The new Lexus UX isn’t supposed to debut until March 6, but it appears Lexus is so excited about this crossover—yeah, crossovers! exciting!—that it released a photo an entire week early. Lexus calls the UX its “first urban crossover” and ... wait, holy shit, have you seen those fenders? What exactly is going on here?
What is the purpose of these high, non-round, cladded fenders that look more like shelter from the elements than something that should frame the wheel of a car? Could a small child walk under these fenders without the need to duck down? Probably. Would a small child want to do that? Probably not. That void between the wheel and the rest of the car looks so deep and horrifying that it’s probably a gaping hole in the spacetime continuum at this point.
Could this spacetime void usher in the collective death of the human race before we all die of crossover-debut boredom first? Highly likely. This is a warning.
Since we probably don’t have much time left to live, it would be wise to get to talking about the car. This vehicle comes a couple of years after the concept UX from 2016 that looked like a blade-filled torture machine (again, a warning), but the production version has fewer blades and less anger. Obviously, Lexus is going for the more subtle cues at our impending doom and hoping we forgot about the concept car by now.
The UX has that huge Lexus grille we know too well now, and the video teaser of the crossover below shows an equally huge infotainment screen in the dash. It’s all about comfort and family entertainment as we march into the dark unknown.
Lexus says the crossover will have a “highly focused driver’s cockpit with a wide and inviting passenger space” and something about it being dynamic. It’s also supposed to have “exceptional handling” for the day when everything goes to hell and people are taking their crossovers out for track days.
The UX will officially debut next Tuesday, if we make it that long.