Lexus UX engines
Content
The Lexus UX urban crossover based on the Toyota GA-C architectural platform was first introduced in March 2018. In the premium SUV segment, the lineup competes with the Range Rover Evoque, BMW X2, Audi Q3 and Volvo XC40. It is equipped with three options for units with full or front-wheel drive:
The main advantage of the Lexus UX over its competitors is the successful layout of the suspension with the ideal weight distribution of the power unit and body elements made of various materials. The frame of the structure is made of high-strength steel, the hood, side equipment, doors are made of aluminum, the trunk and rear part are based on polymer composites. The calculation of the center of gravity of the car relative to the roadway is 594 mm. Thanks to this, the handling of the crossover is characterized by high maneuverability, smooth running with high acceleration dynamics and cornering stability.
Operation of the UX in light off-road conditions is almost impossible due to the large front overhang and ground clearance of only 160 mm. All-wheel drive versions are adapted to dynamic driving in the urban cycle, on autobahns, and are exclusively intended only to improve driving performance in winter or off-season.
Brand History
The birth of the Japanese holding "Lexus Division" as part of the corporation Toyota Motors LTD took place in 1983. The company's marketing strategy was aimed at developing a new class of city cars in a niche between the premium luxury segment and the mid-priced golf category. In the 1980s, the bulk of Toyota's sales came from the North American market, where heavy frame SUVs and pickups were in the lead. It was difficult to compete in Europe with the German and British representatives in the middle class, so the decision was ripe to create a new brand for the USA, taking into account the demand for a luxury image at an affordable price.
Work on the "project F-1" (flagship) began already in 1984: the LS400 concept car was officially named "Lexus" in 1986 in the studio of the advertising agency Lippincott & Margulies commissioned by Toyota and after a series of test drives in January 1989 appeared at the international auto shows in Detroit and Los Angeles.
The success of the first LS400 sedan in the luxury class under the new Lexus brand in the US market exceeded sales records: 4 copies were sold in one month, dealerships were opened in Canada, Sweden, Great Britain. Rich equipment, manufacturability of components, reliable 000-liter engine and original design distinguished the auto-novelty from competitors. In 4, the LS1990 won first place in the prestigious JD Power & Associates ranking and was recognized as the best car by Car & Driver magazine.
The line of Lexus models was updated with series in the bodies of sports coupes, executive sedans, crossovers from the prototypes of the first concept cars:
- 1991: GS 300 3T, a powertrain sedan specially developed by Toyota Motors Cologne for the German market
- 1992: SC 400 - original coupe for North American dealerships, known in Japan as "Toyota Soarer"
- 1993: GS300 is a world top sports sedan
- 1994: ES 300 - five-seater executive sedan
- 1996: Lexus LX 450, LX 470 - premium all-wheel drive SUVs
- 1998: The RX300 is a two-generation sporty mid-size crossover (Japanese variant of the "Toyota Harrier" for the European market)
- 1999: IS 200 compact city sedan (known as Toyota Altezza in Japan)
In the 2000s, the Lexus brand successfully competes with global automakers in all classes of cars, including since 2006 reaching a new level of “luxury” limousines, where Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Maybach are traditionally in the lead.
In 2019, 524 cars were sold under the Lexus brand in the world, of which 727 were in the UX crossover series.
Specifications Lexus UX
| Model | UX 200 FWD | UX 250h AWD | UX 300E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimensions (length, width, height) mm | 4495 / 1840 / 1540 | 4495 / 1840 / 1540 | 4495 / 1840 / 1540 |
| Wheel base mm | 2640 | 2640 | 2640 |
| Curb weight kg | 1540 | 1680 | 1900 |
| Gross weight kg | 1980 | 2100 | 2360 |
| Clearance mm | 160 | 160 | 160 |
| fuel type | gasoline | hybrid/gasoline | electric trolley |
| Fuel tank capacity l | 47 | 47 | — |
| Трансмиссия | СVT front-wheel drive | СVT four-wheel drive | СVT four-wheel drive |
| Internal combustion engine | M20A-FKS | hybrid M20A-FXS (2.0 D-4S DVVT-iE) | rechargeable batteries 4KM |
| Volume cm³ | 1987 | 1987, 2 motor-generators 131kW | — |
| Power hp | 150/174 | 178 | 204 |
| A type | 4 row | 4 row | — |
| Number of valves | 16 | 16 | — |
| Torque | 6600 / min | 6700 / min | — |
| Eco standard | Euro-6 | Euro-6 | Euro-6 |
| Front tire size | 215 / 60 / R17 | 215 / 60 / R17 | 215 / 60 / R17 |
| Rear tire size | 225 / 50 / R18 | 225 / 50 / R18 | 225 / 50 / R18 |
| Acceleration dynamics (0-100 km/h) sec | 9,2/8,5 | 8,5 | 8,0 |
| Top speed km / h | 187/190 | 177 | 210 |
| CO2 emissions in g / km | 138 | 138 | 0 |
| Fuel consumption for 100 km | 5,8/7,2 | 5,8/7,2 | Power reserve 400 km |
M20A-FKS engine
The power unit M20A-FKS is a proprietary development of Toyota Motors in the third series "Dynamic Force" in 2018. Besides application on Lexus UX cars, it is also supplied for Toyota Corolla 210, RAV4 50, С-HR. This is a classic 4-row two-liter engine with a transverse installation type, mixed fuel injection and DVVT-iE (Miller cycle principle) mode of operation. It is an upgraded version of the older motors of the A25A family with some engineering improvements.
Design features
The engine is equipped with a light-alloy type aluminum cylinder block with fused liners on an open cooling jacket, which improves thermal conductivity and vibration resistance. At the same time, the first cylinder does not have a full-fledged heat exchange - this made it possible to significantly reduce the dimensions of the unit along the length of the block head. Compensation for temperature differences at high loads occurs due to contiguous channels for oil and antifreeze in the upper jumpers between the cylinders. In addition, the cooling jacket has a special “spacer” that provides improved circulation in the upper zone, contributing to uniform heat dissipation.
- 1 - cylinder head
- a - cylinder wall
- b - sleeve
- c - hone mesh
- e - cooling channels
- f - ventilation
- g - oil drain hole
- h=94 mm, i=97 mm
The crankshaft is equipped with a balance mechanism drive made of polymer composite materials, which reduced the mass of the assembly and the load on the gear train. The crankshaft design is equipped with 8 counterweights with separate main bearing caps, which are coated with a polymer base. The total mass is also reduced by the heads of the connecting rods cut off at the top and lightweight necks.
- a-e - necks
- f - balancing mechanism with drive
- g - counterweights
The camshafts are located in a separate housing - the installation of the entire head of the block is simplified, but requires an additional joint at the sealing points of the oil cooling channels.
- 1-4 - camshaft bearing caps
- 5 - housing design with camshaft
- 6 - cylinder head
- 7 - inlet valves
- 8 - exhaust valves
- c - an adjusting saddle of spark plugs
- d - exhaust system
- e – system admits
- f - valve seats
The seat of each intake valve is made using laser spraying technology (traditionally, pressed valves are used on internal combustion engines) - they are much thinner than usual, which contributes to stable clearance adjustment, cooling and optimization of the entire gas distribution mechanism.
The M20A-FKS engine has undergone innovative changes in the lubrication system, which uses a variable displacement oil pump (trochiod type). Under the control of the electronic system (ECM), the pump is equipped with an additional short drive with an electromechanical valve - oil pressure control takes into account all the necessary parameters for optimal supply: internal combustion engine temperature, rpm, fuel mixture condition and others. The oil is cooled in a liquid oil cooler.
- 1 - block controller of the electronic system VVT-iE
- 2 - oil pump controller
- 3 - oil line
- 4 - chain drive tensioner regulator
- 5 - electromechanical oil pressure control valve
- 6 - pump
- 7 - oil filter housing
- 8 - oil receiver chamber
- 9-10 - nozzles
- 11 - oil cooler assembly
Oil filtration is designed on a closed spin-on system, with two nozzles per piston, in which filter elements are also installed.
Specifications for Lexus UX engines
| At DVS | M20A-FKS | M20A-FXS (hybrid) |
|---|---|---|
| Displacement cm3 | 1987 | 1987 |
| Power hp | 171/175 | 145 |
| Torque rpm N/m | 6600 203/4400 208/4300 | 6000 180/4400 |
| Bore | 80,5 | 80,5 |
| Piston stroke mm | 97,6 | 97,6 |
| Compression ratio | 13 | 14 |
| Phaser type | Dual VVT-iЕ | Dual VVT-iЕ |
| Supply system | mixed injection D-4S | mixed injection D-4S |
| fuel type | gasoline AI-98 | gasoline AI-98 |
| Eco standard | EEC, Euro-6 | Euro-5, Euro-6 |
| Volume and brand of oil | 4.2 l. 0W-30 | 4.2 l. 0W-30 |
| Timing drive type | chain | chain |
| Internal combustion engine resource | 220 km of run | 200 km of run |
On the FXS hybrid unit, two motor-generators with a total power of 178 hp are installed on parallel bridges. A feature of the operation of a hybrid on a Lexus is the impossibility of a forced start of electric traction: the ECM (electronic engine control system) connects it automatically. In this case, the battery pack starts up for short intervals and with a speed limit of 115 km/h. There is no recharging of batteries from an autonomous power source, recovery occurs only while the engine is running from a generator.
The UX 300e electric car was presented at the Chinese Guangzhou Motor Show in 2018, sales in dealerships in Europe and Russia are expected at the beginning of 2021. There are practically no differences in body structure, design elements and equipment from the gasoline and hybrid versions: the only other parameter is reduced by 20 mm ground clearance. Specifications declared by the Lexus company for 300e: power in 204 h.p. with a range of 400 km and a full charge time of 50 minutes (using a 50 kW charging station). A 6,7 kW garage/home charger will require 7-8 hours of continuous charging. The assessment of the 4KM type battery range according to the NEDC cycle is estimated by experts at a maximum of 300 km, provided that the air temperature is not lower than minus 5 ° С.
Operating practices and typical malfunctions of M20A series units
There are very few statistics on the use of engines of the new series for the Lexus UX due to its recent launch in 2018. To date, the manufacturer has recognized two serious defects in the design with the recall of cars:
- Toyota recall "J1M / J0M, NHTSA 18V200000" - a mismatch in the size of the piston cups, as a result of which some instances received a failure of timing adjustments and malfunctions of the cylinder-piston system with its complete failure.
- Toyota recall "20TA04, NHTSA 20V064" - possible rejection of cylinder blocks, depressurization of internal combustion chambers, BGC joints.
The reliability and manufacturability of Toyota Motors engines is built on simple design solutions, the previous generations of the 2AR-FE series are considered the most successful, they are equipped with the best models of Japanese crossovers and sedans. From unexpected reviews about the M20A, you can find complaints from car owners about excessive noise at high speeds, but in hybrid versions this problem is not so pronounced.
