As more people reside in cities and urban centers, space to drive (and park) has become increasingly limited. However; that hasn’t stopped people from purchasing vehicles like no other time in history. Fortunately, brands like Lexus are addressing the issue by creating smaller, compact crossover style vehicles that can navigate these cities with style.
Over the Memorial Day weekend, I had the opportunity to test drive the UX 200 luxury edition compact cross over. Below you’ll find a review of the car and my experience.
UX 200 Standard – MSRP – starts at $32, 150
UX 200 Luxury (full stocked) – MSRP – starts at $37,350
The UX is the first compact-crossover in the Lexus family, making this vehicle a “mini-SUV”. As someone that has exclusively owned & driven sedans, the concept of a hatchback style vehicle is still foreign to me. Personally, hatchbacks have always given off a stunted station wagon vibe, that just never resonated with my person taste. That changed with the UX 200. Style wise, I knew that I’d love the car — with an exterior housing sleek curves that gives the perception that the car is constantly in motion is a modern take on this type of crossover vehicle.
Overall, this is a fantastic vehicle, so there won’t be any cons, however; there are a few things I’d change/improve:
Favorite Features
- The gas mileage is solid. I drove from the suburbs of Philly, in Philly and to the jersey shore and got 33.4 mpgs
- The interior is sexy as hell. The blue and off-white leather detailing is sporty & luxe all in one expertly tailored package
- The handling is smooth with the turning radius feels like your driving a sports car. It perfect for navigating the tight and congested streets of Philly (or other cities like it
- 3 driving modes: Normal, ECO and Sport. Over the holiday, I drove to the shore and had the opportunity to use the Sport Mode on the expressway/turnpike — and it was glorious. Especially, when passing meandering vehicles. Otherwise, I spent my time using ECO mode, which save a fair amount of gas
- The trunk space is impressive. I took a trip to Lowes and stacked up 5 bags of mulch with no problem
- Great family vehicle. The carseat latches are easily accessible and as a young dad, that was something that I look for immediately.
Room For Improvement
- The touch pad is highly sensitive and is the main way to interact with onboard display. If there was a track wheel to coincide with the touch pad, navigating the display would be easier
- Unlike the UX 250h, this UX 200 doesn’t offer all-wheel drive. With a vehicle that has the body/style of an off road vehicle, I would think all-wheel drive would come along with it
