Oh look, yet another compact crossover SUV, because, you know, the market needs yet one more of them. But yes, Lexus has now introduced its own compact SUV offering, the brand new UX, to duke it out with, oh, the 500 other such cars in the market right now. So does it even stand a chance? 

Lighting the way

The first thing the UX has going for it is its looks. We like its rather bold design - sculpted lines, angular details and low-to-the-ground stance. It's especially eye-catching from the rear, with what Lexus calls 'Aero Stabilising Blade Lights' stretching across the entirety of the car's posterior. Made up of 120 LEDs, it accentuates the car's sleek and dynamic design. The car's stylish exterior certainly stands it apart from its German counterparts, which tend towards a more sterile aesthetic.

Inside, you are greeted by a largely familiar Lexus cabin - soft leathers, stylish buttons and the same tricky-to-use touchpad controller. However, while the cabin demonstrates high levels of quality in terms of materials and build quality, it doesn't quite exude the same sense of lavish opulence we normally associate with the brand's bigger (and admittedly more expensive) models.

There are some hard plastics used in the cabin, such as the rear door panels, that unfortunately reduce the overall sense of Lexus-typical luxury. That said, it's definitely still a lot better than many other cars in its class.

The UX is also saddled with Lexus' rather unintuitive infotainment system. It's a big, 10.3-inch screen, but with no touchscreen capability and the finicky Remote Touch Interface, trying to operate it while driving can be a little difficult. There are some hard-button shortcuts to key functions like, map, radio and media, but there's no getting around the fact that the infotainment operation still isn't the brand's strong point.

One other niggle we had with the UX is that due to an unusually high boot floor, the boot offers just 272 litres of cargo space. It'll do for simple errands like the weekly grocery run or loading a couple of bags, but it'll struggle to do serious haulage like picking up new furniture from IKEA.


Take it to the highway

Mechnically, the UX actually shares the same platform as the Toyota C-HR. However, thanks to extensive mechanical tinkering, the difference in driving character is incredibly stark. The UX excels in comfort (no real surprise here), thanks to its supple and soft-riding suspension. The low ride height also negates some of the bounciness you tend to get with higher-riding SUVs.