The least expensive way to get into a new Lexus is the 2022 Lexus UX. It’s a subcompact SUV with legendary Lexus ride quality and Toyota dependability, but little else to distinguish it.
The least expensive way to get into a new Lexus will soon be the 2023 Lexus UXh. It’s a compact SUV with legendary Lexus ride quality, Toyota dependability, and a standard hybrid powertrain. Perhaps that will help improve the public profile of the entry-level Lexus. Formerly, the UX was available with either a gasoline engine and front-wheel drive and called the UX 200, or with the gas-electric hybrid powertrain and called the UX 250h with standard all-wheel drive.
Two Packages: Sporty Appearance, Sporty Manners
Lexus drops the gasoline-only UX 200 model from the lineup for 2023. Other changes include a pair of new options packages, called F Sport Design and F Sport Handling.
The former adds sporty-looking touches inside and out. Front sport seats, a perforated leather shifter and steering wheel, and aluminum pedals make it look more aggressive to the driver. A black-painted roof, cornering lights, and splashier F Sport wheels make it look more aggressive to the rest of traffic.
The latter makes good on what the appearance package promises, adding performance-tuned dampers, an active variable suspension system, and sportier-tuned steering.
Upgraded Entertainment, Safety Tech
Inside, the UXh gets Lexus’s latest entertainment system, with more intuitive climate controls. Ditching the touchpad few used makes room for a larger wireless charging pad. An 8-inch touchscreen is standard, but most buyers will probably opt for the more impressive 12.3-inch model.
Lexus’s Safety System 2.5 adds enhanced driver aids, including a forward collision avoidance system better equipped for detecting pedestrians while turning and an improved lane-assist feature.
The 2023 Lexus UXh is slated to go on sale in late summer. Pricing is still to be announced. For reference, the 2022, Lexus UX 250h begins at $36,425.
