2020 Lexus UX 250h Hybrid Luxury – Re-Driven in Top Trappings

IN MARKET FOR : Luxury Personal Crossover Utility Vehicle?

DON’T MIND: Sizable Spindle Beak?

READY FOR FIRST FOSSIL FREE STEP: in segment exclusive gas electric hybrid?

TREAD SNOW SEASONALLY?

WANT MORE LUXURY AMENITIES: than in the previously reviewed 2019 Lexus UX 250h F-Sport?

Time for a Roadblazing.com re-drive in the 2020 Lexus UX 250h Luxury gas-electric hybrid personal luxury crossover utility vehicle.

Driving Hits:

• Only gas-battery electric hybrid luxury personal crossover SUV available in U.S.
• 1.4 kWh charge capacity, 24 kW power regenerative recharging Ni-MH battery
• More powerful and quicker off the line than non-hybrid UX 200

• Only way to get all-wheel drive in a Lexus UX
• Plenty around town zip in Sport Mode
• Lexus solid build
• Lexus contemplative cabin isolation from road and powertrain
• 10-step CVT with fixed ratio planetary first gear, manumatic step shifting
• Pure battery electric mode
• No need to fuss with charging cord
• 39 miles per gallon combined driving fuel economy
• 403 miles estimated highway range
• Generous road compliance on 18″ run-flat Bridgestone tires
• Taut body responses and steering weighting

Driving Misses:

• Gas engine strains and buzzes during hard motorway acceleration
• Pure electric operation limited to parking lot speeds
• All-wheel Drive rear axle electric motor only to 43 miles per hour during front wheel slip conditions
• Numb steering road feel
• Regenerative braking dims brake pedal response

What It Has Got:

• From $35,525 (incl. destination) for a gas-electric hybrid, all-wheel drive, CVT automatic  2020 Lexus UX 250h. The tested fully outfitted 2020 Lexus UX 250h Luxury lists for $44,555.
  
• Luxury personal cute ute with edgy look

• Instrumentation derived from LC grand touring coupe
• Precision finished positive action switchgear, with artful cabin panel shapes, soft materials throughout
• Seating for 4 + 1 child rear seat center position

• Acceptable small family expandable cargo space
• Tall aperture, low load liftover to hatchback cargo area

• 60:40% split flat folding 2nd Row seat backs
• Plentiful standard feature set
  • Heated mirrors, front seats, headlamp washers
  • Keyless comfort entry, ignition
  • Adaptive cruise control
  • Power windows full express x 4
  • Power liftgate
  • 2-zone automatic climate
  • 10 way/ 5-way power adjust driver / front pax seats
  • Bluetooth wireless communications and music stream
  • 7.0″-inch TFT variable color analog/ digital gauge cluster w/ MFD
  • 10.3″-inch touch LCD infotainment display w/ Remote touch interface control

• • 6 speaker , 180W CD, FLAC streaming audio
  • Inductive wireless device charging (SE trim and up)
  • Android Auto, AppleCar Play, Amazon Alexa
  • Real time traffic, weather
  • Enform Remote vehicle services
  • Wi-Fi
• Stand-out safety features & grades
  • • 10 SRS airbags
    • IIHS Top Safety Pick Plus
• Safety System Plus 2.0
  • Forward Collision avoidance w/ pedestrian & cyclist detection braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, park distance warning, surround camera, and auto high beams headlamps
    • Available blind spot & rear cross traffic warning, (on higher trims)
• 4 year / 50,000 miles bumper to bumper, 6 yrs / 70k mi. powertrain. 10 yrs. / 150k mi. hybrid component warranty includes 1 yr. / 10k mi. maintenance

What It Has Not (or Not Preferred):

• Lexus Spindle grille takes getting used to
• Lower cabin contrast & panel finish compared to higher pecking order Lexuses
• Obscured, circa 1984 personal cassette player audio control thumb wheels
• Blunt lower dashboard corner hampers vehicle ingress, egress
• 2nd Row cramped for knee space
• Folding 2nd row seat backs requires manually folding head rests
• 21% less nominal cargo space (due to EV battery)
• Long liftgate challenge to reach when open
• No 2nd Row seat heating
• No cargo bay 2nd Row seat back fold remote release
• Becoming accustomed to touch-pad infotainment display control
• Lexus Enform free infotainment apps have been gutted

NEW for 2020 Lexus UX 250h Hybrid:

• Android Auto phone projection ****

• Color palette additions

Standout Cool Features on tested 2020 Lexus UX 250h:

• Heads Up Display (HUD)
• HDD navigation, dual pane infotainment display

• Tilt and slide power moonroof
• Power tilt/ telescoping steering wheel
• Driver seat easy access, 2-position memory
• Power folding wing mirrors
• Automatic variable cooling front seats (supplementing heating)
• Heated steering
• Rain sensing windshield wipers w/ de-icing

ROADBLAZING.COM’s SUMMATION:

2020 Lexus UX 250h Hybrid AWD = still the only all-climate hybrid option for luxury personal crossover utility travel, and available with most imaginable trappings

SEE ROADBLAZING.COM’s COMPLETE REVIEW AND GALLERY OF THE 2019 LEXUS UX 250H HYBRID F-SPORT BELOW

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2019 Lexus UX 250h Hybrid Luxury highlights:

– Starting price, including destination = $35,025 all-wheel drive, 16V Atkinson cycle DOHC 2.0L inline-4 cylinder + Synergy Hybrid Drive 3-Motor, 24 kWh battery, 10-step Continuously Variable transmission. As tested F-Sport = $37,025 MSRP

– The all wheel drive, gas battery electric hybrid version of the front drive UX 200. Quicker off the line than the gas only sibling.

– Judging by its low take rate the predecessor CT-200h didn’t mask the fact that it was 95% conventionalized Prius, 5% Lexus quieting and badging. Though the new UX stand on the opposite end of the Lexus stately spectrum, it is amazing what an incremental lift, a floating roof and oodles of dark contrast body cladding can do for it’s upscale urban active lifestyle appeal. Spec the F-Sport for the larger wheels, and lattice front corner brake duct fangs. Dark tint even does wonder for the bloat known as the Lexus hood to lower valance spindle grille. Front corner air dam fangs and boomerang LED assemblies fore and aft impart the limit of urban locales daring intentions.

– The migration of many a cabin binnacle and control from the flagship LC grand touring 2+2 sports coupe from the ensures a focus on driver unison of comfort and control. The deep hooded instrument bin containing the electro-sliding concentric TFT gauge, flanked by twist knobs for traction and drive modes should win fans. Tiered dash panels, detailed in grain, exquisitely soft to the skin contrast stitching, finely brushed if faux metal accents, laminated acoustic glass, tight pile carpets and webbed headliners are the marks of craftmanship.

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