Lexus LBX review: Five-star sophistication

When do you know that you’ve had a good idea? The answer is simple: when someone copies it.

Many such examples exist in life – and particularly so in the motoring sphere. In the current Disney+ documentary series ‘Brawn: The Impossible Dream’ (which is brilliant, by the way) a surprisingly empathetic Keanu Reeves goes through the story of the Brawn GP team which, in 2008 emerged from the ashes of Honda’s Formula 1 efforts.

It won the World Championship the following year with the Brawn 001, driven by Jenson Button and it truly was a stirring and memorable effort for Ross Brawn, Nick Fry and their team to simply get their car to the grid, not to mention to come away with a 1-2 placing in the first Grand Prix in Australia.

That they went on to win the title was a matter of no little measure, considering the forces lined up against them, not to mention the legal, financial and personnel battles they had to fight. The upstart team were initially welcomed to the fold by their rival teams who were expecting some kind of a cut-and-shut racing car to emerge from their base in Brackley.

Brawn’s design genius (he would later lead the Ferrari design team during the Michael Schumacher era) came up with the idea of an aerodynamic ‘double diffuser’ tweak at the rear end of their car which turned out to be the winning difference between them and the likes of Ferrari, Williams, Renault, Red Bull, McLaren and BMW.

As the rest of the teams failed to get the design banned, the only thing they could do was copy it and so they did, but failed to stop Brawn’s march to the title. That the team was bought by Mercedes the following season and was the launch pad for the re-emergence of the Stuttgart giant as an F1 powerhouse, tells you everything you need to know about their success.

On a rather more mundane level, last year we reviewed the Toyota Yaris Cross and found it to be an exceptional addition to the small car segment. It even won a prized gong in our Examiner Motoring annual awards.

We were a little puzzled some time ago when Lexus announced the arrival of their new ‘baby’ crossover, the LBX, but then we realised that the luxury arm of Toyota had merely spotted a good idea in the Toyota Yaris Cross and decided to adapt it for their own purposes. This was something of a departure for Lexus as it has previously – and very independently – chosen its own course.

What they’ve come up with is an excellent little car and one which – we confidently predict – will become the best-selling Lexus ever.

Going in against such other premium small SUVs as the new Alfa Junior, the Volvo EX30 and the Audi Q2, I expect the LBX to wipe their eye, as well as taking sales from such as the new Renault Captur, or other Premium cars such as the DS 3 and the Mini Countryman.

The LBX will now form the first rung on the Lexus SUV ladder, under the UX, the NX, the RX and the RZ and on the evidence I’ve seen it will sell better than any of its siblings. And who will it sell to? Well, first up there are newbies to the small SUV market who want a premium car; second, there are Lexus downsizers or those who have a big one and want a small one for their partner; third, there’s the people who’ve never driven a Lexus before.

When I say that this car is based on the Yaris Cross platform, it much be pointed out that, to meet the exacting standards Lexus demand, it has been very heavily revised, the body styling has also been drastically revamped and the levels of standard kit seriously upgraded.

The word ‘sophisticated’ is one that immediately comes to mind when you clap eyes on the LBX and when you start driving the car, it is very definitely to the fore in your thoughts.

A 1.5 litre three-cylinder engine might not sound like the height of sophistication, even if it has an electric motor to provide the ‘hybrid’ end of things. But it differs from that in the Yaris Cross in many ways, not least the inclusion of a balance shaft to make it smoother.

The petrol/electric system is self-charging (not PHEV) like pretty much all the stuff coming from the Japanese giant and, in the current climate where the public appears unconvinced by the electric revolution, that makes these particular hybrids very attractive indeed.

Now, with just 134 bhp on tap and just 120 Nm of torque at hand, this is not going to burn rubber, but it is actually sufficiently potent for a 9.2 second 0-100 km/h time and a top speed of 170 km/h. The claimed fuel consumption rate is 4.5 l/100km, but with me at the wheel that was never realistic; still, I was surprised by the 5.1 l/100km (54.9 mpg) I did achieve.

We know that these hybrids tend to be a bit screechy, but whatever magic dust Lexus sprinkled on this one, that was kept to a minimum and it certainly did not intrude into the cabin in the same way its Toyota brethren might.

Interesting too was how the electronics coped with the driving, as when you came up behind a slower car, the LBX took matters into its own hands and slowed you down without you having to hit the brakes. This works well – albeit after a little acclimatization – and is, I think, one aspect of the Proactive Driving Assist system on offer and part of an impressive list of assist systems here.

It’s a CVT gearbox – meaning there’s no actual cogs – but it too appears more sophisticated than with lesser Toyota relatives and Lexus has actually designed it to sound like a conventional ‘box and not the screech-prone unit you normally get.

The interior is characterised by the large, roomy area for the driver and front seat passengers and the chairs are excellent, although not electronically controlled. For those in the back, however, things are a lot tighter; the legroom is poor and the upright seats mean taller people will struggle with headroom.

Equipping levels are top notch and the 9.8” infotainment touchscreen is simple to use and assimilate; there are also very welcome separate button for the climate controls. The click-twice door handles are a bit annoying and unnecessarily funky for funky’s sake.

Out on the road that word – ‘sophistication’ – comes to mind yet again, as the LBX handles like a premium car should – even a front wheel drive one. The handling is precise and well-balanced and the ride benefits from the obvious work that has been done to give the car that luxurious feel.

With a sub-40k price tag, this is a car that’s going to fly off dealers’ forecourts, primarily because Lexus saw an opportunity within the greater Toyota brotherhood and decided to adapt it to their own ends. They’ve done a fantastic job and their work will pay undoubted dividends.

They might even get a nod of approval from Ross Brawn and that’s why it gets a rare five-star rating.