2021 Lexus UX 300e

[ganzoom]

@Chris UXeThanks for the real life feedback, any plans to do long trips try out how it works on the public rapid charging network.

It does seem like the UXe isn't as bad on consumption as I initially thought at 70mph - unlike for example the Hyundai Ionqi 5 which seems worse than everyone anticipated.

The CHADEMO port seems like a real hindrance though, as CCS the European standard.

I do hope Lexus release something to replace our IS300H soon- its 7 years old soon. Nothing wrong with it but it feels increasingly agricultural these days versus EVs. 

It would be nice to be able to replace it with another Lexus.

[ganzoom]

16 hours ago, rayaans said:

I've had mine since march. It was quite cold but didn't notice a huge drop in range. It was maybe 10-15 miles noting more than that 

December and January is when you will really notice drop in range. Consumption on short trips can nearly double if you don't preheat and have a stone cold Battery to start off with. A combination of needing to power a heater and increased internal resistance of the a cold Battery is what really effects range.

[paulrnx]

13 hours ago, rayaans said:

Our second cars usually are low mileage but we keep the vehicles for around 6-7 years 

I'm sure it'll get more use from September onwards

Look forward to hearing all about it. We are thinking quite seriously about a BEV. We plan to retire in 16 months time and that’s when we might do it. Our plan would be to use the BEV for as many journeys as possible but keep a second ICE car for when we do our regular long journeys and probably also driving holidays. Unless things radically change by then. I can see some kind of tax on electric or perhaps road tolls as the government has to recoup lost fuel taxation.

I look forward to hearing all about your UXE during this period. I really like the UX and it would suit us when we retire.

[LexIS200Sport]

20 hours ago, talaipwros said:

Which one if I may ask?

69-plate 40kWh Acenta

 

[ColinBarber]

On 7/21/2021 at 2:27 PM, Chris UXe said:

The home charging wall box is a Hypervolt

Hopefully you have updated it or pulled it off your home network due to the security vulnerabilities recently found on it?

[Chris UXe]

Thanks all for the comments which I'll reply to ASAP. In the meantime, yes Colin, I have checked things and made sure all is ok. I work in IT security so there's no excuse really for not doing this!   

[Chris UXe]

We did another c130 miles at the weekend and so far, the real life range is 175-190 miles. Most of the time the a/c is on 22 degrees. There was more A road and motorway driving at 60-65mph but we did a few miles at lower speeds in 30mph limits. I haven't used the public charging network yet but will report back if I do and hope the Lexus Link app is updated with charger locations in more detail. Has anyone else found it a little lacking in features? I agree with rayaans about the estimated range with a/c being more than the app shows which is good. If Lexus made a compact saloon EV I'd certainly consider it. It's a shame the UK doesn't have the latest IS which looks great imo.

Regards, 

Chris

[Dapprman]

On 8/11/2021 at 2:26 PM, ColinBarber said:

Hopefully you have updated it or pulled it off your home network due to the security vulnerabilities recently found on it?

The actual vulnerability requires physical access to the Raspberry Pie so while it should be patched someone must really want to target you to use it to break in to your home network 😉 - quite a few of the new generation chargers are actually affected though only two were named.

 

On 8/17/2021 at 4:07 PM, Chris UXe said:

I do and hope the Lexus Link app is updated with charger locations in more detail. Has anyone else found it a little lacking in features? I agree with rayaans about the estimated range with a/c being more than the app

At present Zap Maps is your friend if you are pre-planning or have the app on your phone - note I do not use it's aggregator payment service, so no clue how good that is.

[Chris UXe]

Many thanks Gary for mentioning Zap Maps. I've now got the phone app and it looks really good.

[talaipwros]

Looks like UX300e premium plus are now for sale on auto trader for £40245

 

[ColinBarber]

On 8/28/2021 at 9:17 AM, talaipwros said:

Looks like UX300e premium plus are now for sale on auto trader for £40245

 

I'm assuming these are ex-showroom vehicles that have come up for sale - seems to be quite a few all at the same price, so the price has probably been set by Toyota GB.

The list price of the UX300e has also been reduced across all the grades by approximately £ 2,200.

[Phil xxkr]

On 8/28/2021 at 10:54 AM, ColinBarber said:

I'm assuming these are ex-showroom vehicles that have come up for sale - seems to be quite a few all at the same price, so the price has probably been set by Toyota GB.

The list price of the UX300e has also been reduced across all the grades by approximately £ 2,200.

Yes, I was emailed offering 5k off a pre reg 300e 🤔

[talaipwros]

On 8/28/2021 at 10:54 AM, ColinBarber said:

I'm assuming these are ex-showroom vehicles that have come up for sale - seems to be quite a few all at the same price, so the price has probably been set by Toyota GB.

The list price of the UX300e has also been reduced across all the grades by approximately £ 2,200.

now if they could just give the takumi for this price, and I have a lovely leaf e+ tekna 21 plate for part exchange...

[Spottedlaurel]

I had the interesting experience of driving a UX300e on Friday,when my RX went in for a service and MoT and all their loan cars were low on fuel. Here are my thoughts on it as a newcomer to the fully electric driving experience.........

I have no idea what model it was, but it looked very similar to a new one in the showroom that had a price tag of around £52,000. Just under 7,000 miles on the clock. I think the blue paintwork had a pearl/metallic effect, but it wasn't immediately obvious in lower light conditions.

It was my first experience of both the UX and driving a fully electric car. Coming from a hybrid the basic drive felt similar, but I wasn't prepared for the immediate and rapid acceleration. Neither my RX nor LS400 are exactly slow in that department, but in day-to-day use I think the UX felt even quicker.

As it was fairly low on charge I had to leave it at home while I used the LS for a trip out during the day, so I ended up with the unusual experience of driving RX, UX and LS back-to-back. All very different of course, but the basic smoothness was common to all three. The LS still acquits itself very well as a luxury car, and the V8 and normal automatic transmission combination moves it along in such a way that it's not always apparent what form of propulsion it has.

I used standard 3-pin outlets to top it up for the day. On that basis it said it would take over 18 hours to 'fill the tank', and I reckon it was taking about an hour for each 10 miles additional range. I can certainly see how a fully electric car would work for us on local joureys, but for longer trips I'd want to keep my RX for as long as possible, with perhaps a change to the NX450h PHEV in a few years time. That appears to offer a good combination until really fast charging options (or even hydrogen) become the norm.

Inside is where it didn't work so well for me. The seats lightened things up a bit, but overall I found it very gloomy, almost claustrophobic. The headlining and chunky pillars were also black, with the latter severly limiting over-the-shoulder visibility (I can see what it has those blind spot monitor lights). The windscreen felt rather short too.

I never did get used to the 'gearshift', finding it difficult to go quickly between forwards and reverse when manouevring.

Steering felt very eager but a little artificial. That being said, when I drove the LS that then felt a bit heavy and lazy so I obviously got used to it. Brakes were quite sharp after an initial press of the pedal.

I'm not one for gadgets, so I found the dashboard, large display screen and HUD a little overwhelming on my day with it, but I imagine they can be configured differently and I'd get used to them. My 2014 RX is quite basic in that regard.

In conclusion, an interesting experience and I'm glad to have driven one at last. As an overall package I don't think the UX is for me - I'm used to the size and feel of something larger like the RX, and it would be an expensive indulgence as a second car for Mrs SL. However the driving experience was very impressive and I look forward to seeing how Lexus/Toyota roll that out to other models, whether that's as a full BEV or plug-in hybrid like the forthcoming NX450h.

[mikey2001]

An interesting and informative review, thank you Nigel 👍

[ALAW]

On 10/3/2021 at 8:44 AM, Spottedlaurel said:

I had the interesting experience of driving a UX300e on Friday,when my RX went in for a service and MoT and all their loan cars were low on fuel. Here are my thoughts on it as a newcomer to the fully electric driving experience.........

I have no idea what model it was, but it looked very similar to a new one in the showroom that had a price tag of around £52,000. Just under 7,000 miles on the clock. I think the blue paintwork had a pearl/metallic effect, but it wasn't immediately obvious in lower light conditions.

It was my first experience of both the UX and driving a fully electric car. Coming from a hybrid the basic drive felt similar, but I wasn't prepared for the immediate and rapid acceleration. Neither my RX nor LS400 are exactly slow in that department, but in day-to-day use I think the UX felt even quicker.

As it was fairly low on charge I had to leave it at home while I used the LS for a trip out during the day, so I ended up with the unusual experience of driving RX, UX and LS back-to-back. All very different of course, but the basic smoothness was common to all three. The LS still acquits itself very well as a luxury car, and the V8 and normal automatic transmission combination moves it along in such a way that it's not always apparent what form of propulsion it has.

I used standard 3-pin outlets to top it up for the day. On that basis it said it would take over 18 hours to 'fill the tank', and I reckon it was taking about an hour for each 10 miles additional range. I can certainly see how a fully electric car would work for us on local joureys, but for longer trips I'd want to keep my RX for as long as possible, with perhaps a change to the NX450h PHEV in a few years time. That appears to offer a good combination until really fast charging options (or even hydrogen) become the norm.

Inside is where it didn't work so well for me. The seats lightened things up a bit, but overall I found it very gloomy, almost claustrophobic. The headlining and chunky pillars were also black, with the latter severly limiting over-the-shoulder visibility (I can see what it has those blind spot monitor lights). The windscreen felt rather short too.

I never did get used to the 'gearshift', finding it difficult to go quickly between forwards and reverse when manouevring.

Steering felt very eager but a little artificial. That being said, when I drove the LS that then felt a bit heavy and lazy so I obviously got used to it. Brakes were quite sharp after an initial press of the pedal.

I'm not one for gadgets, so I found the dashboard, large display screen and HUD a little overwhelming on my day with it, but I imagine they can be configured differently and I'd get used to them. My 2014 RX is quite basic in that regard.

In conclusion, an interesting experience and I'm glad to have driven one at last. As an overall package I don't think the UX is for me - I'm used to the size and feel of something larger like the RX, and it would be an expensive indulgence as a second car for Mrs SL. However the driving experience was very impressive and I look forward to seeing how Lexus/Toyota roll that out to other models, whether that's as a full BEV or plug-in hybrid like the forthcoming NX450h.

Good review Nigel very interesting

[First_Lexus]

On 10/3/2021 at 8:44 AM, Spottedlaurel said:

I had the interesting experience of driving a UX300e on Friday,when my RX went in for a service and MoT and all their loan cars were low on fuel. Here are my thoughts on it as a newcomer to the fully electric driving experience.........

I have no idea what model it was, but it looked very similar to a new one in the showroom that had a price tag of around £52,000. Just under 7,000 miles on the clock. I think the blue paintwork had a pearl/metallic effect, but it wasn't immediately obvious in lower light conditions.

It was my first experience of both the UX and driving a fully electric car. Coming from a hybrid the basic drive felt similar, but I wasn't prepared for the immediate and rapid acceleration. Neither my RX nor LS400 are exactly slow in that department, but in day-to-day use I think the UX felt even quicker.

As it was fairly low on charge I had to leave it at home while I used the LS for a trip out during the day, so I ended up with the unusual experience of driving RX, UX and LS back-to-back. All very different of course, but the basic smoothness was common to all three. The LS still acquits itself very well as a luxury car, and the V8 and normal automatic transmission combination moves it along in such a way that it's not always apparent what form of propulsion it has.

I used standard 3-pin outlets to top it up for the day. On that basis it said it would take over 18 hours to 'fill the tank', and I reckon it was taking about an hour for each 10 miles additional range. I can certainly see how a fully electric car would work for us on local joureys, but for longer trips I'd want to keep my RX for as long as possible, with perhaps a change to the NX450h PHEV in a few years time. That appears to offer a good combination until really fast charging options (or even hydrogen) become the norm.

Inside is where it didn't work so well for me. The seats lightened things up a bit, but overall I found it very gloomy, almost claustrophobic. The headlining and chunky pillars were also black, with the latter severly limiting over-the-shoulder visibility (I can see what it has those blind spot monitor lights). The windscreen felt rather short too.

I never did get used to the 'gearshift', finding it difficult to go quickly between forwards and reverse when manouevring.

Steering felt very eager but a little artificial. That being said, when I drove the LS that then felt a bit heavy and lazy so I obviously got used to it. Brakes were quite sharp after an initial press of the pedal.

I'm not one for gadgets, so I found the dashboard, large display screen and HUD a little overwhelming on my day with it, but I imagine they can be configured differently and I'd get used to them. My 2014 RX is quite basic in that regard.

In conclusion, an interesting experience and I'm glad to have driven one at last. As an overall package I don't think the UX is for me - I'm used to the size and feel of something larger like the RX, and it would be an expensive indulgence as a second car for Mrs SL. However the driving experience was very impressive and I look forward to seeing how Lexus/Toyota roll that out to other models, whether that's as a full BEV or plug-in hybrid like the forthcoming NX450h.

This was a really interesting review, thank-you @Spottedlaurel

I did - albeit briefly - look into an EV, but my weekly trip to Bristol was just too far as a return journey to make it viable, especially in Winter when real range reduces. I’ll stick with petrol/hybrid for a while yet.

With COP26 starting today, Sky News gave a reporter the challenge of driving from London to Glasgow in an EV (think it was a Kia Nero). He made the point that it wasn’t range anxiety that was a problem - it was charger anxiety, as he found there were too few and some that were available just didn’t work. Unless Government properly invests in the network, and pays for companies to install chargers at workplace car parks as well, then EVs are going to remain a (perceived) risky choice for many people.

Like @paulrnx when I retire I’ll likely go EV as my mileage will drop and by then (5 years in the future) I’d assume both the charging network and EV range will have improved to make them the default choice ahead of 2030 and the end of new petrol/diesel sales.

[Phil xxkr]

37 minutes ago, First_Lexus said:

This was a really interesting review, thank-you @Spottedlaurel

I did - albeit briefly - look into an EV, but my weekly trip to Bristol was just too far as a return journey to make it viable, especially in Winter when real range reduces. I’ll stick with petrol/hybrid for a while yet.

With COP26 starting today, Sky News gave a reporter the challenge of driving from London to Glasgow in an EV (think it was a Kia Nero). He made the point that it wasn’t range anxiety that was a problem - it was charger anxiety, as he found there were too few and some that were available just didn’t work. Unless Government properly invests in the network, and pays for companies to install chargers at workplace car parks as well, then EVs are going to remain a (perceived) risky choice for many people.

Like @paulrnx when I retire I’ll likely go EV as my mileage will drop and by then (5 years in the future) I’d assume both the charging network and EV range will have improved to make them the default choice ahead of 2030 and the end of new petrol/diesel sales.

Just came across a YouTube channel - Transport Evolved - not your usual type of presenter but useful EV insights especially into brands I never heard of 👍

[Spacewagon52]

On 10/3/2021 at 8:44 AM, Spottedlaurel said:

The LS still acquits itself very well as a luxury car, and the V8 and normal automatic transmission combination moves it along in such a way that it's not always apparent what form of propulsion it has.

 

I totally agree!

[royoftherovers]

1 hour ago, Phil xxkr said:

Just came across a YouTube channel - Transport Evolved - not your usual type of presenter but useful EV insights especially into brands I never heard of 👍

Such a wide range to view Phil. Can you provide a link to the particular presentation which LED to your comment ?

[royoftherovers]

1 hour ago, Spacewagon52 said:

I totally agree!

My GS 450 Hybrid is similar.

[Phil xxkr]

4 hours ago, royoftherovers said:

Such a wide range to view Phil. Can you provide a link to the particular presentation which led to your comment ?

Lucid start up 

[royoftherovers]

2 minutes ago, Phil xxkr said:

Lucid start up 

Thanks.

I recommended the Lucid AIR to Kevin Williams 3 months ago.

[Phil xxkr]

Just now, royoftherovers said:

Thanks.

I recommended the Lucid AIR to Kevin Williams 3 months ago.

Very prescient John 

[royoftherovers]

1 minute ago, Phil xxkr said:

Very prescient John 

always try to be ahead of the curve!