The LBX is a self-charging hybrid and the smallest Lexus to date which promises to take the luxury standards of the brand into the competitive compact SUV marketplace. It is the first Lexus model to be built on the parent company’s GA-B platform, revised for this application from its initial underpinning for the Toyota Yaris Cross. The flexibility of this platform permits variations in critical dimensions for wheelbase, lengths, vehicle heights and track widths.

Advertisement Advertisement For the LBX, power is from the uprated 1.5 litre engine with mild hybrid support and a given output of 134bhp. This returns a 0-62mph time of 9.

2 seconds with a given top speed of 106mph. Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to Derry Journal, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you. In appearance, the model sits confidently in sector, introducing a new front end design for Lexus, now moving away from the decade-long ‘spindle’ grille.

Inside, you are greeted with the quality furnishings and a neatly designed cabin that eases traditional layout into modern expectations. It retains an ease of practicality, yet with enough updating to attract younger buyers into the Lexus brand. On road, and the combined efforts of the naturally aspirated engine with mild hybrid support contain any traditional overrevving from the CVT gearing system, and the quiet running engine and well insulated body result in a luxury experience.

Recouping battery charge from the regenerat.