Lexus LBX review

Power comes from a similar self-charging hybrid system as found in the Yaris Cross, with a 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine mated to a small electric set-up. Only here it makes slightly more power and gets a fancy new "high output" battery: 134bhp all in, up 20bhp on the Yaris Cross.

Lexus makes plenty of noise about the car’s small size, lightweight nature and fun-to-drive character, and it’s worth noting it gets a lower driving position, longer wheelbase (by 20mm) and wider track (by 60mm) compared to the Toyota, with which it otherwise shares the same TNGA-B platform. 

Which sounds promising, but that hybrid set-up does detract from you driving the LBX energetically. Accept that early on and you’ll instead appreciate the surprising amount of silent electric running that’s to be had, the smooth handover with the combustion engine, and the generally acceptable cruising manners.

Is it as efficient as the Toyota?

Yep. One of the biggest strengths of this hybrid system is just how lightly it sips fuel if driven sympathetically. We saw an average of around 50mpg on a longer motorway trip and higher than that while pottering about town in the UK. The engine remains shut down an impressive amount at lower speeds (up to 30mph ish) thanks to regen braking, despite the battery only having a tiny 1.0kWh capacity. When not treading so lightly, we saw average fuel economy of 45mpg. You could easily manage better.

Front-wheel and all-wheel drive versions are available, with the latter getting an additional electric motor on the rear axle but no uplift in performance, and suffering from slightly worse fuel economy too. We'd stick with FWD.

Zero to 62mph takes 9.2 seconds in the FWD variant and 9.6s in the AWD car; making the Lexus around two seconds quicker than the Yaris Cross. Be honest though, how often do you actually use full throttle in your little hybrid crossover?

You'll use it even less with a CVT gearbox like the one in the LBX too: it suffers from the usual CVT rev flare under load, although at least the three-cylinder engine here is a little more tuneful than the four-pots that we're used to hearing with CVTs. Still noisy and not very Lexus, though. 

What's the ride like?

Around town it’s a little firm and fidgety, but it settles down nicely at higher speeds, with the suspension (all versions get MacPherson struts at the front; FWD models use a rear torsion beam, while the AWD LBX has a double-wishbone set-up) smoothing out any imperfections nicely. There’s a good amount of expensive-feeling weight to the steering too, and the LBX does manage to feel fairly quick and nimble thanks to its short wheelbase and squat dimensions.

As usual it gets Lexus’ full suite of safety systems, and happily the driver monitor alert – which watches your eyes to make sure you’re paying attention – and lane keep assist have simple shortcuts to switch off. The biggest irritation is the constant bonging from the speed limit recognition, which requires a delve into the touchscreen to disable.