How does it compare to petrol and diesel SUVs? The biggest difference is perhaps how economical it is, or rather how economical it is in certain situations. If you’re doing a long distance run, up to say Scotland, you’ll almost certainly be better off with a traditional petrol diesel – particularly a diesel, as they’re just better at doing long distance hauls. If you’re doing a shorter drive, though, with a fair bit of stop-start-traffic, the UX shines. You’ve got petrol power when you need it, but you can nudge forward in traffic without using any fuel whatsoever the rest of the time. If you lift off the throttle and coast as often as you can, too, the batteries will be topped up and you’ll have plenty of electric power left for the next bit of stop-start entertainment.
For me, the disappointment for the UX is still the suspension control and the size of the boot. Boot size isn’t something I would usually touch on, but it is much smaller than I’d imagined it would be, thanks to all of the electric gubbins piled away under the boot floor. The suspension isn’t controlled enough, either. It crashes over lumps and bumps, and just isn’t as polished or as comfortable as I’d expect a Lexus to be.
All in all I do like the serenity. But I’m not sure this would be the quiet car for me.
MPG this week: 50.1.
Photography by Joe Harding.