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Lexus’ updated UX300e electric vehicle (EV) will arrive by the middle of this year, bringing substantially greater range and a more engaging driving experience, as well as the inevitable higher prices to match.
Its introduction will coincide with the release of the larger and more expensive RZ crossover – the brand’s first all-electric model range – that’s now at last been confirmed for a May debut.
According to Lexus Australia chief executive, John Pappas, both EVs – along with the launch of broader-scope hybrids like the turbocharged RX500h F Sport Performance – mark a deliberate shift in the company’s strategy for Australia, taking in greater performance and a stronger emphasis on driving pleasure.
“All future developments by Lexus will be based on the principle of reinventing the driver experience through electrification,” he said. “This is now the mission of Lexus and its engineers.”
In other words, look out, BMW and Genesis!
With the greater emphasis on enjoyment and thrills, underpinning the changes in the facelifted UX300e is a switch from a 54.4kWh lithium-ion battery pack to a sizeable 72.8kWh one, boosting the WLTP rating between recharges from 315km to 440km.
But the flipside will be an expected price hike, from the current starting price for the base Luxury that starts from $74,000 (all prices quoted are before on-road costs), to more than $80,000 by our estimates, paying for the extra range as well as improvements in presentation and specification.
This would more closely align the UX300e with luxury rivals offering broadly similarly-sized batteries, including the Mercedes-Benz EQA 250 from $81,700 and new BMW iX1 from $84,900.
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Furthermore, such a pricing structure creates a smaller stepping stone up to the RZ450e, which is expected to kick off from around $100,000. Pricing and other details of that are due out soon.
However, the UX300e would now be significantly adrift of other competing crossovers perceived as premium and/or aspirational, including the Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric from $73,990, Kia EV6 from $72,590, Hyundai Ioniq 5 from $72,000, Tesla Model Y from $68,900, Polestar 2 from $63,900 and Cupra Born from $59,990.
Mirroring the changes introduced late last year in the regular internal combustion engine UXs, the 300e’s advancements also include an updated interior, ushering a larger central screen (up from 10.3 to 12.3 inches) that ditches the old controversial haptic ‘mousepad’ controller, revised instrumentation, a bigger phone charging cradle, additional USB ports and a ‘Hey, Lexus!’ voice control functionality.
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A beefier body thanks to extra spot welds helps make the UX more rigid than before, which, along with improved steering thanks to extra bracing, shock absorbers and brakes, benefit ride as well as handling characteristics.
On the safety front, the first electric Lexus gains an updated pre-collision system with better pedestrian detection and intersection collision avoidance, broader adaptive cruise control capabilities and more nuanced lane-keep tech, while the Lexus Connected Services App with remote vehicle functionality and emergency/SOS callout in the event of post-accident driver incapacitation is now also included.
As with the RZ, more information including pricing and standard features will be divulged closer to the UX300e's mid-year arrival.
Lexus – and by extension Toyota – may be late to the EV party, but the upgrades that the compact electric crossover boasts is a clear sign that it intends to be a force to be reckoned with.
Let’s hope the brand does not price itself out of contention.
