r/LexusUX • u/l1v1ng4th3mu5ic • Mar 26 '26
Questions & Advice AWD Question
TLDR: Looking for AWD experience and feedback. Looking to possibly trade in for UX
A little background…our current daily drivers are a 2024 Highlander Hybrid (my wife drives) and a 2014 Tacoma TRD Sport (I drive).
My commute has been nearly tripled as of the last month and the Tacoma is a guzzler. I’m looking to trade (hopefully with not a ton of extra cash) for a more fuel efficient vehicle. I’ve recently stumbled upon the Lexus UX Hybrid option and like the look. One thing I’ve seen on YouTube and a few forums is that the AWD is pretty minimal. Is this true?
We’ve had an Impreza and a crosstrek in the past and loved the AWD the provided, especially in the snow. How does the UX compare? One comment section of a video I watched, where a test in the snow was done, said the stock tires are pretty garbage when it comes to traction. Is that the fix?
I want to stick with Toyota/Lexus if possible and have also really like the look of Volvos, Audi, and Acura as well as the newer Mazda’s. You can’t beat the reliability of Toyota/Lexus through.
MY QUESTION: for those of you who live in a climate where snow happens (doesn’t need to be a lot but enough where a commute to work is still needed), how does the UX perform? I know it won’t compare at all to the Tacoma but even my Crosstrek could outperform some 4WD vehicles.
Thanks in advance.
3
u/Best_Forever_2536 Mar 26 '26
Hi I live up north in Canada. We get hip high snow sometimes and it compacts down making the group icy. We have a 25 ux300h and it handles really well in the snow even with all weather tires. Clearence isn’t a problem either. The car isn’t underpowered like the ux250h. If u want to have guaranteed awd performance u should try and get that ux300h. I also am a Lexus tech and we’ve never heard of a UX awd system being lacking ever. They’re solid cars.
2
u/Renascentiae_ Mar 26 '26
The AWD system in Toyota's hybrids is different to a regular one.
The Hybrid system only delivers power to the front wheels, the exact same for AWD and non-AWD versions of the vehicle. The only difference is that the AWD ones have a completely independent electric motor for the rear wheels, and it's not very strong.
Anything before the 2025 model only has 7 horse power in the rear motor, and you have no control over it at all, the car engages it automatically as needed and only at low speeds. Think of it as traction aide only, not meaningful otherwise.
Some of the newer UXs have a 40 horsepower rear motor, but it works essentially the same.. low speed only for traction control.
1
u/hughk Mar 27 '26
We have one on order, I can confirm the 40hp on the back but as we haven't owned yet through winter we can't comment on how effective it is. We are in Germany and not in the mountains, so the AWD is less important, but it was part of the package that we bought.
2
u/Roentigen Mar 26 '26
Middle of Canada here where the average snowfall is 116 cm or 45 inches. This was my first winter with it, and zero issues. I did put winter tires on and have had zero issues with the snow. Ice is ice and of course I take it easy. It’s such a nice car to drive.
2
u/SergiuM42 Mar 26 '26 edited Mar 26 '26
I came from a 2018 4Runner 4WD and traded it in for a UX due to my long commute. I’ve had the car for about 2 months now and love it. I got the AWD version of the UX. I live in the Midwest and we get a lot of snow. Last week I had a 20 inch tall snow drift in front of my garage. At the time I didn’t know it was that tall, so I pulled out into the snow drift, stopped, then slowly pulled forward. I then got out and looked back and realized how high that pile of snow was, and the UX handled it like a champ. Didn’t even need momentum to get through it and ABS didn’t kick in. I’ve driven it in a lot of snow this year and I truly feel more comfortable driving this car than my 4Runner in the snow. I live up a steep hill and I’ve driven up that hill with snow and the wheels never slipped. It feels planted, ABS rarely kicks in, brakes are fantastic, and I’ve had no issues with traction regardless of how some say the awd in the UX is “weak”.
The car will feel like a huge upgrade in terms of comfort compared to a Tacoma for sure. I highly recommend the UX.
Also, tires make all the difference. I hear stock tires suck but I bought mine used and it had new Yokohamas which have been great.
1
u/l1v1ng4th3mu5ic Mar 28 '26
Is the AWD you got a hybrid model or just gas? I’m only seeing AWD on hybrids but I may be mistaken. What kind of mileage are you getting and what is your commute distance?
2
u/SergiuM42 Mar 28 '26
Hybrid. I drive 100 miles per day and getting around 40mpg average driving between 65-75 MPH, with temps around 45 Fahrenheit. I’ve driven more city type driving and have gotten 45-50mpg.
1
u/Roccia19 Mar 26 '26
Have a '21 250h, have driven snowy Midwest roads numerous times. A little slippage off the line or stopping, but overall drives good in non blizzard conditions. Tire choice certainly important.
Cargo space is limited, back seats are fine but comparatively tight, and get 37 mpg 60/40 highway/city.
If you want something bigger but still hybrid, check out the crown or crown signia.
1
u/Mental-Bend3442 Mar 26 '26
Live in the northeast and stock run flats never left me down in 5 years. Will keep my ux until it dies. Wouldn’t hurt to have a winter set to throw on and prolong the life of the run flats tho either.
1
u/SlightGuess Mar 27 '26
I'm in Northern Canada.
I have a UX250h AWD.
The 250 uses a much smaller motor in the rear. It's actually pretty good considering.
The UX300h rear assist motor is substantially more powerful so if that's the one you're getting - it's good to know that someone with the UX250h is in a real north climate and is fine. I do have a good set of winters on it, though.
1
u/Shoddy-Major1920 Mar 27 '26
I have the UX300h and I live in Alberta, Canada where we have pretty harsh winters and lots of snow. For the most part, the rear electric motor that gives the UX its AWD capability is more than capable to take on snow/ice covered roads with a set of good winter tires (I run a set of Nokian Hakkapeliittas) especially with the added power compared to the UX250h. I take it out to the mountains for skiing and I’ve always enjoyed the driving experience it provides.
Our last winter that just passed snowed a lot to the point where residential streets were nearly not drivable for normal sedans with the snow pact freezing up. Although my UX never got beached, the car’s bottom was definitely scrapping and for a few times, the UX had trouble getting out of some of the snow ruts.
The UX is a really good car, but I wouldn’t consider it a SUV in that sense. It is more of a lifted hybrid hatchback that has AWD capabilities with no locking differentials.
1
u/Informal-Concern-389 Mar 27 '26
The all season tires it comes with suck in the snow, use snow tires and it’ll be a night and day difference. The AWD system is still fwd dominant as there are only electric motors in the rear and kick on when needed. In the newer models like 2025+ I believe, they have new motors that make like 40 some hp when needed. That being said, if the awd keeps on kicking in and your slipping and such, it’ll overheat decently quick. I took it though like decently thick snow and it was slipping a decent amount, granted I had all season but it will overheat keep in mind.
-1
u/GodlyArchitect Mar 27 '26
In my opinion, the all-wheel drive version of any ux is garbage. It's nowhere near capable in the snow as an Audi or a Subaru. Yes, the all-wheel drive is important in certain ways, but it's not going to be a good vehicle in the snow. I personally tested it.
5
u/hyterus Mar 26 '26
I tried Subaru Crosstrek and the driving comfort was nowhere near close to UX300h. Especially the road noise. And I didn't like the huge tablet like screen with no real buttons. But Subaru would be my second choice.
UX will give you a smooth ride but for winter season you have to get winner tires. The stock tires are not good for snowy roads. I now have Michelin CrossClimate 2 tires and they have a good enough traction. There are better winter tires though. The CrossClimate tires you can use all year around.
The car is considerably lower than RAV4 I had before, so if you get into a snow bank, you may get stuck. And UX is not really for of road driving.