New Lexus LBX Morizo RR 2025 review: a gripping little performance SUV

Verdict

This tiny high performance Lexus SUV screams with character in a way the standard LBX could only dream of. Packing all the best bits from Toyota’s brilliant GR Yaris combined with a higher-quality interior and subtler styling, it fills in a gap that’s asking to be occupied. There’s only one issue, really, and that is the fact Lexus still hasn’t committed to letting us Europeans buy it. Let the petition start now. 

Lexus has an interesting relationship with high-performance cars. The F-brand, which started with a legion of V8-powered rear-drive saloons such as the IS-F and GS-F, quickly gave rise to the LF-A. This was one of the most ambitious, and now revered supercars of the past decade. But since then the F brand has been largely left to stagnate, and based on the new LBX Morizo RR, that trend seems set to continue. 

But all is not lost, because the Morizo moniker also happens to be the alter-ego of Toyota’s inspirational, car-loving chairman Akio Toyoda – he races under the name Morizo Kinishita – and signals that while ‘F’ will remain in the dark (for now), this LBX Morizo RR might be something quite special. 

This is reinforced the moment you hear the spec, because this B-segment SUV packs an impressive 296bhp and 400Nm of torque, which is generated from the same brilliant three-cylinder turbocharged engine that is found in the Toyota GR Yaris.

This is driven through Toyota’s clever new eight-speed automatic transmission and variable all-wheel-drive system – a first for the LBX. In order to fit the rear differential and driveshafts, the standard car’s torsion-beam rear suspension has been thrown out entirely and replaced with the independent set-up used in the GR Corolla – a model that we don’t have in the UK or Europe. 

Helped along by the quick-shifting transmission and four-wheel drive, performance figures are pretty impressive, with a 0-62mph time of 5.2 seconds. But the feeling is one of even more power, especially given the subtle augmentation of the soundtrack, whip-crack downshifts and exhaust note from the rear pipes.

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Lexus says the Morizo RR has been softened compared with the GR Yaris, and the engine is quite different in tone and character, but we’d argue that it’s just as engaging and even more natural than the sometimes overly digitised sound of the Yaris. 

When up and running, though, the Morizo does lack some of the sparkle found in the GR, which is to be expected. While it has 20bhp more than the 276bhp hot Yaris, the extra sound deadening and double glazing insulates you a little more effectively, so the LBX Morizo RR doesn’t quite relinquish Lexus’ typical refinement. For many people this will be a solid plus point, given the sometimes raucous reputation of Toyota’s GR Yaris.

Push into a corner and you’ll feel the Morizo roll a little more, holding back the car’s ultimate grip level that is also at the mercy of the more road-biased Continental tyres than GR Yaris’s sticky set of Michelins. But the upshot of this extra movement is a significantly better ride quality, underpinned by the suspension’s impressive travel and general sophistication. 

Compared with something like a Ford Puma ST, a similarly minded model of the same size and package, there’s bucket loads more travel and capability, even if the outright engagement levels aren’t quite as high.

However, if you’re after the sharpest tool in Toyota’s shed, there’s always the GR Yaris, and instead the LBX Morizo RR finds a satisfying balance between performance and day-to-day usability that the Ford could only dream of. 

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The automatic transmission further reinforces this notion, because while it’s not quite as razor sharp as the best dual-clutch gearboxes, it’s still quick enough on upshifts and to respond to the steering wheel-mounted paddles, while being smooth and well calibrated when just pootling about. 

Factors such as the high-quality cabin, superb seats borrowed from high-end models like the RC Coupe, and easy-to-use digital interfaces also add up to create an impressive overall package. 

There’s only a couple of issues, the first being the limited amount of space in the rear seats. The boot has also had to be shrunk in order to fit in the clever rear suspension set-up. This might be the same size as a Puma outside, but the LBX’s technical package takes up considerably more space than the front-wheel-drive Ford.

Which brings us to the main issue, and that is the fact Lexus still hasn’t committed to bringing the Morizo RR to the UK, or indeed Europe. The car is a superb little package that we think would suit the UK’s roads and weather almost perfectly. 

If there was a world where the stars aligned, this brilliant little Lexus would make a very worthy addition to the range at a time when the marque is crying out for cars with more character. So until the company finally reveals what it has in store for the future of the ‘F’ brand, this LBX is a frustrating taste of what a high-performance Lexus could be in this new era of Morizo.