Lexus UX 250h 2021 Review

Lexus has juggled the specifications of its premium small SUV range, the Lexus UX, to bring in the entry-level hybrid variant with equipment formerly offered as an extra-cost option pack at a price only a fraction higher.

Now selling for $52,025 plus on-road costs, the 2021 Lexus UX 250h Luxury front-wheel drive model gains an electric tailgate, wireless phone charging, cornering lights, privacy glass, alloy scuff plates and headlight washers.

The UX 250h Luxury is also equipped as standard with 17-inch alloy wheels, an alarm, auto-dipping LED headlights, electrically-adjustable front seats (heated), keyless starting, remote central locking, a multifunction steering wheel, power windows, an analogue clock and a trip computer.

Two years ago, the UX 250h didn’t offer Apple CarPlay smartphone integration. It now does, along with Android Auto, although the UX doesn't connect to either type of smartphone without a USB lead.

In addition to the new smartphone connectivity, the eight-speaker audio system also features Bluetooth and digital radio.

A four-year/100,000km warranty includes roadside assistance for four years, and the service intervals are 12 months or 15,000km.

Towards the end of 2018, Euro NCAP tested the Lexus UX for crash safety and ANCAP subsequently extrapolated a maximum five-star rating, based on crash data and its own 2019 testing protocol.

The UX fared very well, scoring 96 per cent for adult occupant protection, 88 per cent for child safety, 82 per cent for vulnerable road users (pedestrians and cyclists) and 83 per cent for safety assist technology.

Despite the relatively high percentage score for the safety assist technology, ANCAP states that the UX doesn’t have ‘AEB – backover’. In fact, the Lexus does have this feature, labelling it Parking Support Brake, which incorporates rear cross traffic alert as well, and employs ultrasonic parking sensors and blind spot monitoring to warn the driver and autonomously mitigate the collision at speeds up to 15km/h.

Other driver assist features fitted as standard include active cruise control with stop-and-go function, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), forward collision warning, lane trace assist and traffic sign recognition.

Lane trace assist keeps the Lexus in the centre of the lane and tracks (or ‘traces’) the vehicle in front – following the leader without driver input. The AEB system can detect pedestrians during daytime and at night, and detects cyclists during daylight hours.

At night, the LED headlights work a treat, as do the static cornering lights. Even on low beam the headlights are powerful and bright enough to shine a fair way ahead.

There’s an auto high beam function that automatically dips the lights at the approach of oncoming cars, but this system does leave the lights on high beam in built-up areas and it’s slow at times to dip the lights if the oncoming car is approaching from a bend – on an undulating section of road.

Tyre pressure monitoring is also standard in the Lexus, and airbags fitted include two frontal airbags, two for the knees of the driver and front passenger, two side impact airbags and two side curtains.

With a bit of determination, the front-wheel drive 2021 Lexus UX 250h Luxury will spin a drive wheel away from a standing start, so it’s not short of some punch if that should be needed. But it’s really the sort of car that invites lazy driving.

Lexus engineers have set up the UX 250h to draw upon the power reserves of the petrol engine as little as possible – within the constraints of a typical series/parallel hybrid SUV. So drivers will quickly come to rely on the electric motor to do much of the work, especially in commuter traffic.

The four-cylinder powerplant is a reasonably pleasant unit. It’s not unrefined and it even sounds a little sportier than expected, under load.

There’s plenty of torque available, but it’s all in the mid-range. With the way the continuously variable transmission works, it takes a lot of patience to see the engine reach the 6200rpm redline.

The planetary-gearset-based CVT offers a very wide selection of ratios, likely broader than conventional CVTs. At 100km/h the engine is running at around 1400rpm, but at the slightest sign of a tailwind or the gentlest of downhill slopes the CVT changes ratio to something higher again, with the engine revs dropping as low as 1000rpm.

When conditions are even more favourable, the engine cuts out altogether and the UX will cruise along in EV mode, even at 100km/h. Naturally, the battery charge quickly runs out and the engine will fire up again to keep the vehicle moving and recharge the battery, but it’s eerily quiet on the freeway for a minute or two at least.

There’s a light rumble from the engine when it’s running, and it restarts automatically with a very mild surge that’s heard rather than felt. The rowdiest aspect of the UX at touring speeds is the road noise, which is still quite subdued.

Careful drivers can extract low fuel consumption figures if they let the electric motor do the bulk of the work at low speeds, only calling on the petrol engine for hills or heavier loads, etc.

On a test loop the Lexus posted a fuel consumption figure of 5.8L/100km, but around town the UX 250h was consuming as little as 5.3L/100km.

The 2021 Lexus UX 250h Luxury on test impressed with its ride comfort. While the suspension settings weren’t pillowy-soft by any means, nor did the short-wheelbase SUV buck and jump around like some rivals on low-profile tyres.

So part of the credit for the ride properties should be reserved for the car’s 215/60R17 Bridgestone Turanza tyres.

The ride quality was a reasonable match for the cornering prowess of the Lexus UX 250h, an SUV that is dynamically adept and offers decent steering feel, acceptably good turn-in and respectable roadholding.

Backing off can coerce the tail to step out at higher speeds, but it’s mild, predictable and easily corrected with the application of more power. Braking for an emergency, the UX pulls up swiftly, in a straight line, and with no sign of instability.

In short, the UX delivers a little driving fun, and it’s dynamically safe too. With its fuel-sipping powertrain, however, the tiny Lexus will satisfy more in circumstances when power doesn’t determine the fun factor – a long downhill run, for example, on a winding stretch of road.

At the helm, you’ll be pleased with the shape and comfort of the front seats. There’s plenty of adjustment, although taller drivers may have to recline the seat a little further back to see the instrument cluster in its entirety, as there’s not quite enough upward rake adjustment in the steering column.

It was surprising to find that the powered driver’s seat lacked a position memory, even at a price point as affordable as this, but to the engineers’ credit the steering column retracts to allow larger drivers to slip behind the wheel easily. On balance, the driving position is very good.

The graphic presentation of the instruments varies according to which drive mode is selected. In Eco mode the instruments are tinged with blue, in Sport mode they’re light grey complemented by red highlights and in Normal mode it’s a fairly conventional display, presented in white on black, with lots of colourful trip computer elements.

Some drivers may find the visual modes to be none too restful on the eyes, but finding the information the driver needs is not especially hard, at least.

It takes little time to become familiar with the infotainment functions – how to access and use them – but the haptic touchpad to control infotainment functions is not a favourite of mine and the infotainment display is not a touch-screen, although the voice recognition system more than compensates for both those shortcomings.

In the UX 250h it copes extremely well with continuous speech and an Aussie accent. There’s no need to OVER-ENUNCIATE the destination address, and there are minor improvements in the voice prompts too, no longer just relying on ‘take the second exit at the roundabout’ – it now spells out for the driver to proceed straight on at the roundabout.

The climate control system relies on conventional switchgear to operate and is pretty easy to use, although the only way to synchronise the two zones is by drilling down through the infotainment menu.

Below the climate control interface there are buttons for seat heating, and below those an induction plate – a new standard feature in this variant – to charge your smartphone. That’s complemented by two USB ports inside the bin under the centre arm rest. There are two more USB ports (USB-C for recharging only) in the rear, below the adjustable vents.

Rear seat occupants get a fairly good deal in the UX 250h. The hip point is spot on for adults of average height and kids old enough to ride around without needing to be strapped in a booster seat.

Rear headroom is quite generous and the upholstery of the test vehicle is an attractive, soft trim named ‘White Ash’, which is a nice contrast with the car’s appealing ‘Caliente’ red exterior.

In the boot, the UX 250h has a false floor, which conceals a tyre repair kit and leaves room for valuables to be stowed without being seen from outside. Nevertheless, the boot floor is high, as is the load lip, so while there’s enough room for a week of groceries for a family of four or five, this is not a car that’s designed to carry enough luggage for a family taking a week away.

But the seats do lower, and loading larger items is rendered relatively easy, since a fold-down flap simplifies through loading from the boot and the seats lie flat.

During our week with it, the 2021 Lexus UX 250h Luxury was called on for commuting from the middle-ring suburbs to the inner suburbs for work.

At the weekend it ferried the entire family of four across town for an extended family get-together in a restaurant. Much of the travel took place on freeways, but the majority of driving was confined to arterial roads and suburban streets.

At no point did the UX put a foot wrong.

The smart packaging and high capabilities of the Lexus proved to be a pleasant surprise. This is not a large car, and yet it was quite comfortable and accommodating for a family of four adults.

It was also enjoyable to drive – although performance that’s more exploitable would be welcome too – and remarkably frugal, earning it bonus points.

When I first reviewed the Lexus UX 250h Luxury on local roads, I found it a confusing potpourri of eco-friendly tech, mini-SUV packaging and prestige presentation, but two years later I feel like I’ve been driving the UX 250h on that great bitumen-paved metaphor leading to Damascus.

As it turns out, the improved UX 250h simply makes a lot of sense for suburban couples with a couple of kids.

How much does the 2021 Lexus UX 250h Luxury FWD cost?
Price: $52,025 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol-electric
Output: 107kW/188Nm (131kW combined)
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
Fuel: 4.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 103g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2019)