ALL POSHED UP

Looking to buy an upmarket SUV? For around £35,000, you could have a new Lexus LBX or a used BMW X1. Let's see where your money should go

When Apple launched the iPhone 12 Mini as a smaller, cheaper alternative to the regular iPhone 12, many people assumed it would be a comprehensive downgrade, but that was far from the case. Bar the battery, the 12 Mini had the exact same internals as its bigger sibling, so it performed just the same.

Similarly, the Lexus LBX is the smallest and cheapest model in the premium brand's range. Yet not only does this small SUV more than live up to Lexus's name in terms of luxury, but we believe it to be even better executed than its larger counterparts. The LBX is so good, in fact, that we named it our 2024 Car of the Year.

But would you be better off with a used alternative? For around the same price as the LBX, you could buy a year-old BMW X1, saving almost £7000 from new. You'd get not only a larger car (hailing from the family SUV class) but also one produced by a brand known for delivering cars with genuine driver appeal and user-friendly, high-quality interiors. Let's see if the X1 has what it takes to win, or if it's just phoning it in.

DRIVING

Performance, ride, handling, refinement

You've no engine choice with the LBX; it's hybrid or nothing. The combination of a 1.5-litre petrol engine, electric motor and battery enables the LBX to travel on electric power alone for short distances, but you don't have the option to plug in and increase the electric range like you can with a plug-in hybrid (PHEV).

The X1, meanwhile, is available with petrol, diesel, mild hybrid (MHEV) or PHEV engines. The 23i version featured here is a MHEV, which means it can't travel on electric power alone. Instead, its 2.0-litre petrol engine uses subtle electrical assistance to deliver small increases in fuel economy and performance.