We are all about forbidden fruit, so when Lexus extended the opportunity to drive its Europe and Asian market exclusive tiny LBX SUV, we jumped at the chance. However, we walked away from the experience feeling like we weren’t missing out on much. The LBX isn’t a bad car, but for a luxury vehicle, it was a bit too small and not as refined as the Lexus UX, which is actually cheaper than the LBX. It was missing something substantial. If the LBX was going to fall short on luxury appointments, it needed a bit more grunt, and it looks like that’s exactly what it’s going to get.
Earlier this year, Lexus revealed an LBX Morizo RR concept at the Tokyo Auto Salon. If “Morizo” sounds familiar to you, that’s because it’s also the moniker of a Toyota GR Corolla trim. Therefore, the Toyota GR Corolla’s engine and drivetrain were dropped into a Lexus LBX, and the result is this angry little beast.
While labeled as a concept at its initial debut, Motor1 now reports that Lexus Australia CEO John Pappas says it is “highly likely” that the LBX Morizo RR concept will reach production, and we would guess sooner rather than later. Is Lexus trolling us? Did Akio Toyoda purposely sign off on giving the tiny SUV the GR treatment after we said the current LBX SUV wasn’t all that special? It’s probably not that personal for us, but it still feels personal.
Jokes aside, we’re crossing our fingers that the GR Corolla’s 1.6-liter three-cylinder turbo engine, which makes 300 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque with all-wheel drive, finds its way into a Lexus sooner than later. How awesome would it be to have a turbocharged all-wheel-drive Lexus UX Morizo or F-Sport in the U.S.?
