Lexus LBX long-term test: report 5
Back in January we named this small SUV as the best new car to buy in 2024 – and now we're backing up that verdict by living with one...
The car Lexus LBX 1.5 Hybrid Premium Plus | Run by Darren Moss, deputy digital editor
Why it’s here To see what our much-praised Car of the Year is like to live with on a daily basis, providing frugal transport while not sacrificing SUV practicality.
Needs to be Frugal, fun to drive, and able to function as a mobile office when needed
Mileage 1298 List price £34,505 Target Price £34,087 Price as tested £35,605 Test economy 56.2mpg Official economy 61.4mpg Options None
3 August 2024 – Of potholes and posture
There’s a particularly vicious pothole down one of the roads I use on my commute. And over the past few years, it’s become a standard test by which I judge the ride quality of my company cars.
You see, in some models, you barely feel the pothole at all; the Range Rover I ran last year, for example, glided over it as if it wasn’t there. However, others, like the Kia Niro hybrid I ran a while back, thumped over it to such an extent that on one occasion I got out to see if any damage had been done. So, how does my Lexus LBX fare?
Well, the LBX's low-speed ride has a firm edge to it, so I do feel a thud through my seat, but the impact isn't enough to unsettle me or the car as badly as it did in the Niro. Indeed, the LBX regains its composure very quickly following the initial bump, and returns to dealing with other road blemishes on my journey in the kind of calm manner you’d expect from a larger car.
Having a well controlled ride also came in handy during a recent What Car? cover shoot, when chief photographer John Bradshaw needed to shoot a trio of small SUVs on the move.
Such shoots are tricky to coordinate, due to the need to get all of the cars in close formation without them bumping into one another, and with the car containing John needing to be driven super smoothly to keep the pictures in focus. But the LBX coped well with the lumps and undulations of the test track, providing a stable platform.
In most respects, then, my car impresses me on a daily basis, but it annoys me in one – it’s a bit rude. You see, if I’m deemed to be slouching by the car’s driver monitoring system – or, more commonly, the placement of my hands on the steering wheel has blocked one of its sensors – a curt message to ‘sit up’ flashes up on the digital instrument cluster.
There's no please, no acknowledgement that it might be the car’s sensors which are at fault, just a reminder not to slouch. I have no issue with the warning in principle, but I do think the wording could be friendlier. And if my car can’t say anything nice, I’d rather it didn’t say anything at all.
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