Lexus is a luxury automaker that makes a lot of great cars that owners enjoy, and Lexus owners tend to enjoy different parts of their cars. In terms of the Lexus UX, the luxury SUV is relatively unique in its design as well as what owners had to say about it, especially in terms of its fuel economy.

A look at J.D. Power’s APEAL study

As many car critics know, one of the best ways to find out what owners think about their car is to simply ask them. J.D. Power does this every year with its APEAL study.

This study asks thousands of car owners about what they thought about their new car. There’s a process to verify that the owners actually own their car, and have owned it for at least 90 days. The survey also asks the owners about their demographic info.

Based on the data from the survey, 63% of new UX buyers are women, and this is above average for the segment. The median age of a new UX buyer is 56 years old, and that’s about average for the segment.

The most interesting part about the study, however, asks owners to rank their car based on 10 categories. The higher the ranking, the more the owner likes how their car performed in that category.

Here’s what Lexus UX owners appreciate about their SUVs

The five things that owners didn’t like about their car included the UX’s infotainment system, getting in and out of the car, how Lexus designed the car’s interior layout, the car’s powertrain, and its driving comfort.

The top five things that owners liked about their subcompact Lexus were setting up and starting, how safe they felt when they were in the car, the car’s fuel economy, how it felt to drive, and the car’s exterior design. 

These results are interesting for several reasons. For the 2023 model year, Lexus gave the UX only hybrid powertrain options. As a result, the UX’s great fuel economy is largely because of its hybrid powertrains.

However, owners also noted that they didn’t like the car’s powertrain very much, so that seems to be a tradeoff that car shoppers will have to decide on.

What’s also interesting is how highly-rated the UX’s fuel economy is. Many cars, especially in the luxury market, don’t have great fuel economy ratings, and their owners tend to dislike their car’s fuel economy.

For example, the Mercedes-Benz GLA 250 is competing in the same segment as the UX is in, but GLA owners rated its fuel economy as its worst aspect.

It makes sense for owners to appreciate the Lexus UX’s fuel economy

The reason why Mercedes and other luxury cars have bad perceived fuel economy is because they have engines that prioritize power instead of fuel economy. By going all-in on hybrid powertrains for the UX, Lexus is separating the subcompact crossover from its rivals by providing an SUV that’s less sporty than average, but more practical overall. As a result, it’s no surprise that owners are satisfied with the UX’s fuel economy.

The SUV comes with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that works with an electric motor to get 181 hp. Front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive are both available, and the front-wheel drive option will be the most efficient option.

With the front-wheel drive option, the UX gets 43 mpg in the city and 41 mpg on highways, for 42 mpg combined. Adding all-wheel drive will reduce the UX’s fuel economy to 41 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on highways, for 39 mpg combined.