Boot the (UX 250 F Sport's) throttle and you're met with adequate acceleration. No concerns of a strained neck here, but also no problem to weave through traffic or keep a spirited pace on your favorite winding road. More importantly, the engine revs both briskly and smoothly, on the refined side of the inline-four coarseness spectrum. Then there’s the sound the engine makes. Or, I should say the stereo because the F Sport uses it to add extra growl to the exhaust note in all throttle applications in the sport drive mode and even more so in sport-plus. The sound isn’t bad, but it’s also not bad in normal and eco when the stereo plays no role.
Hopping in a UX200 without the F Sport extras, it is immediately apparent the two powertrains are quite similar in performance. It was warm and dry on the test drive, so lacking all-wheel drive was a nonissue. You notice there’s a tad less torque in low engine revs, but otherwise the 200 moves as well as the hybrid. And this latest generation of CVT reacts better than before -- no long delays between more gas and more go. Non-F Sport UX’s do lean a bit more while cornering, but the difference is small and would only become worrisome if you plan to autocross it, which I think/hope not many folks would.
While cruising, the cabin is an easy place to carry on a conversation, but the UX does allow some wind and road noise to come through that doesn’t interrupt speech, but does distract. It’s quiet, but not as isolated as an
Audi or
Mercedes. That said, the seats are comfortable and supportive, all the switch gear is within easy reach and there’s plenty of cargo room behind the second row seats (21 cubic feet in the 200, 17 in the 250h)...
The German competitors do generally offer more engaging driving dynamics, especially the X1.