THE LOWDOWN

The bonnet and badge of a black LEXUS UX F Sport parked by a hedge.

With sporty looks, a pert bottom and cheekbones high enough to rival those of Angelina Jolie, the Lexus UX F Sport is a hottie. She’s a 2-litre automatic hybrid SUV, the best-selling Lexus at Snows Exeter, who are loaning me the car, and one to consider if you’re after a prestige eco badge but not sure about making the leap to pure electric due to range anxiety in the shires.

Headlight on a Lexus UX F Sport — Looking sharp…

Upgrade to the F Sport model like me, and you get shiny 18in alloy wheels, heated seats and privacy glass for that extra slice of living-it-up luxe.

Rear of Lexus UX F Sport parked next to a hedge

Lexus are known for being super-reliable but expensive engineering comes with a hefty price tag. To buy this car new would you set back around £44k – £10k more than the last self-charging hybrid I road-tested.

So – *snaps another smug Lexus selfie* – hop in the passenger seat and let’s find out if she’s worth it, shall we?

THE LOOKS

The Lexus UX is a five-seat, five-door hatch with a chiselled moue, an elegant grill and something of the oriental that makes you think of Japanese motors (Lexus is part of Toyota).

There’s a go-faster fin on the roof but you wouldn’t feel showy turning up at the school gates in this refined beaut, and, as there’s no exterior evidence of it being a hybrid, there’s no virtue signalling either.

Front seats in Lexus UX with black and white leather styling

Inside is very plush and stylish. Black and cream styling, soft leathery trims on the doors and wheel where other cars have plastic. It’s cool and high-end.

Cream head rests with F Sport insignia in Lexus UX

The front seats are curved like a racing car, with sporty head-rests subtly embossed with the F Sport insignia – and they’re heated to individual preference, as is the leather steering wheel. You feel dressed up and ready to go in this car, even in your flip-flops.

Dash and infotainment centre of a Lexus UX F Sport

I was impressed by how simple the dash looks and is to use, especially when you consider the amount of tech, and the option to use steering wheel buttons for voice activation, volume contour and phone.

Rear back seat and door of a Lexus UX F Sport with black and cream styling

There’s a central upholstered leather armrest with storage for your bits, which cleverly opens both from the driver and passenger side, and soft side padding on the doors, including in the back, which feels really luxe.

IN THE BACK

Detail of isoflex baby seat fixings in rear of Lexus UX

There are thee seats in the back, including two fitted for Isoflex baby seats but you wouldn’t fit three large teens in there. Talking of teens, the sound system is amazing and will score points with the kids (as will the tinted privacy windows) – thank you Mark Levinson sound system with 13 – yes 13! – speakers. The sound quality is fabulous as I know because my kids nearly blew my ears off.

More pragmatically, I liked the fact there was on only one seat pocket at the back and no door pockets. Why? Less room for the nippers to stuff their crisp packets and sweet wrappers.

THE BOOT

Yorkshire terrier in a cardboard box in the boot of a Lexus

The boot has a 60/40 split folding rear seat, not huge, but big enough for five cabin cases, or about six stacked veg boxes (Yorkie optional).

It has more hidden storage than most, especially for small items, along with useful hooks to stop shopping bags from spilling on tight Devon corners. And a tailgate button for hands-free boot-shutting.

THE DRIVE

Black Lexus UX parked on Devon lane with horse rider in distance

Ooh, smooth! And so quiet in eco mode you won’t scare the horses, you might have to remind yourself it’s on. And not keep pressing the on/off button when you start her up (erm, just the once).

There’s two-way electrical lumbar adjustment on the seat so you can feel very comfortable driving this car.

Motorways were a doddle and the car definitely felt nimble and clingy on country roads and around town too. I could really feel the power gliding it onto my sloping drive, where normally mine does a little wheel skid – the UX glides on like butter on hot crumpet (which is how this car makes you feel).

There’s blind spot monitoring (BSM) with rear cross traffic alert and auto brake (RCTAB) and lane change flasher function so you know if someone’s overtaking and to stop you veering out of lane. In some cars this can feel bossy but the Lexus is very subtle.

The touch-screen satnav is a pleasure to use and I liked how you could touch it to scroll to your destination. Even this looks upmarket too – when I logged on to Apple CarPlay my phone’s colourful apps looked weirdly garish.

The only thing that didn’t work well was the voice activation, except on simple commands. I’d love to know – does it work in any car? I’m yet to find one!

THE TECHY BITS

The UX is one of a number of hybrid and electrics in the Lexus range, which include full electrics (which need charging), plug-in hybrids and my drive which is self-charging with both a combustion engine and a battery, so you still need to fill up, but fuel costs are reduced because the engine charges the battery.

The tech list is long and impressive, including *deep breath* front and rear parking assist sensors, Wireless Smartphone charger, 2 front USB and 2 rear USB charging points. As for welly, it’s 184 bhp, 8.5 seconds to 60mph, with 53mpg, a top speed of 110mph and CO2 Emissions of 136 g/km and claims up to 65mpg but for me, on mostly A roads and in town it was in the low 50s.

The model before this one Lexus had a very fiddly Infotainment System so they have pulled out the stops to make sure the new upgrade is really user-friendly. It was certainly the most intuitive I’ve used – whether changing tunes, climate control, in-car settings or if you want to know mileage and fuel consumption. I liked it. A lot.

COOL STUFF

When you want a bit of extra oomph, there’s a sport mode with a dial above the steering wheel, so you don’t have to take your eye off the road at speed.

Wireless charing on Lexus UX and drivers foot in footwell

Also, I loved the way I could just chuck my phone on the wireless charger without plugging in

ANYTHING ELSE?

One head-scratch was why don’t the wing mirrors don’t tuck away when you lock it? On such a luxury car, you’d think it would be standard. Also, the sales guys at Lexus are very laidback and un-pushy about stats and specs, I guess because the car just sells itself.

THE MUDDY VERDICT

Snows Exeter showroom frontage with Lexus parked outside

Quality, ease, luxury, comfort and class. Driving the Lexus compared to a similar hybrid is like upgrading from a perfectly nice steak to 100% grass fed Devon Ruby Red. It’s yummy.

Good for: a sexy second car for school runs, day trips, work days and weekends; a quietly stylish business car for work, which says success without being shouty; high-tech prowess at your fingertips without having to digest the manual; car swapping with your OH it’s a good bloke’s car too; fuel savings money on local school runs, shopping trips etc.

Not for: yummy mummies and daddies with yogurt-chucking kids or large teens; sporty types with bulky kit to tote; frequent long journeys – you won’t reap the savings at the fuel pump; people who like quirky or cute.

The damage: POA with finance options £511.47 per month, 7.9% APR representative over 42 Months, with £3,764.00 deposit and £2,000 Lexus Deposit Allowance.

Fancy taking the Lexus UX F for a spin?

Book a test drive with Snows Exeter, 4 Matford Way, Marsh Barton, Matford, Exeter EX2 8FN. Tel 01392 434761. You won’t want to hand it back, I promise (and even if you do they have great coffee and biccies!)

Sexy Lexy! Muddy road-tests the Lexus UX F Sport

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