The Lexus UX 300E leaps from hybrid to pure EV
Unlike many current EVs, the Lexus UX 300e has a very welcome feeling of lightness
It’s taken Lexus a long time to completely cut ties with the internal combustion engine. Toyota’s luxury division was the pioneering high-end hybrid brand, taking the tech that its parent company effectively invented and honed to perfection through models like the Prius, which debuted way back in 1997. The company has sold well over 15 million hybrid models to date, with Lexus chipping in with mixed-power models from 2005 onwards. These days, you can’t buy a non-electrically assisted Lexus in the UK, and the LF-Z concept shown in March heralds the shape of its battery electric future.
For a company that has always made much of its design chops, going electric will be especially beneficial. The UX 300e might be a first, but it’s also a compromise, a car with a visually identical hybrid sibling. We’ve often noted that car design is in a bit of a limbo, with the best and boldest designs coming from manufacturers who have started from scratch and don’t have to accommodate the legacy of the internal combustion engine. This isn’t an engineering quandary – these issues were all carefully planned for years in advance – but a visual one; a glimpse at the Lexus LF-Z shows the company's best-looking model to date, even if it is still only a concept.
The little UX 300e starts with a struggle, therefore. Added adversity comes with its scale, for at the moment, small cars still equal a relatively small range, due to the lack of space for battery packaging. This isn’t necessarily a problem, provided you’re good at planning ahead and don’t treat a car solely like a spontaneous lifestyle accessory. Fast-charging via the CHAdeMO plug, with 0 per cent to 80 per cent coming up in just under an hour. CHAdeMO is different the CCS plugs used in many German cars, although both systems are usually found together on the same charger. The main problem is finding a free charge point in the first place, a whinge that will hopefully soon feel akin to complaining about dial-up internet speeds.
The projected range of 196 miles feels rather optimistic, and if you avail yourself of accessories like air conditioning or use a bit too much of the swift acceleration, you’ll be lucky to get 75 per cent of that. However, unlike many current EVs, the UX 300e has a very welcome feeling of lightness, a characteristic that so many EVs fail to convey. With a sense off lightness – however artificially contrived – comes a tendency to take things easy, eke out the range and revel in the comfort and accoutrements that Lexus have become famed for. Compact luxury EVs are still thin on the ground, so for now the Lexus has the field to itself. It’s a strong start from a company with the skills to make superior electric cars.
INFORMATION
Lexus UX 300e EV with Premium Plus Pack, £47,400
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
Gucci’s ‘Blondie’ bag revival sees the enduring 1970s accessory reimagined anew
First shown at Sabato De Sarno’s Gucci Cruise 2025 show in London, a new iteration of Gucci’s beloved ‘Blondie’ bag fuses 1970s insouciance with a crisp modernity
By Jack Moss Published
-
Private museum Simple Design Archive is a ‘poetic sound sanctuary’ in China
Simple Design Archive, located in China’s Anhui province, is a private museum by HAS Design and Research, fostering a contemplative environment
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
All hail the arrival of true autonomy? On Tesla’s proposed Robotaxi and techno-insecurity
Tesla’s new marketing push predicts a future of robot cabs, automated buses and autonomous home androids. We already want to get off
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Lexus installation explores time at Milan Design Week 2024
Lexus brought designer Hideki Yoshimoto’s ‘Beyond the Horizon’ to Milan’s Art Point, part of its ongoing series of collaborations with Fuorisalone
By Nargess Shahmanesh Banks Published
-
LEVC’s L380 is a truly magnificent minivan
The London Electric Vehicle Company’s L380, is a magnificent minivan designed for upscale long-distance travel, as the maker of the London Taxi branches out into all-purpose EVs
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Toyota bz4X SUV is the marque’s first pure electric vehicle
The Toyota bz4X is our first chance to explore how the long-standing masters of mass automobile production make an EV
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Lexus LM wants you to have the back-seat ride of your life
The back of the Lexus LM has the space, grace and accoutrements to rival a Rolls-Royce. Can this upscale minivan reinvent the luxury car?
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Marjan van Aubel’s ‘8 Minutes and 20 Seconds’ installation with Lexus is our Best Solar Roller
The Dutch solar designer Marjan van Aubel mounted an interactive installation in Miami to introduce Lexus’ new zero-emission LF-ZC concept car
By Adrian Madlener Published
-
The debut Japan Mobility Show saw the country’s carmakers preview the near future
The 2023 Japan Mobility Show offered up a vast array of futuristic transportation, from concept sports cars to autonomous taxis, and eVTOL aircraft
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
New Lexus LBX is big on quality, small in size, with a clean contemporary design language
Lexus downscales luxury with the new LBX crossover, a compact hybrid that’s the Japanese premium brand’s smallest product to date
By Guy Bird Published
-
The Lexus RZ majors on refinement and fresh thinking, inside and out
The new Lexus RZ is a strong contender for the title of best luxury electric crossover
By Jonathan Bell Published