Toyota has delivered its latest Lexus UX model in Electric form.  This snazzy SUV has one of the more striking designs on the road, in keeping with many of the other stylish modern Lexus vehicles we see out there.  This is Lexus’s first pure EV offering.

A walk around the car allows you time to appreciate the pleasing style that the new Lexus UX Electric SUV brings to the fore.  It isn’t a big SUV by any stretch of the imagination.  It is small-to medium, really.  Lexus call their first electric vehicle the Lexus UX300e, and the small SUV boasts a front grille and LED headlight design that captures your attention quicker than any other SUV in the market.  At the rear, you can see the design team’s skill at work with the rear lighting design, which stretches right across the width of the boot lid to grab your attention.  In between the front and the rear of the car is a sweeping roofline and a nice muscular waistline with flared wheel arches for more road presence.  All in all, it’s a fine work of art by the skilled Lexus team.

Inside the cabin, the Lexus UX300e has an opulent interior that is pleasant on the eye.  The seats boast very classy leather upholstery, and the flagship models can have a quilted effect on the seats as well as the dash and door surfaces.  The new Lexus UX300e has plenty of buttons and switchgear, and the steering wheel also presents a section of quick access buttons.  The 7.0-inch infotainment screen on the base model looks good and works well, though there are better systems out there if you really care about graphics and speed of infotainment systems.  Top end models run with a larger 10.25-inch infotainment screen.  Both options are angled slightly towards the driver, adding to the care Lexus has taken to ensure the driving experience is rewarding and involving.  Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and satellite navigation is all there and works just fine.  Premium models get the fancy leather upholstery, keyless entry and wireless phone charging.

You will have no problems finding a comfortable driving position for you own body shape.  The Lexus UX300e is able to cater for tall and short people alike.  You get a sense of sitting quite low inside the smaller UX SUV shape, which gives an impression of a sportier driving position.  Lexus seats are extremely comfortable, so long periods in the driver’s seat is no difficult task.  There’s a decent range of adjustment in the driver’s seat, and the steering wheel slides forward and back as well as up and down to match.

Rear seat passenger space is a little tighter for taller folk; the back seat able to accommodate two full grown adults much easier than if you tried three across the rear seats.  They are fine for kids, of course.  The middle seat is narrow and there’s a hump in the floor, restricting space for a tall adult’s legs.  That said, you’ll find an armrest which will fold down to reveal a couple of cupholders, and there is also a bin in the centre console for storing items.  Flip the armrest down, and the two window seats are decent.

Boot space is not huge, but the square shape is able to happily swallow 367 litres of luggage when the rear seats are locked in place.  There is a cubby space under the floor for cables and what have you.  Of course, the back rests can be folded flat for more cargo carrying capacity, but at the expense of providing big Stuart his car pooling experience.  After some thought, I’d say the UX300e is perfect for a couple heading away for the weekend.  It’s a really nice car to drive that offers a lovely cabin experience, is quiet and refined, riding nicely on any road surface.

In case you were wondering what the UX means, it stands for Urban Crossover, making it clear straightaway that this SUV is for the urban jungle and not the Outback.  The new Lexus UX300e has an official driving range of up to around 300 km, making the Outback a little out of anyways.  If you can plug it in to a 50 kW charger, you can have it charged to 80% in 50 minutes or so.  A 7 kW home charger sees a full charge for a flat battery in around 8 hours.

The UX300e offers a supple ride that soaks up all the road undulations with ease.  The decent suspension along with comfortable seats makes this a refined and relaxed drive.  0-100 km/h takes around 8 seconds or slightly less, so you get along quite nicely about town or on the open road commute.

The Lexus UX was first introduced in Australia in November 2018, and, in November 2021, this new Lexus UX 300e model has become available.  Dual front, side chest-protecting, side head-protecting (curtain airbags), and knee airbags are standard items.  So too is autonomous emergency braking and lane keep assist with lane departure warning on all variants.  ANCAP crash testing rated the UX a very high 5-star.

The 2022 Lexus UX300e goes quickly up against rivals like the Jaguar I-PACE, Volvo XC40 Recharge, BMW iX3, Mercedes EQC, and even a premium Kia Niro, MG ZS EV, Mazda MX-30 or Hyundai Kona.  Take one for a drive and see why the Lexus UX300e might be the best new EV for you.

The 2022 Lexus UX models include the:

• Lexus UX300e

For any more information on a new Lexus UX300e or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181.  If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Lexus dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!