• Interior feels premium, if not as posh as an Audi Q2
• Easy-to-use touchscreen 
• Excellent ergonomics

How is the quality and layout?

We’ve tested every small SUV on sale, and the Lexus LBX has one of the best interiors of any of them – we’re particularly impressed with the ergonomics, which we feel are close to perfect. There’s a large 9.8-inch touchscreen included on all versions, but with quick shortcut buttons to key functions and useful physical climate controls retained for the temperature. 

The overall cabin design is smart, and next to the ageing Audi Q2 looks much more modern. Buttons on the steering wheel are dual-purpose, and you can even use them to change the temperature to avoid taking your hands off the wheel. 

Lexus has also lifted the quality considerably compared to the Yaris Cross it’s based on, which looks quite cheap in comparison. There are soft-touch materials used throughout and neat stitching, especially as you go up the trim grades. It feels genuinely premium, if not quite so well-finished as the Audi, which continues to set the benchmark for quality in this class, even in its advancing years. 

Infotainment and tech

Lexus has worked to cram plenty of technology from its far larger, more expensive cars into the smaller LBX, and we think it’s done a great job. All models come with a large touchscreen as standard and a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, but Premium Plus models upwards feature a larger 12.3-inch cluster that looks far more modern. 

The screens aren’t the most cutting edge, but we found them refreshingly easy to use and could find all the important functions without any difficulty. If you’re using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, though, a physical ‘home’ button would certainly be welcome. 

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Other high-end features on the LBX include ‘E-Latch’ doors, which is where instead of a door handle you just press a button for the door to release from the catch. Safe exit assist (to stop you opening the door into traffic) is still quite a rarity in this class, too, as is a 360-degree camera. 

Comfort

• Soft, comfortable seats
• Electric seats only on top-spec models
• Compromised rear-seat space harms comfort

The LBX comes as standard with an excellent driving position that makes it easy to get comfortable behind the wheel, with plenty of adjustment to the seats and steering wheel. All models also come with an armrest, which isn’t always standard in this class. You don’t sit as high up as you do in an Audi Q2, but it certainly gives you a more commanding view than a regular hatchback. 

The seats are soft and comfortable to spend plenty of time behind the wheel in. If you want an electric driver’s seat, however, you have to upgrade to the top-spec Takumi model, which costs more than £38,000, which is expensive compared to rivals for a car of this size. 

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But those in the rear will struggle for comfort, simply because of the limited amount of legroom that compromises its abilities somewhat.