. It will also help with braking on long downhill descents. 

>>Join the conversation about the new UX models right here at ClubLexus Forum!

Is the 2019 UX For You?

The Drive concludes that the 2019 UX "is a focused vehicle purpose-built for a specific customer." To be frank, that customer isn't really that common in America, the UX is mainly aimed at European markets where small crossovers from Volvo, Mercedes, Audi, and BMW all reign supreme among the instagram-istas and bro-grammers crowd. But hey, if you like the styling, it's apparently quiet enough, practical enough, and affordable enough to warrant a look.  

>>Join the conversation about the new UX models right here at ClubLexus Forum!

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