The Lexus UX 200 may be the least recognized but most accomplished of the luxury brand’s crossovers and sport utilities.
Of course, it had the brand’s spindle grille, but it was small. That was okay. Our UX 200 was chock full of creature comforts.
It had heated and cooled front seats along with a heated steering wheel. They could be linked to the climate controls. In other words, they came on automatically. When it is in the low teens early in the morning that made a difference.
The UX 200 was powered by a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine that made 169 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque. It was mated to a 10-speed direct shift continuously variable transmission.
At low speeds it seemed like a normal transmission. But press on the accelerator and it had that drone of a CVT. The point is that the horsepower to weight, 3,307 lbs., and torque ratio worked. Our UX never seemed underpowered.
It was front-wheel-drive. It had a MacPherson strut suspension in the front and an independent rear trailing wishbone setup in the back.
It was bitterly cold but at least the pavement was dry. The UX 200 had a lock-to-lock steering turn of 2.8. That translated into a turning radius of 17.1 ft. It was very maneuverable.
Lexus called the UX and urban dweller. It had plenty of cargo spaces that we never used. The roof rails were meant to be used not just looked at. There was a foot activated rear power door, we didn’t use that either. We also had a moonroof.
We had LED lights all round. Wireless charging, 18-inch wheels, a head-up display, navigation system and intuitive parking assist filled out a well-equipped small crossover. And there were cornering lamps too.
The UX 200 was keyless: start stop, and exit enter as well. It had three drive modes: sport, normal and eco. It was a luxury compact crossover. It had voice controls, satellite radio, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto, as well as Amazon Alexa.
There were power outside folding side mirrors, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, rearview camera, tire pressure monitoring, intelligent high beams.
Our test vehicle had a base price of $37,600. Add options and the total came to $42,845 as evaluated.
Frank S. Washington is editor of AboutThatCar.com