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Auto News Recap for 9.9.16 | Autoblog Minute

A recap of the week in automotive news, including Honda Civic Type R spy shots, Toyota Supra spy shots, and a teaser of the Lexus UX crossover concept. Honda Lexus Toyota Crossover Autoblog Minute Videos Original Video honda civic type r supra hot hatch lexus ux concept

Next Lexus RX previewed with JDM Toyota Harrier?

Japanese site CarWatch has revealed images of the next-generation Toyota Harrier, known to US and European buyers as the Lexus RX. The new model features a considerably more aggressive fascia in keeping with some of the latest Lexus design trends, while the back features a pair of wide, wraparound taillights.
The profile features a revised greenhouse, with a rather complex rear window treatment, while a subtle character line connects the front and rear taillights. According to the badging, the model shown features a hybrid powertrain, although there's little information on which engine is being used. We'd wager it's an evolution of the same 3.5-liter V6 hybrid found in the current RX450h.
This early look doesn't have a great deal of other info, and there are no images of the interior. We're not yet clear on how closely the North American RX will adhere to the Harrier seen here, but historically the two models have been quite close. That said, we'd expect a more prominent 'spindle' grille on the Lexus version than the baleen strainer on the vehicle shown here.

2019 Lexus UX 200 and UX 250h: Full details and specs from Geneva

Lexus is perhaps overdue to produce a small luxury crossover, in the vein of the hot-selling Buick Encore (which is a tiny bit smaller). And like the Buick Encore, it has a lower-tier brand counterpart: the Toyota C-HR, which is to the UX as the Chevy Trax is to the Encore. But enough about the Buick. What's the 2019 Lexus UX all about? For one, it is almost as outre as the C-HR, which is perhaps more radical because it's a lowly Toyota. Graced with a spindle grille and interior fixings that are influenced by, Lexus says, traditional Japanese crafts, it appears to be every contemporary Lexus trope combined into one compact vehicle — just 177 inches long in total, or about 5 inches shorter than a contemporary Corolla. That'll be good for the urbanites the UX is intended to woo, who need to park in tight spots. For wider, more open spaces, there are two powertrain choices. The 2019 Lexus UX 200 is one of the first applications of the new Dynamic Force Engine, a 2.0-liter inline-four with extreme thermal efficiency: 40 percent, Toyota claims. Read more about that engine (and the Direct Shift CVT, which the UX 200 also utilizes). The bottom line is, for the driver, the engines will be more fuel efficient and produce 168 horsepower, which represents an increase of 24 horsepower over the C-HR platform-mate, a sizable jump. The Direct Shift CVT should prove to be a more important improvement, offering more natural response when starting off from a stop. Anyone with CVT experience knows that this isn't a strong suit of that transmission type, even with years of attention paid to refining the experience. It's nice to see the sort of clever, driver-focused engineering that created the bizarre Lexus LC "10-speed" found in the LC 500h, which uses an e-CVT and a conventional automatic. It sounds strange and complex, but it works beautifully. We expect Direct Shift CVTs to be a serious improvement over the company's e-CVTs, and can't wait to test this aspect of the UX 200. The UX 250h snags the Dynamic Force engine and slaps a new hybrid system into it. Lexus expects the total output to be about 176 horsepower, which takes into account a rear axle electric motor (which makes the UX 250h all-wheel drive). That rear motor can accept up to 80 percent of available power at up to 43 miles per hour. It's not clear from the specs provided if the gasoline engine output differs from the UX 200.