Video: Quick Tour of the Lexus UX Subcompact Crossover


With such a long wait between reveal and availability, the new Lexus UX subcompact crossover is not exactly top of mind. This makes Lexus Canada’s refresher video a nice reminder of what’s yet to come:

(The new ES had yet to be announced when the UX was revealed, and the similarities between the interiors are pronounced. Have to think this is Lexus locking down a common cabin design for models below the flagship level.)

Lexus UX: First Generation
Comments
That side profile IS a Hatchback. The UX IS THE successor to the CT. They just have to call it a crossover because that word alone prints money.
That side profile IS a Hatchback. The UX IS THE successor to the CT. They just have to call it a crossover because that word alone prints money.
That side profile IS a Hatchback. The UX IS THE successor to the CT. They just have to call it a crossover because that word alone prints money.
I had the same thought when I saw the lowered UX - it's absolutely the CT's successor. If you want a new CT, buy a UX and a set of lowering springs :)
I had the same thought when I saw the lowered UX - it's absolutely the CT's successor. If you want a new CT, buy a UX and a set of lowering springs :)
I had the same thought when I saw the lowered UX - it's absolutely the CT's successor. If you want a new CT, buy a UX and a set of lowering springs :)
Levi
#Cheap plastic fender bolt-on off-road style, for luxury German cars, another stupid trend they started and all are following. Land Cruiser, a true off-road car, never had that. I hate that plastic fender, it is really cheap, especially on expensive cars.
I thought I was the only one that did mind about those plastic fender bolt-on off-road style. Good to know you share the same sentiment. It's so fugly, at least make it possible to remove those pieces if the owner chooses so.
Levi
#Cheap plastic fender bolt-on off-road style, for luxury German cars, another stupid trend they started and all are following. Land Cruiser, a true off-road car, never had that. I hate that plastic fender, it is really cheap, especially on expensive cars.
I thought I was the only one that did mind about those plastic fender bolt-on off-road style. Good to know you share the same sentiment. It's so fugly, at least make it possible to remove those pieces if the owner chooses so.
Levi
#Cheap plastic fender bolt-on off-road style, for luxury German cars, another stupid trend they started and all are following. Land Cruiser, a true off-road car, never had that. I hate that plastic fender, it is really cheap, especially on expensive cars.
I thought I was the only one that did mind about those plastic fender bolt-on off-road style. Good to know you share the same sentiment. It's so fugly, at least make it possible to remove those pieces if the owner chooses so.
internalaudit
I thought I was the only one that did mind about those plastic fender bolt-on off-road style. Good to know you share the same sentiment. It's so fugly, at least make it possible to remove those pieces if the owner chooses so.
It's a bad execution, the UX concept looked a lot better
internalaudit
I thought I was the only one that did mind about those plastic fender bolt-on off-road style. Good to know you share the same sentiment. It's so fugly, at least make it possible to remove those pieces if the owner chooses so.
It's a bad execution, the UX concept looked a lot better
internalaudit
I thought I was the only one that did mind about those plastic fender bolt-on off-road style. Good to know you share the same sentiment. It's so fugly, at least make it possible to remove those pieces if the owner chooses so.
It's a bad execution, the UX concept looked a lot better
T
Ian Schmidt
I had the same thought when I saw the lowered UX - it's absolutely the CT's successor. If you want a new CT, buy a UX and a set of lowering springs :)
Lexus marketing keeps talking about the UX as a crossover, but that ride height is all hatchback. You wouldn’t need to lower it much considering it’s already at the level of your average sedan. My brain hurts whenever they talk about how it gives you the commanding view of a crossover with the feel of hatchback. Aren’t those at odds with each other? :)
T
Ian Schmidt
I had the same thought when I saw the lowered UX - it's absolutely the CT's successor. If you want a new CT, buy a UX and a set of lowering springs :)
Lexus marketing keeps talking about the UX as a crossover, but that ride height is all hatchback. You wouldn’t need to lower it much considering it’s already at the level of your average sedan. My brain hurts whenever they talk about how it gives you the commanding view of a crossover with the feel of hatchback. Aren’t those at odds with each other? :)
T
Ian Schmidt
I had the same thought when I saw the lowered UX - it's absolutely the CT's successor. If you want a new CT, buy a UX and a set of lowering springs :)
Lexus marketing keeps talking about the UX as a crossover, but that ride height is all hatchback. You wouldn’t need to lower it much considering it’s already at the level of your average sedan. My brain hurts whenever they talk about how it gives you the commanding view of a crossover with the feel of hatchback. Aren’t those at odds with each other? :)
telithos
Lexus marketing keeps talking about the UX as a crossover, but that ride height is all hatchback. You wouldn’t need to lower it much considering it’s already at the level of your average sedan. My brain hurts whenever they talk about how it gives you the commanding view of a crossover with the feel of hatchback. Aren’t those at odds with each other? :)
Everything CUV/SUV is at odds. Most CUVs, if not all, do not have THE commanding view that most claim to like.

The other claim about CUVs/SUVs by customers (or did manufacturers fabricate that claim?) is concerning their easy entry/exit compared to sedans thanks to the car being higher/taller. Yet the latest SUVs' sell the optional air-suspension and promote the extra low setting "parked" that allows easier entry/exit. New CUVs/SUVs are not even that tall that this is needed. Most CUVs/SUVs are lowered and have little ground clearance with hard suspension to make them handle better with less body role.

I don't want to rain on the UX's parade, because I want Lexus to make money so that they could make other less profitable but more emotional cars, yet CUVs/SUVs are the most irrational thing that happened in the history of automotive industry. Nothing at all about them makes any sense.
telithos
Lexus marketing keeps talking about the UX as a crossover, but that ride height is all hatchback. You wouldn’t need to lower it much considering it’s already at the level of your average sedan. My brain hurts whenever they talk about how it gives you the commanding view of a crossover with the feel of hatchback. Aren’t those at odds with each other? :)
Everything CUV/SUV is at odds. Most CUVs, if not all, do not have THE commanding view that most claim to like.

The other claim about CUVs/SUVs by customers (or did manufacturers fabricate that claim?) is concerning their easy entry/exit compared to sedans thanks to the car being higher/taller. Yet the latest SUVs' sell the optional air-suspension and promote the extra low setting "parked" that allows easier entry/exit. New CUVs/SUVs are not even that tall that this is needed. Most CUVs/SUVs are lowered and have little ground clearance with hard suspension to make them handle better with less body role.

I don't want to rain on the UX's parade, because I want Lexus to make money so that they could make other less profitable but more emotional cars, yet CUVs/SUVs are the most irrational thing that happened in the history of automotive industry. Nothing at all about them makes any sense.
telithos
Lexus marketing keeps talking about the UX as a crossover, but that ride height is all hatchback. You wouldn’t need to lower it much considering it’s already at the level of your average sedan. My brain hurts whenever they talk about how it gives you the commanding view of a crossover with the feel of hatchback. Aren’t those at odds with each other? :)
Everything CUV/SUV is at odds. Most CUVs, if not all, do not have THE commanding view that most claim to like.

The other claim about CUVs/SUVs by customers (or did manufacturers fabricate that claim?) is concerning their easy entry/exit compared to sedans thanks to the car being higher/taller. Yet the latest SUVs' sell the optional air-suspension and promote the extra low setting "parked" that allows easier entry/exit. New CUVs/SUVs are not even that tall that this is needed. Most CUVs/SUVs are lowered and have little ground clearance with hard suspension to make them handle better with less body role.

I don't want to rain on the UX's parade, because I want Lexus to make money so that they could make other less profitable but more emotional cars, yet CUVs/SUVs are the most irrational thing that happened in the history of automotive industry. Nothing at all about them makes any sense.
T
Levi
Everything CUV/SUV is at odds. Most CUVs, if not all, do not have THE commanding view that most claim to like.

The other claim about CUVs/SUVs by customers (or did manufacturers fabricate that claim?) is concerning their easy entry/exit compared to sedans thanks to the car being higher/taller. Yet the latest SUVs' sell the optional air-suspension and promote the extra low setting "parked" that allows easier entry/exit. New CUVs/SUVs are not even that tall that this is needed. Most CUVs/SUVs are lowered and have little ground clearance with hard suspension to make them handle better with less body role.

I don't want to rain on the UX's parade, because I want Lexus to make money so that they could make other less profitable but more emotional cars, yet CUVs/SUVs are the most irrational thing that happened in the history of automotive industry. Nothing at all about them makes any sense.
In all reality, I couldn't care less if Lexus were to call the UX a short, high-riding, low-slung wagon :). It fits my definition of what I would traditionally call a hatchback. Ironically, though, I remember having a conversation with my wife a few months ago about how my RAV4 used to provide the ability to see the road a little bit better. Now that almost everyone seems to be driving taller/higher vehicles, that advantage is pretty much lost. The only things you get nowadays from the CUV/SUV type vehicles is crappier gas mileage and handling (as compared to a hatchback/wagon). I was actually quite shocked that Lexus publicly compared the UX driving feel to a hatchback, since that seems to be a dirty word these days.

I'm cautiously optimistic that the new UX will provide the driving experience that I'm looking for with the desired form factor. When I test drove the CT a few years back, I really liked the way it handled. The powertrain, however, was beyond anemic, and the NVH levels were absolutely not Lexus quality (not sure if that got fixed in a revision).

I don't see anything to stymie the CUV/SUV trend other than something catastrophic happening to fuel prices. People like the idea of being able to put more in their vehicle even if they never use it (most don't). Likewise, many think that a bigger vehicle is safer, despite the vehicle size arms-race that has resulted from it. It's hard to say how popular the UX will end up. It really just depends on whether it's perceived as a crossover. It's all pretty funny to me that companies are trying to market vehicles the size and stance of a Mazda3 hatchback as crossovers nowadays.
T
Levi
Everything CUV/SUV is at odds. Most CUVs, if not all, do not have THE commanding view that most claim to like.

The other claim about CUVs/SUVs by customers (or did manufacturers fabricate that claim?) is concerning their easy entry/exit compared to sedans thanks to the car being higher/taller. Yet the latest SUVs' sell the optional air-suspension and promote the extra low setting "parked" that allows easier entry/exit. New CUVs/SUVs are not even that tall that this is needed. Most CUVs/SUVs are lowered and have little ground clearance with hard suspension to make them handle better with less body role.

I don't want to rain on the UX's parade, because I want Lexus to make money so that they could make other less profitable but more emotional cars, yet CUVs/SUVs are the most irrational thing that happened in the history of automotive industry. Nothing at all about them makes any sense.
In all reality, I couldn't care less if Lexus were to call the UX a short, high-riding, low-slung wagon :). It fits my definition of what I would traditionally call a hatchback. Ironically, though, I remember having a conversation with my wife a few months ago about how my RAV4 used to provide the ability to see the road a little bit better. Now that almost everyone seems to be driving taller/higher vehicles, that advantage is pretty much lost. The only things you get nowadays from the CUV/SUV type vehicles is crappier gas mileage and handling (as compared to a hatchback/wagon). I was actually quite shocked that Lexus publicly compared the UX driving feel to a hatchback, since that seems to be a dirty word these days.

I'm cautiously optimistic that the new UX will provide the driving experience that I'm looking for with the desired form factor. When I test drove the CT a few years back, I really liked the way it handled. The powertrain, however, was beyond anemic, and the NVH levels were absolutely not Lexus quality (not sure if that got fixed in a revision).

I don't see anything to stymie the CUV/SUV trend other than something catastrophic happening to fuel prices. People like the idea of being able to put more in their vehicle even if they never use it (most don't). Likewise, many think that a bigger vehicle is safer, despite the vehicle size arms-race that has resulted from it. It's hard to say how popular the UX will end up. It really just depends on whether it's perceived as a crossover. It's all pretty funny to me that companies are trying to market vehicles the size and stance of a Mazda3 hatchback as crossovers nowadays.
T
Levi
Everything CUV/SUV is at odds. Most CUVs, if not all, do not have THE commanding view that most claim to like.

The other claim about CUVs/SUVs by customers (or did manufacturers fabricate that claim?) is concerning their easy entry/exit compared to sedans thanks to the car being higher/taller. Yet the latest SUVs' sell the optional air-suspension and promote the extra low setting "parked" that allows easier entry/exit. New CUVs/SUVs are not even that tall that this is needed. Most CUVs/SUVs are lowered and have little ground clearance with hard suspension to make them handle better with less body role.

I don't want to rain on the UX's parade, because I want Lexus to make money so that they could make other less profitable but more emotional cars, yet CUVs/SUVs are the most irrational thing that happened in the history of automotive industry. Nothing at all about them makes any sense.
In all reality, I couldn't care less if Lexus were to call the UX a short, high-riding, low-slung wagon :). It fits my definition of what I would traditionally call a hatchback. Ironically, though, I remember having a conversation with my wife a few months ago about how my RAV4 used to provide the ability to see the road a little bit better. Now that almost everyone seems to be driving taller/higher vehicles, that advantage is pretty much lost. The only things you get nowadays from the CUV/SUV type vehicles is crappier gas mileage and handling (as compared to a hatchback/wagon). I was actually quite shocked that Lexus publicly compared the UX driving feel to a hatchback, since that seems to be a dirty word these days.

I'm cautiously optimistic that the new UX will provide the driving experience that I'm looking for with the desired form factor. When I test drove the CT a few years back, I really liked the way it handled. The powertrain, however, was beyond anemic, and the NVH levels were absolutely not Lexus quality (not sure if that got fixed in a revision).

I don't see anything to stymie the CUV/SUV trend other than something catastrophic happening to fuel prices. People like the idea of being able to put more in their vehicle even if they never use it (most don't). Likewise, many think that a bigger vehicle is safer, despite the vehicle size arms-race that has resulted from it. It's hard to say how popular the UX will end up. It really just depends on whether it's perceived as a crossover. It's all pretty funny to me that companies are trying to market vehicles the size and stance of a Mazda3 hatchback as crossovers nowadays.
telithos
I don't see anything to stymie the CUV/SUV trend other than something catastrophic happening to fuel prices.
With "Prius-like" crossovers, fuel prices will change nothing. The Jaguar I-Pace is a CUV, not hatch or sedan.

I'll be happy when CUVs/SUVs will not be called that anymore, but will simply be referred to as cars. Times change, so do cars, and if the new cars look/are as what we today call CUV/SUV, let it be, but no need to deceive. When CUV/SUV will no more be a selling point, we might see some purpose, if by then we will not yet drive autonomous pods.

By the way, this does not look like anything today, but in those days it also was a car.

telithos
I don't see anything to stymie the CUV/SUV trend other than something catastrophic happening to fuel prices.
With "Prius-like" crossovers, fuel prices will change nothing. The Jaguar I-Pace is a CUV, not hatch or sedan.

I'll be happy when CUVs/SUVs will not be called that anymore, but will simply be referred to as cars. Times change, so do cars, and if the new cars look/are as what we today call CUV/SUV, let it be, but no need to deceive. When CUV/SUV will no more be a selling point, we might see some purpose, if by then we will not yet drive autonomous pods.

By the way, this does not look like anything today, but in those days it also was a car.

telithos
I don't see anything to stymie the CUV/SUV trend other than something catastrophic happening to fuel prices.
With "Prius-like" crossovers, fuel prices will change nothing. The Jaguar I-Pace is a CUV, not hatch or sedan.

I'll be happy when CUVs/SUVs will not be called that anymore, but will simply be referred to as cars. Times change, so do cars, and if the new cars look/are as what we today call CUV/SUV, let it be, but no need to deceive. When CUV/SUV will no more be a selling point, we might see some purpose, if by then we will not yet drive autonomous pods.

By the way, this does not look like anything today, but in those days it also was a car.

T
I noticed something weird. In all of the first look videos for the UX, nobody has popped the hatch open. I wonder if Lexus told them not to. There are a few pictures out there showing it, but nothing in video format. I always find the Redline Review videos pretty informative. For instance, he pointed out that the back doors use hard touch plastic on the top part. :(
T
I noticed something weird. In all of the first look videos for the UX, nobody has popped the hatch open. I wonder if Lexus told them not to. There are a few pictures out there showing it, but nothing in video format. I always find the Redline Review videos pretty informative. For instance, he pointed out that the back doors use hard touch plastic on the top part. :(
T
I noticed something weird. In all of the first look videos for the UX, nobody has popped the hatch open. I wonder if Lexus told them not to. There are a few pictures out there showing it, but nothing in video format. I always find the Redline Review videos pretty informative. For instance, he pointed out that the back doors use hard touch plastic on the top part. :(

T