James Deakin heads to Sweden, the home of innovation, to get a first look at the new Lexus-UX
Stockholm, Sweden: home of the Nobel Peace Prize, birthplace of IKEA, Abba, Spotify, Skype, Minecraft, the Coca-Cola bottle, the propeller, the zipper, the pacemaker, and hundreds—if not thousands—of incredibly handy things you use every day or simply admire from afar, like the first space camera, the bicycle airbag, and dynamite. It is a progressive and dynamic country that seems to be operating in a different time zone to the rest of the world—and I don’t mean GMT, either. It really does feel like they are decades ahead of everyone else, not only in technology but as a society as well.
From almost cashless cities to unisex public bathrooms, Sweden is always pushing an envelope somewhere. It may have only nine million people, but pound for pound, it has produced more inventions, number one hits, and just general wowery than any other place on the planet; and it’s absolutely no coincidence that Lexus chose this exact spot to launch the latest addition to its family: the all-new Lexus UX.
As far as Lexus is concerned, the future is all about breaking moulds and being everything that you thought they weren’t. “The reason we selected Stockholm is because the energy and creativity that this city has is world-class,” said Lexus Asia Pacific vice-president David Nordstrom. “It’s often referred to as the world's biggest small town. It's a lot smaller in size when compared to other European cities like London, Paris, Berlin, and Rome. It gives you a small-town feel with world-class amenities.”
That, in a nutshell, is Lexus. Old World values, First World technology; a quiet achiever that is constantly evolving and reinventing itself during its relentless pursuit of perfection. Take the UX. There may be nothing new about a luxury automaker developing a crossover to fill a gap in their line-up, but their approach to it is. While it would have been quite easy to stick with the tried and proven Russian doll formula, they instead shattered the template and went with a female Japanese designer to ensure they bring something new and fresh to the table. Not because there was anything wrong with the previous approach, but how will you know that there’s not something better out there until you take that risk?
From the moment you lay eyes on the UX, with its striking signature spindle grille, triple LED headlights, and sharp creases, you know you’re looking at something different. Which is good, but my job here is to answer a more pressing question: is it better?
Visually, I think so. In a segment filled with safe spaces, it is refreshing to see an entry-level model that isn’t scared to stand out in a crowd. But what has me more intrigued is not the design, but the lack of compromises in materials and workmanship. This is where you normally feel the cost-cutting, yet Lexus has managed to maintain the same premium feel and even introduced some new textures like Japanese paper, that cranks the premium knob up a notch. Attention to detail is still as OC as ever, and if you opt in for the premium Mark Levinson sound system, you will be transported to another level of luxury that is not normally associated with this price bracket.
