Lexus South Africa continues its hybrid offensive with the addition of an entry-level UX offering.

Lexus sees itself as the hybrid leader in South Africa and if the figures are to be believed, Lexus owns 37% of the alternative fuel market in SA. BMW runs it close with 34% of the market. The UX hybrid, in particular, is a top-seller in the space contributing to 21% of hybrid sales, only beaten by the BMW i3 (28%) in terms of outright sales locally.

Lexus wants to push further into the hybrid space, where it wants to be the number 1 name within the market. They have already begun to expand hybrid offerings with the introduction of the entry-level ES in January 2020. Now it’s the turn of the UX to get a lower spec grade. We say lower spec, but Lexus is always rather generous with its spec so what it actually means is that a few nice-to-have items have been removed from the spec sheet and the price has come down by about R60k.

The new EX grade hybrid UX (Lexus UX 250h EX) is similarly specced to the non-hybrid 200 EX. Compared to the SE top-spec models it doesn’t have some of the active safety features such as lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring and pre-crash sense. Standard cruise control is selected instead of adaptive which is used for the SE. It has standard LED headlights without auto high beam and a reverse camera instead of panoramic round view system.

Inside, the seat material is Nulux (a simulated leather) as opposed to the smooth leather of the SE models. Ventilated seats are also only available on the SE models. All UX models now come standard with Apple Carplay and Android auto as well as the 10.3-inch central infotainment unit.

The power unit remains the same, generating a maximum output of 135 kW when the battery delivers its full potential in conjunction with the 107 kW naturally aspirated petrol engine.

Take a look at the specs of the rest of the UX range here.

Pricing

Lexus UX 200 EX – R654 700

Lexus UX 250h EX – R690 300

Lexus UX 250h SE – R756 200

Lexus UX 200 F-Sport – R785 400

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