Just saw one today and I liked it. Fully made and assembled in Japan. Low 30's MSRP for new one. Does anyone have one and like it or hate it? Any information would be great.
See below: The 2.0L I4 that comes on the regular gas version is a fairly new engine, part of Toyota’s new Dynamic Force Engines. Along with the rest of the vehicle, the jury is definitely out on the long term reliability of that engine. One of our gearbox expert @Dan can chime in more on those engines based on what he has seen, but I would not buy it just yet until we get more long term data. Probably a better idea to just lease.
https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/2021-lexus-ux-quality-reliability/#post-89290
The main complaints, besides the size and infotainment system, is that the nonhybrid is underpowered (which is the one you get for low $30s) and only 2wd. The hybrid is quicker and AWD. But if you are talking about longevity, 2wd is preferred anyway, and less power means less wear and tear.
even though it’s a new model, it’s a Lexus, and if you avoid adding too many options and keep it simple, I doubt you will have too many issues.
The Lexus UX is pretty much identical to the new (Corolla based) Toyota CH-R, that ranked low in its class.
the most optioned CH-R is around the mid-20s so I’m not sure if the UX makes that much sense.
Mechanically, The engines they used seem weak (they’re very early in the production run), Neither do the gearboxes look good (the CVTs used to have issues, but there’s little to no info on this modification yet)
But that’s just this generation of Corolla/CH-R/UX in general.
The best sporty luxurious-ish SUV in driving experience and durability, although it lacks a fancy badge, is in no doubt the Mazda CX-30 “Turbo Premium Plus” but they usually tend to cost more in the mid 30s.
and when talking about the driving experience, Mazda are knows for handling well, and that CX-30 “turbo plus” has 250hp with 320NM mated to a torque converter 6 speed auto, instead of the Lexus UX’s 170hp and 200NM mated to a fragile CVT…
TLDR: although the UX isn’t bad, and you get a fancy badge, when comparing the UX to Toyota’s own related models and to competitors it just does not make any sense in my opinion.
(Thanks for letting me know of this question @daywalker )
