Behind the wheel of the new Lexus UX 300h: More horsepower and an attractive promotional price

In the first quarter of this year, Lexus registered 556 new car registrations in the Czech Republic. In 2021, he reached such a number (specifically 560 cars) for the whole year. This year’s goal of around 2,000 registrations therefore seems achievable without much difficulty.

A pair of new and modernized crossovers will help the brand with a new sales record on the Czech market. We presented the small Lexus LBX on Auto.cz several times, including the first drives and premiere kilometers on Czech roads.

The UX model, which is a class larger, was the third most popular representative of the premium Japanese car manufacturer in our country last year with 249 units, after the larger SUVs NX (465 cars) and RX (551 units). In addition to the purely electric version of the UX 300e, you also have the choice of a classic hybrid labeled 300h, which replaces the original and weaker 250h.

A more temperamental hybrid

The biggest novelty is the two-liter hybrid drive of the fifth generation, which we know from the Toyota Corolla, its SUV derivative with the nickname Cross and the new C-HR. Instead of the previous 135 kW, the system has eleven kilowatts more power. On the dynamics of the four-wheeler with an additional electric motor on the rear axle, this change manifested itself in significantly better dynamics.

If until now the Lexus UX 250h needed 8.7 seconds to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h, the more powerful 300h variant needs eight tenths of a second less. The maximum speed remains limited to 177 km/h. A more nimble drive was also given to another accumulator, which got rid of nickel and opted for lithium.

A more lively driving performance in the districts around Mcel was clearly recognizable. It’s not that the older model couldn’t keep up, but the successor feels significantly more temperamental, which you’ll appreciate not only when overtaking. On the narrow Central Bohemian roads with more frequent occurrence of slower vehicles, the more powerful hybrid was useful, not to mention the highways.

In the mentioned LBX, I praised the excellent noise reduction of the three-cylinder hybrid. However, UX is structurally older. The premiere of this crossover took place already in March 2018, which is quite noticeable in the dampening of the atmospheric four-cylinder with a volume of 2.0 liters. Where the smaller and cheaper LBX only purrs decently, the Lexus UX 300h lets noticeably more noise into the cabin. In this respect, it will not please those who drive more often on the highway.

I praise the strong resistance of the booster when driving, I also like the redesigned cabin with a new multimedia system. At the same time, this was one of the biggest pain points for older luxuries.

On the contrary, spaciousness remains the same. The second row and the trunk with a narrower loading opening are not very eager to make the Lexus UX a family car. Especially children will sit comfortably in the back, an adult passenger of average height will have a problem.

Tough competition for the mainstream

However, if you are looking for a really well-built SUV that will fulfill the role of a second car in the family, you should be interested in the Lexus UX. At first glance, the list prices are not that attractive (they start at 999,000 and end at 1,610,000 CZK for a four-wheeler in the Luxury version). However, if you go for one of the two action models, you will save significantly.

The front wheels in the Business Tech and F Sport Design variants will cost 879,000 and 899,000 crowns, respectively. This puts you in the territory of the very nicely equipped Volkswagen T-Cross 1.5 TSI DSG and similar smaller crossovers from mainstream waters. And that is already worth thinking about.