New Lexus UX Nudges Further Upmarket With Subtle Updates For 2023

• Improved structural rigidity, retuned suspension and steering response. 

• New 12.3-inch touchscreen, slightly redesigned dashboard. 

• Updated Lexus Safety System+ 2.5, app-based digital key and 360-degree camera. 

• New wireless phone charging system and USB-C ports.  

• Launch in global markets scheduled for mid-2022.

Lexus’s least expensive offering in the global market, the UX compact luxury SUV, has been updated for 2022 with new safety features and improved equipment. The updates which include a larger touchscreen and a slightly redesigned dashboard, bring the UX on par with other recently updated Lexus models in the global lineup. We expect the all-electric version of the compact luxury SUV, the UX 300e, to make its way to India with similar changes at the end of the year. 

What has changed in the new Lexus UX? 

Not much has changed on the outside – the Lexus UX is still a low-slung SUV with sharply styled front and rear fascias and 5-split-spoke aerodynamic alloy wheels. It bears the same oversized spindle front grille as before that bears a distinctive diamond-shaped pattern on the F-Sport variant. 

To improve the frame and bodywork’s rigidity, Lexus has added twenty spot-welding points around the sides and at the rear of the SUV. It gets new 18-inch run-flat tyres that feature a redesigned tread pattern for less road noise. 

The changes are more noticeable on the inside. The dashboard has been subtly redesigned to accommodate the larger 12.3-inch touchscreen display with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Its layered aesthetic is intact, but the overall design looks less busy and the infotainment screen is placed a tad closer to the driver, eliminating the need for a touchpad lower down on the centre console. 

In addition, the HVAC controls are more modern with a screen readout for the dual-zone climate control. Lower down, there are USB-C ports and a storage compartment with a wireless phone charger. 

The new Lexus UX also comes with a digital key function that allows you to unlock the doors and even start the car and drive it using the smartphone app. Only one smartphone can have the digital key, and you can even “pass” the digital key to someone else's phone using the app.

Lexus has updated the UX’s active safety and driver assistance package as well. The Lexus Safety System+ comes with a camera and sensor-based “Pre-Collision” collision-mitigating system which can detect bicyclists and pedestrians in low-light conditions and while taking turns at an intersection. In addition, the UX has an enhanced Lane Tracing Assist (LTA) lane-keeping system, adaptive cruise control with a curve-speed control function, and an Emergency Driving Stop System that safely brings the SUV to a halt at the side of the road if the driver is incapacitated. 

Lexus UX F Sport 

The UX will be available in an F-Sport variant, which now gets performance-oriented suspension dampers and adaptive suspension (AVS) as standard. The systems help it maintain composure over bumpy roads by adjusting the softness and pliability of the suspension in real time. In addition, the steering system has been strengthened using braces to improve handling. 

Under the bonnet, you’ll find a 2-litre petrol engine in the Lexus UX, paired with a mild hybrid system as standard. In the UX 250h hybrid, the electric motor provides an additional 109PS and 202Nm, paired with an electronic CVT which helps the UX get from 0-100kmph in 8.5 seconds. 

The all-electric UX 300e makes 204PS, with a 54.3kWh battery that’s rated for a claimed range of 305km. 

Also read: 

• Lexus UX 300e Electric Crossover Being Tested In India; Launch Likely By End Of 2022

• Lexus RZ Revealed As An All-electric SUV With Around 400km Range

The 2023 Lexus UX will be launched in select markets by mid-2022, but we aren’t sure yet if or when it’ll be available in India. Its all-electric version, the UX 300e, has been undergoing tests in our country; so fingers crossed, we could see Lexus’ least expensive offering by the end of this year. The Volvo XC40 Recharge rival is likely to be priced upwards of Rs 60 lakh (ex-showroom).