[Updated] Lexus Australia confirms UX 300e electric SUV specifications ahead of November launch

Lexus’ UX 300e electric crossover is expected to reach Australia in November 2021. Images: Lexus Europe

[Updated 17/11/21] Lexus Australia has confirmed the UX300e will start from $74,000 MLP before on road costs. Lexus will continue to insist the UX300e receives an annual service, but this will be capped at $295 per year for the first five years.

Lexus Australia will also offer three years complimentary DC charging for customers at Chargefox stations, and will include a 7kW AC charger, along with the cost of installation.

In a media release that flew under the radar this month, Lexus Australia has confirmed that the UX 300e all-electric crossover will in fact make it to market before the end of 2021. The Lexus UX 300e (short for Urban Explorer according to the company) is the first Battery Electric Vehicle from the luxury brand that has become synonymous with hybrid petrol powertrains, and combines Lexus’ love-it-or-hate-it “L-finesse” design language with the company’s reputation for quality interiors and a zero-emissions drivetrain.

Drivetrain and Battery

Offering a 54.3 kWh lithium-ion battery, the UX 300e sports a WLTP rated range of 305km (Lexus Australia quotes the NEDC figure of 360km); somewhat limited against competitors from Kia, Hyundai, Tesla and Volvo. In European market guise at least, the UX 300e features a CHAdeMO plug for DC fast charging, and a Type 2 plug for AC charging. Lexus claims around 50 minutes will provide a 0-100 percent charge at a maximum rate of 50 kW.

The Nissan Leaf is the only passenger vehicle on the market in Australia that utilises a CHAdeMo connection as far as we are aware, and while most rapid charging stations still fit at least one connector, we feel the majority of manufacturers and charging companies are moving towards the CCS standard. Lexus Australia has yet to confirm if cars manufactured for Australia will continue with CHAdeMO or not.

With a respectable 150 kW and 300 Nm, the UX 300e cruises to 100km/h in 7.5 seconds. Utilising a front drive/front motor combination, we expect similar levels of wheel-slip to Hyundai’s Kona or Kia’s Niro EV, but it won’t be anything that traction control can’t manage.

Comprising 288-cells mounted in the floor and under the rear seats, the UX 300e is air-cooled rather than liquid-cooled like BEVs from Tesla, Hyundai, Volvo and Polestar. While Lexus claims this saves complexity and weight, we’ve seen the air-cooled Nissan Leaf suffer considerable battery degradation over time when compared with liquid-cooled BEVs. For its part though, Lexus offers a 10-year 1 million km battery warranty overseas.

The UX 300e features 288 cells mounted in an air-cooled module system.

Lexus UX 300e Australian specifications

The UX300e will be offered in Australia in Luxury and Sport Luxury variants. In typical Lexus fashion, a high level of standard equipment is fitted, with acoustic glass, LED exterior lighting all round, smart entry and start with keycard, heated, ventilated seats with heated steering wheel, powered front seats, wireless charging and smartphone mirroring via Apple Carplay and Android Auto. The Sport Luxury variant adds larger 18-inch alloy wheels, tri-beam LED headlights with dynamic levelling and adaptive cornering, a moonroof, head-up display and additional interior detailing. View the full inclusions list below:

LEXUS UX 300e Australian Pricing

The UX 300e has a starting price in the UK of £41,745 (approx. $77,264 AUD), and while a straight conversion is never accurate, we expect to see the Lexus slot into that $75,000-$80,000 price bracket to compete with the likes of Mercedes-Benz’s EQA at $76,800, and Volvo’s XC40 Recharge at $76,990. We’ll update this article once we hear more on pricing. Lexus Europe states that the battery is “Carefully sized for the real-world needs of urban customers in Europe” - time will tell if that resonates with buyers down under. What are your thoughts on the UX 300e? Let us know in the comments below!

Lexus LF-Z Electrified EV is a preview of the brand's future direction

Visually Striking Lexus LF-Z Electrified is heavy on style, light on details

The Lexus LF-Z Electrified has been revealed in the form of concept renderings, and the Japanese automaker claims that we’ll see a production version around 2025. According to Lexus, the LF-Z features “ideal dynamic balance achieved through the optimal placement of the battery and electric motors, as well as, among others, a new four-wheel driving force control technology known as "DIRECT4" that generates a superior and highly flexible driving performance, setting the LF-Z Electrified apart from conventional vehicles.”

So far, that all sounds rather vague. While most major automakers have committed to decarbonising their product line-ups and reducing manufacturing and supply chain emissions, Toyota Motor Corporation’s President Akio Toyota has recently criticised electric vehicles as overhyped, and stated that the transition to electrification is happening too quickly. While Toyota has been a pioneer in petrol-electric hybrid technology since the original Prius launched in 1997, the company has firmly refused to adapt to the current trend of electrification, and the LF-Z is the only sign that Lexus is serious about attaining market share in key European and American markets.

Exterior Design

The LF-Z Electrified retains some familiar Lexus design signatures; the aerodynamic ‘tick’ headlights, complex side-profile surfacing and cab-rear stance tie the LF-Z to the current model line up. The vehicle’s designers have added some pleasing new elements such as the swooping glasshouse, Aston Martin-esque wraparound rear with ducktail spoiler and vertical brake lights.

The Lexus LF-Z Electrified has a striking side profile.

The interior is bare, futuristic and laden with screens, and since it is just a concept at this stage, we can’t glean much about Lexus’ cabins of the future. The cockpit was designed based on the company’s concept of "Tazuna" ("tazuna" is Japanese for "rein"). and according to Lexus they were “inspired by the relationship between horse and rider, who communicate through a single rein, steering wheel-mounted switches and the vehicle's head-up display have been highly coordinated to create a space in which various functions, such as the navigation system, audio system, and driving mode selection, can be performed while concentrating on driving and without movement of the driver's line of sight or need to operate complicated switches.”

The interior of the Lexus LF-Z

The company has not hinted at any drivetrain or battery specifications, except to say that the LF-Z will be based on a dedicated electric vehicle platform. Lexus aims to offer electric variants of all its models by 2025, with the sales ratio of electric vehicles exceeding that of gasoline-engine vehicles. Lexus hasn’t specified how many of these will be Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) and how many will be fossil fuel free however. Given that the LF-Z is the company’s first fully electric vehicle, we don’t expect to see BEVs dominating the Lexus lineup within the next 5 years.

Source and Images: Toyota Motor Corporation