Fans of Sordid Lives will recall how Leslie Jordan’s Brother Boy character is often described as “short as fuck”. Yeah, that’s kinda mean, but even Mr. Jordan is in on the joke and makes it work to his advantage.
The 2021 Lexus UX 250h (hybrid) is often described as an ultra-small crossover SUV (in a similar vein) but, wow, does Lexus make it work to their advantage.
To be fair, it’s not that small. Plenty of room upfront for two average- to midland-sized adults. In back, space does get a little precious. Bring the family when you test drive it.
(I always advise the ‘before you buy a new car, go for a test drive, even when you are sure you know what you want.’ This isn’t Door Dash or Uber Eats. You really need to see how it fits and how it feels because trust me, if your family does not like what you ordered for the holidays, they will not let you forget about it.)
The 2021 UX is very nimble, very agile, and perfect for getting around town. I had no trouble getting around town and running all my gay errands: picking up croissants and dry cleaning, choosing theatre tickets seats, brunch with high-powered marketing friends and meeting with my European travel agent…..
Har! More like doing my own laundry at the Wishy-Washy Washateria (spilling the complimentary Folgers all over the 15-year-old grubs that I am still wearing today), rushing to the bank to deposit a check to beat an automatic withdrawal. Trying to successfully light my own pilot light on my half-century old gas oven without blowing up the neighborhood. And hoping to meet a new client and convince her that I “really am the best candidate for your new promotion”. While still wearing a Duran Duran t-shirt (oops, that’s what happens when you outgrow your 1980’s Brooks Brothers).
Starting at $35,200, admittedly, this baby ain’t cheap, but the mileage of 41 city / 38 highway should sweeten the pot a bit for you. (The hybrid is just one trim of six available.) And it is a very beautiful and vibrant Lexus (with the street smarts of a Toyota).
Inside, the luxury is all-around, as you would come to expect from Lexus – and therein lies a bit of a conundrum. Yeah, you want to be pampered, but you really need to do your business: your day-to-day busines, and that means more than just spilling your Cheerios on the floorboards. Catch my drift? So – something to consider.
Standard features include True (as in Spandau Ballet) Car (as in Ric Ocasek) joys like keyless entry and keyless start (be still my beating caregiver heart), power front seats, simulated leather (I am not supposed to say ‘faux’), 18-inch alloy wheels, dual auto climate zones, six-speaker audio, Wi-Fi hotspot and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. To name a few.
Standard safety includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, lane departure mitigation, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alerts ….. and forward collision mitigation.
With Lexus, you can always add on the jewels, so know that you can get the sunroof, premium sound, and all you need to look like a drag racer of sorts.
(I just love how we have now taken the phrase Drag Race and made it our own, just like no one no longer thinks of Gay as just being a happy young lad who prances down the street while whistling a Doris Day song, right?)
Short story long, I loved the 2021 Lexus UX 250h.
Yet if I don’t stay on my diet and get back on the treadmill, I may need to go up the line to the bigger SUVs in the Lexus lineup, like the NX, RX, GX and LX.
Which are also nice and charming ………….
(Whew, too many Exes, but of the good kind.)
