2025 Lexus UX300h Review: Hybrid Crossover Packs A Driving Surprise

Much to the dismay of many automotive enthusiasts (myself included), crossovers are among the most sold vehicles in the United States. American drivers can't get enough pickup trucks and SUVs (and resale values often reflect that). While those two categories can prompt some nausea for those who genuinely enjoy a nice spirited drive, there is some light at the end of the tunnel. Many manufacturers are turning to performance variants of these compact SUVs, and while that may not sound like much, some of them are actually quite good. The 2025 Lexus UX300h F Sport Handling is a great example.

After a week behind the wheel, barring having to say an entire sentence every time I mention the car's full name, it was a great experience. That's not the conclusion I came to a couple of years ago, with the former entry-level UX250h variant, which was an experience that could only be described as the sort of excitement you get from eating cardboard. 

The entry-level price for a base model UX 300h is $37,515, but the starting price for the F Sport Handling adds over $10,000 at $47,550 for AWD models. Staying with a FWD F Sport Handling saves you a bit with its starting price of $45,980. As tested with a few options (wireless phone charger, head-up display, and premium paint selections,) the sticker price of this model is $49,445.

Now, it's worth noting that the increase to nearly $50,000 does include trim-exclusives like the F Sport bolstered seats, the race-inspired 12.3-inch instrument cluster and multi-information display, and the aforementioned suspension and 12.3-inch infotainment system. For those disinterested in the actual performance aspects of F Sport, the F Sport Design model offers the exterior appearance and 18-inch wheels without the suspension and interior overhaul with a starting price of $41,465. 

It still features heated and ventilated front seats, just not the bolstered F Sport-specific chairs. The Premium trim offers a decent middle ground, too, with some of the luxury refinements like the power rear door with kick sensor, moonroof, and heated/ventilated front seats without the showy 18-inch wheels and F Sport exterior elements at a starting price of $40,715. There are more affordable options if you're not concerned about performance. If you are, though, prepare to spend nearly $50,000.

Sportier aspirations can't mean sacrificing practicality. With 17.1 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat, there's reasonable but not excessive room for a couple of luggage bags or a typical family-sized grocery haul. Folding that seat down should accommodate your golf bags, meanwhile.

The driving experience is comfortable and quiet. Lexus' leather upholstery, along with creature comforts like heated and ventilated seats, the heated steering wheel, and adaptive suspension, make sure of that. It is worth noting, however, that all of those features come as part of the more expensive F Sport package.

Driving confidence is high, courtesy of Lexus Safety System+ with features akin to Toyota's Safety Sense suite. A pre-collision system, dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure alert, lane tracing assist, road sign assist, and automatic high beams are all standard. Proactive driving assist is also present, adjusting vehicle speed based on conditions like upcoming corners.

As you may have deduced, the lowercase "h" in the name confirms you're looking at a hybrid: the UX300h F Sport Handling uses a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine combined with an electric drivetrain, much like the Toyota Prius. It's available withboth front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive, with fuel economy numbers ranking similarly between the two.

The EPA estimated fuel economy sits at 45 mpg for FWD models and 44 mpg for AWD models. Highway estimates are 41 FWD and 40 AWD, bringing them to a combined 43 mpg and 42 mpg for FWD and AWD models, respectively. During my week behind the wheel of this AWD model, I finished with the dashboard reading 41.2 miles per gallon. Round of applause for those estimates, as they nearly hit the nail on the head.

I feel confident in saying that the fuel economy readout at the end of my week with the vehicle could have been much higher. After all, the vast majority of my driving falls under the category of city conditions. That said, the word "Handling" is right in the name, so it only felt right to put it to the test. The spirited driving to be described in the next package undoubtedly drug down the efficiency a fair bit. Still, over 41 mpg for a week's worth of driving an SUV that one could move (small) furniture with is absolutely solid.

I've been pretty outward with my distaste for performance SUVs. Ultimately, "performance SUV" can in itself feel oxymoronic. However, I've been wrong before, and in the case of the UX300h, I was wrong again.

On my favorite patch of windy road that I've taken the likes of the Toyota GR Corolla to in the past, the UX held its own. In fact, I'd go as far as to say it was excellent. The Handling trim features exclusive F-Sport tuned suspension with 18-inch wheels wrapped in high-performance run-flat tires. Combining the suspension with the low-down punch of the electric motor and all-wheel-drive meant that it had no problem holding grip through corners and coming out of them with gusto. Sure, you're not going to throw it into turns with the speed and confidence of most sports cars. However, like me, you might be nothing short of surprised by how capably the UX300h can hold its own.

Ultimately, the chance that one of these will ever see a track day is slim to none. That said, it fills the gap for those who are shopping in this price range, need the extra space and practicalities of an SUV, but aren't quite ready to give up on having fun during everyday commutes. It isn't the fastest or most powerful car out there, but it slides well into that category of cars where you get to use all of the power all of the time.

The F-Sport Handling trim comes standard with the 12.3-inch touchscreen digital infotainment system display, and as expected from a 2025 model-year vehicle, it supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. I did, however, find that the display was quite laggy both at idle and with inputs when my Android phone was connected, with Google Maps, Spotify, and all the other "must-haves" ran slowly. It's an issue I didn't experience with Toyota's version of the infotainment in the GR Corolla or the 2024 Prius Prime SE, but did in a Lexus NX.

Otherwise, the 2025 Lexus UX300h F Sport Handling features the typical array of creature comfort tech you'd expect to find in a luxury car. The aforementioned heated/ventilated seats, power steering column, and intuitive parking assist are included with this trim. In addition, power-folding and heated outer mirrors with memory, rain-sensing windshield wipers, a power rear door with a kick sensor, and a power moonroof are also standard at this level.

Suffice it to say, it's pretty feature-laden for its class and price point, though it's hard to describe the latter as particularly "affordable."

Ultimately, the 2025 Lexus UX300h F Sport Handling is outstanding at what it's intended to do. In the world of blending the practicalities of a compact SUV and the fun of a performance vehicle, Lexus's overall effort is solid. Of course, combining that with the hybrid benefits of massive fuel economy numbers makes it a great vehicle as a whole. On top of the spirited sportiness and fuel economy, it has all the interior comfort and cargo tropes you'd seek in a luxury crossover, not to mention the added touch of Toyota technology's reliability.

Overall, it's fairly difficult to poke holes in, save for the price tag. If you're shopping in the department of relatively compact luxury crossovers that are fuel efficient but still have a touch of performance drizzled on top, the UX300h F Sport Handling should be high on the potential candidate list, even if that's one which, for the moment, doesn't feature a ton of competition.