Category Archives: NEW CARS

NEW CARS

2026 Lexus UX 300h: Still the Hybrid You’ll Like More Than You Expect

The Lexus UX has always played the role of the polite overachiever in the compact luxury-crossover class—small footprint, big efficiency, and a surprisingly premium demeanor. For 2026, Lexus doesn’t shake up the formula. Instead, the UX 300h carries forward the meaningful hardware upgrades introduced last year and sprinkles in a handful of color, trim, and tech revisions to keep things fresh. It’s an incremental update, but the right kind.

Hybrid Power, Now the Only Power

Lexus doubled down on the hybrid-only strategy in the U.S. last year, and the 2026 UX 300h continues that mission. Every model uses the brand’s fifth-generation hybrid system: a 2.0-liter inline-four teamed with two motor-generators via a planetary CVT. Together, they deliver 196 horsepower, whether you choose the front-wheel-drive version or the available E-Four all-wheel-drive system that adds a dedicated 30-kW rear motor.

The result? Respectably quick manners for a subcompact crossover tuned with efficiency in mind. Lexus estimates 0–60 mph in 7.9 seconds (AWD) and 8.0 seconds (FWD)—fine for daily duty and slightly improved over the pre-2025 models. Meanwhile, the UX turns in numbers that will make your local hypermiler nod in approval: 43 mpg combined for FWD, 41 mpg for AWD.

Helping this system punch above its weight is the hybrid transaxle and the switch to a lightweight lithium-ion battery, tucked neatly under the rear seats. The placement improves both cargo room and packaging while giving the UX’s electric components quicker response.

The Smallest Lexus Still Wants to Look Sporty

Lexus doesn’t shy away from design drama, even at the entry level. The spindle grille—love it or hate it—remains the UX 300h’s dominant facial feature, now framed by LED signature lighting and arrowhead daytime running lights. The fenders are flared, the profile is sharp, and the rear end is bookended by the brand’s now-distinctive Aero Stabilizing Blade Light, a 120-LED strip that doubles as an aerodynamic aid by calming airflow around the tail.

This year adds new paint choices: Ultra White joins the Base and Premium palettes, while F SPORT trims introduce a new monotone Caviar finish and offer their own set of contrasting roof options. Standard 18-inch run-flat tires (yes, run-flats) sit beneath a selection of wheel designs, with F SPORT variants getting sporting split-five-spoke options.

The UX’s tidy footprint and aero-minded details aren’t just for show. With aluminum body panels, a composite tailgate, and a structure built to Lexus’s high-strength GA-C platform standards, the UX sits low with a center of gravity measuring a sports-hatch-like 23.4 inches. Agile? Absolutely. Athletic? Within reason.

Ride and Handling: Lexus-Polished, Hatchback-Adjacent

Driving the UX feels more “sporty commuter” than true canyon carver, but the chassis brings notable composure. MacPherson struts up front and a double-wishbone rear help keep things tight and predictable. Lexus says they sweated the details—damper oil viscosity, friction control, seal quality—and the car absorbs harsh edges with a level of refinement you’d expect from the badge.

Active Cornering Assist subtly brakes the inside wheels during aggressive cornering to tamp down understeer. F SPORT Handling models go a step further with Active Variable Suspension (AVS) that firms up the UX’s reactions without punishing ride quality.

F SPORT Models: Mostly Style, Some Substance

Lexus offers both F SPORT Design and F SPORT Handling models. The former is primarily aesthetic—a black roof, special wheels, sportier fascias—while the latter adds genuine mechanical upgrades. AVS, F SPORT seats, aluminum pedal caps, and steering-wheel heating keep the Handling grade from being all show and no go. New for 2026, a hands-free power tailgate joins the standard kit.

Interior: Small Cabin, Big-Tech Feel

Inside, the UX continues to feel more “premium hatchback” than “traditional SUV,” and that’s intentional. Seating height is just elevated enough for easy ingress without compromising the wrapped-around cockpit feel. Improved button layouts, new chrome touches, and F SPORT–specific hairline metal finishes add subtle refinement.

The big change is digital real estate: 12.3-inch multi-information displays are now standard on Premium and F SPORT models, while the Base model gets a 7.0-inch setup. The Lexus Interface touchscreen remains front and center (8.0 inches standard, 12.3 inches on F SPORT Handling), with smartphone-like response thanks to its anti-reflective, high-adhesion glass.

The UX is well stocked with convenience features—five USB ports, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, optional head-up display—and Lexus’s growing ecosystem of subscription-based connectivity functions. Cloud Navigation, Intelligent Assistant (“Hey Lexus…”), Remote Connect, and Digital Key all run through Drive Connect and Remote Connect services.

Seats range from calm NuLuxe palettes (Black, Palomino, Birch, Lapis) to F SPORT’s more extroverted Black/Circuit Red combo. Premium models add heated/ventilated seats, a moonroof, and a hands-free rear door.

Safety: Lexus Throws the Whole Catalog At It

Every 2026 UX 300h comes with Lexus Safety System+ 3.0, including improved Pre-Collision detection, Lane Tracing Assist, curve-aware adaptive cruise, Road Sign Assist, and Proactive Driving Assist for subtle braking and steering input. Safe Exit Alert reduces the chance of dooring a cyclist—an underrated feature in urban crossovers.

Pricing: Typical Lexus Value, But Not Cheap

The UX stays competitively priced for a luxury hybrid:

ModelMSRP + Destination
UX 300h (FWD)$38,250
UX 300h Premium$41,520
UX 300h F SPORT Design$42,085
UX 300h F SPORT Handling$46,670
UX 300h AWD$39,820
UX 300h AWD Premium$43,090
UX 300h AWD F SPORT Design$43,655
UX 300h AWD F SPORT Handling$48,240

Still below the $50K mark fully loaded, the UX remains one of the more attainable entries into the luxury-hybrid world.

The 2026 Lexus UX 300h doesn’t reinvent itself because it doesn’t need to. It already nails the brief: upscale feel, outstanding efficiency, city-friendly size, and a driving character that blends hybrid serenity with hatchback agility. If you’re expecting a fire-breather, this isn’t your crossover. But if you want a meticulously engineered small hybrid with the Lexus polish you’re paying for, the UX remains one of the segment’s most compelling options.

Source: Lexus

NEW CARS

Toyota’s Land Cruiser Family Tree Is Getting New Branches — and They Don’t All Follow the Old Rules

Toyota isn’t exactly shy about expanding the Land Cruiser lineup these days. First came the return of the classic 250-series to America. Then, overseas markets got the bite-sized, retro-cute Land Cruiser FJ—essentially a rugged backpack with wheels. Now, new reports out of Japan suggest that Toyota is preparing to stretch the Land Cruiser name even further, and in a direction few would have expected.

According to Best Car, unnamed insiders say Toyota is developing an all-new SUV and pickup duo that could mark a genuine turning point for the iconic off-roader. And not because they’re bigger, tougher, or even more capable off pavement. Quite the opposite.

A Softer Side of Land Cruiser

Since 1951, every Land Cruiser—from the spartan 40-series to today’s luxe 300-series—has been built on a ladder-frame chassis. It’s the kind of hardware that wins Dakar rallies, hauls aid workers into war zones, and generally refuses to die.

But the upcoming duo? Those same insiders describe them as “the beginning of a new chapter,” and that chapter appears to be unibody.

Yes, unibody Land Cruisers.

Built more like a RAV4 or Highlander than the overbuilt LC300, these new models would prioritize on-road refinement, fuel efficiency, and daily comfort over the bruiser durability the nameplate is famous for. Purists may reach for their pitchforks now.

Two Concepts Provide the Roadmap

If this sounds familiar, that’s because Toyota already teased this direction at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show. Two concepts stood out:

  • EPU Pickup Concept — a 199.6-inch unibody, all-electric pickup with an extendable bed
  • Land Cruiser Se Concept — a sleek, three-row SUV aimed squarely at modern family duty

According to Best Car, the production pickup will borrow heavily from the EPU’s styling, setting itself apart from the body-on-frame Hilux, Tacoma, Tundra, and the indefatigable 70 Series.

Imagine a Land Cruiser with a ride smoother than a Camry’s but a brand badge that still whispers “expedition-ready.”

Electric Roots, Hybrid Future

Both concepts were fully electric, riding on Toyota’s e-TNGA underpinnings with dual-motor AWD and big battery packs. But Toyota’s current product philosophy—“multi-pathway,” or, more bluntly, everything all at once—means the production versions may not stick to EV-only.

A modified unibody platform could accommodate:

  • Full EV powertrains
  • Hybrid systems
  • Possibly even range-extended variants, depending on market needs

Think of it not as Toyota hedging its bets, but Toyota being Toyota.

ETA: 2026 for the SUV, 2027 for the Pickup

If the reporting holds, the Land Cruiser Se–based SUV could arrive as early as 2026, perfectly timed for the 75th anniversary of the nameplate.

The pickup may follow roughly a year later, in 2027, which puts Toyota squarely in the middle of the upcoming midsize-EV–pickup showdown.

Will These New Land Cruisers Come to the U.S.?

Signs point to yes.

Current reporting suggests the electric Land Cruiser variant is slated for U.S. production, which helps Toyota dodge hefty tariffs while aligning with its recently announced $10 billion investment in North American manufacturing.

Toyota executives have also openly discussed the need for a more affordable pickup in the U.S. lineup. Slotting below Tacoma, a unibody Land Cruiser pickup could square off against:

  • Ford’s upcoming electric Ranger-sized truck
  • A next-gen Maverick successor
  • Chevy’s eventual compact EV pickup entry

In other words, Toyota sees an opportunity—and the Land Cruiser name has enough cachet to make the move without alienating buyers.

A Broader — and Braver — Future for Land Cruiser

The mere idea of a unibody Land Cruiser may shock the diehards, but Toyota seems to be reading the room: not every buyer needs to ford rivers or survive the Sahara. Many just want something tough-looking, capable enough, and comfortable every day.

If the reports prove accurate, Toyota won’t be “softening” the Land Cruiser legacy so much as expanding it.

The body-on-frame legends will continue.
The new unibody models will bring fresh buyers into the fold.
And the Land Cruiser name—once synonymous with unbreakable utility—may soon represent something broader.

We’ll be watching closely as this story develops, but one thing’s clear:
The next chapter of Land Cruiser is going to look very different.

Source: Best Car

NEW CARS

Mazda’s First True EV Takes Shape — And It Looks Like a CX-5 Reboot for the Electric Age

Mazda is finally warming up its electric motors. After years of dabbling around the edges of electrification with the quirky MX-30 and a handful of platform-sharing arrangements, Hiroshima’s most stubbornly driver-focused automaker is now deep into testing its first bespoke EV architecture—scheduled to debut in 2027. And the early evidence suggests it might arrive wearing one of the most important nameplates in the brand’s catalogue.

Mazda Goes All-In: The 6e Era Begins

For an automaker that prides itself on going its own way—long hoods, rear-biased dynamics, and an obsession with “jinba ittai” harmony—Mazda has been conspicuously absent from the bespoke-EV-platform club. Its sole EV, the MX-30, sat on a modified CX-30 chassis. Meanwhile, its new 6e sedan and EZ-60 SUV rely heavily on tech from Chinese partner Changan.

Not anymore.

Mazda has kicked off a $10 billion electrification campaign, and central to that plan is an in-house EV platform engineered by a dedicated skunkworks team dubbed E-Mazda. CTO Ryuichi Umeshita says he’s already driven an early prototype—and claims it feels exactly like a Mazda should.

“It’s a real jinba ittai car… It has very good driving dynamics,”
Umeshita told Autocar, sounding like a man genuinely relieved his new EV hasn’t turned into a soulless appliance.

Mazda knows it’s late to the game. But Umeshita insists that developing the MX-30—flawed though it was—gave the company a cadre of engineers who already understand the complicated world of EV packaging, safety, and integration.

A CX-5–Sized EV? The Spy Shots Say Yes

Early test mules have now hit public roads, and at a glance they look suspiciously like a downsized CX-90 wearing a not-so-convincing disguise. But look again:

  • The front-door-to-wheel-well distance is dramatically shortened
  • The overall proportions are trimmer
  • The arches swallow the wheels, hinting at an underlying EV skateboard layout

All signs point to a five-seat crossover roughly in the footprint of a CX-5 EV—a smart move if Mazda wants its first clean-sheet EV to actually sell. The CX-5 remains Mazda’s best-selling model globally. Giving buyers a familiar shape with an unfamiliar powertrain is just good business.

Volume or Niche? Mazda Still Isn’t Sure

Despite the prototypes roaming the streets, Mazda hasn’t even decided whether its EV debutante will be a high-volume mainstream model or a lower-volume halo.

Why? Because regulations, not marketing, will dictate the final answer.

“If the regulation requires a higher EV mix, it must be a volume car,”
Umeshita told Autocar.
“If the regulation is eased, then we can ease the volume restraints.”

Translation: Mazda is ready to pivot either way.

Lean, Mean, EV Machine Development

Perhaps the most Mazda-like part of this whole story is how the company plans to build the thing: efficiently and with a touch of quiet genius.

The brand has rolled out a “lean asset strategy” that relies heavily on:

  • Simulation-led R&D
  • AI-assisted engineering
  • Strategic partner-suppliers
  • Cost-cutting development processes

Mazda claims this approach will let them triple development output with the same resources—a crucial advantage for a relatively small automaker trying to compete with the likes of VW, Hyundai, and Tesla.

The Road Ahead

So what do we have? A shrunken CX-90 lookalike mule. A 2027 deadline. A new EV platform with “Mazda” written all over its handling DNA. A development process pulled tight like a drum.

If Mazda can deliver a genuinely engaging, beautifully built, reasonably priced EV crossover in the CX-5 mold… it might just pull off one of the quietest, most impressive comebacks of the electric transition.

And honestly?
We’re rooting for them. Mazda has always made cars for people who love driving. If they can bring that magic into the electric era, the market will be better for it.

Source: Mazda