The 2019 Lexus UX 250h has hatchback versatility.
Back in the day, I knew all the alpha-numeric models at Lexus dealerships.
Names like the RX350, the LS400 and the ES350 bring to mind specific shapes and engines. But before this week, if you’d asked me to pick a Lexus UX out of a lineup, I’d have guessed based on family resemblance. Which isn’t as hard as it sounds, given the hour-glass shaped schnoz on almost all modern Lexus models. (Lexus calls it the Spindle Grille.)
FAST FACTS
* Model: 2019 Lexus UX 250h F Sport * Exterior color: Ultrasonic Blue Mica * Interior color: Black * Engine: 2.0-liter, four-cylinder, hybrid * Horsepower: 181 * Transmission: CVT * Fuel economy: 38 mpg highway, 41 mpg city * Local Dealer: Lexus of Chattanooga * Price (as tested): $43,525 In the market for a new vehicle? To access hundreds of Mark Kennedy’s Chattanooga Test Drive columns visit www.timesfreepress.com/testdrive.
The UX is the brand’s new small crossover, although the lines between a crossover and a hatch are beginning to blur. It comes in two varieties, a hybrid and non-hybrid. For this review, the manufacturer provided us a 2019 Lexus UX 250h hybrid, which gets 41 mpg city.
Designed to appeal to young, urban drivers with modest cargo needs but a taste for quality, the Lexus UX 250h represents a niche within a niche. It’s meant to capture only a sliver of the Luxury crossover market, albeit a a profitable one.