Her + His Car Reviews
2020 Lexus UX 250h Luxury
Our car reviews are innovative and interesting as we provide insightful and expert reviews from both Her + His perspectives.
Her: Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate, women-drivers.com
His: Don Hammonds, Writer, AutomobileJournal.com
| HER | HIS |
|---|---|
| Price | |
| $44,190 | $44,190 |
| Performance | |
| The newest 2020 Lexus UX 250h crossover handles well. It is is powered by a 2.0 liter four cylinder engine with two electric motors that combines for 181 horsepower. This model provides quick and more than adequate urban acceleration and driving; on the highways there is a lag and more moderate approach. This delay is counter to what this vehicle's design looks like on the exterior. Nonetheless, it delivers extraordinary gas mileage as a hybrid and is quite nimble, has excellent braking and is an efficient work horse. | Lots to love here. And this was not last year's performance/sport version that we drove this year either--it was the Luxury version. I enjoyed every second of driving this car. It was fast, it was stable on the road, effective brakes, and sparkling handling and cornering. A nice, fat steering wheel introduces you to a strong handling, quick driving small SUV, which in itself is a rarity. It is powered by a 2.0 liter four cylinder hybrid engine, an element that is part of a hybrid electric system that produces 181 total system horsepower, backed by a continuously variable automatic transmission. The other elements are two motor generators and an electric motor that drives the rear wheels when it is necessary, and a nickel-metal-hydride battery pack. |
| Fuel Economy | |
| Delivers an outstanding 41 City miles, 38 Highway miles and 39 Overall. | With this hybrid system, the UX has a 39 mile per gallon rating for combined city/highway driving, along with ratings of 41 city and 38 highway. You save $2,250 in fuel costs over five years, and you use only 2.6 gallons to travel 100 miles. Annual fuel cost is $1,000, based on 15,000 miles of driving per year at $2.55 a gallon, and your gasoline expenditure is around $7,000 over a five year period. |
| The Car | |
| The 2020 Lexus UX 250 h is a sweet looking 5 door, with more on the design in the section below. It is awesomely affordable for the luxury category and is so very comfortable. The quilted, contoured seats provide plenty of support and extra cushion for the long trips. Very cool, clean logo embossed in the seats, too. Space is at a premium, however, especially for those in the back seats. Heated and cooled front seats.
Detail is impeccable throughout. And with all the safety features, Lexus provides a great venue with this model for those wanting to enter the luxe market. The infotainment engagement design still is tricky for the driver, who has the time to be messing with the mousepad? I just don't get holding on to this design; while it is unique it is not driver-friendly. In the winter and off-road, All Wheel Drive was appreciated and passed the test easily. Lexus allows drivers to select Drive Mode with Normal, Sport and Eco. There are two sets of LATCH connectors in the back seat. It has to be noted that with its contoured and blended design this model can bring with it some blind spots in the rear of the vehicle. First aid kit in the trunk. No spare or bubble. Rear seats easily collapse to make room for more. 18 inch aluminum wheels with run flat all season tires, and aluminum roof rails. |
Everybody wants a piece of the sizzling hot compact SUV market, and Lexus is certainly no exception. The really enticing thing that the Lexus UX250 h has as its ace in the hand is its arresting, head-turning, individualistic look that dares you to ignore it. I loved it! You will not be mixing this one up with the tons of plainer boxy competitors and that's a good thing! At least for us styling and design fashionistas. Only Cadillac and Lincoln can at least come close to Lexus' relatively newly found design moxie. The others are just also rans, as far as I'm concerned. And with the ...well, unfortunate redesign or freshening of several German models, with the notable exception of Audi, Lexus, followed by Cadillac and Lincoln has the looks category locked down right now. Then there's the feeling you get behind the wheel--you will instantly feel as though you are about to pilot not a 21st century ride, but more like a 22nd century set of wheels!
Design inside and out works and then some!
The good thing is that even though it is a pretty far out interior design, only one or two of them are counterintuitive. The tabs for the climate control for instance, might make you wonder what to do with them at first, but in seconds--you'll get the operational picture. |
| Safety | |
| 10 Essential Airbags, All Wheel Drive, Traction Control, 4-Wheel ABS, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Assist, Brake Assist, Electronic Stability Control, Daytime Running Lights, Child Safety Locks, 4-Wheel Disc Brakes, Integrated Turn Signal Mirrors. Lexus Enform Safety & Service Connect is an awesome service - see video for more; 3-year trial. Cross-Traffic Alert, Blind Spot Monitor. Push button Starter. Cruise Control. Forward Collision Warning. Automatic Emergency Braking. Back up camera. Rain sensing wipers. Blind spot monitor. Lastly, Roadside Assistance for 48 Months, or no mileage limit - very nice. |
Among the standard safety features are the Lexus Safety System 2.0, which is comprised of driver assistance features such as forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, road sign recognition, brakeforce distribution and brake assist; lane tracing assist; dynamic radar cruise control, Lexus Enform Safety Connect emergency services, and many, many other standard safety items. |
| Technology | |
| We touched on it above, but there is no doubt that the Lexus Remote Touch mouse and interface is no fun. We'll take a pass on it, as engagement is just too much fuss for the driver. A front=seat driver is required to help manipulate it. Ouch let's get that out of the way, and now on to the good goods. Front and Rear Parking Sensors, Blind Spot Monitoring, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, 4 USB Ports, Dual Zone Personalized Climate Control. Pedestrian Detection. Forward Collision Warning, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Adaptability, Sirius XM Radio, HD Radio. 3M Paint Protection. Wi-Fi Hot Spot, Wireless Charging Port, the infotainment system also includes a Multimedia 10.3 inch color display, 6-speaker audio system, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keep Assist, Lane Trace assist. Power Rear-door with kick-sensor auto-opening capability. Voice Command, Siri Eyes, Google Assistant. Alexa integration. |
It is difficult to conceive of any piece of equipment that you'd want in a car that is not already standard on the 2020 Lexus UX250h. There are three versions of the UX to be had, and you do get standard all-wheel drive no matter which of the versions you pick: The Base model, the F Sport and the Luxury version.
The F Sport felt livelier and more seemed to be quite the frisky ride on the road, maybe because it has a sport tuned suspension. In addition, the F Sport has such standard features as LED fog lights, an augmented engine sound generator, steering-wheel paddle shifters, sport front seats, and an upgraded digital gauge cluster. But like the other versions, the powerplant is a 2.0 liter, 181 horsepower that is part of a hybrid system. The transmission is a continuously variable automatic transmission. Now, about those standard features! They include LED headlights, dual-zone automatic climate control, simulated leather upholstery, power-adjustable front seats, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and a six-speaker audio system. You also get a collection of advanced driver safety features (Lexus Safety System+ 2.0). Optional for the base UX is the Premium package. It adds heated and ventilated front seats, a sunroof, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. The Luxury version includes all the above equipment plus a hands-free liftgate and driver-seat memory functions. |
| Aesthetics & Styling | |
| Love the super chiseled hourglass, ever-evolving-design-of-a-grille, the extended front hood and head lights. The two-tone side mirrors are appealing as they collapse when not in use and stand straight up when the vehicle is on; also, they are heated. The space in the trunk is just over 17 cubic meters, which translates this to one of the least spacious 5 doors in the class.
Due to the aerodynamic design, a natural effect, yet bothersome item is the height of the celling. When leaning out the driver's side window to do banking or getting a hot drink at my favorite drive through, I twice hit my head against the top of the window frame, as a result. |
Lexus has done something unique, full of character and lots of charisma. It reminds me quite a bit of Origami art, with its striking, sharply edged profile and character lines. By bringing something truly original to the market, Lexus should garner quite a bit of attention from those who are a little weary of the boxy, characterless, stuff coming from other SUV and crossover makers.
It's aimed at a younger audience, that's for sure. The degree of technology and the look of the dashboard, instrument cluster and other interior features almost guarantee that. I would not be surprised if much older audiences turn up their noses at it, especially when they see the technical cleverness of the controls and features. That's okay--it leaves more for the rest of us to buy! I will say that the UX looks way cooler in person; pictures don't do it a lot of justice. Inside and up front, you will find generous leg room and head room, and the presence of four doors makes it easier to get in and out. In the back, things are a little tight, in my opinion. And the shallowness of the trunk may limit what you can bring, at least in the hybrid version of the UX. As you sit down in those comfy, soft but firmly supportive front seats, you notice an instrumental design that looks like it came from the 22nd century. Don't look for numbers arrayed across an instrument panel to inform you of your speed, instead you'll see a circular dial that tells you the speed, surrounded by fluid lines that tell you when you and the engine are accelerating for more power for instance. Some controls are located in round dials attached to hood of the instrument gauge, and you have tabs to lift or lower when you want to adjust or turn off some climate systems, for instance. But I do have quite a beef with the controller system for the infotainment system in the UX. There's a flat pad that use to guide the controls, but you do so with jarring, irritating finger action that you slide across its surface. You can find yourself trying to get to one process and you find that you've intruded upon another control or process. And that's pretty dangerous for people who insist on making adjustments while driving--which you should never, ever do with this particular system. One accidental nudge, or one use of a pudgy finger and you can be in real trouble. Four words: Lexus. Change this. Now. |
| Warranty | |
| 4 Year/50,000 Mile Basic Warranty, 6 Year/70,000 Mile Powertrain. 4 Year/ Unlimited Mile Roadside Assistance Warranty. 10 Year/150,000 Miles Traction Battery Warranty | The warranty package includes a four year/50,000 mile basic coverage, six year/70,000 mile powertrain coverage, eight year/100,000 mile hybrid battery/hybrid warranty. |
