2022 Lexus UX 300e Long Term Review Car News

While I waited and enjoyed overpriced hot chocolate, I flipped through past Autocar reports on similarly priced electric cars to compare charging speeds. My conclusion was that Lexus’ numbers are far behind those of its rivals.

That 50kW maximum charging rate is useful, of course, but rivals such as the Volvo XC40 Recharge can charge at speeds up to three times faster. The Volkswagen ID 4, meanwhile, supports a 125kW charging rate, and even some cheaper options, such as the Kia e-Niro, are capable of using fast 100kW charging speeds.

All three models also have much longer ranges, which makes Lexus’ 196-mile offering rather paltry. My parents, for example, have a long-range e-Niro and rarely, if ever, need to recharge during the week, thanks to the 282 miles it offers.

However, most crossovers are used in towns and cities, so those who are able to hook up city dwellers with short commutes or with a few daily miles to go might not notice the difference.

However, the nearest fast chargers to my house are 24 km away, located at a typical motorway service station. These are Shell Recharge units.

Having to do a 30 mile round trip—out of the UX 300e’s actual roughly 150 miles total—reinforced my initial feeling that this car may be everything for someone but not something for everyone. Especially since not all potential owners will have the luxury of having a wallbox at home.

Even with diminished range, it’s hard to feel anything but comfortable driving the UX 300e. It’s extremely relaxing and comfortable, and I make good use of the plush leather armrests, adaptive cruise control, automatic headlights, and Apple CarPlay, which takes the boredom out of navigating the car’s touchscreen remote system. infotainment.

Plus, those who are nervous can rest assured that the remaining range figure displayed on the digital dials is accurate, if not as high as they would like. Indeed, I noticed that as soon as I turn up the air conditioning (as one tends to do in the cold winter months), 20 miles of estimated range is immediately removed.