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‘Berlin UnXpected,’ is how Lexus calls the event the brand rigged in Berlin around the 2022 redesigned UX. With the UX, we drove to various places in the German capital for a variety of workshops that were supposed to reflect Lexus’ brand values. Those workshops had pretty little to do with the automobile, but nevertheless it was cool to explore, for example, the abandoned Cold War radar station on Teufelsberg with a guide.

New color schemes

That Teufelsberg immediately provided a nice backdrop to capture the fresh Lexus UX. We forgive you if you look at the images now and think “but I already know this UX , right?” because Lexus did not change the car’s design in this model year update. The brand does offer Sonic Platinum as a new color, and there are also six new two-tone color combinations with a black roof in the configurator.

In addition to the new color and color combinations, the UX gets an additional version in 2022: F Sport Design. This version is a step below the F Sport and does offer the exterior features of the F Sport, but without things like the AVS suspension – more on that later – and with slightly less rich equipment. This makes the F Sport Design logically a bit more affordable than the “full-size” F Sport.

Goodbye touchpad, hello widescreen

Whereas the exterior of the UX is barely distinguishable from the previous model, that is certainly not the case with the interior. Looking straight ahead in the driver’s seat, the layout is the same, but you only have to look at the center for a moment to notice the new 12-inch touchscreen. That touchscreen is a lot larger than before and is positioned 14.3 centimeters closer to the driver for ease of operation.

Speaking of ease of operation, previously you always operated Lexus’ infotainment system with a touchpad on the center console. That touchpad required quite a bit of getting used to in handling, so Lexus decided to scrap the thing altogether from the UX’s interior. In the place of the trackpad are now the buttons for the seat and steering wheel heaters. Also nice: you don’t have to go through all kinds of menus to operate the climate control. Indeed, the row of physical buttons in front of it was allowed to remain.

We didn’t miss the touchpad one bit. The touchscreen makes it easy to find all vehicle functions, and the screen responds quickly to your input. To navigate through Berlin, we used Lexus’ new cloud-based navigation and it worked very well, including displaying the crowds on various roads. Also interesting is the addition of a wireless connectivity option for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Another strong point is that navigation prompts from your phone are also displayed in the head-up display. We haven’t seen that before!

Over-the-air updates and Lexus Link

In addition to the new touchscreen and improved Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capabilities, Lexus is taking some additional steps in improving the UX’s connectivity. For example, these days the car can perform over-the-air updates, reducing the need to return to the dealer and missing out on new features. There is also the Lexus Link app, which allows you to use your smartphone to unlock your car, view various vehicle data and enter your destination in advance, among other things. These features are not new in themselves, of course, but it is nice that Lexus is now well up to date in that regard.

The Lexus UX in Berlin

Okay, enough information, time to drive the UX. Our example is an F Sport and already has an unusual color scheme: Sonic Silver with bright red perforated leather seats. A comfortable seating position is quickly found. The power-adjustable steering wheel – unique in this segment – can be pulled far toward you, and, especially for a crossover, the driver’s seat can be lowered quite far. That was also the case with the previous UX, so in that respect Lexus is mostly building on what was already there.

Berlin is not familiar territory for us, but fortunately we don’t really have to get used to the UX. The car is easy to handle and the overview is also good. With the new navigation system, it has become very difficult to get lost, especially with the clear route directions in the head-up display. What also helps for ease of operation is the hybrid powertrain. That is the 184-hp fourth-generation hybrid powertrain from the Toyota Motor Corporation that we already know from several other models within the group.

Not the very latest

You really notice that you’re dealing with an evolved powertrain. The transition between the electric and internal combustion engines is almost seamless, and you really only hear the internal combustion engine when you step on the gas a little more firmly or when it is charging the battery. The advantage of this “self-charging” hybrid powertrain is that you can still drive quite a few miles electrically without plugging in. Especially in this urban environment, it was quite noticeable. In fact, an average consumption of about 6.5 liters per 100 kilometers is particularly decent in the city.

There is only one drawback to the fourth-generation hybrid powertrain: Toyota already has a fifth-generation hybrid powertrain as well. It is now in the Corolla Cross and the updated Corolla. The differences are not huge, but you do notice that the combustion engine in the UX has to step in sooner, and so it doesn’t last as long on electric power. It is a shame that Lexus did not take that opportunity to give the updated UX something extra.

Prices Lexus UX 2022

The updated UX 250h is listed as “standard” on the price list starting at 47,995 euros. For that money, dual-zone climate control is already in the car, but the touchscreen is 8- rather than 12-inch in size. One step above that is the Comfort Line at 52,495 euros. If you leave that amount at the Lexus dealer, you get Smart Entry & Start, Rear Cross Traffic Alert with Auto Brake and a Blind Spot Monitor, among other things, in return. If your wallet is not yet pained enough, you can still opt for the aforementioned F Sport Design (55,495 euros), the Luxury Line (56,995 euros), the Executive Line (62,995 euros) or the most expensive version: the F Sport Line (63,995 euros).

The Lexus UX also comes as a 250h AWD, but that version only comes as Executive Line or F Sport Line, so the starting price of the all-wheel-drive UX is logically a lot higher at 64,995 euros. The price list has also thinned out on the other side, as the UX 200 – without a hybrid powertrain – is no longer available in the Netherlands.

More interesting: UX 300e

With Lexus’ innovations on the UX, the model is back up to date. In particular, the new infotainment system was quite necessary. The larger screen makes the UX’s interior an even finer place to work than it already was. If you are considering a Lexus UX, it certainly pays to go for the updated version for that reason. In other respects, however, the differences from before are too small to justify any upgrade from the old to the new model.

In the case of the electric UX 300e, it does pay to upgrade. We could not drive that all-electric variant now, but Lexus is now equipping it with a battery pack with a capacity of 72.8 kWh. This should allow you to achieve 40 percent more range than with the previous battery pack of 54.4 kWh. Over the course of next year, the updated UX 300e will hit the market, so by then we will do another extensive test with it. But to the UX 250h you have absolutely no wrong!