It seems like no time at all since the LS400 saloon made waves by being quieter, roomier and whole lot more reliable than traditional European prestige brands, but it’s actually more than three decades ago.
During that time other Japanese brands have had a go at launching a luxury brand in Europe.
Mazda’s Xedos range imploded after the interesting Xedos 6 was followed by the dull Xedos 9. When a facelift failed to improve things, Mazda pulled the plug in 2000 after just eight years.
Nissan bravely launched Infiniti here in the wake of the financial crisis. At the time it had a handful of dealers and drivers were employed to collect customer cars and drive them to the nearest service centre for routine maintenance.
But if you lived in a remote part of Scotland the distance to the dealer was so great they may as well have turned around and driven straight back for another service by the time they arrived on your doorstep.
Filling the tyres with nitrogen, instead of the free air you can get at any service station, probably didn’t help, either.
Infiniti stuck it out and even signed a deal with Mercedes to re-badge a small(ish) SUV and call it the QX30. The idea was that a small luxo car was exactly what us Europeans wanted.
But by the time the QX30 arrived in 2015 the die was already cast.
Between 2008 and 2020 (when the axe fell) Infiniti sold approximately 1,000 cars a year in the UK. That’s fewer than Bentley, or about the same number of 3-Series saloon BMW sold per week in 2008.
Faced with that debacle it’s no wonder Honda fought shy of launching the Acura brand over here.
And now the Koreans and the French are having a go with Genesis and DS, respectively.
DS has been left to wither since the shock success of the original DS3 and as for Genesis, you’re more likely to spot Lord Lucan on a skateboard than a G80 Genesis saloon.
But through it all Lexus has driven serenely onward.
This despite having a range that was conspicuously aimed at the American market (don’t believe me? Then who thought the SC430 soft-top with its .4.3- litre V8 petrol engine would be just the thing cash-strapped Brits would want?).
Every Lexus was beautifully built, almost like a Swiss watch, fully loaded (the original LS400 famously had no optional extras because they were already fitted as standard) and – best of all – as reliable as, well, a Toyota.
And now, finally, after a 31-year wait Lexus has a car designed with Europe very much in mind.
The LBX is a small luxury SUV with all the trinkets buyers have come to expect in a smaller, more manageable package.
Sounds great, but there’s a catch. The LBX started life as … a Toyota Yaris.
Yes, your posh little SUV uses the same fundamentals as a Yaris Cross. It also uses the same hybrid 1.5-litre petrol engine (albeit given a thorough going over by Lexus engineers seeking better refinement) and a CVT gearbox which, in lesser marques, is most notable for a propensity to moo like a cow when you put your right foot down.
So Lexus had work to do before it could confidently pass the LBX off as a ‘true’ Lexus.
Crucially, it doesn’t look anything like a Yaris Cross. The Lexus trademark ‘spindle’ grille has been deconstructed to make way for a new frontal design that still instantly recognisable. Expect future cars from this marque to adopt it.
The front pillars have been pulled back, making the cabin appear compact and the bonnet longer for a sporty profile.The number plate has been moved down to the bumper so that the Lexus lname is more prominent on the clean expanse of the hatchback. Similarly, the latest evolution of the Lexus signature L-shaped light bar has greater visual impact, with the indicators and reversing lamps having a subdued presence when not illuminated.
The body is strengthened with structural adhesives and short-pitch welding, and strategic placing of bracing and reinforcements. At the same time, vehicle weight has been kept down by the use of lightweight materials, including an aluminium bonnet and moulded resin wheel arches, rockers and lower door sections.
The 134bhp engine/battery hybrid system has more power than the Yaris and slices cleanly through urban traffic. On the motorway it cruises confidently and even the CVT gearbox feels smooth and refined.
In short: it drives like a true Lexus.
It also comes with all the toys including sat nav, touchscreen interface, full smartphone integration (with album covers provided by Gracenote when you are listening to the radio) and a full range of safety kit.
LBX stands for Lexus Breakthrough Crossover (don’t laugh, the Ssangyong Korando stood for Korea Can Do) so is it the car to find a new audience in Europe. As a lower cost entry point to the Lexus range I actually think it works. It has the build and gadgets Lexus is known for and is appreciably more refined than the car that sired it. Crucially, I reckon it will find favour with younger drivers, a market Lexus bosses have wanted to crack for decades.
And if it manages to do that then this could be the breakthrough Lexus has been looking for.
