In 1996, the original Lexus LX came to light. The original Lexus LX raised the luxury bar for SUVs by decorating a Toyota Land Cruiser with added standard equipment like leather, wood trim, an upgraded stereo and a third-row seat. Although the automotive marketplace has changed considerably since then, today's Lexus LX 570 still follows the same philosophy of impressive luxury paired with dependable reliability. The current Lexus LX 570 is one of the most powerful, spacious and well equipped SUVs in its segment.
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| Lexus LX 570 |
Design
At its menacing front is a large Lexus Spindle grille. The grille is offset by two square bi-xenon headlights incorporating daytime running lights (DRLs) and a new bumper design. Both the headlights, with auto function, and the LED tail lights are strikingly styled. Pronounced wheel arches add an element of ruggedness to the elegant profile. Inside the wheel arches are split 5-twin spoke, 20-inch wheels with liquid graphite finish and 285/50 tyres.
Standard running boards fit closely to the body for an integrated appearance. Wide rear combination lights emphasize the large size of the sculpted rear door. The lights employ high-intensity LEDs and a specially designed pattern, which project "radiance" giving drivers following behind ample visibility of the Lexus LX 570. Tasteful chrome accents are visible on the lights and the license plate surround.
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| Large spindle grille dominates the front |
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| Original Lexus LX |
Performance
The Lexus LX 570 features a powerful, 32-valve 5.7-litre V8 petrol engine with an output of 270 kW (362 hp) and 530 Nm of torque. Top speed for the Lexus LX 570 is electronically limited to 210km/h. Fuel consumption is pegged at 14.8-litres per 100km. Power is transferred to all four wheels by a 6-speed, sequential-shift electronically-controlled automatic gearbox (ECT) with paddle shift.
The Lexus LX 570 rides on a coil spring-type, double wishbone independent suspension in front, while the rear axle links to a four-link, coil-spring system lateral rod-type suspension. The Lexus LX 570 has a full-time four wheel drive (4WD) system. Power transfer between high and low range is facilitated by merely pushing a console-mounted button. The electronic Multi-Terrain Select (MTS) system is designed to give the Lexus LX 570 superior performance across different driving conditions. The driver can choose between five road condition modes – Rock, Dirt, Loose Rock plus Mud and Sand.
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| Large and striking rims |
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| Cockpit |
Safety
The Lexus LX 570 is equipped with 10 airbags as standard, including driver- and front-passenger knee airbags, front and second-row seat-mounted side airbags in the outboard seating positions, and roll-sensing side curtain airbags, which cover all three rows. All eight seats feature three-point seatbelts.
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| Front seats |
Interior
Keyless entry provides access to the spacious, luxuriously appointed cabin of the Lexus LX 570, boasting three rows of seats with capacity for eight passengers. The centre console houses a full-colour multi-information touch sensitive TFT display screen. The display screen also functions as the visual display of the Back Guide Monitor, which incorporates a rear camera system with guidelines to assist in safe reversing, as well as three additional cameras for safely negotiating parking in tight urban spots or to check obstacles when driving in the bush.
Both driver and front passenger are comforted by electrically adjusted seats with built-in heating. The second rows of seats have reclining functionality with power slide. A 19-speaker Mark Levinson sound system with 15 speakers and a single-feed, in-dash DVD/CD, keeps occupants entertained. The rear entertainment system, yet another standard feature on the LX 570, features a DVD player, dual 7-inch LCD screens mounted behind the front-seat headrests, and a wireless remote control.
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| Rear seats |
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| Striking rear |
Verdict
Customers today are just as unlikely to venture onto muddy and rough roads, but that hasn't stopped Lexus from stuffing a full range of sophisticated off-road-enabling technologies into its latest LX. At the same time, this is the most luxurious SUV Lexus makes.