2024 Lexus UX updated with more powerful hybrid

The Lexus UX small SUV has received another update with a more powerful UX300h hybrid – and faster recharging for the electric UX300e.

The updated 2024 Lexus UX has been unveiled with a new UX300h hybrid variant, and an upgraded interior.

Revealed for the Japanese market, the UX SUV is unchanged on the outside but gains revised safety, more interior technology, an upgraded UX300e electric variant, and a new UX300h hybrid.

Australian arrival timing is yet to be confirmed, however updates to Lexus vehicles in Japan are typically followed by similar changes locally by a few months.

Set to replace the outgoing UX250h, the new UX300h uses the same 2.0-litre petrol-electric hybrid system as the Toyota Corolla Cross SUV, available in front- or all-wheel-drive layouts.

It is powered by a 2.0-litre petrol engine which makes 112kW and 188Nm, combined with an 83kW/206Nm electric motor on the front axle. All-wheel-drive versions power the rear wheels with an additional 30kW/84Nm electric motor on the back axle.

The UX300h’s hybrid system produces a combined 146kW – matching the Toyota Corolla Cross, with which it also shares its underpinnings.

With the new hybrid system, Lexus claims the UX300h consumes 3.8 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres in Japanese lab testing.

Meanwhile, the UX300e electric vehicle has been updated with 25 per cent faster charging thanks to the addition of a drive battery heater and a drive battery cooler.

The UX300e also benefits from the addition of a new 1500-watt accessory outlet which can reportedly power appliances in the case of a power outage.

Lexus will also sell owners an external power supply attachment, which seals up the window to the outside world, whilst letting a power cord through. 

The Japanese brand claims an unchanged driving range of 512km in Japanese testing, from a 72.8kWh battery which the UX300e received during a update earlier this year, on sale now in Australia.

Offered exclusively in front-wheel drive form, the UX300e features a single electric motor on the front axle producing 150kW and 300Nm. 

Other changes for the 2024 UX include a new widescreen 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster on top-of-the-range models, plus an expanded autonomous emergency braking system with daytime motorcycle and night-time cyclist detection, as well as intersection detection.

Lexus Australia is yet to confirm local availability for the updated UX. The Japanese media announcement has confirmed a launch in Japan in January 2024.

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