Lexus UX: a small luxury SUV that makes a big statement

Lexus has a new entry level model, and it's a huge leap from some of the company's earlier attempts at "entry level" luxury. It's the UX, in this case the UX 250h AWD, a "cute ute" that follows on the heels of the bland and uninteresting HS 250h sedan and the nice but boring CT 200h wagon. I didn't think much of the HS, but thought that if Lexus had released a non-hybrid version of the CT – perhaps one that uses the lovely little turbo four available on the NX. I have no idea if it would be practical to engineer such a vehicle, but if they could, I figured they'd have had a nice little wagon that could go head to head with the Audi A3, though the A3 is no longer available here as a wagon. But Nooooooo! That boring little, but very cute, CT is now history, undoubtedly due to slow sales. Fortunately, Lexus had a few other tricks up its corporate sleeve and blended the basic underpinnings of the creasy Toyota CH-R with Lexus luxury trimmings to create a vehicle that's not only quite handsome, but which is surprisingly nice to drive.

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