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The Lexus UX crossover seems to be forgotten about. It’s the least expensive way to put a Lexus in your garage. The UX name is for “Urban Explorer,” and there are certainly worse ways to spend time in urban traffic than in a luxury SUV like this. While it may be the cheapest Lexus, it’s a solid value.

A lot of people forget that Lexus makes the UX. While BMW X1, Mercedes GLA and the Audi Q3 were vacuuming up all of the small luxury crossover money, it took Lexus until 2018 to show off the UX, and until 2021 to introduce it.

The littlest Lex is the Lexus version of the Toyota CH-R or Corolla, but the transmission and motor are tuned differently. The UX makes more power in every comparable version and offers a lot more luxury for not much more money.

The UX is the cheapest Lexus

The US is the cheapest Lexus you can buy new.
Lexus US | Lexus

The UX, especially in base UX200 trim, is the cheapest Lexus you can buy new, starting at $34,225. It has the same giant Lexus grille that the $100,000 LX SUV has, so you can impress the neighbors. But like the Toyota, it is one of the most inexpensive to own with a 32 miles-per-gallon combined.

However, sometimes you have to spend some money to save some money. The hybrid version is about $2,0000 more but gets a combined 39-mpg for the hybrid version.

The 2022 Lexus UX can be all-wheel-drive and a hybrid

For $34,225 you can snap up a UX250h that gives you two huge benefits: all-wheel-drive and a hybrid system. The 250H uses Toyota’s interesting all-wheel-drive system that does the obvious thing and simply puts an electric motor under the back hatch to power the rear wheels. When the computer senses slip, it simply turns on the back motor. That means that the UX is a front-wheel-drive SUV, until you need it to have some four-wheel-drive traction.

You can get (a bit) more power in a 2022 Lexus UX

2022 Lexus UX | Lexus

The base 2022 Lexus UX has a 2-liter naturally-aspirated four cylinder – no turbos here – that is mated to 10-step CVT. It’s not much fun. Depending on which tests you read, it takes the base UX almost nine seconds to hit 60 miles per hour, which in the luxury SUV world is an eternity. But, step up the F-Sport, which has the handling package, or the 250h hybrid variants, it drops about a half second off that time and crucially makes it much more fun to drive.

Lots of luxury for the price

In keeping with its mission to keep you comfortable while you’re exploring your urban environs, the UX has a ton of tech. You can get Alexa integration with Android Auto. Like a fighter plane, or a Corvette, you can order a color heads-up display. Most of the interior is driver-focused and the infotainment screen, HVAC controls and more are tilted toward the driver so nothing is out of reach.

It may be the cheapest Lexus, but it doesn’t have to feel like it. For $2,390 you can order the 2022 Lexus UX Luxury Package on the F Sport version that adds a power rear door with a Kick Sensor, you don’t have to use you r hands to open the tailgate, as well as heated and ventilated front seats, and memory system for the driver’s seat and mirrors. The Premium Package for $1,515 adds rain-sensing wipers, a moonroof, and heated seats to non-F UXs.

RELATED: The 2021 Lexus UX Is the Safest Standard Version of the SUV Ever

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Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.