Auto blog

Lexus applies to trademark UX 300h in U.S., Europe, and Australia

The Lexus UX is entering its fourth model year in 2023, having gone into production at the end of 2018 as a 2019 offering. The NX and RX have lately lasted seven years before a new generation drops, so the UX is due for a heavy refresh at the least. It's possible the refresh or the next-gen version will bring an upgraded model with more power. Lexus Enthusiast discovered that brand parent Toyota filed a trademark application for the term UX 300h in Europe, CarBuzz found the same application lodged at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and CarSales came across the form in triplicate filed with Australian intellectual property authorities. As always, a trademark application doesn't mean the described product will make it to market. However, there's very good reason for Lexus to take the UX to the next level. The automaker pared the lineup to a single model for 2023, now called the UX Hybrid. The powertrain carries over from its previous guise as the UX 250h, a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder helped by two electric motors and a 1.4-kWh battery, making 181 system horsepower and 149 pound-feet of torque. Despite general favor shown for the crossover's appointments and frugality, the repeated ding against it is feeble acceleration. The hybrid system in the NX 300h, based around a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, makes 203 hp and 184 lb-ft, the horsepower figure rising to 215 hp in the ES 300h and as much as 220 hp in the erstwhile IS 300h, so there's headroom if product planners are allowed to use it. Considering the 2023 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid is slated to get 194 horsepower, the snazzier and luxury-branded UX would seem ripe for engine and power upgrades. With the updated NX and all-new RX on the market now, and the Corolla Cross Hybrid coming for next year, we won't be surprised if Lexus doesn't wait for the second-gen UX to bolster the spec sheet.   Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Consumer Reports says infotainment systems 'growing first-year reliability plague'

The Consumer Reports Annual Auto Reliability Survey (right) is out, and the top two spots look much the same as last year's list with Lexus and Toyota in first and second place, respectively. However, there are some major shakeups for 2014, with Acura plunging eight spots from third in 2013 to 11th this year, and Mazda replaces it on the lowest step of the podium. Honda and Audi round out the top five. This year's list includes six Japanese brands in the top 10, two Europeans, one America and one Korean.
Acura isn't the only one taking a tumble, though. Infiniti is the biggest loser this year by dropping 14 spots to 20th place. Other big losses come from Mercedes-Benz with an 11-place fall to 24th, and GMC, which declines 10 positions to 19th.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it's not traditional mechanical bugs hauling down these automaker's reliability scores. Instead, pesky problems with infotainment systems are taking a series toll on the rankings. According to Consumer Reports, complaints about "in-car electronics" were the most grumbled about element in new cars. Problem areas included things like unresponsive touchscreens, issues pairing phones and multi-use controllers that refused to work right.

Lexus tops Consumer Reports reliability rankings, unseating Mazda

Lexus is back on top of Consumer Reports' annual reliability rankings. Toyota Motor Corp's luxury division dethrones last year's winner, upstart Mazda, to second place, while the Toyota brand itself rounds out the podium in third place. In general, while Asian brands topped the list, Europeans ranked second, and domestics brought up the rear.  Lexus' high marks stem from the Land Cruiser Prado-based GX SUV, which got a perfect score of 100. Mazda's second place finish was the result of strong showings by the Miata, CX-9, CX-5, and CX-30, but dragged down by the Mazda 3's mid-pack score. Likewise, nearly all of Toyota's lineup, from Prius to Avalon, all had very high marks, but the RAV4 and Corolla Hatchback brought down the class average. Like last year, the only American brand to break into the top ten was Buick, which ranked 5th thanks to good scores for the Envision and Encore (though the Enclave ranked sub-par). Eight of the top 10 brands were Japanese, with Infiniti in 4th, and Honda, Subaru, Acura and Nissan following Buick in that order. Mini, in 10th place, was the only European brand in the top 10. The bottom spots went to Jeep, Tesla, and once again Lincoln in dead last. While all Lincolns received poor scores, the Aviator was notable for getting only 3 points out of 100. Similarly, last year's lowest-scoring vehicle was the Ford Explorer, with which the Aviator shares a platform. It wasn't all gloom from the domestics, however. The Chevrolet Trailblazer tied the Lexus GX with a perfect score, but overall Chevy brand ranked 14th, pulled down by the Corvette, Silverado 1500 and Tahoe. The Tahoe tied with the GMC Yukon with the lowest scores this year, just 2 points each. Both the Silverado 2500HD and the nearly identical GMC Sierra 2500HD were among to top scoring American vehicles, along with the Ford Bronco Sport, Mustang Mach E, Ranger and Chrysler 300. Consumer Reports also points out that the oft-said line that electric vehicles are less prone to problems due to fewer moving parts isn't necessarily true. The Audi E-Tron and Tesla Model X each got a score of 5, the lowest of their respective brands, due to more and more technology being crammed into these higher-priced EVs. For a complete list of rankings by company and of individual models, check out the full study at Consumer Reports. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.