Lexus UX300e arriving late November, specifications confirmed
Lexus has confirmed its first electric car, the UX300e, will still go on sale in November with two model grades despite production delays with parent company Toyota that are causing extensive delays with other models.
Lexus has confirmed the specifications for the UX300e weeks before its late-November arrival in dealerships – and there will be no shortage of equipment.
The UX300e will be offered as a Luxury or Sports Luxury model.
To sit at the top of the UX compact SUV lineup – which is priced from $44,445 to $64,100 before on-road costs – the UX300e is expected to be priced from around $70,000.
The UX300e is powered by a single 150kW/300Nm electric motor driving the front wheels, making its most obvious competitor the Mercedes-Benz EQA250; it will also compete with the Volvo XC40 Pure Electric that has two electric motors and double the power of the UX300e.
Acceleration to 100km/h is claimed at 7.5 seconds.
A 54.3kWh lithium-ion battery (with 50kWh of usable capacity) delivers 305km of WLTP range, which is towards the lower end in the luxury market.
Rather than the liquid cooling commonplace on EVs, the UX300e uses an air-cooled system that Lexus says removes the possibility of leaks. It uses the air-conditioning system to send chilled air around the battery pack to reduce temperature extremes and extend the life of the battery pack.
The UX300e can be charged at up to 6.6kW on an AC charger, for a full charge in about nine hours.
Faster DC charging can be done at up to 35kW, for a 0-80 percent charge in as little as 50 minutes.
Lexus had initially talked of a million-mile warranty for the UX300e, but that appears to have been more a marketing stunt. In Australia the Lexus hybrids get an eight-year 160,000km warranty and in Europe the UX300e’s battery is covered by a similarly-conventional eight-year, 160,000km warranty that guarantees at least 70 percent of the original capacity.
The entry-level UX300e Luxury gets 17-inch alloy wheels, smart key entry, wireless phone charging, parking sensors front and rear and a 13-speaker Mark Levinson sound system. There’s also a 10.3-inch central touchscreen incorporating Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as digital radio tuning.
Safety systems include eight airbags, blind spot warning, auto braking and rear cross traffic alert.
Step up to the Sports Luxury and there are 18-inch wheels, leather trim, sunroof, head-up display, full LED headlights and a higher level of trim for the doors and dashboard, the latter including Japanese “washi” trim.
While Lexus was a trailblazer with petrol-only hybrids, the company has been slow to the electric car scene, beaten by all main luxury rivals.
Lexus is expected to expand its electrified portfolio with the upcoming NX450h, which would be the first plug-in hybrid for the brand in Australia.
And the brand has big plans for battery electric vehicles in future, previewing some of the technology with the LF-Z Electrified concept earlier this year.
