Possibly the last long-distance trip completed in my UX250h.

[Gary H]

Well folks, unless there's any unforeseeable circumstances, I’ve likely not long completed my last long distance round-trip in my UX before it's replacement comes (in the first half of September as things stand). 

Over the 466.6 miles (round trip to deepest Suffolk for an overnight stay to visit my brother) I averaged 61.4mpg overall. It's a record for that particular trip – which it's done five, maybe six times previously. Not bad at all considering the boot was full on the trip down and climate control was used throughout. I would have taken it a little more easily but due to some time constraints, I couldn't give it a truly fair 'economy test' so I'm reasonably confident I could have squeezed another 2/3mpg out of it. Still, I'm happy overall…   

So, my lasting thoughts on the UX as a distance cruiser? Great Climate Control, a decent standard radio (when used) and surprisingly comfortable for it's size, thanks to great F-Sport seats up front. I've always been impressed of the ability it has to munch up the miles considering it’s size. I've had two cars bigger than it, which were also great but certainly no better than the UX. Credit where credit is due. I've done three(?) 350-odd mile round trips in a day in it and given I do have the odd lower back complaint, I've very rarely had issues with the Lexus' seats. Maybe the odd ache towards the end of those particular drives, but that really is a lot of miles to do in a day in any car… I've only got praise for the UX in this respect. 

So, in the final two months and a bit of owning the UX (again – subject to change), I suspect all it'll do will be commuting back and forth to work and the odd day trip out at the weekends. Overall, I've enjoyed owning it for the last three years and four months. It's not perfect by any means and does have a few minor flaws, but I'm planning on doing a bigger 'reviewy thing' at the end of my ownership…hopefully in a few months time.

[ALAW]

Nice read Gary. I will be doing a long trip to Cornwall shortly I think its 365 miles from our house. I don't think I've ever had anywhere near that mileage fuel consumption you get but gentle driving warm weather I will get 50. I find seats comfy no issues when i get out.

[bigjazza]

Well done Gary,Last summer, I drove down from Glasgow to Portsmouth before taking the ferry to Santander where my wife and I continued on down to the sunny Algarve to spend some time visiting my sister who lives in Vilamoura. The air conditioning was great when temperatures were hitting 40c😎 and the UX behaved impeccably during the entire trip before returning home in August after clocking up around 2000 miles.Fuel consumption was in the mid to high 50s and we both found the seats in the F Sport to be very comfortable with super roads in Spain and Portugal making it a very enjoyable experience. Best wishes to all Lexus drivers,Jim

[Gary H]

15 hours ago, ALAW said:

Nice read Gary. I will be doing a long trip to Cornwall shortly I think its 365 miles from our house. I don't think I've ever had anywhere near that mileage fuel consumption you get but gentle driving warm weather I will get 50. I find seats comfy no issues when i get out.

Thanks! Unfortunately my UX has never made it to the Westcountry. I usually holiday in North Devon annually but that's not something we've been able to do since 2019 - a year before I got the UX. I do know Devon very well and Cornwall reasonably well. Our usual drive down there is in the region of 250-255 miles (depending on minor variations to the regular route we take) and it would have been nice to get an MPG comparison to previous cars on that particular run which I know so well, but sadly it's not to be with this car - unless there's something which is about to go seriously wrong with the NX I have on order...

I admit I'm one of the slower drivers out there. Not slow enough to cause annoyance or a danger, but someone who'll happily cruise at 60-65mph on motorways and dual carriageways. Gentle on the throttle and gentle on the brakes where I can be. 

On previous drives to Suffolk in the UX, lower to mid fifties has been my average - but I think the previous two trips have been during colder months. I'll admit I was surprised to hit over 60mpg on that run. I was expecting mid-high fifties. 

2 hours ago, bigjazza said:

Well done Gary,Last summer, I drove down from Glasgow to Portsmouth before taking the ferry to Santander where my wife and I continued on down to the sunny Algarve to spend some time visiting my sister who lives in Vilamoura. The air conditioning was great when temperatures were hitting 40c😎 and the UX behaved impeccably during the entire trip before returning home in August after clocking up around 2000 miles.Fuel consumption was in the mid to high 50s and we both found the seats in the F Sport to be very comfortable with super roads in Spain and Portugal making it a very enjoyable experience. Best wishes to all Lexus drivers,Jim

Cheers! I have to say the air con/climate control in the UX is superb. The same goes for the F Sport seats in the UX. Both are something I'm planning on discussing in further detail in my final review of the car before it goes back - which as things stand is two (and a bit) months away. 

Mid fifties is about my usual average on a distance run. Impressive for it to remain that way (and more) over your 2000 miles. Very good indeed! 👍

It's good to know not only is the UX a very competent UK traveler, but much further afield also! 😄

[Lmafudd]

I've just driven 317 miles to Cornwall for the first time in my UX. Downward journey I shared driving and had no issues but homeward trip was all me as my wife picked-up a Cornish cough and I didn't fancy the lovely M5 queues with all that coughing over my dash! Sadly my lower lumbar area is really painful today and I think it is down to the lack of lumbar support in this car. This is the first car I have owned (for many years) without a support in the chair. 

I will attempt to buy some kind of cushion should I drive that far again but to be honest I may not do so.

Other than the chair the car was faultless. The Radar Cruise makes traffic queues a breeze and temperature comfort is easy to achieve. Averaged around 55mpg. Having the front tyres changed this week in the hope of reducing the tyre noise from the run flats so that should make things even better.

[Bezzer]

39 minutes ago, Lmafudd said:

I've just driven 317 miles to Cornwall for the first time in my UX. Downward journey I shared driving and had no issues but homeward trip was all me as my wife picked-up a Cornish cough and I didn't fancy the lovely M5 queues with all that coughing over my dash! Sadly my lower lumbar area is really painful today and I think it is down to the lack of lumbar support in this car. This is the first car I have owned (for many years) without a support in the chair. 

I will attempt to buy some kind of cushion should I drive that far again but to be honest I may not do so.

Other than the chair the car was faultless. The Radar Cruise makes traffic queues a breeze and temperature comfort is easy to achieve. Averaged around 55mpg. Having the front tyres changed this week in the hope of reducing the tyre noise from the run flats so that should make things even better.

I’ll mirror that, first long trip yesterday, 233 miles to Devon mainly motorway going with the flow. No problems for me but SWMBO complaining about lack of lumbar support, also going to look for a cushion. Display showing 57mpg, still over half on petrol gauge.

[Lmafudd]

13 minutes ago, Bezzer said:

I’ll mirror that, first long trip yesterday, 233 miles to Devon mainly motorway going with the flow. No problems for me but SWMBO complaining about lack of lumbar support, also going to look for a cushion. Display showing 57mpg, still over half on petrol gauge.

Were you on the M5 between 11:00 and 15:00 Bezzer? We were probably on the Northbound in the other queue! I must say that I really enjoy a 50mph restriction, it always seems so civilised after the madness of the 70+ dash!

Good luck with the holiday and I hope that your other half doesn't struggle too much with her back. It can be a misery that may not be improved by hotel beds I fear.

 

[Don C]

My Takumi has lumbar support but it will never get used by me.  I can’t stand the feel of it pushing my lower back.  Funny how we all prefer different things.  

[Bezzer]

1 hour ago, Lmafudd said:

Were you on the M5 between 11:00 and 15:00 Bezzer? We were probably on the Northbound in the other queue! I must say that I really enjoy a 50mph restriction, it always seems so civilised after the madness of the 70+ dash!

Good luck with the holiday and I hope that your other half doesn't struggle too much with her back. It can be a misery that may not be improved by hotel beds I fear.

 

Yep, we had a just just few miles of crawling traffic in the southbound roadworks but saw the northbound was miles and miles of slow traffic, never seen so many caravans and motorhomes.

 

[Gary H]

From the end of my final distance trip in my UX and now I’m less than a fortnight away (all being well...) from taking the first proper distance trip in the NX...

Ohh, I’m jealous @Lmafudd! I haven’t been down to the westcountry since 2019...and it’s somewhere I always used to go practically every year in September without fail. Covid put paid to that in 2020, the year I got my UX and sadly I’ve not had the chance so far to go back. As such, the UX is only the second(?) car I’ve ever owned that didn’t make it down to the South West in my hands. 

Generally speaking, luck tends to be on my side when I’ve used the M5 over the years. It’s usually around the area of Sedgemoor where things can get predictably sluggish! Especially northbound on the approach to Avonmouth. From where I am, I only hit the M5 once I get to Bristol. My usual ‘tried and tested’ route to that point is the A41, A49 and A466 to the old Severn Bridge - then of course joining the M5 from the M4 at Almonsbury. 

Anyway - the subject of lumbar support before I waffle on too much about my routes! It’s interesting you bring that up because I generally didn’t have a problem with it in my UX (my 2020 F-Sport had it). However, on the odd occasion when my father drove the car, he did complain about lower back ache after a while. He took the lumbar off as he couldn’t get it low enough on his back for it to be of any use. So in the end, as @Beezer has mentioned - he did actually use a small cushion!

[Lmafudd]

1 hour ago, Gary H said:

From the end of my final distance trip in my UX and now I’m less than a fortnight away (all being well...) from taking the first proper distance trip in the NX...

Ohh, I’m jealous @Lmafudd! I haven’t been down to the westcountry since 2019...and it’s somewhere I always used to go practically every year in September without fail. Covid put paid to that in 2020, the year I got my UX and sadly I’ve not had the chance so far to go back. As such, the UX is only the second(?) car I’ve ever owned that didn’t make it down to the South West in my hands. 

Generally speaking, luck tends to be on my side when I’ve used the M5 over the years. It’s usually around the area of Sedgemoor where things can get predictably sluggish! Especially northbound on the approach to Avonmouth. From where I am, I only hit the M5 once I get to Bristol. My usual ‘tried and tested’ route to that point is the A41, A49 and A466 to the old Severn Bridge - then of course joining the M5 from the M4 at Almonsbury. 

Anyway - the subject of lumbar support before I waffle on too much about my routes! It’s interesting you bring that up because I generally didn’t have a problem with it in my UX (my 2020 F-Sport had it). However, on the odd occasion when my father drove the car, he did complain about lower back ache after a while. He took the lumbar off as he couldn’t get it low enough on his back for it to be of any use. So in the end, as @Beezer has mentioned - he did actually use a small cushion!

If the NX seats are as good as they used to be then there will be no issue Gary. Only equaled by Volvo seats of old in my opinion.

Interesting route for me to consider for the drive back from Cornwall next time. I do enjoy a nice 50mph through motorway roadworks though, as mentioned!

[Ala Larj]

Sorry if I’m off topic but it wasn’t me who mentioned lumbar support!

I have a 2014 GS300h premier with 18 way adjustable seats with two lumbar supports! Hated the seats for about the first six months of ownership as couldn’t get comfortable. Thought I may have to get rid of it due to back problems. Anyway took me six months to eventually get it right and now find it the most comfy car I’ve had. After six years of ownership I wouldn’t change it. Thank god it’s got memory seats as my wife is of a different shape to me!