Review By Dr. David A. Zatz - ACarPlace.com and ToyoLand.com
2005 Lexus LX-470 Review
| Review Notes: Lexus LX 470 |
| Personality |
Big off-road truck wrapped up in a thick veneer of luxury fittings |
| Above Average: |
Off-road capability, reputation for reliability, safety features, interior appearance |
| Needs Work In: |
Acceleration, gas mileage (as with all such vehicles), jumper seat practicality |
| EPA gas mileage |
13 city, 19 highway; hybrid version coming soon with better acceleration, mileage |
For
generations, the Toyota Land Cruiser has been a leader in go-everywhere
vehicles. Therefore, it was hardly surprising, given the success of the Cadillac
Escalade (a tarted-up Chevy Tahoe) and Lincoln Navigator (an up-priced
Ford Expedition), that eventually Lexus would outfit the Land Cruiser
as a luxury-utility vehicle; nor was it surprising that their effort
was more differentiated from the vehicle on which it was based than
those of Cadillac and Lincoln. The Caddy's changes were almost entirely
on the outside and on the price sticker; ditto the Lincoln, whose
interior seems less luxurious than minivans costing half the price. But
the Lexus is unmistakeably a luxury vehicle on both the inside and
outside, with higher quality interior fittings, more standard features,
and a hefty dose of technology that maintains a higher standard of
safety as well as luxury.
Because the LX470 (the X is Lexus' SUV designator) is, at heart, a
go-anywhere utility vehicle that can do without roads, the ride is not
exactly what one would expect from a similarly priced Lexus car.
Indeed, like the big Caddy and Lincoln, the ride is somewhat jouncy,
though it is better at isolating bumps, cracks, and the like, and has
automatically adjusting dampers that adapt to both smooth surfaces and
off-road conditions. The active suspension, which controls shock
absorber damping rates and ride height as well as the usual
ABS/traction control and throttle control, helps cornering quite a bit,
but can't change the character of the vehicle - it is quite heavy, and
top-heavy at that, because it needs to be able to cross streams and
ride over boulders. Like the Volkswagen Touareg, the LX470 has a height
control which can be handy off-road; in addition to providing increased
height at low speeds (it automatically lowers the body at speeds of
over 30 mph to avoid rollovers), it can automatically raise the LX470 a
little more than usual to get over a particular obstacle at very low
speed. Unlike the Touareg, it does this automatically. There is also a
lowering setting which brings the vehicle down by almost two inches to
make exit and entry easier, but this is less likely to be used often
since it takes a few moments to go into operation, and doesn't make a
huge difference.
It might be handy for loading especially heavy cargo. Off-road use also
benefits from a fast-acting locking differential and other technologies
delved into at depth in our Lexus Technology page.
The active suspension seems to really help cornering, with the massive
Lexus rounding curves at speeds far higher than it should be able to,
devoid of the squealing tires that attract unwanted police attention.
Loss of adhesion is marked more by a dignified growl than a
high-pitched squeal. Generally, normal people will only hear that noise
under emergency situations, since the LX handles ordinary roads so well.
The heavy weight also dampens the powerful engine somewhat, though
the
4.7 liter V8 (from which the LX gets the latter half of its name) is
also designed to be less brute-force and more quiet-go-power through
the throttle control and intelligent valve control. After all, the
Lexus is a luxury vehicle and not a sports car; it is assumed that when
the driver moshes down the pedal, they want to go forward but not to
shock or jolt the passengers. Thus, acceleration is subtly dampened
slightly for smoothness, which decreases the sensation of power.
Horsepower is already moderate for the class at 235 (though it peaks at
a relatively low 4,800 rpm), while
torque is a hefty 320 lb-ft at 3,400 rpm. That
said, the LX moves quickly and quietly enough for most people; 0-60 is
estimated at 9.7 seconds, with a 17.5 second quarter mile.
The engine burns cleanly, with low-emissions vehicle status in
all 50 states, albeit with poor mileage: EPA estimates are 13 city, 17
highway, while our almost-exclusively city driving never broke 13. This
is par for the course on this type of vehicle, but nothing to be proud
of. 91 octane (premium) fuel is recommended, but ordinary regular can
be used, with lower power and possibly lower mileage.
The transmission is always smooth, aided by fly-by-wire torque
management, even when making kickdown shifts; yet it nearly always
chooses the right gear for the job without hunting. Sport and
low-traction modes (which starts out in second gear) are available at
the press of a button. Individual gears can also be chosen by moving
the shifter further along the gate. Full-time four wheel drive is
standard, as is a two-speed transfer case and mechanical locking center
differential.
Aside from off-road use, the LX-470 shines in the interior amenities.
While the Volkswagen Touareg emphasizes on-road performance, the LX has
a strong off-road pedigree; but on-road, performance is less than
stellar, while the interior is quite nice and shows much more thought
than the troublesome Touareg (we're not even going to delve into
reliability, where Lexus seems to beat all comers easily, and dominates
German makes with hardly a second thought.) The interior trim is real
wood - and a type of wood that's fairly rare in the United States, at
that (since the LX-470 is made in Japan, we suspect they get the wood
from China, where it's more common). The wood trim includes the
steering wheel and is generously applied across the dashboard for a
good sense of luxury which does not disappear in the back of the truck.
Careful use of chrome also adds to the effect, along with a nice
quality light tan leather and matching carpet and plastic panels.
Interior technology almost matches the safety and drivetrain
technology, with a well-integrated navigation system, rear-view camera
(for vehicles with the rear DVD system), built-in telephone and voice
command system, rear climate control and audio, and more.
Seating is a
little less refined, with rear passengers riding side by side in
fold-up seats that are less than perfectly useful - they are little
more than cushions sitting on the floor, and take some effort to unfold
and put back into place, with a slide as well as two folds.
Instructions, albeit mis-spelled and oddly translated, are provided
near the seats for convenience.
Ignoring safety information that indicates that the safest vehicles are
minivans, many parents buy large SUVs to transport their children. The
LX 470 may not be a good choice for this, despite its safety
technologies, because the LATCH system
child-restraint loops for only one rear seating position - behind the
driver rather than behind the passenger, which is odd because the
passenger position is safer (since the child is loaded or unloaded from
the curb rather than from the
street). LATCH is the best way in North America to attach child seats
(other than integrated child seats, which cannot be used for infants).
Getting back to the front of the vehicle, the instrument panel has a
classy though modern motif of brightly backlit white numbers and dials
with the two central gauges surrounded by bright chrome rings. The
speedometer goes up to 130 mph, but the 0-70 range used by most people
is clear and large enough. Other indicators are present for voltage,
gas level, oil pressure, temperature, and height control status (almost
always set to N); the backlighting goes on and off gradually with an
opera dimming effect.
Beneath the instrument panel on the left is a panel with the rear-view
mirror in/out button (to immediately fold in the outside mirrors with a
single press), mirror adjustments, rear vent window open/close
controls, and, oddly, the shutoff for the RSCA system. To the right is
the ignition key, set into the dashboard for convenience and
visibility. Headlight and wiper controls are on stalks, along with the
cruise control, in intelligent and standard configurations. There is no
single-wipe mode, but there is an automatic rain-sensing wiper position
with a more/less often frequency control. The steering wheel both tilts
and telescopes via an easily used electrical switch.
The wide center console that rides on the transmission hump contains a
few apparently randomly-placed controls, including the four wheel drive
high/neutral/low stick - unusually easy to move - along with the height
control, damper control (to soften the ride or make it sportier),
transmission option buttons (power model and start-in-second), the
shifter itself, and the seat warmers. The shifter allows manual
selection of each and every gear, without resorting to a seldom-used
manumatic mode. The power mode can be left in place permanently, while
the start-in-second can only be used once and then needs to be reset
(you wouldn't want to forget leaving it in place); power mode is rather
nice, bringing more rapid acceleration without additional noise or
harshness. The comfort/sport setting is best left in manual, since the
system adjusts itself anyway.
The center stack is contoured to avoid a cheap appearance, with one
effect being the need to only use Lexus stereos (no aftermarket units -
though very few people would say one is needed, especially with the
Mark Levinson stereo option). The hazard lights and differential
locking controls are to the left of the stereo, along with an unusual
feature - an antenna height control. The antenna automatically comes
out or retracts, but the height control allows the driver to lock in a
specific height that might be best for one station, band, or area; that
height is remembered when the stereo is shut off (or a CD is put in).
The standard navigation system (despite what you may read in the
owner's manual, it does appear to be standard) is well integrated to a
degree, though since it is standard, we'd hope that you could
set vehicle preferences such as locking behavior with it, instead of
having to go through esoteric movements described in the owner's
manual. The functions include a few trip computer items (gas mileage,
speed since restart, distance to empty, distance since restart) all on
one page, a maintenance log, phone book, and calendar, as well as the
usual map features; it also integrates some audio and climate controls.
What's interesting about the latter is the fact that there are both
physical buttons and LCD screen controls for audio and climate, which
can be a little confusing at first. The stereo, fortunately, uses large
buttons for tuning, volume, mode, and such; but bass, midrange, treble,
balance, and automatic loudness control are all set from the LCD
screen. The LCD is also used for seeing disc and track titles, and
selecting which CD or DVD to read from the changer at the bottom of the
covered center console. The stereo sound itself has excellent
separation and excels mainly in the high quality sound delivered to
both the front seats and the middle row. It does not emphasize bass or
treble but seems fairly accurate, both at standstill and at speed.
The climate control's physical buttons are for temparature, automatic
on, fan off, defroster, and intake (fresh air or recirculation); oddly,
the button used to get more options from the LCD screen is not with the
other LCD screen buttons to the left of the screen, nor on the extreme
right or left of the climate buttons, but is instead placed second from
the right. Pressing it brings up the fan control and the vent mode. The
fan is powerful but never gets especially noisy; a vent under the
steering wheel is somewhat unusual but helps increase the effectiveness
of the air conditioner.
The navigation system is faster than most competing systems, and
because all regions are on a single DVD, you never have to change
discs. It operates (like the audio and climate controls) via
touch-screen, which is easier than some other systems that use a
spin-and-press button. Destinations can be entered by map, longitude
and latitude coordinates, intersection, freeway exit, address, name,
category, emergency, memory, phone number, or previous selection. It's
easy to enter destinations because the system provides a standard
keyboard, and all the keys stay in the same place; you just have to be
patient as you type, and, of course, you have to know how to type (or
do a lot of hunt-and-pecking). The system has some special features
which are discussed in our Lexus Technology page; one of the more
useful aside from the realistic cityscapes is the split screen, which
allows two different views to be shown at once, with different
orientations (driver up and North up) and zooms. Getting used to the
system takes some time, as some items are not quite as intuitive as
they could be, but it's powerful and relatively fast.
The navigation system includes an important safety feature, a rear view
camera that automatically goes on when reverse is engaged. Considering
how many injuries and deaths occur from people backing up huge
vehicles, not to mention the difficulty of parking such a large
vehicle, this is an extremely useful safety feature; you may well avoid
causing death or injury to one you love. The rear view camera provides
a wide-angle view from the back of the vehicle, making visibility
better than in most sedans, as well as just about any SUV.
Small conveniences abound; the sun visors include a ticket holder and
are the dual-part kind with a large main sun visor and a smaller one
for those times when you're on a road that turns periodically (the
visors can both be used at once, one on the side window and one on the
windshield). The center console has two compartments, a big one that
also contains the CD cartridge (there is no slot-loader) and a
shallower one which also has a hidden fold-apart extra pair of
cupholders, in case the normal front cupholders aren't enough. Front
and rear seats both have map pockets, which is good since there is
almost no room in the glove compartment with the fat owner's manuals in
there, and there is an overhead sunglass holder; there is not only an
ashtray but a cigarette lighter, power outlet in the dash, and power
outlet in the center console. The standard sunroof is quite large and
has separate tilt and slide controls, with the slide control having
one-touch open and closing; the power windows are all express as well,
with a single touch opening or closing them all the way. On hot days,
you can open all the windows with the remote control at a distance
(though we weren't able to close them that way; but you can also open or
close them by holding the key in the lock). The middle seats fold and
flip; the rearmost seats, as we've noted, have to be flipped twice,
then slid along a bar, then tied in place.
The rear passengers have their own stereo controls and, with the rear
navigation system, their own headphones; rearmost passengers also have
their own cliamte control. Oddly, middle-row passengers do not appear
to have their own cupholders.Another oddity is the sheer volume of
large black warning labels, which appear to be attached to nearly every
surface, from the driver's door to the rear passenger door. Middle seat
room is generous, as is headroom throughout the vehicle; the cargo bay
is somewhat limited by the rear seats, though.
Visibility is very good at night, with powerful, well-focused
headlights; the standard daytime running lights are dimmed to the
appropriate level so they do their job but don't blind other drivers.
When the rear video system is not in use, there are few blind spots,
and the rear defroster also has wires on the rear quarter window so
that doesn't fog up and become useless. (The next step, Lexus, is to
also defrost the windshield wipers, as Dodge used to do in its minivans, and Subaru still does in its Legacy/Outback.)
Our vehicle had the $2,469 rear entertainment system, which is
essentially a DVD player with game/other inputs; the screen folds down
from the roof. The instructions told us that there was a DVD slot in
the system, but it wasn't there, and DVDs put into the CD/DVD cartridge
up front were ignored. The Web site wasn't helpful either; we finally
found a DVD slot hiding behind the rearmost seat on the passenger side.
The seat had to be put into place to put a DVD in; after that, the
system worked nicely, with a good remote that includes on-demand
backlighting for night use. The screen, as with all roof-mounted units,
puts a dent in rearward visibility, but it isn't as big a dent as most;
you can still see beneath it. The Lexus LX 470 starts at $64,775, plus $625 destination. That includes some features we haven't talked about yet - a variety of safety controls, fog lamps, rear wiper, tool and first aid kits, leather, driver seat memory, smog sensor and air filter, steering wheel telephone and audio controls, voice command system, illuminated running boards, and universal garage door opener. Our test vehicle also had the Mark Levinson audio upgrade at a cool $1,280; a roof rack at $220; a cargo mat, cargo net, and wheel locks for a mere $232; a spare tire lock at $71; and the aforementioned video system at $2,469, bringing the grand total to $69,972. That's rather a lot - we'd much rather have a Lexus LS or GS if we're going to be spending that much - but if you compare the LX to Cadillac's Escalade or Lincoln's Navigator, you'll be surprised at how reasonable it can be. After all, neither the Caddy nor the Lincoln have Lexus' reputation for quality and reliability, nor the LX470's offroad capacity, nor its cornering and handling; neither provide an interior in the same class; and neither provide the same safety features or conveniences. The Land Rovers and Range Rovers are fun if you have your own full-time mechanic, but with their past showings in quality surveys from various groups, we really can't recommend even looking at them. The Volkswagen Touareg/Porsche Cayenne is an attractive competitor, but a large number of quality and usability glitches make them difficult to recommend as well. There's also the upcoming Mercedes G-Wagon, which may or may not have better reliability than the current models; it's an unknown, and that's probably not good given Mercedes' troubles. Of course the Toyota Land Cruiser is also an option, if you don't mind sacrificing some warranty, dealership quality, prestige, and luxury trim. The Lexus LX470 is not for everyone - the gas mileage is appalling, the ride relatively trucky, some of the everyday features a bit awkwardly implemented, the rear seats designed for emergency use only - but if you're bound and determined to get a full sized luxury truck instead of a more sensible minivan or sedan, it's the best in its class.
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Exterior photos
Interior photos
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