Lexus to unveil the all-new LBX

[joelfigueira]

On 6/5/2023 at 5:47 PM, Las Palmas said:

Yes. Except for finding parking space.

Size is OK for us if rear seat is not too cramped. The UX rear seat is less good than the one in CT with same driver seat positioning.

Still hoping that there will come a small hydrogen car before the CT must retire.

Can’t take credit for the below from @wivenhoe I’m hoping it’s same if not slightly better legroom in the back 

[stepppy]

The LBX has a 2cm longer wheelbase than the Yaris Cross and from what I have seen in the various videos online there is a bit more rear legroom.

Not too much of an issue for us as the back seat of my Prius has probably been used less than half a dozen times in 6 years 😁

[javadude]

I don't understand why Lexus are releasing this as another "self-charging" hybrid instead of EV. There's no need for more hybrids and their only half decent EV is the RZ which is crazy expensive. Lexus seem to have lost the plot. 

[H3XME]

12 minutes ago, javadude said:

I don't understand why Lexus are releasing this as another "self-charging" hybrid instead of EV. There's no need for more hybrids and their only half decent EV is the RZ which is crazy expensive. Lexus seem to have lost the plot. 

I tell you why. Because Toyota are actually using their brain. Hybrid is better for them. Ofc Tesla doesn’t have a choice it being EV only manufacturer, but for the rest of them it’s better to make hybrids. At least for the foreseeable.
https://www.thedrive.com/features/toyota-is-right-we-need-more-hybrid-cars-and-fewer-evs-heres-why

[stepppy]

I agree, its too soon to jump on the EV bandwagon. 
 

When everyone is forced to produce electric cars and Battery tech is much improved, then maybe it will be the way to go. 

[wharfhouse]

I'll be buying a new hybrid just before they are banned unless a) fuel cell cars come forward at a sensible price b) BEV get significant reliable range and much lower charging time and reduce in price, and c) the EV infrastructure improves dramatically. I'm sure I can't be the only one thinking like this...

[serbarry]

On 7/8/2023 at 9:20 AM, wharfhouse said:

I'll be buying a new hybrid just before they are banned unless a) fuel cell cars come forward at a sensible price b) BEV get significant reliable range and much lower charging time and reduce in price, and c) the EV infrastructure improves dramatically. I'm sure I can't be the only one thinking like this...

+ 1

[Al D-Much]

Just realised what it reminds me of from the side profile.

It's a Nissan Juke in a fancy frock

[Al D-Much]

On 7/8/2023 at 9:20 AM, wharfhouse said:

I'll be buying a new hybrid just before they are banned unless a) fuel cell cars come forward at a sensible price b) BEV get significant reliable range and much lower charging time and reduce in price, and c) the EV infrastructure improves dramatically. I'm sure I can't be the only one thinking like this...

Yep, I'll be in the same queue, as will may I'd image

[dutchie01]

I see pricing in Germany starting at 34300 euro for the base model which is 9000 up on the toyota. Top model at 45600

[stepppy]

Yes I don’t think it’s going to be cheap, but to overlap the UX prices by that much seems a bit odd. 
 

[dutchie01]

https://www.lexus.de/customer/reserve/lbx

 

[stepppy]

36 minutes ago, dutchie01 said:

https://www.lexus.de/customer/reserve/lbx

 

That website is a lot simpler than the Polish one which I managed to translate and prices seem a bit lower, but their site mentions a discount, but that seems to be applicable to all of their models.

Interesting that the price does not change when you change models and there is no mention of the option packs.

I wonder how far behind the UK site is?

[dutchie01]

Seems way too expensive to me. They want to sell 100.000 of these in Europe and i wonder how. They will have thought this through but to me it seems another car coming out of Lexusland. A product the market is not asking for. Too expensive, too small, not an EV. I just cannot see this work. Average price will be around 40K? Its too small/expensive for a companycar and most companies demand 0 Co2 so an EV nowadays so forget the fleetmarket. Private buyers buying a tiny 40k threecilinder CVT cannot be found on every streetcorner and just have a look at what you can buy as a one year old with full warranty for 40k. 

[cur666]

12 hours ago, dutchie01 said:

Seems way too expensive to me. They want to sell 100.000 of these in Europe and i wonder how. They will have thought this through but to me it seems another car coming out of Lexusland. A product the market is not asking for. Too expensive, too small, not an EV. I just cannot see this work. Average price will be around 40K? Its too small/expensive for a companycar and most companies demand 0 Co2 so an EV nowadays so forget the fleetmarket. Private buyers buying a tiny 40k threecilinder CVT cannot be found on every streetcorner and just have a look at what you can buy as a one year old with full warranty for 40k. 

So you know better than a billion dollar bussiness huh

The Yaris Cross has a waiting list.....the market loves the size.....yes it will be more expensive...so what. One buyer waiting on a street corner here!

[stepppy]

Another one waiting here too, but size will be the decider for me. Mainly how it feels inside  rather than legroom and boot space, but more how close I feel to the passenger.

I love the interior, but if the LBX doesn’t feel right we will wait for the second generation UX in 2-3 years.

 

[Tonyw]

On 7/24/2023 at 12:44 PM, dutchie01 said:

I see pricing in Germany starting at 34300 euro for the base model which is 9000 up on the toyota. Top model at 45600

But look at the starting prices for other models that we can compare. ES starts at 54K, compared to 40K here. The base UX in Germany is list 42K

so I would expect LBX here to be £30-40K 

be great if they can keep the top model under the luxury tax threshold 

[Al D-Much]

On 7/25/2023 at 7:30 PM, dutchie01 said:

Seems way too expensive to me. They want to sell 100.000 of these in Europe and i wonder how. They will have thought this through but to me it seems another car coming out of Lexusland. A product the market is not asking for. Too expensive, too small, not an EV. I just cannot see this work. Average price will be around 40K? Its too small/expensive for a companycar and most companies demand 0 Co2 so an EV nowadays so forget the fleetmarket. Private buyers buying a tiny 40k threecilinder CVT cannot be found on every streetcorner and just have a look at what you can buy as a one year old with full warranty for 40k. 

Current trend CT200h replacement. It'll see alright.
My father's CT200h was mid range and he didn't think twice at paying £27k for a tiny car back in 2018. Plenty of older folk around wanting a smaller car with serious disposable income.

[ColinBarber]

19 minutes ago, Al D-Much said:

Current trend CT200h replacement. It'll see alright.
My father's CT200h was mid range and he didn't think twice at paying £27k for a tiny car back in 2018. Plenty of older folk around wanting a smaller car with serious disposable income.

That's true but the CT and especially the LBX are targeted at a younger demographic to maintain/increase the user base interested in Lexus as a brand.

[Juicedrinker]

Lexus LBX..... oh no what are they thinking!🤮

[Gary H]

As I've said before, I'll judge it better once I see and feel one but based purely on pictures and the odd video I've seen, I'm really not impressed by it. It's not something I'd personally consider and whilst I know I'm likely showing bias here as an outgoing UX owner, I'd rather wait for whenever the second generation UX comes out if I was looking for a small(ish) hatchback. 

I understand Lexus want to look at attracting a younger demographic, but at the same time this is very much going to be 'de-valuing' the brand in my opinion. 

You just know these will be what Lexus will use en-masse as courtesy cars, regardless of what car you’ve taken in to them. 😕

I hope to be pleasantly surprised by it, but I'm just not feeling the LBX at all at the moment.

[stepppy]

Just came up on my feed. I like reviews from Thomas, I think it looks great. 
 

Not bothered about rear legroom, so that isn’t an issue for me, but can’t make any decision until I see it in the metal. 

[cur666]

13 hours ago, Gary H said:

As I've said before, I'll judge it better once I see and feel one but based purely on pictures and the odd video I've seen, I'm really not impressed by it. It's not something I'd personally consider and whilst I know I'm likely showing bias here as an outgoing UX owner, I'd rather wait for whenever the second generation UX comes out if I was looking for a small(ish) hatchback. 

I understand Lexus want to look at attracting a younger demographic, but at the same time this is very much going to be 'de-valuing' the brand in my opinion. 

You just know these will be what Lexus will use en-masse as courtesy cars, regardless of what car you’ve taken in to them. 😕

I hope to be pleasantly surprised by it, but I'm just not feeling the LBX at all at the moment.

Devaluing the brand....don't be silly...this car will be a real gem...within its sector.

Oh no...an en masse courtesy car...that is 5 inch shorter than a UX....what is the world coming to!!!  So..using your logic all courtesy cars should currently be a UX....not true !

I've had various Lexus models as courtesy cars....and always feel lucky to be given one...any one !!

[Linas.P]

On 7/29/2023 at 9:25 AM, cur666 said:

So..using your logic all courtesy cars should currently be a UX....not true !

Well that is at very least 90% of of them... so not all of them are UX, just most.

I am not sure about devaluing the brand statement as there is nothing left to devalue - Lexus is pretty much just rebadged Toyota anyway and in last 5 years it pretty much lost last of it's soul. The only REAL Lexus models left are LS and LC, so that are two flagships. RX and NX are very decent and justifies the premium over Toyota, but the rest of models are joke. UX and ES are prime examples... LBX it is even worse than that.

Again, the reason why they felt Yaris-Cross needed Lexus badge is rather simple - Toyotas are incredibly expensive and overpriced nowadays. The shaitbox which say 20 years ago would have competed at £10-15k range (a Yaris basically) now costs £30k... what?! Original Yaris launched in 1999 with the price tag of £7,495. Not £17,000 - £7,000! So the correct price for Yaris today would be £13,664 adjusted for inflation. Okey Yaris-Cross is the Yaris on stilts (still cost exactly the same for Toyota to build), so let's say that is sub-model within Yaris family, base one costs £14,000, "Cross" costs £16,500. This would be about right as that would be exactly in the middle between RAV4 and Yaris originally. That is the price we are talking about, that is how much supermini Toyota is WORTH. Except the list price for Yaris Cross starts at £24,400 and ends at £29,800, so let's just say it is nearly DOUBLE what it is WOURTH. 

So here is the problem - Toyota wants to make even more money than that, but there is NO WAY to sell Yaris for even more money than what is already practically double the cost. As any buyer coming to look at it would be confused "am I buying Toyota supermini here, or am I buying entry-level exec. BMW or MB". Again C-Class, 3-Series and Lexus IS used to cost in mid-30s and now you get Yaris for this money. So Toyota could not go above £30,000 with their badge on the hood, and sticking Lexus badge is the way of masking how incredibly overpriced is Toyota. Because now suddenly you not paying £35,000 for Yaris "no that would be ridiculous", you paying it for "Toyota LBX... I mean Lexus Yaris... you know... that thing". And again, make no mistake - from manufacturing perspective it costs the same whenever they are making Yaris, LBX, Yaris-Cross or whatever. Sure things like good quality leather costs more, but LBX is not getting leather (at all)! Pressing the panels in more "striking" shape does not make them more expensive.

Now - I give it to Toyota ... very clever marketing and if there are idiots who will pay £35,000 for what is essentially Yaris on stilts, then why not charge them that. I kind of hate this abuse of consumers, sort of "if you are idiot then it is fine to overcharge you" mentality... which is what most scammers generally use as an excuse for scamming people "they are too stupid, so they deserve to be scammed"... but to some extent that is true. If they put this thing in their showroom and people come and voluntary pay the money for it, then what can they do... not take it?! Until consumer becomes more educated and simply more strapped for money... this won't end. Clearly in the west we have too much disposable income if we pay £35,000 for Yaris with Lexus badge!

[dutchie01]

Not sure if that is totally correct Linas. The Yaris of old had a 998cc 4 cylinder and did weigh 830 kg.  Great car, friend of us has one from new in a pretty pink color, was used a family hauler, schoolcar, shoppingtrolley was given to the kids when they left the house, given back and still used as second car. 20 years on and over 200k km. Never stopped working a real toyota. Thing is it will not pass todays safety tests nor the emission tests, it would not be allowed on the road as a new car. The majority of car manufacturers have stopped building their smallest models as they think they will not sell as too expensive if they have to engineer it to pass emission and safety tests, So no more Fiesta, C1, Aygo, 109 and so on. The only thing the Yaris has in common with the old one is the name. It is bigger, heavier, more complicated and subsequently more expensive. Toyota could have chosen to terminate as well but they didnt. Is it too expensive? Thats for each individual to decide but i personally think cars have become shockingly expensive. In case of the yaris cross there is another thing. Where is the competition? The more competition the lower the price, so, where is it?