UX is LEXUS’ smallest SUV. The lineup is a trio of tasty models with own-goals as names. The base grade is called “luxury”. It is followed by F Sport and Sport Luxury, but that doesn’t tell you very much about what is under the skin.

In short, there are 3 models and 2 drive-trains. A small 2.0L 126kw powers the FWD car, while a hybrid comes in either a Front or All-Wheel-Drive. Both have CVT automatics, which is very far from my favourite transmission, but hey ho.

LEXUS doesn’t have quite the cachet of the Germans, even if it is far more reliable, but that’s brand snobbery for you.

To make the good news even more piquant, every now and then, LEXUS raids the parts bin to put together a special edition. In our case, the extra spit and polish, comes in the form of “Enhancement Pack 2” added to UX Luxury. To add more value, it includes 3 years of Encore Platinum, to form the “Crafted” edition.

Encore P gives you a chance to get into something tasty for a special week away. Let’s say you’re heading to the Alice for a spot of roo-watching. You might fancy the 4-wheel freedom of an LX. Or, if you’re taking your babe away for a naughty weekend, you could take an LC500 coupe or convertible.

TOP TIP: If you do the latter, pack light.

All up, you get 4 swaps in 3 years, of up to 8 days each. I’d suggest using all 8 days each time, just because.

Get your Full Specifications and Brochure HERE: UX_eBrochure

The pack 2 additions are:

Power Tailgate
Wireless phone charging
Cornering lamps
Alloy scuff plates
Headlamp washer
Privacy glass
LED Fog Lamps
Roof Rails
Smart Entry
DAB+ Digital Radio
Blind Spot Monitor
Parking Support Brake (PKSB), including Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
Optional 18″ Alloy wheels with 225/50RF18 95V Dunlop run-flat tyres ($1,595)

Above: This Week 2021 LEXUS UX “Crafted Edition”  FULL Review

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ABOVE: LEXUS UX Small SUV

The metalwork is all loud and proud

In modern LEXUS parlance, the more slashes, bumps and bulges, the better. It just works.

UX manages to pack a lot of sex appeal into a small space. The waterfall grille has a 3-d effect poured into an hourglass shape. It could look like the gaping mouth of a whale were it not for the punctuation of the number plate.

The proportions are just right, from any angle. In fact, UX has the loveliest proportions of any LEXUS SUV, though the bigger NX, comes close. UX manages to mix gym-fit-butch, with Prada-sunglass posh.

Rear lights curve up and away from the rump, standing proud of the body. It is highly unusual to see this artistry expressed on such a vulnerable part, in such a vulnerable material. It is a delight to see the designer’s pen make the leap from paper to production. The arrays form part of a light bar across the rear, which is a joy to behold.

The sparkling blue paint job makes the striking exterior even more shouty. My only complaint is around at the front end, where the LED headlights lack the bejewelled loveliness of the Matrix upgrade in the top models. It wouldn’t kill LEXUS to chuck them in for free, surely. The only saving grace is that they look fab regardless.

18” wheels are high gloss jet black, and finish the handsome look with the finesse of shiny buttons on a Chanel suit. But that’s not all folks, oh no. The roof is crowned by a fine set of rails. It gives people the impression you’re the active type who does bike racks, or one of those cool top-box thingies.

Get your Full Specifications and Brochure HERE: UX_eBrochure

The cabin is a triumph, if you ignore the clunky infotainment system.

UX “Crafted” blue interior highlights make the bijou cabin feel rather special. Some think LEXUS cabins are overdone, but they’re wrong, and that’s an end to it. Crafted Editions get special nips and tucks that are not normally seen in the less-posh models.

The interior design is strewn with technology beneath a veneer good taste. The leather accented front seats are heated (not cooled) and have an embossed pattern of V-shaped scales. There is a crispness and precision that defines a concept not ruined by its realisation. The only weakness was hard plastic at the window sills of the rear doors. Shame on you LEXUS. Never fear, since there won’t be anyone in the back, it hardly matters.

The driver gets dials replaced by an LCD screen, flanked on the right, by a couple of conventional fuel and oil indicators.

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, LEXUS’ appalling infotainment system. UX has no touch input, so punters must persist with pressing the pad, but fully hands-free Apple Carplay (via USB) somewhat makes up for those shortcomings. The speakers, while not the Mark Levinson upgrade, still sound deliciously rich. Other menus are best not tackled on the move as they take quite some fettling, and that’s my last word on the matter.

UX is compact, so don’t buy it expecting a ball room.

Get your Full Specifications and Brochure HERE: UX_eBrochure

Driving is total bliss.

I have to keep pinching myself to remind myself that I’m not actually in a sports car. While it’s true that a lot of gay buyers look for a brand, many just want a place to keep a dog safe, while on the way to the dog park. I would argue that a Japanese brand comes with less baggage than some of the Euro-Snobs.

There’s no getting away from UX’s puny engine. What little power there is, is sapped by the abomination visited on us by the CVT. So, you might think the drive is a disaster, but not a bit of it. I started with the difficult bits, to make the rest all the more piquant.

Steering is light and breezy without feeling like it is completely disinterested in the trip. Goldilocks brakes have just the right amount of feeling, but it is the ride that is most worthy of mention. On most surfaces, the front MacPherson struts, and rear Trailing Wishbones, iron out the hideous misdemenours foisted upon us by decades of government neglect.

After sinking the Choo into the Axminster, the engine screams for mercy as the CVT raises revs for maximum effect. Under most circumstances, the CVT will use 10 stepped ratios, but you can clearly hear that isn’t the case in our video, so we’ll leave that there.

Twisty bits are a joy. The compact body shifts a little here and there, but you never feel like the UX is going to have you backwards into a shrubbery. She sticks to the road like a cat on carpet.

Sadly, lockdown meant our drives were kept to a dull roar, but there was still plenty highway/freeway work to test out the gizmos. The nannies warn you of zones, lights, and cameras, but it sounds like a hundred Avon ladies calling. It gets old fast, so turn it off and be done with it.

Lane centering only works when Active Cruise is switched on, which is rather odd. The rest of the time, UX will stop you crossing lines when you don’t mean to. Likewise, the Blind Spot Monitor gets cranky and tries to warn, then prevent you from changing lanes when someone is where you can’t see them.

The Cruise Control is good, but unless someone is in front of you on a hill, requires a dab of brake. If you don’t, the speed builds. Eventually, the lady in the dash has the temerity to sound an over-speed warning, when she is the one who allowed it to happen in the first place. The unmitigated cheek of her!

On the open road, you feel like you could keep driving, and still feel as fresh as Mint Julip when you get out.

Around town, UX feels frisky. She is easy to park and feels as smooth as a Swiss watch. I had cause to fill the tank from near empty, and was stunned to find it took slightly more than an eye-dropper’s worth. I checked my facts, to find it is a 47-litre tank. I’ve had bigger glasses of beer!

UX is fairly frugal, and we managed around 6.1L/100k of joyous driving.

Finally, it would be churlish of me not to mention the quiet cabin, even at speed. There is the merest hint of wind around the A-Pillar, which increases to a breezy roar with the sunroof open.

Get your Full Specifications and Brochure HERE: UX_eBrochure

Conclusion:

The normal price for a UX Luxury + Pack 2 is $48,175. The price for “Crafted”, which is a UX Luxury + Pack 2 + Encore platinum is $55,075. UX Crafted costs many more shekels than the Luxury with Pack 2, so those 32 days in an LC, LS, or LX had better be worthwhile. Assuming the buyer wants some prepaid steering time in the regal luxury of a top LEXUS, then the price is a bargain.

She is very pretty, a great drive, and sips like a teetotal.

Price: $55,075

Engine: 4-cyl (non-turbo)

Power: 126kw/205Nm

Econ: 5.8L/100k

CO2: 132g/k

Trans: Direct Shift-CVT

Tank: 47L

Drive Wheels: Front

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