The Lexus LBX Hybrid SUV: Redefining Personal Luxury

We recently had the extraordinary opportunity to discover the new Lexus LBX in Madrid, where the brand orchestrated an immersive experience that perfectly captured their revolutionary approach to multi-sensory luxury. What unfolded over two days was far more than a typical car launch – it was a carefully choreographed journey through sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste.

In 2025, the LBX has become Lexus’s best-selling car in Europe, proving hugely popular with a young, urban-centric audience seeking premium quality in a compact package. Awarded Best Small SUV at the What Car? Car of the Year Awards 2025, the LBX is a force to be reckoned with. Our Spanish adventure will reveal exactly why this innovative compact SUV has captured so many hearts.

An Evening of Discovery at The Madrid Edition

Our adventure began at The Madrid Edition, where our overnight accommodation offered comfort and service that perfectly reflected Lexus’s famous Omotenashi hospitality principles. The hotel’s minimalist design by John Pawson and its striking spiral staircase set an appropriately sophisticated tone for what was to come.

Over welcome cocktails in the LOFT, we met Viviana Hohenstein, Lexus’s CMF specialist from their European Design Center in the South of France. Viviana guided us through our first workshop focused on TOUCH, revealing how the LBX represents a departure from traditional luxury hierarchies.

Instead of conventional trim levels, buyers choose from four distinct “Atmospheres” – Elegant, Relax, Emotion, and Cool – each creating its own sensory environment. We explored samples of the sustainable bamboo materials featured throughout the cabin, understanding how this versatile resource connects to Japanese heritage while offering an eco-conscious alternative to leather and plastics.

That evening, Chef Diego Muñoz’s creations at Oroya provided our first taste of how Lexus views luxury as a complete sensory experience, setting the stage for what was to come. After dinner, we headed outside to admire the Lexus LBX displayed on a velvet podium.

Behind the Wheel: Madrid to Torrelodones

The next morning, we collected the keys to our LBX and set off through Madrid’s scenic outskirts toward Finca El Gasco in Torrelodones. The compact SUV immediately impressed with its “premium casual” philosophy – bold colours, innovative textures, and surfaces that invited touch at every turn. This wasn’t just transportation; it was a personal sanctuary on wheels.

What struck us most was the remarkable quietness inside the cabin – a near-silent cocoon that made conversation effortless and allowed us to fully appreciate the nuances of the Mark Levinson audio system. The suspension delivered an impressively smooth ride, effortlessly absorbing Madrid’s varied road surfaces while maintaining the nimble handling expected of a compact SUV.

Practical touches delighted us throughout the journey, particularly the clever double-level front-centre console between the seats – perfect for keeping phones, sunglasses, and travel essentials organized and within easy reach. The driver’s cockpit is inspired by Lexus’s tazuna concept – aka a rider’s use of the reins to control a horse. Hence, the controls necessitate only small movements of hand and eye, keeping the driver’s focus on the road.

Despite the LBX’s compact dimensions, we were pleasantly surprised by the boot space, which easily accommodated our luggage: a full-size suitcase and two carry-on trolley bags with room to spare.

Coffee and Fragrances at Finca El Gasco

Arriving at Finca El Gasco, we encountered the clever Omotenashi-on-the-Go concept – Lexus’s interpretation of a luxury food truck. This six-metre-long mobile kitchen, finished in elegant black and copper, served exceptional specialty coffees while demonstrating how the brand extends its hospitality philosophy beyond traditional boundaries.

Here, Felipe Castro from Givaudan led our second workshop: SMELL. We learned how scent influences nearly 75% of our daily emotional responses and experienced the five custom fragrances Givaudan has created for Lexus.

Each one features a unique bamboo accord that evokes Japan’s serene forests. Felipe explained how the upcoming ES sedan will debut the Sensory Concierge system, orchestrating lighting, climate, and fragrance to create personalized driving atmospheres.

The Journey Continues to Villa Las Rozas

Our route to Villa Las Rozas for lunch offered another opportunity to experience the LBX’s versatility. We could choose a short or long driving route, each offering different scenery and road conditions that highlighted various aspects of the vehicle’s character.

Whether navigating tight urban streets or cruising along open countryside roads, the LBX felt equally at home – its smooth suspension and refined drivetrain making every kilometre a pleasure.

The exceptional cabin insulation continued to impress, creating the perfect environment to appreciate the subtle interplay of materials, colours, and finishes that Viviana had explained the evening before. The quietness also allowed us to have conversations while enjoying the Spanish scenery, making for a relaxing road trip.

Sound Perfection with Mark Levinson

After lunch at Villa Las Rozas, our final workshop, HEAR, explored the acoustic dimension of the LBX experience in an innovative way. Mark Levinson’s specialists didn’t just demonstrate the custom-engineered 13-speaker system – they created an interactive workshop that uniquely combined music tones with chocolate, caramel, and salt flavours, showing how different senses can complement and enhance each other.

The audio system, featuring a powerful subwoofer and using Quantum Logic Surround Technology with Clari-Fi processing, delivered remarkably clear, immersive sound. The team explained how they work alongside Lexus designers from the earliest development stages, ensuring that every model receives a bespoke audio system precisely tuned to its unique cabin architecture. This partnership has flourished for over 25 years.

The cabin’s exceptional quietness that we’d experienced throughout the day provided the ideal acoustic foundation for this premium audio system to truly shine.

A New Definition of Automotive Luxury

As Paul and I departed Madrid, we reflected on how the LBX represents something genuinely new in the compact luxury segment. This isn’t simply about premium materials or advanced technology – it’s about creating a harmonious environment where every sense is engaged and every journey becomes memorable.

The LBX embodies Lexus’s three guiding principles: Omotenashi (Japanese hospitality), Takumi (artisan craftsmanship), and Time (honouring heritage while embracing innovation). By allowing owners to personalize their sensory environment through different atmospheres, sustainable materials like bamboo, custom fragrances, and exceptional audio, Lexus has created a vehicle that truly becomes an extension of its owner’s personality.

The Perfect Fit for Our Lifestyle

Our Spanish journey demonstrated that the LBX is more than Lexus’s entry into the compact SUV market – it’s a manifesto for how luxury vehicles can create deeply personal, emotionally engaging experiences that resonate long after the engine stops. The combination of its whisper-quiet cabin, smooth suspension, thoughtful storage solutions, and surprising practicality left such a strong impression that Paul and I are now seriously considering purchasing an LBX Takumi ourselves.

For our lifestyle, which involves regular transitions between city driving and countryside escapes, the LBX seems ideally suited. Its compact dimensions make urban navigation effortless, while the refined ride quality and generous boot space ensure longer journeys remain comfortable and practical.

Through their meticulous attention to every sensory detail, Lexus has crafted not just a car, but a sanctuary where life’s journeys – whether urban or rural – unfold in perfect harmony.

UK Grade Structure and Pricing

The Lexus LBX is available in the UK from £33,195, positioning it competitively in the premium compact SUV segment. Lexus offers the LBX in a clear hierarchy of grades:

Premium (from £33,195) – This model comes surprisingly well-equipped with 17-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights with automatic high beam, dual-zone climate control, 9.8-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto, front and rear parking sensors, rear-view camera, heated front seats, synthetic leather upholstery, blind spot monitoring, safe exit assist, wireless phone charging, privacy glass, and ambient interior lighting.

The minimum On The Road price for this base grade is £33,195 and includes VAT (20%), the first year’s Vehicle Excise Duty, Delivery fee, Licence Plate and Registration fee. This price excludes extras such as paint options and personalisation.

Premium Plus (from £35,195) – Comes with 18-inch alloy wheels, a 12.3-inch digital driver display, head-up display, powered tailgate, keyless entry, and the nanoe-X air purification system.

Premium Plus Design (from £36,195) – Features bi-tone paintwork, machined 18-inch alloys, and perforated synthetic leather upholstery with distinctive red stitching.

Takumi (from £38,495) – The luxury choice with the 13-speaker Mark Levinson sound system, semi-aniline leather upholstery, power driver’s seat with memory, 64-color ambient lighting, Intelligent Park Assist, and LED headlights with Adaptive High-beam System.

Takumi Design (from £39,495) – Adds bi-tone paintwork, machined 18-inch alloys, and combination Ultrasuede and leather upholstery. All-wheel drive versions start at £42,445.

There’s also a special Vibrant Edition available for a limited time, starting at £36,195 for monotone paintwork or £37,195 for the Bi-Tone variant. This mid-range special edition sits alongside the Premium Plus Design and features exclusive Eclipse Blue (monotone), Ruby Red (bi-tone), or Sonic Quartz (bi-tone) paint options. It comes with distinctive 18-inch matte black alloy wheels, ‘Vibrant Edition’ badging on the rear pillars, black semi-aniline leather upholstery with Dark Rose accents on the bolsters, center console, and armrests, plus red double-track Tatami stitching throughout the cabin.

LEXUS LBX TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine & Performance

• Type: 1.5L 3-cylinder petrol hybrid
• Maximum Output (DIN hp): 136 DIN hp
• Maximum Torque: 120/3600-4800 Nm@rpm
• Electric Motor: 94 DIN hp front motor with 185 Nm torque
• Acceleration 0-62 mph (s): 9.2 seconds
• Drivetrain: Front-wheel drive (All-wheel drive available on higher trims)

Fuel Economy & Emissions

• Fuel Economy l/100km: 4.5 – 4.7 l/100km
• Fuel Economy mpg: 60.1 – 62.7 mpg
• CO2 Combined WLTP (g/km): 102 g/km
• Fuel Tank: 36 litres

Dimensions

• Length: 4,190 mm
• Width: 1,825 mm
• Height: 1,560 mm
• Wheelbase: 2,580 mm

Weights

• Gross Vehicle Weight Front (kg): 1755 kg
• Kerb weight (min.-max.): 1330 kg

Battery

• Type: Nickel-metal Hydride
• Nominal Voltage: 201.6V
• Battery Capacity: 5.0 Ah

Chassis

• Front Suspension: MacPherson Strut
• Rear Suspension: Torsion Beam
• Front Brakes: Ventilated disc 1-cylinder
• Minimum Turning Radius: 5.2 meters

The Lexus LBX proves that premium quality and advanced technology need not be compromised in a compact package. It’s a car that has redefined what a small luxury SUV can be, and one that fits perfectly into your life.

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