We've got our share of dedicated clubs, but show up to one of their events behind the wheel of an FJ Cruiser or 4Runner, or for that matter a Lexus GX 460 or LX 570, and you might not get the respect your very capable 4x4 deserves. All of the above ride on modified Land Cruiser hardware, the former three on the midsize 120 series platform and the latter, the topic of this review, on the full-size 100 series, so you'd think that respect for off-roading prowess ought to be a given.
Then again, I'm going to guess that the leather-, wood- and metal-adorned LX 570 that I most recently took on a road trip won't be used to its maximum off-pavement capability very often, it's high 225-mm ground clearance, bull-low range of gears and locking centre differential slotting into most SUV buyers' collective mantra, "I
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
like to know it's there if I ever need it." Well it is, along with a bevy of other off-road features and additional conveniences, luxuries and technologies.
Along with the usual premium level niceties found in any Lexus, such as windows that automatically power down or up with a single touch, four-zone independent automatic climate control so everyone can be at just the right temperature, ultra-comfortable multi-adjustable heated leather-cladded seats, nine-speaker premium DVD-enhanced audio with satellite radio and Bluetooth, and the list goes on and on, not to mention top-tier safety equipment that even includes dual front knee airbags, front and rear seatbelt pre-tensioners and force limiters, Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Active Traction Control (A-TRAC), DAC (Downhill Assist Control), Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), as well as a
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
4-Wheel Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS), the LX 570 has its own unique feature set that includes full-time 4WD, 4-Wheel Crawl Control, Multi-Terrain Traction Control System, Off-Road Turn Assist, Engine & Transfer Case Protection, an Active Height Control System, and Multi-terrain ABS. Yes, not your average Lexus, and for that matter not your average luxury vehicle.
Only Mercedes-Benz with its G-Class, Land Rover with its top-line Range Rover, and Infiniti with its QX56 can boast such rock crawling and mud slinging technologies mixed with such high levels of resplendent luxury. And as far as Mercedes has come with its military-sourced G-wagen, it can't match the vault-like refinement of the LX, although in its defense that's part of the brutish M-B's charm. Nevertheless I had a thousand kilometre round trip to undertake in the dead of winter and was more
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
interested in maintaining absolute comfort while never having to give a second thought to the snow and sleet that awaited as I passed over the coastal mountains into the heart of BC's Okanagan valley, and besides the LX 570 has charms of its own.
Take the console-mounted handbrake, for instance, a throwback in today's world of electronic parking brakes although much more welcome than the foot operated type and way more suitable to off-road use. It takes up room on the console that might otherwise be used for Lexus' brilliant haptic-sensing computer mouse-like infotainment controller, something I really missed, but there's just no room between the seats as the console is filled with the gear lever, electronic transmission mode rocker switch, USB and aux ports, along with 4x4-specific toggles for choosing four-wheel drive high or low ranges, switching the gearbox to crawl mode, adjusting the air suspension's ride-height,
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
and applying really effective suspension settings that range between ultra-plush in Comfort mode and impressively adept through the corners in Sport mode. A lidded set of cupholders resides just behind, and aft of these a big storage bin outfitted with a beverage cooler in my Ultra Premium package equipped tester (we made good use of that).
For $7,350 it had better include a fridge, right? You'll also get a heated wood and leather steering wheel, perforated leather seats with ventilation for those hot days when simple air conditioning won't do, a set of illuminated "Lexus" scuff plates, and a phenomenal Mark Levinson Reference Surround Sound audio system with 450 watts of power, 19 speakers to make the most of its 7.1-channel surround sound, plus twin 7-inch displays set into the backs of each front headrest along with two wireless headphones for the DVD entertainment system. The Ultra Premium package also includes Lexus' Pre Collision System and Dynamic
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
Radar Cruise Control that's ideal for road trips like mine, although I'd love to see Lexus offer theirs with an adjustable range sensitivity switch like some other carmakers do, and it's about time someone in the car industry decides to make an environmentally friendly cruise control system that, after reducing speed for slower moving traffic, doesn't frantically shift down to extract all available power (and fuel) to get you back up to your chosen speed instead of just calmly adding a bit more power until the pre-set limit is reached. One feature that works perfectly is Lexus' auto-dimming high beams, a fabulously effective system for eliminating the pain of constantly flicking high beams on and off during nighttime driving.
The LX 570 is a joy to drive by the way, whether rushing down a snow covered freeway at 120 km/h or tooling around town at 60, it's stiff chassis and 20-inch alloys on 285/50 all-terrains maintain total
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
stability no matter the weather and as much comfort as any vehicle gets. The reaction to throttle input from its 383-horsepower 5.7-litre V8 with 403 lb-ft of torque is immediate and rewarding, while the six-speed automatic transmission shifts quickly and smoothly. The seats are superb, although the heaters could use more heat at their highest settings, and second-row roominess is limousine-like with separate seat heaters to allow for cold weather comfort all-round. Third rowers might not feel as cared for due to limited foot space and a rather close floor to seat cushion ratio, but it's nice to have these fully-powered side-mounted seats when needed as they don't take up a lot of room when nestled up against the cargo walls. I suppose these almost anachronistic additions add to the LX 570's charm factor too, as does a wonderfully handy split tailgate/liftgate combination for accessing the cargo area. Why
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
don't more SUVs go back to a tailgate design? It'll forever be the most accommodating.
Driving an LX 570 is more like commanding the road than merely coming along for the ride, its progressive variable rate powered steering light and easy enough to rotate yet amply weighted to give a sense of purpose. The driving position is upright with a powered tilt and telescopic steering column that when adjusted with the seat allows for an ideal driving position with optimal front, side and rear views of everything going on outside of the eerily quiet cabin. It can all be set up with memory settings of course, while the four-spoke steering wheel is filled with all the redundant controls you could want, except that the heated steering wheel switch is on the centre stack instead of the steering wheel itself, and if I pressed the phone button too quickly when answering a call it would simultaneously honk the horn.
Yes, we're
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| Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press |
back to charming personality traits again, aren't we? And the LX 570 isn't without them, and maybe even a few eccentricities. Yet considering its rich Land Cruiser pedigree, revered Lexus levels of luxury, amenities, fit, finish and sharp new styling it's priced very reasonably at $89,495 including destination charges. My tester, with its Ultra Premium package hit the road at $97,075 thanks to a $230 block heater, again in the same price range as its full-size off-road capable rivals. Fuel economy? Well, let's just say my week's average of 16.4 L/100km combined city and highway (the claimed rating is 14.5) wasn't exactly CT 200h-like, but Lexus' sporty little entry-level hybrid can't take me into the wild frontier anytime I ask it to, or for that matter carry along six other people and their luggage plus a 7,000-pound trailer.
There's a place for large luxury SUVs, and the 2013 Lexus LX 570 is one of the best in the business.