2019 Lexus UX250h buying review
Hi everyone, today I will review the Lexus UX250h, a five door cross over from Lexus. The car was introduced to the market in january 2019. This car is quite luxurious, Lexus uses good materials and the car looks and feels premium. Alright, the looks will grow on you, in my opinion it is not an ugly car but definitely not very pretty. But if I compare it to other Japanese cars, this car has looks that grow on you, the tail and front are not bad to look at.
The interior is quite beautiful, the car has two screens, one for the navigation and entertainment system and one with all information you need as a driver. Funny is that almost everything is displayed digitally except the fuel and temperature gauge.
The car has a higher seating position that benefits some older people, another advantage is the good all round visibility of the road and other road users.
The electric engine in the car supports the petrol engine, if you pull away from traffic lights and do not floor the gas pedal, the electric engine will pull the car from a standstill to about 30 KM an hour. This all safes fuel. In my opinion pulling away on electric power is too slow for modern day traffic, but if you are not in a rush and it’s not busy on the road, this will definitely work like a charm. Also when driving a stable speed, sometimes the petrol engine will shut down and the electric engine takes over.
This car has a 2.0 liter 4 cylinder engine that produces 152 HP, Lexus adds a electric engine that produces 109 HP. You will not even feel this transition, so that is quite a good achievement.
I drove the car for about 200 KM and I drove on a mixture of roads, ending up with the combined consumption figure of 5 liters on 100 KM. That is pretty good for a car that weighs 1515 Kilos. This car is about saving fuel and reducing emissions while still offering a good drive.
The car has two driving modes, and ECO mode and a sports mode.
I can definitely feel the difference between the two modes, in sports mode this car transforms to a sports utility vehicle. Accelerating from 0 to 100 KM/h or 0 to 60 miles an hour can be done in 8,5 seconds.Not bad but also not exceptionally.
This car is more a relaxed cruizer then a sportive SUV, but if you want to overtake the slow driver in front of you the car always has enough reserves to make it a smooth experience. The automatic gearbox works fast and is responsive, notting to bitch about here.
The seats are good and the steering wheel gives you enough feedback, i would say this car was designed to be comfortable first but its not afraid of corners or little sportive driving.
There is enough space in the back from two adults, the space in the trunk is not very big, I thought there would be more space. But this car is quite tall so you will be able to store bigger items without any problems.
The overall feeling this car gives you is a premium feel.
This particular car was a few weeks old and smelled like leather and yes some plastics. Seats offer good support and the entertainment system is modern, the mouse pad in this car is not very intuitive but you soon get used to it.
This car soon gets under your skin and you can place it exactly where you want it on the road. It’s also pretty quite in the cabin, here is an audio clip of me driving the car.
All in all i must say Lexus did a good job with this car.
Here is the Netherlands you pay tax on the CO2 emissions of the car, this car gets an A-label, that means the car will not be heavily taxed and will stay in reach for people that do not want a full electric car but want to benefit from the hybrid way of driving.
If you do lots of miles I can imagine this will be a very pleasant car to own.
With a fuel tank that only holds 43 liters you will still be able to reach about 700 KM on longer journeys. Not sure where to place this car, I think older people will own them or lease drivers with a small family. It’s big enough to carry 4-5 people in comfort, just the space in the trunk is not sufficient.
About the driving characteristics again, this car is quite nimble on its feet and if you floor it then you are driving fast in no time. I did not feel that you are missing anything in this car. It’s also a good feeling that Lexus cars are quite reliable, that is also the feeling when you sit in the car, its a quality item.
As soon as you get in, you notice the seating position is higher and you are overlooking the bonnet / hood of the car and you feel like you are in a big car. But as soon as you did a few miles the car shrinks around you, its nimble on its feet and the steering wheel gives you good feedback, impressive job.
If I had to choose between a Toyota crossover like the CH-R or the Lexus UX250h I would spend the extra cash and go for this UX instead. On the one hand because this car gives you the feeling to be a premium item and not just a Toyota and secondly, I somehow like the design and the consumption figures of this car. I would happily drive this car to Italy and live with it on a daily basis.
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