Lexus UX 300h review: Hybrid efficiency in a sophisticated package

There’s a change coming down the line for Lexus. The announcement of the Lexus LBX sees the company looking to appeal to a new group of drivers, with a younger and more modern image. Those who, perhaps, don’t even know who Alan Partridge is. While the LBX is designed as a breakthrough car, the next model up – the UX – has had an update to make it more attractive and differentiate it from the incoming upstart.

The Lexus UX (that’s urban crossover, by the way) is a compact SUV, seeing competition from the likes of the Volvo XC40 or BMW X1. It sits alongside the UX 300e (the fully electric version), with the h in the name indicating that this is a hybrid. That means great efficiency on the road, but how is the rest of the package?

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The Disconnekt Downlow

The Lexus UX 300h is a refined and fuel-efficient compact SUV with a comfortable ride and distinctive exterior looks. The interior doesn’t quite reach the quality of some of its popular rivals and the rear space isn’t huge, but it is a nice car to sit in and it’s lovely and refined to drive. For some people, that might be a welcome change from the taut sportiness that some SUVs in this size attempt to offer, and a sensible choice for those more interested in efficiency.

See it here on Lexus.co.uk from £34,985

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Lexus UX300h fun stuff: Design, interior and technology

The Lexus UX300h has had a nip and tuck treatment for 2024, moving on from the previous 250h version to the 300h. The focus, Lexus told me, was on improving cornering, braking and handling, while improving the acceleration. With that in mind, there’s increased rigidity with a new radiator support brace, there’s greater power output from the 2.0-litre petrol hybrid engine, while the interior has seen some tweaks too, as well as improved sound insulation to make it more refined.

So this is a car that’s undergone something of a mid-life refresh. One thing that Lexus has been good at recently is modern exterior design. It’s angular and sporty, and definitely looks like a Lexus, lifted by lots of colour options including the amazing Sonic Copper pictured here. Unfortunately the rain took the shine off things slightly when I photographed it, but in the flesh, this is a really eye-catching colour.

The interior isn’t quite up to the standard that you’ll find from rivals in BMW or Audi, but the seats are very comfortable and offer plenty of adjustment. The rear seats are a little tight, but I could comfortably sit in the rear at just over 6ft, as long as Peter Crouch isn’t sitting in the front seat. It’s going to be better for kids, naturally, but for short trips you can haul around adults too.

The boot isn’t huge at about 320 litres, the false floor making it level with the threshold. This is a compact SUV after all, and rear space isn’t huge.

The dark interior is a little serious and the steering wheel looks surprisingly dated: it’s just a little too bulky with too many buttons on it, quite the contrast to the Lexus LBX steering wheel which is going to be more modern.

There has been a change to the gear selector, however, so this is now nice and compact, removing the bulky shifter of the UX 250h. There’s a slight quirk in putting the drive mode selector and traction control selector on the cowl of the driver display. I’m not opposed to it, it gives character and means you’re unlikely to forget that the driving modes exist.

Moving to the technology and the UX 300h is equipped with a 12.3-inch driver display. It’s customisable to a degree, allowing you to change the information displayed, but it’s not as dynamic as something like the Audi Virtual Cockpit (which will give you full mapping). It’s a little sensible, but the same could be said for BMW’s driver display. A heads-up display will provide essential details above this – such as speed limit information – but doesn’t extend to navigation on the UX.

The central display comes in 8-inch or 12.3-inch depending on the trim you select. The former is a little miserly in the modern era of big displays and customer demand for more interior tech. It supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard. I tested the latter and found it ran with no problems, but there’s no distinct home button anywhere, so you have to navigate back to the Lexus app to return to the car’s native interface.

Lexus’ own user interface is fairly safe. Graphically there’s not much happening, with access to major areas like phone, navigation, car controls and so on. In all honestly, it feels as though Lexus expects you to use a smartphone-based system, rather than trying to draw you into its own infotainment offering. That seems to be the direction much of the market is heading, understandably so when smartphone connectivity is one of the top demands.

One thing that manufacturers are investing in, however, is voice control. That means there’s a “Hey Lexus” trigger for voice control in the UX 300h. “Hey Lexus, open all the windows”, “Hey Lexus, close the sunroof” – these are the commands that work the best and I quickly discovered that Lexus calls it a moonroof instead of a sunroof.

Hey Lexus isn’t good for other functions, however. I tested a selection of questions about range, destination distance and so on, and was mostly greeted with a message about not understanding. Still, Google Assistant and Siri will be accessible when your phone is connected, so that’s probably not a problem.

Sticking with the tech, digital keys will be introduced later this year through the Lexus Link app, which will mean you can grant access to other people and allow smartphones to be used instead of the physical key. Some will also appreciate there are plenty of buttons for direct control over the climate control system, so you don’t have to be fiddling with the screen all the time.

Lexus UX 300h essentials: The drive, performance and handling

Lexus and Toyota have used CVT – continuously variable transmission – for many years. It’s a gearbox type that divides opinion, because it’s less sporty and distinct than a dual-clutch automatic that hops up and down through gears. CVT is efficient, however, and in a hybrid setup with a motor, it smooths out the performance of CVT too. You’ll occasionally hear a whine from the gearbox, but low speed movements on battery and the handover to combustion are all wonderfully smooth.

There’s a combined output 196bhp or 146kW, with a higher-capacity battery and improved acceleration over the UX 250h. It will now do 0-62mph in 8.1 seconds for the front-wheel drive version, or 7.9 seconds for the all-wheel drive. That’s not going to break any records, but that doesn’t seem to be Lexus’ focus. What’s more interesting is the quoted 54.3mpg consumption; the average from my test car was 55.6mpg, so that very much rings true.

It’s a nice car to drive too. The new gear selector is nice and modern, it’s easy to drive while the controls all seem to fall logically to hand. Steering was positive enough and broken roads didn’t cause too much of a problem for the UX 300h. Admittedly, I was in the F-Sport with adaptive suspension, which also meant that the car doesn’t roll through faster corners. It is a comfortable and sophisticated car to drive and this is where it gets some of that premium Lexus feel.

The drive modes cover Sport, Normal and Eco, with self-explanatory names: Eco a little dulled for the best efficiency, while Sport makes the steering heavier and response a little faster.

Choose the E-Four version – the all-wheel drive system – and that 7.9 second 0-62mph time comes thanks to a 40bhp (30kW) motor on the rear axle. It’s not hugely different, but at the same time, you don’t sacrifice much in the efficiency department either.

Should I buy a Lexus UX 300h?

The Lexus UX 300h is a nice car to drive and there’s great efficiency thanks to its mature hybrid system. The exterior looks are perhaps a little more modern than some of the interior, but there’s some charm in the fact that Lexus hasn’t gone totally minimalist. I can’t help feeling, however, that buyers will look at the LBX interior and be drawn to that instead.

The cost of the car runs across a £15,000 bracket, from just under £35,000 to just over £50,000. That means that you can get a BMX X1 or Audi Q3 within the same money at the bottom end and there’s a wide range of competitors at the top too. This is a hugely competitive segment of the market and the UX 300h is a little more unique than some of its rivals. Certainly, the feel on the road and the efficiency should be why it makes it onto your test drive list.

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