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Writer's pictureMike Hagerty

Baby Steps: The 2025 Lexus UX 300h F SPORT


2025 Lexus UX 300h front 3/4 view

Regular readers know I was Mr. Brightside when I first drove the littlest Lexus, the UX, five years ago.


2025 Lexus UX 300h rear 3/4 view

But as time went on, ambivalence crept in. My 2021 review of a non-hybrid front-driver (the UX 200 F SPORT) made it clear that hybrid AWD was the only way to equip a Lexus UX.


And since then, as competitors upped their game in the luxury compact SUV space, and as Toyota started charging and getting $50,000 plus for the RAV4 Prime (now re-named the RAV4 Plug-In Hybrid), the UX, even as an AWD hybrid, just felt outgunned.


2025 Lexus UX 300h front wheel and hood

2025 Lexus UX 300h hood up

2025 Lexus UX 300h hybrid powerplant

Lexus went hybrid-only with the UX in 2023 (with both FWD and AWD variants), and this year, there's a next-generation hybrid system, with a new transaxle and lightweight lithium-ion battery, bringing an incremental bump in total system output---from 181 horsepower to 196.


That gets you to 60 miles per hour from a standing start in 7.7 seconds instead of 8.2, while the EPA fuel economy average stands still at 42 mpg (44 city/40 highway) for AWD models (43 for FWD).


The compact dimensions of the UX and its low center of gravity have always made it a willing handler. Our tester this time is the UX 300h F SPORT Handling. It does add active variable suspension, but the rest of the package is purely cosmetic.


2025 Lexus 300h rear cargo area

2025 Lexus UX 300h rear seat

2025 Lexus UX 300h front seats

2025 Lexus UX 300h front seat detail

2025 Lexus UX 300h instrument panel

The base price of the 2025 Lexus UX 300h F SPORT Handling is $46,375 ($47,525 with destination charges). Standard at that price are bi-LED headlamps and LED taillamps, roof rails, dual-zone climate control, manual folding rear seats, a cargo cover, a comprehensive suite of active safety features, a 12.3-inch touchscreen with a three-month Platinum Plan trial of SiriusXM Satellite Radio, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, NuLuxe-trimmed heated and ventilated F SPORT power front seats with driver seat memory, an F SPORT leather-trimmed heated steering wheel, aluminum scuff plate, power steering column, 18-inch F SPORT alloy wheels, rain-sensing windshield wipers, a power moonroof, LED fog and cornering lamps, a power rear door with kick sensor, color-keyed overfenders, intuitive parking assist, power-folding and heated outer mirrors with memory and a digital key.


2025 Lexus UX 300h steering wheel and instrument display

2025 Lexus UX 300h center console

2025 Lexus UX 300h center screen

Our tester also had extra-cost options, $900 for a head-up display, $595 for the Ultrasonic Blue Mica paint, another $350 for it to have a black roof, and $75 for a wireless phone charger. Bottom line on the window sticker: $49,445.


2025 Lexus UX 300h front view

2025 Lexus UX 300h side view

2025 Lexus UX 300h rear view

Honestly? While the 15 extra horsepower is nice, this just doesn't feel like a $50,000 car---a point amplified by the fact that this week I'm also driving a BMW X2 xDrive28i (look for that review on November 6), that is a better car in every way except gas mileage (it's not a hybrid) and only costs $3,300 more.


I have to repeat my conclusion from my review of the UX 250h last year:


The smart move is for Lexus to surrender the price advantage and field its own version of the Toyota RAV4 Prime---more room, even better fuel economy with 42 miles of pure electric range at a price tag and some serious power (the RAV4 Prime's 302 horsepower dispatches 0-60 sprints in 5.8 seconds) with a pricetag that likely would land about where the Germans already are, comparably equipped.















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