A quick drive in Lexus’ first pure EV, the UX 300e

Just ahead of the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show and debut of the backswept and wild-looking Lexus LF-30 concept, Lexus announced that it would shortly release its first-ever production battery electric vehicle (BEV).

To calm the ripples of excitement, the U.S. PR reps at Lexus privately told us that it wouldn't be for the U.S. market, and that it would be a variant of an already existing vehicle—and not on an all-new or dedicated EV platform. Even more off the record, one rep suggested we'd be totally underwhelmed, as the vehicle was clearly not fit for the U.S. market.

Even still, Lexus gave us a quick drive of the new Lexus UX 300e, around the wooded and twisty handling track at its Higashi-Fuji proving grounds, just outside of Nagoya, Japan. Steady rain and winds from a coming typhoon restricted speeds to only 60 kph (37 mph) and only a couple of laps, so while this write-up is quite limited, we did come away relatively impressed with the electric SUV.

What Lexus has done is low-key, straightforward, and not particularly fancy; engineers started with the UX 250h hybrid and removed the engine (a 2.0-liter turbo in the U.S. ), replacing it with an electric motor that powers the front wheels. Unlike the UX 250h, the Lexus UX 300e is front-drive only.

The batteries in the UX 250h are positioned below the rear seat, but in the UX electric crossover, the pack is larger and spans the floor under the passenger compartment, in a single stack under the front row of seats and double stacked under the second row. Total capacity of this pack is 53 kilowatt-hours, which is good for a range of approximately 258 miles on the European NEDC cycle. In the U.S., this would likely equate to less on our EPA cycle.

Lexus engineers claim the low position of both batteries and motor shift the center of gravity; from roughly the driver's knee, down and back to about the driver's seat. Weight distribution is 54:46 for the Lexus UX 300e, an improvement over the gasoline version which was 59:41. Once it's going, it is Lexus quiet, too, with amplified sounds of its electric powertrain piped in via the sound system.

On Higashi-Fuji's rainy, twisty handling course, the Lexus UX 300e drives like… well, a Lexus. It's quiet, smooth, with no surprises. I managed to goose the electric throttle to over the requested speed limit, and found exactly the kind of EV response you'd expect; immediate, seamless, and effort free. I could not verify if the handling was any sportier, thanks to the lower and more even weight distribution, but it was perfectly acceptable for a front-drive, premium subcompact crossover. Also quite nice: There doesn't seem to be any kind of packaging penalty with the switch to an EV powertrain. The rear seats don't seem any higher and there is no apparent intrusion into the cabin or cargo area.

Perhaps our initial expectations were set too low, but the UX electric crossover is pleasingly boring in the best way possible. I surmise that if Lexus sold the UX EV to the U.S., many potential shoppers would take it on a test drive and maybe even home, without realizing that it is powered by electrons and not gas.

So why won't Lexus bring what seems to be a perfectly acceptable BEV to the U.S., particularly one for the super-hot small CUV segment? Well for one thing, Lexus product planners were apparently concerned that the brand would face criticism for not having the flash, range, and performance of those scene stealers at Tesla. There is also the issue of price; the UX EV's Guangzhou motor show reveal did not specify the price, but we have to think that UX EV would have to start over the UX 250h hybrid's starting price of roughly $36,000. A nicely equipped UX 250h runs for about $40,000, and any more than that, Lexus would step right into Tesla Model 3 territory. It's unlikely Lexus wants to take on the best-selling luxury brand (and model) on the market with this low-key EV.

Still, we think there is a market for luxury EVs that don't wear their kilowatt hours on their sleeve, so to speak. Until recently, Lexus vehicles were generally known for being smooth, quiet, reserved, almost imperceptible, in every way. Why not also in virtue signaling for the EV ag