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2019 Lexus UX Review and Buying Guide | More Lexus, less Corolla, please

The 2019 Lexus UX is the smallest and cheapest Lexus you can buy, and the UX 250h hybrid model just barely misses out being the most fuel efficient. As an entry into the Lexus brand, this subcompact crossover is generally an impressive effort, embodying the design, quality, features and driving experience we've come to expect – albeit with understandable cutbacks made to achieve its lower price. However, the UX faces stiff competition. It has one of the smallest cabins in a segment not known for its spaciousness, and its Remote Touch tech interface constantly frustrates. And while fuel economy is exceptional for the segment, its acceleration is underwhelming regardless of whether you get the UX 250h or gas-only UX 200. Worse still, you can only get the latter with front-wheel drive. In other words, this is a car with distinct highs and lows. What's new for 2019? The Lexus UX is an all-new model for 2019. It is mechanically based on the same platform that underpins most new Toyota models such as the Toyota C-HR and Toyota Corolla, as well as the Lexus ES sedan. It slots into the bottom of the Lexus SUV lineup below the NX. What's the interior and in-car technology like? From the comfortable and supportive driver seat, the UX looks and feels like a proper Lexus. The design is consistent with, but, refreshingly, not a copy of other models. There are common details like the drive mode setting selectors that sprout from the instrument panel and the F-Sport's sliding gauge cluster within, while the available 10.25 infotainment display is perched atop a low, flat dash. The materials covering the dash and front doors are appropriate for this luxury price point and consistent with the ES 350, if not higher-priced Lexus models. By contrast, the hard plastic door panels in the rear are disappointingly more consistent with a Toyota Corolla. However, the UX features unique touches (we like the contrast-color dash and door trim available) and offers different controls than other Lexus models. The climate system is operated by unique toggle switches, while the air vents have little rotary controllers that look and feel better than those in a Lexus ES. Now, the UX has been afflicted by the same curse as its various siblings – the Remote Touch tech interface – and while it's still perpetually frustrating and distracting, there are some noteworthy advancements.

Major Alexa deal will bring Amazon services into more cars

Amazon and its personal assistance service Alexa are partnering with HERE Technologies to create a new connected mobility service powerhouse. Alexa will integrate with HERE's navigation and location services to offer what the two companies are calling a "true voice-first-navigation experience." Alexa will come pre-integrated with HERE navigation on-demand, which the automakers can then enable, which should help cut down on development time. One of the biggest features from this partnership is how directions could be offered and delivered using HERE's Open Location Platform (OLP). Currently, the OLP uses data from several car manufacturers to provide insights into real-time location and traffic. But on Alexa, this could be used to provide directional context. For example, Alexa could say, "Turn right after [such-and-such a building]" rather than just, "Turn right." Amazon has been testing the automotive waters throughout the past decade. Its home-based Alexa-enabled devices are already offered with connections to several manufacturers. To various degrees of integration, it can already pair with Ford, Genesis, Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai and BMW vehicles. At the end of 2018, Amazon took things a step further when it introduced the Echo Auto, a Bluetooth-connected Alexa assistant device that can be physically kept in a car. Currently only available by invitation (its production and distribution have been delayed), the $25 device is essentially a voice service that works together with smartphones and connects to a car's speakers. Users can command it to do a variety of things, including playing music, setting navigation, opening the garage door, finding local stores, making calls, setting reminders, and thousands of other "skills." According to The Verge, nearly 1 million people have already ordered the device. Some (well, probably few) may know HERE Technologies from its maps on Windows Phones. We all know how that turned out, though. Today, HERE has expanded into a multi-function suite that is available in multiple mediums, including many automotive applications. HERE Automotive's connected vehicle services include real-time traffic, parking, weather, fuel prices, hazard warnings, traffic sign integration, and even EV charging stations. These all incorporate and extend the use of HERE's location and tracking programming. HERE is already partnered with BMW, Audi, Daimler, Intel, Mobileye, NVIDIA, and has investments from Bosch, Continental and Pioneer.

Lexus has big expectations for small NX crossover

One has to wonder why it took so long for Lexus to enter the hotly contested compact premium crossover market. The brand itself projects some 36,000 sales for its brand-new NX, which is set to go on sale in the US in November. Add that potential to the 100,000-plus RX crossovers it sells annually in the States and Lexus looks poised to put some hurt on German rivals like Audi, BMW and Mercedes.
The vast majority of Lexus NX models imported to the States will be powered by a new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that pumps 235 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque to either the front or all four wheels. Just 10 percent or so of NX models will get the 194-horsepower hybrid powertrain wrapped in NX 300h trim. Though not yet rated by the EPA, Lexus projects mileage ratings of 22 city, 28 highway and 24 combined for the turbo and 35/31/33 for front-wheel-drive hybrids (expect a one-mpg combined hit for AWD models with either engine).
In terms of sizing, the Lexus NX is dimensionally very similar to the Audi Q5, which starts at $37,300. Lexus hasn't yet released pricing information for its NX, but promises to be in the same range as its competitors. We note with interest that the larger Lexus RX starts at $40,795 - a little over $3,000 more than the Audi its NX will compete against - and wonder out loud if the Japanese automaker can undercut its German competitors in pricing with the NX. Expect official pricing info from Lexus closer to its on-sale date later this year.