Lexus ES Hybrid vs Lexus UX Hybrid

Cars are falling out of favor in America, let alone luxury models that emphasize quiet comfort instead of raucous performance. The 2022 Lexus ES, however, appears immune to the trend. For now.

This year, Lexus gives the ES a nip and a tuck, adding new grille, wheel, and bi-LED headlight designs along with a couple of new paint colors. More significantly, the ES adds a touchscreen infotainment display and next-generation Lexus Safety System+ 2.5 driving assistance and collision avoidance technology.

Lastly, the 2022 Lexus ES Hybrid is offered with F Sport trim for the first time. But this version of the car is all about the look and not the feel from behind the wheel.

The glossary of automotive terminology is quite elastic. Words like sedan, coupe, and SUV were once used to describe very specific types of vehicles. But as automotive genres have blended, so have the definitions of these words. It’s how Porsche and Mercedes-Benz can call four-door SUVs with limited cargo space “coupes.” And it’s how the 2021 Lexus UX Hybrid can be generously described as a sport utility vehicle.

The UX is considered a crossover SUV but, in reality, it’s a hatchback with a slight lift and added plastic wheel arches. You won’t be off-roading in the UX. Heck, even certain unpaved roads will be too much for the UX. But the smallest Lexus crossover is an incredibly refined commuter, and the hybrid is an efficient machine for daily driving. The UX also has underwhelming acceleration and is in desperate need of an infotainment system update. But the luxury hybrid small SUV segment is a small one. Will this extreme niche insulate it from its deficiencies? Read on to find out.