Welcome to the world of the new Lexus LBX. The Lexus Breakthrough CXross-over. Why launch a small B-segment Lexus now? Mr Toyota wants to change the view of their premium luxury cars. Change the image of Lexus apparently. There was something about comfy trainers spoken in this segment. Not sure where it sits but I made a note of it. So I’m going to use it.
Speaking of trainers, Lexus can be seen sponsoring the tennis set (sponsorship around Tennis tournaments and the like). It will hopefully avoid being bought by the yobish football set.
A New Look.
This isn’t a new segment for Toyota to be heading into but it is for Lexus. The rise of the baby movers like the Audi Q2, Mini crossover, DS3 and BMW X2 has shifted Lexus thinking and they now want a piece of the lucrative pie. At the European launch that Driven It was invited to attend, there was the game of ballshit bingo to be had. One does find it tedious when every PR team spout off words like “premium” but I actually can accept premium in this car. Lexus is premium.
And this has a the start of a new-look for Lexus. You will notice the lack of the gapping grill of many shapes. It takes away some of the unnecessary aggresiveness from a brand not exactly associated with agreesive drivers or a needed want to be. To me, Lexus has always been about quiet concern and serenity.
On the Road.
Some more eye-rolling was to be had. The new battery is called a high-output Bi-polar Battery (No idea?) It is light and more compact. Power response from it is said to be half that from a normal battery to give exhilarating performance. It didn’t feel like it in practice. There was a noticeable lag. Something that in some ways just felt at odds in a car with this new hybrid electric power system from Lexus. The second to use the Bi-polar system.
This lag is also amplified in some models that lack the paddle shift option. In mildly spirited driving form, to full-on hardcore stuff, it was more often than not, essential to drop the gearbox down 2 or 3 gears to get the best from the 1.5-litre VVT-iE 3 cylinder engine. Left to its own devices, and it just trundled along. The power train without dropping the cogs feels a bit lethargic. Even in sport mode.
The engine itself is very willing if a little at odds with Lexus. I might love the thrum of a 3 cylinder, but in a Lexus, one feels it should be quieter than this. Not to dampen the way Lexus’s own 3 cylinder goes, the inherited vibrations of the engine are somewhat overshadowed by rear road noise. Admittedly, this is subject to road surfaces but loud enough at times to feel somewhat intrusive.
Its performance feels about right for what is on offer. In the big scheme of things, the 134bhp poor unit returns a 9.2 second run up to 62mph. It feels a little less than that in practice. Driven conservatively, it will return recorded 62.8mpg.
We tried to drive it in EV mode in the Monday morning traffic of Valencia. Less than 3 battery bars and it wouldn’t do it. And this puzzled me somewhat. The self charging hybrid system took an extortionate amount of time to replenish the battery. Even out on the open road. It was here in traffic that we discovered the horn was okayish. If I’m honest, it could do with being louder. One thing the Europeans do better than us in traffic situations is hit the horn without the risk of being stabbed!
It’s something many car makers I find are still not overcoming. Since writing about new cars, I do compare one with the other. This also goes for older cars against new cars.
Stepping On It.
Hardcore driving however is rewarding. Despite the above, the suspension, complaint in most situations, does manage to control roll angles. For a B-segment SUV, the LBX, running on a revised GA-B platform, does feel more like a rather large hatchback than a top-heavy SUV. Its height doesn’t seem all that high with today’s crop of available hatchbacks.
The suspension does tend to keep the car level. Around the twisty open roads of Valencia, it did hustle along with quite a lot of enjoyment. And in my peripheral vision, I could see my co-pilot wobbling around in their seat like their spine was made from mashed potatoes. This also goes to the vehicle braking posture system. With the use of regulators, it applies brake forces where needed to keep the car level.
This is a car that is being aimed at those who wish to downsize from a larger car, a younger audience who don’t know Lexus and those pesky empty nesters. A term I have heard twice now and added to the ballshit bingo of motoring jargon.
Lexus has had their challenges in making the LBX. Cutting the fat is one of them. The more of it they can cut, the better the driving dynamics. And a more nimble driving experience can be had. They have achieved this. As mentioned above.
This has meant the use of glues in the construction of the frame and some downgrading of plastics where you might think it would be necessary to build on that ‘premium’ look and feel. But the more they cut, the more expensive it becomes. Lighter materials become more expensive to use. It’s a double-edged sword and Lexus has achieved a fine balance.
You can Forgive It.
To be honest, when you look at the starting price for the LBX, you can forgive it quite a bit. Even for the reinvention of the cabin door handles that no one asked for. They are awkward in their ergonomics. Thankfully they don’t detract from the airy feel in the cabin. Much emphasis has been put here on the ambiance of feel. There are for example, 50 different colour combinations of mood lighting. The cabin, with the typical Tazuna driver’s cockpit design, does give a good command of the road and all the controls around it.
This includes the 12.3 inch touch screen that falls to hand quite easily and gives a clear view.
The back isn’t too bad either. Unlike Toyota’s own C-HR, you get a grand view out from the rear seats and this is good news because it can feel a bit cramped with a tall driver up front. For a growing family, it will be perfect.
Conclusion.
With prices starting from £29,995 for the Urban (a model you won’t want to buy) it doesn’t exactly have a Premium brand car price tag. For my money, take the 2-wheel drive Takumi for £38,245. It’s also where the sequential panel shifts came as standard equipment. It has pretty much all that you want too. And I say this because this is a Lexus and a Lexus should make you feel something special that the Urban can’t do.