LEXUS BREAKTHROUGH Crossover. That’s what the LBX badge on the back of this shapely new small SUV stands for. Coincidentally – following the LFA supercar – the 2024 LBX is only the second production Lexus to wear a three-letter badge.
Where the LFA supercar was a chest-beating demonstration of the best ideas Lexus engineers had to offer, the LBX is a ‘breakthrough’ in the sense it represents a new entry point for the Japanese luxury brand. It also happens to be Akio Toyoda’s current daily driver.
This hybrid-only SUV is based on a modified version of the Toyota Yaris Cross’s GA-B architecture, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end. The body panels are all new, with minimal overhangs and a sporty coupe-like stance (and just a hint of Mazda CX-3). It is handsome in the flesh and, like the LC Coupe, comes in a range of loud hues including Rich Ruby and Citrine Flair.
Lexus has worked over Toyota’s three-cylinder hybrid powertrain with higher-output batteries and
