Lexus Stuffs GR Engine Up the Nose of a Small Crossover
You know what’s great about gearheads being at the helm of a car company instead of dour bedwetting accountants? Entertaining product tends to crop up, that’s what. And while the machine shown here is not intended for the North American market, we think there could be a case for it on this side of the pond.
This is the Lexus LBX, a tiny machine which is nearly a foot shorter than the already diminutive UX crossover that’s been on sale in America for a spell. At the Tokyo Auto Salon happening right now in, well, Tokyo, Lexus showed off an LBX Morizo RR Concept which takes much in terms of powertrain from the hyperactive GR line of grin-makers.
A turbocharged 1.6-liter three-cylinder engine making about 300 horsepower puts power to all four wheels through an electronically controlled AWD system and Direct Shift eight-speed automatic transmission. Lexus says “all key elements” of the car have been honed for performance compared to a stock LBX, including tweaks made to the suspension and tires. We see some aero changes to the body on this concept car, alterations which were apparently ripped from lessons learned through technologies in the world of high-speed air racing.
The model, a concept for now, was created with direct input from Toyota Motor Corporation Chairman and Master Driver Akio Toyoda – also known as “Morizo”. Remember the gearhead versus accountant shade thrown above? Yeah, that’s where those differences come into clear play. Chairman Toyoda is a huge part of the reason Toyota as a brand is finally and mercifully crawling away from years of Big Beige, with tremendous cars like the Supra and GR Corolla forming cornerstones of a march back to sportiness.
What do you think? Would this type of machine add to the Lexus brand in our market or would it dilute its focus in a showroom filled with three-row crossovers and large luxury vehicles?
[Images: Lexus]
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Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.
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This is the Lexus LBX, a tiny machine which is nearly a foot shorter than the already diminutive UX crossover
...which makes the LBX the length of my 2017 GTI. Which made me look harder.
The UX is otherwise VERY VERY similar to my GTI dimensionally, inside and out, save for the height--the UX is 4 inches taller.
These things are very slowly coming back down to "we're getting back into the standard hatchback market". And I welcome that.
300bhp? If it has any decent driving dynamics, and still has buttons and knobs inside, I'd be all over this if they brought it here.
I haven’t been paying attention but it seems that every single Toyota model has a Lexus counterpart. That is not how this story began…. There was a time when a Lexus had a nice interior with real wood and very comfortable seats and an amazing amount of sound insulation and a plush but controlled ride. Those were nice to drive. I had one - you could drive all day and get out and not feel the hum of the highway still reverberating in your head. Now they’re all just poorly styled sh!t cans with crap interiors, harsh rides and the mere appearance of quality. But the price remains high.