2023 Lexus UX 250h F SPORT Handling AWD - POV Driving Impressions

[@zargtn]

I love the additional anecdotes and stories that come from the two Tophers collaborating. It makes the reviews even more engaging!

[@paulriccobene]

We bought a fully optioned 2024 UX F-Sport Handling just a few months ago and absolutely love it, so can add a few thoughts to the review which was pretty good. The difference between the Handling and all other trim levels is dramatic. We actually purchased an F-Sport Design because there wasn't any Handling versions on the lot, and returned it 2 days later. Thankfully this dealership had a 3 day return window. The non- Handling versions drive like a soft and comfy Lexus, and the seats have zero bolstering, so if you drive quickly, you're constantly sliding around and the car rolls a lot. The adaptive suspension and seat upgrade is what makes the car actually fun to drive and worth the premium. We traded in a 2017 Macan Turbo on this because while a lovely vehicle, the upkeep is just ridiculous. On the flip side, the UX is actually Lexus' most reliable vehicle. 50+, no kids, why do we need a giant SUV when you can have something that's nice looking, comfy inside, tons of fun, cheap to run and highly reliable? 180hp is more than enough for real world driving, even after coming out of the 400hp turbo. We've never once said it needs more power and have tested it up to 110. It's just fine. lol The ASC is silly and it makes me smile. I use it all the time, the wife turns it off. But that's where this car shines imo. I find this more fun to drive through our local twisty stuff than my 987.2 Cayman S. The Cayman doesn't break a sweat until near triple posted speeds. This has you laughing well below that limit and actually handles relatively well. As far as value, sure, could buy a Toyota and save $10k, but there's a reason people are willing to pay extra for the Lexus and that's luxury. So completely personal preference on that choice, but not everything is as simple as "this is cheaper". Overall I couldn't be happier with the purchase, though with a CT200 as my DD I might be a bit biased. lol

[@Marcoshary]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences with your UX250h F-Sport. It seems a very nice car

[@CocoSaephan]

Currently also drive a CT as my DD and am thinking about changing to a UX just for a big more room.

[@gamby16a]

Very thorough review! My wife has a 2023 UX premium AWD. Very comfy, quiet, efficient commuter for her. She doesn't care about handling. She wants the tech and comfort. I'm seriously considering picking a used Handling up in a few years. Seems like a great upgrade, as her Premium definitely doesn't handle at all. It feels like a properly expensive car. Solid, smooth and quiet. It even smells expensive. We don't have kids and rarely carry rear seat passengers in it. It's been a brilliant car for almost 2 years now. Zero complaints outside of the lack of cargo space, but if you need bigger, get the NX.

[@AlexandreCardinal50]

Never thought I would see a vide from you on this car! Bought one in 2021 because of ground clearance, smallish, great mpg (mostly my gf's requirements). We don't care about the rear space because we never have passengers. I paid 50k cad for a fully optioned one.

[@AlexandreCardinal50]

Oh and I did place a rear facing child seat, was pretty easy, didn't think about it

[@enjoytherideny]

My Dad got this exact spec. And he just turned 90! He's short now and was struggling with the size of his GV70 and its heavy-ish steering. He's accustomed to having a full-zoot luxury car, but at this stage of his driving career, he needed something smaller. The UX handling checks pretty much all the luxury car boxes. It has a REALLY small turning circle. And the build quality is off the charts. It may be overpriced and kind of slow, but he loves it!

[@sxlx]

Does he enjoy the occasional fake engine noise 😂

[@JRB41]

Well yes, this is literally an old persons car

[@WoWdOm18]

50,000 is insanity for this. It’s literally a awd hatchback. Be nice for 36,000.

[@xxk4rilsxx]

The good ole days. I’ve seen Corolla Crosses go over 36k in South FL and people are buying it like hot cakes

[@Userxxx840]

The CX-30 is arguably a better value than this.

[@user59371]

@@Userxxx840too bad it’s a Mazda

[@Walterrinho]

Pre covid prices.

[@Reaped.Reaper]

​@@user59371 Why do Brands even matter to you so much even though they are producing great cars?!!

[@deko29]

I owned this car (250h) for 2 years and agree with everything you said. Fun to drive, great efficiency (43mpg for me), great sound system, easy light steering, great quality interior. However, there is no reason to go for the F sport, I paid 34k for it with premium package. Spending more than that wasn't worth it on this car

[@frax777]

Love the duo reviews as always! cheers

[@porfiriato84]

I don't think theres a better car review duo than these guys. It's relaxing and fun to watch your videos. 🙌🏽

[@andrewclark6682]

Watch Throttle House

[@porfiriato84]

@@andrewclark6682 and it's not that I dislike throttle house... Just their videos are production heavy and always have the need to make it seem like a rehearsed sketch. On the contrary these guys here have a much simpler format that works for me.

[@NateTrynaMakeMoney]

@@andrewclark6682 Throttle House is childish sometimes. Nice footages and editing but it's just that

[@saiーツ]

It's always a good day when both tophers do a video together 🤙

[@goinwitdaflow]

I agree with your assessment about the price. I actually like this car for what it is but I’m not sure what logic Lexus is using to price this car. By the time you option it out, you might as well buy a Lexus NX hybrid at that point. Or even better get a Corolla Cross Hybrid XSE, which will give you a lot more value for the money. Perhaps if you stick to the Base AWD trim maybe you could make a case. But it’s a tough sell… Great video as always!

[@AlexandreCardinal50]

My personal issue with an NX is that, while you get way more practicality, it drives like a floating boat. It really depends on what you value, but I ended up going for nimbleness over practicality, because the UX is practical enough for me. Its just me and my gf and we never had to carry something that didn't fit.

[@goinwitdaflow]

@@AlexandreCardinal50 I got you. Yeah I drive a 10th gen Honda Civic so I definitely prefer more nimble compact cars. The NX sits too high for me as well. From videos I have seen, it seems it’s a little too high. I also like the UX and have considered it as my next car. I know for the 2025 model year they’re adding the power train from the new Prius and the Corolla Cross hybrid. So it will get that nice 196hp engine.

[@dzonin.8403]

You two are always fun to watch. Looking forward to you two finally getting your hands on a new Lexus GX 550 for a test drive

[@verybadmotives]

I will never understand why Lexus puts an F-sport trim in a 4 cylinder hybrid.

[@wr1ght939]

F sport is the same as Volkswagen’s R line at this point. Pretty much cosmetic and meaningless.

[@ElliWoelfin]

And AMG. And M.

[@paulklp8262]

​@@wr1ght939F-Sport in some cars adds an LSD and suspension tuning.

[@verybadmotives]

@@wr1ght939F-sport used to mean a 5.0 V8 😢

[@verybadmotives]

⁠@@paulklp8262If you take for example the Es350. It’s a wonderful cruiser and perfect for daily use. Adding an F-sport trim makes it too firm and rigid and useless.

[@danielllanes6894]

subtopher teleporting while topher is popping the hood has me dying 💀 4:35

[@victormala4481]

You have my dream job bro❤

[@dawsongranger4940]

A lexus UX with GR corolla internals is what we need. Or a corolla cross with GR internals and an automatic transmission

[@AlainSTO]

Bahahaha this is my city car. I actually love it. 40mpg in nyc. I got the top trim, fully loaded back in 2021 and it definitely was NOT that expensive. It was about $12k less and *not much* has changed at all. Glad mine didn't come with the paddles or the ASC.

[@MV-qt4bk]

F Sport > all :)

[@nightowldickson]

I have the base UX 250h 2WD model and I'm averaging 44 MPG combined.

[@nikas546]

I've recently ordered the UX in Poland. Now we don't get the F Sport version, instead we have F Sport Design and F Sport Design+. Probably some supply things, I went for the second option. Normally, converting to USD, this car starts from like 36,000$, mine was 60,000$ in the catalogue (RAV4 price), but I've got a 15,000$ discount. Think that's a good price and it's worth that money. Car prices in Europe are crazy. For example, RX500h is nearly 100,000$.

[@seb5945]

Camry Hybrid got more horsepower and still lighter. This desperately needs more power.

[@spymansez]

this is exactly the “cute ute” that my wife wants 😂

[@gamby16a]

She'll love it. My wife is very happy with hers.

[@jonharry6293]

I bought an ex demo UX 250h sport fully loaded for 29k English pounds, it’s a 2023

[@level10boy]

Have they finally fixed the terrible door rattle when playing music with a lot of bass? Every UX tester I've had really suffered from this, even the dealership laughed about cos they knew it was so bad. No Lexus should suffer from such an issue, a Toyota maybe (GR86 cough cough)...

[@jasonlmh89]

Nope I have a 2024 and I have been wondering if it was just my car

[@milesboomer5601]

I have a 2024 and don't have this issue -- where in the door is it rattling? I'll have to check next time I drive

[@level10boy]

@@milesboomer5601 always driver side door, coming from around the armrest, try really turning up the bass

[@rforracemode5846]

gotta love that 0w-16 oil, that’s basically water viscosity right?

[@R1S0.]

2:44 great lux city car for a couple, or empty nesters.... 4:58 no hood struts because you as an owner never gonna need them... maybe a couple times a year to fill windshield fluid...😉

[@zmir813]

Low-key I’ve been waiting for you to drive this one. I drove this hatchback myself. It is actually a great road trip vehicle for one to two persons but Lexus has it over priced big-time with all the options.

[@louiszhang3050]

Lexus CT-F would be a great competitor to the Integra Type S. But I'm sure it wouldn't be very straight forward to get the GR Corolla powertrain in there and even if they could it'd probably never happen...

[@ericharrison619]

50k for a car that looks/performs like a Corolla Cross. I'm just not seeing the value here...But I am seeing some nice red seats from the scrap yard in my future.

[@airdaddy1706]

lexus is gonna release the ux300h for 2025 with the corolla cross hybrid powertrain

[@Veyronp87]

this car is a parody on wheels. 50k for a tiny 4 cylinder hybrid hatchback with "handling package" and some nice leather.

[@guppy360]

You’re both so wrong, the UX is not tight. What is midsize in other countries is considered subcompact here.

[@IAMDC144]

Awesome video 😂I’m getting a black 2025 just because I drive an hour to appointments sometimes and I don’t like to put the miles on my is350 it’s my new workcar for 41 miles a gallon I’ll do it

[@jonharry6293]

The days of cheap cars has long gone.

[@Diamus101]

Great video thanks. I have just got one as a courtesy as my daily a 2020 Mk4 Orange Fury Ford Focus ST (I am in the UK) with a Mountune map is in the shop for a rear bumper repair as someone gave me an unwanted present. I don't know what my insurers were thinking as typically a courtesy should be similar to one's own car. The only thing the Lexus shares in common with my 330PS 515NM fully loaded six-speed manual 170mph daily is that the interior space is the same as that of Orange's baby brother the Ford Fiesta. 😁😂

[@JonChenTS13]

I like the UX but the price i high. I perfer this over the CT!

[@cvo223]

For 50k I got the NX350h Premium with panoramic camera and HUD.

[@MV-qt4bk]

Used. :)

[@milesboomer5601]

The UX premium with all options would be around 42k if comparing apples to apples...

[@trollpro30]

who is this for at this price point? I knew nothing about this car besides the fact my grandmother has one. 50k for this car is ridiculous.

[@porfiriato84]

College kids w rich parents

[@Nico-it4es]

@@porfiriato84damn I just wanted a good cheap (used) car that isn’t VW 🥲

[@2015BLOXXER]

I thought f-sport meant it was sporty

[@arshilbeg-v3t]

love from india mharastra

[@rightlanehog3151]

Chris and Chris, I don't resort to the gasp emoji lightly but that price tag thoroughly justifies 😱😲😳 as well as a disdainfully raised eyebrow or two. 🤨🤨

[@Del-Tye5434]

Weird review. I’m thinking of buying a ux250. I’m 6’ tall. I shared seat in front for comfort and then sat in rear seat. Had plenty of room.

[@ballathug8404]

Small, slow, cvt transmission etc you're just buying this for the badge

[@chooviik403]

Vas a 30 km y pareces que vas a 150 km con el ruido que hace que horror, yo no podría conducir un coche así diariamente lo mejor del coche los acabados interiores que han mejorado mucho sobretodo el multimedia

[@Eric_Bassett]

I really hate CVTs :( they just sound off to me.

[@JamesLee-oe7mt]

A turbo would fix this car

[@BART_Adventures]

The funny fake sound is very similar to the stock BRZ

[@johny3133]

This car should not exist for 45-50k

[@mtavassoti]

Nice driving video of the car. But god, the conversation is so cringe

[@RealKevGotEm]

Wow they still make the UX wow

[@wonderboy1998]

I hate with passion the engine noise IS this a north american or Japan Lexus?Cause no, such a let down. For this price I just go and purchase a RX450 or ES350

[@thearousedeunuch]

That fake sound has to be a joke. 10/10 if it's a joke, 0/10 if this is their awful attempt at "driver engagement".

[@dediedorgba2309]

Super slow and way too expensive

[@MisakiLeasim]

That fake engine noise is so misleading and annoying but also hilarious lol

[@stayphun6188]

It's almost the exact same sound like in the new Civic hybrid 😅

[@zonkar]

Better off just getting a Prius. You’ll also have 20k still left in the bank lmao

[@DeeTofa]

I thought F Sport meant something... I guess not.

[@henrike22]

I'm a Lexus fanboy, but the CVT is killing me.... can't stand it.

[@stayphun6188]

I don't get it, what's so bad about it? I mean it's an eco commuter car not a track car? CVT is the best option.

[@parsley0120]

It’s a planetary gear set, not really a CVT. They say CVT so that people who aren’t car people can somewhat understand what transmission it has.

[@ruslanmishiyev9815]

This car doesn’t actually have a CVT.

[@WayneLiu945]

Seriously wondering who's going to pay $50k for this.....

[@DefiNotAVampire]

UX, Hornet, or Tonale? All overpriced compact suvs

[@ItsJJECC]

I love Lexus but the outdated interior will always hold the brand back. It’s 2024 and still no ambient lighting/updated interior. It’s kind of ridiculous at this point.

[@ΧρήστοςΔενέχεισημασία]

What do you NEED ambient lighting for? It is mostly for show, it is actually distracting while driving and doesn't offer anything of real value. Not to mention it becomes yet another thing to repair eventually. Do you really need to look at the lighting on your doors or on your feet while driving? Or your passengers will look at them instead of looking outside?

[@jaylee9269]

50k for “LEXUS” … Ridiculous

[@sebastiankastberg7333]

I’ll just go get a new Honda hrv sport for 30k. No thanks

[@zver_xzverov4276]

car is kinda ugly

[@shogunero3.6]

UX looks cool af irl. These guys film in wide angle view which is why it looks a bit weird. But they look really cool irl.

[@ΧρήστοςΔενέχεισημασία]

While i love this channel, sometimes i am buffled by the criticisms you make... "Who buys this?" Have you ever actually lived inside a big city, especially in places like Europe where i live? With roads small and tight and with lots of traffic? Not everyone wants to drive a huge 6 meter long boat dude.... Sometimes smaller length and tighter turning circles are all you need, not to mention more fuel efficiency. I watched you driving this and all i thought was "damn, that's such a nice car, i want this", while you kept saying it is not worth it.... Who buys this? Anyone who wants a luxurious, premium compact vehicle for metropolitan usage. Most people drive when alone anyway, so unless you have a large family that you need to constantly ferry around, or you work for Uber, you don't care about the tight back seats anyway. Yes it has smaller cargo space too, so what? It is still enough unless you want to move between homes or something.... This is a perfect vehicle for city use, it is very reliable (it's a naturally aspirated Lexus, 'nough said), it is very quiet, very smooth riding, handles well, fuel efficient, with lots of comforts and a nice improved infotainment system. I would definitely buy this over any Honda Civic (Civic? Seriously? Talk about overrated). Not everyone tracks their cars or wants to drift during their journey to work, Topher. You should be taking it more into consideration when reviewing cars.

[@DoSum4Me]

Lexus truly makes some awful vehicles, this is one of them. May as well save a lot of $ and buy a Corolla Cross Hybrid.

[@Alisters_Adventures]

This car is an incredibly poor value.

[@crow_2k11beatsbydre8]

Overpriced folks and carjackers and sticky finger car thieves, buy a Seltos or Trax even a Corolla Cross for way less coins.......

[@Snow-Mikydayo]

this car is so pathetic lol

[@meleecraft]

You know, I always pictured substitute Topher as an Android guy, but no, hes team ( Tim) Apple Living and learning