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2019 Lexus UX 250h First Drive Review | Flashy looks and smart hybrid tech

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Lexus admittedly is late to the subcompact crossover segment, but it hopes to make up ground with the 2019 UX by offering an intriguing combination of hybrid technology and flashy design. Longer than any premium subcompact SUV rival at 177 inches, the UX's 60.6-inch height is lower than all but the Infiniti QX30 and Mercedes GLA, and it sits in the middle on width at 72.4 inches — the BMW X1 and Subaru XV are narrower, the Audi Q3 and Jaguar E-Pace wider. Those dimensions give the UX a much more hatchback/crossover feeling, rather than a boxy and upright SUV. The inline four-cylinder 2.0-liter gasoline engine teams with two electric motors to produce 175 horsepower channeled through an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission. The hybrid offers electric all-wheel drive with a dedicated electric motor generator integrated into the rear differential. Despite the crossover looks, Lexus never suggests the UX is a proper off-roader. On-road it does feel a little more solid, and promises more traction on slippery surfaces off-road. The U.S. market gets a strictly gasoline-fed option too, in the UX 200. It's powered by a 2.0-liter 169-horsepower four-cylinder engine paired to Toyota's new direct-shift CVT transmission and front-wheel-drive only. Economy figures are still to be finalized, but Lexus estimates 33 combined mpg for the UX 200, with the all-wheel-drive 250h expected to achieve 38 mpg combined. Related: 2019 UX is the most affordable Lexus In Europe, the UX will be sold alongside the now-aging CT hatchback, despite rumors the CT is on its way out (it's already been axed in the U.S.). But the UX is by far the superior vehicle. The CVT in the Lexus UX is better and doesn't whine like the transmission in older versions of the CT. The UX also handles way better, even though for most customers its environmental credentials, keen running costs and distinctive design are more likely to factor into the buying-decision process. The UX's cabin is a welcoming space. It's smart, logical and less cluttered than the larger NX. Material quality is excellent and original in places too — the optional dashboard covering akin to textured Japanese washi paper is a good example — and Lexus is stressing the brand's superior craftsmanship, called Takumi, throughout its range. Unfortunately, the interior is hamstrung by the laptop-style touchpad for the infotainment screen (7-inch is standard, 10.25-inch on F-Sport trim).

Chevy Camaro ZL1, Lexus LFA celebrate National Donut Day

Happy National Donut Day, everyone! While some of us may have already celebrated this high-caloric holiday at our local Dunkin' Donuts or Tim Horton's, Chevrolet and Lexus have taken the opportunity to offer us delicious donuts of a different sort. Using a "professional donut maker" and a 2013 Camaro ZL1, Chevy has released a video of its 580-horsepower coupe laying down some serious rubber. Lexus has countered with its LFA supercar and, oddly, LPGA pro golfer Natalie Gulbis.
Just like many of the donut chains across the country, Chevy and Lexus are giving away these donuts for free. Not only do their donuts contain zero fat, they're also easily enjoyable over the Internet, albeit nowhere near as tasty as a Krispy Kreme. Scroll down to enjoy both videos.

Production Lexus NX small CUV headed for Geneva

Just five months ago, our spy photographers caught what appeared to be a mule for the forthcoming Lexus NX crossover with the body of a CT 200h for disguise. Then the LF-NX Concept CUV debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show (it showed up at the Tokyo Motor Show as well) with a massive spindle grille and an extreme version of Lexus' sharp-edged new styling language on full display. Now Auto Express reports that a production version of the LF-NX concept will grace the Geneva Motor Show next March and go on sale next summer. If the names that Lexus trademarked a while back are any indication, it'll come in two trims, NX 200t and NX 300h.
Concept vehicles often look outrageously bold, with more extroverted styling than what eventually makes it into the production version. But Lexus reportedly will leave much of the LF-NX concept's styling alone for the production version, citing its customers' changing tastes.
"What we're finding is that these days customers want to be more expressive, so a lot of the concept's inherent design will come out in the finished car," says Paul Van der Burgh, Lexus' European director. "Why would you want something that looked like everything else in the segment?"