Tag Archives: Lexus

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

CONCEPT CARS

Lexus LS Concept: The Six-Wheeled Future of Luxury Mobility

If you thought Lexus was content to let its LS flagship quietly fade into the background of an SUV-saturated world, think again. The Japanese luxury brand just detonated a conceptual bombshell at the Tokyo Motor Show: a six-wheeled, all-electric MPV that redefines what “luxury car” even means. Officially dubbed the Lexus LS Concept, it’s less a limousine and more a mobile private sanctuary—a statement of intent that luxury, in Lexus’s eyes, has evolved beyond leather, wood, and horsepower.

A Private Sanctuary on Six Wheels

Lexus calls the LS Concept “a private sanctuary that invites you to discover your own space.” It’s a poetic way of saying this is the most radical shift in the brand’s 35-year history. The exterior looks like it belongs in a sci-fi movie—sleek, sculptural, and sitting on three axles, with smaller wheels tucked neatly under the rear to maximize interior room. The proportions are pure concept-car theater, but there’s real intent beneath the drama.

The six-wheel layout isn’t just for show. Lexus says the configuration frees up floor space for a cabin that’s more penthouse suite than passenger compartment. And judging by the first images, the LS delivers on that promise. Behind a grand, sliding door—what design boss Ian Cartabiano calls “the starting point of the concept’s conception”—lies a cavernous four-seat lounge lined with opulent materials, ambient lighting, and digital interfaces that ooze futuristic calm.

From Luxury Saloon to Luxury Space

The LS nameplate has long stood for “Luxury Saloon,” a symbol of Lexus’s original challenge to the European establishment. But the brand admits that world no longer exists. “Executive sedans used to rule the world,” says Cartabiano. “Now they’re fighting a losing battle with SUVs.”

So Lexus has redefined the initials: LS now means Luxury Space. It’s a philosophical pivot as much as a practical one, representing a brand that’s unshackled from tradition and intent on reshaping the luxury landscape for a new generation of buyers—especially in China, where demand for high-end MPVs is exploding.

A Bold New Lexus Identity

Simon Humphries, Toyota and Lexus’s global design chief, says the company’s creative freedom has expanded dramatically since Toyota spun off its Century nameplate into a standalone ultra-luxury brand. That move frees Lexus to explore more radical ideas like the six-wheeled LS. “We want to challenge your perception of what a luxury brand can be,” Humphries explains. The new motto—To Discover—underscores that mission.

And discover, it does. The driver’s seat looks more spaceship than chauffeur spec: a yoke steering controller, a sweeping digital dashboard, and tactile mechanical buttons that blend analog charm with next-gen minimalism. Lexus hasn’t released powertrain details, but all signs point to a version of Toyota’s E-TNGA modular EV platform, potentially shared with the upcoming Lexus RZ and other electric flagships.

The Future of Lexus: One Name, Many Faces

The LS Concept didn’t arrive alone. It shared the Tokyo stage with two more experiments in Lexus futurism: a LS Coupé SUV that channels the Porsche Cayenne’s athletic stance, and a Micro LS city pod that distills the brand’s luxury ethos into a single seat. Together, they preview a family of vehicles built not around segments—but around experiences.

Humphries sums it up best: “Lexus has always been about more than just four wheels.” That’s not marketing fluff anymore—it’s literal. The LS Concept’s six-wheeled silhouette marks the moment Lexus officially stepped beyond the bounds of traditional automotive thinking.

Our Take

Is the six-wheeled LS Concept destined for production? Probably not in this exact form. But that’s hardly the point. This is Lexus flexing its design and philosophical muscles—an exploration of how luxury mobility could look when function, technology, and serenity merge.

In a world where ultra-luxury SUVs and electric hyper-saloons are beginning to blur together, Lexus just redrew the map. And with six wheels on the ground, it’s rolling confidently toward a future where luxury is measured not in speed or badges—but in space, freedom, and imagination.

Source: Lexus

CONCEPT CARS

Lexus LS Coupé Concept: The Return of Luxury with a Twist

At the Tokyo motor show, Lexus pulled the wraps off a concept that feels at once familiar and daringly different — the new LS Coupé Concept, a sleek, high-riding four-door GT that reimagines what luxury means in a market where sedans are going the way of the fax machine.

Once the cornerstone of Lexus’s identity, the LS luxury saloon quietly bowed out earlier this year after a 35-year run that began in 1989 with the car that launched the brand itself. But Lexus clearly isn’t ready to let the LS nameplate retire to a museum display. Instead, it’s reviving it in unexpected ways — not just with this coupé, but also with a single-seat Micro LS and even a six-wheeled LS MPV concept. Call it an LS family reunion, if the family had collectively lost its mind in the best possible way.

Among the trio, the LS Coupé Concept looks the most ready to make the leap from design studio to showroom. Think of it as Lexus’s answer to the BMW XM, Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupé, or Porsche Cayenne Coupé — a rakish SUV with grand-touring flair and the proportions to match.

A Luxury SUV That Wants to Be a Driver’s Car

Lexus hasn’t given us any specs — no motor output, no range estimates, no zero-to-sixty times — but it has given us a mission statement. Ian Cartabiano, the head of Toyota’s California design studio, says the LS Coupé “lets you do it all, and do it all in style.” Translation: expect something that blends the comfort of an LS sedan with the engagement of a proper driver’s car.

The concept’s stance is pure power move: wide hips, a long hood, and a fastback profile that suggests performance more than practicality. Yet inside, Lexus is clearly chasing next-gen luxury.

Tech, Toys, and a Flying Camera

The cabin is dominated by three massive digital displays — two for the driver and one (which folds away) for the passenger. Lexus’s next-gen infotainment system lives here, along with a yoke-style steering wheel that hints the brand isn’t done refining its steer-by-wire tech from the RZ. The driver’s seat looks more Nürburgring than Nagoya, while in the back, passengers enjoy what Lexus claims is saloon-level space and comfort.

Rear occupants also get automatically deploying armrests, portrait-format screens built into the front seatbacks, and perhaps the most absurdly wonderful feature in any concept this year: a high-speed drone that deploys from the rear deck to follow the car and film your journey. Because if a luxury car does something amazing and no one captures it in 4K, did it really happen?

And instead of a conventional trunk lid, there’s a pull-out drawer for luggage — an idea so elegant and strange it almost feels like a concept from 2035, not 2025.

Under the Skin

If Lexus ever decides to greenlight this thing, the production version would likely ride on Toyota’s E-TNGA modular electric platform, the same bones that underpin the RZ. That would make it a close cousin to Lexus’s existing EV lineup — and potentially the brand’s electric counterpoint to the RX, the long-running, best-selling SUV that still defines Lexus’s modern success.

What It Means for Lexus

Whether or not the LS Coupé reaches production, it’s a signal that Lexus is ready to loosen its tie and experiment. The original LS rewrote the rules for luxury in 1989. This concept suggests Lexus might try to do it again — this time with a shape that fits the moment, a drivetrain that fits the future, and enough flair to make Stuttgart and Munich look over their shoulders.

Because when Lexus gets bold, interesting things tend to happen. And the LS Coupé Concept looks very interesting indeed.

Source: Lexus