Those of you who read my previous posting probably know that I'm not entirely thrilled with my recent purchase of my 2004 LX 470. The truck is blizzard pearl with the gold package and ivory interior along with the upgraded chrome rims. In the interest of being fair, I decided to wait a couple of months and evaluate the truck as objectively as I could in an effort to assist anyone else considering purchasing this SUV.

The Good:

Let me start by saying that NOBODY makes a nicer interior than Lexus, period, end of story! I also own a 2003 Mercedes ML500, and Mercedes could really learn a thing or two from Lexus when it comes to finishing off an interior on a high end vehicle!

Styling - This is simply a beautiful truck to look at, and people who drive by it can't help but turn and look at it. The front of the LX470 is very nicely done. I've never particularly cared for the look of the back of the LX but I did opt for the rear spoiler, and that makes it look much better. The gold package is also a great touch and nice against the blizzard pearl finish. Finally, the chrome wheels are a fantastic upgrade, especially with the gold center caps with the gold package.

Interior - As mentioned previously, the interior is simply flawless. This is one of the few vehicles I've ever been in that I wouldn't change a thing about the way everything is laid out. Lexus put a lot of thought into the interior and the materials used look like those that should be used in such an expensive truck!

Technology - I purchased the nightvision option which is a great option and really cool for the "wow" factor. The bluetooth technology is a fantastic option (even though I was forced to dump Verizon because they can't seem to keep up with technology and have zero bluetooth phones!). The steering wheel audio controls are a very nice touch. Finally, the backup camera is a great option for backing up such a large vehicle.

Audio - The Mark Levinson Audio system is FANTASTIC! I think I can safely say it's far and away the best factory installed audio system on the market!

The Bad:

GPS - The book for the vehicle is smaller and easier to read than the separate manual for the Navigational system. The way Lexus has decided to amplify the volume on the Nav is completely ridiculous. They have this amazing audio system, with speakers EVERYWHERE, and some genius at Lexus decides it's a good idea to use just one front speaker for the volume on the GPS. This design simply doesn't work. I originally thought there was an issue with my radio not muting, and after bringing it to the dealership, it occurred to me that the radio does in fact mute...not all the way...but it does decrease in volume. While this allows you to be aware that the Nav voice is giving you a command, it simply isn't loud enough and the volume only turns up to number 7, which isn't very loud. Let me say that I own a 2003 Mercedes ML500 with nav and although the audio system in the Mercedes isn't nearly as nice as the Lexus, someone at Mercedes was bright enough to pump the nav commands through the entire audio system (all speakers), as opposed to one small front speaker. This is also the only one of the three navigation systems I own that doesn't know where my house is! I have a portable Garmin Street Pilot GPS that works MUCH better from an audio standpoint than the Nav in this truck. As you can tell from my tirade here, I am VERY disappointed with this feature!

Power - As nice as the LX 470 is, it is WAY underpowered! Although I am aware this isn't a race car, it is a 6000lb truck, and should be powered accordingly. The horsepower rating on this SUV is the lowest of any in its class. My Crown Vic has the same horsepower as this enormous truck.

Voice Recognition - The voice recognition option on the Lexus is every bit as bad as the one on my Mercedes. This technology simply isn't where it should be. You speak a command, and 9 times out of 10 you get a response back that has nothing to do with the command you spoke. I think every auto maker using this technology needs to improve upon it or get rid of it!

Miscellaneous Complaints - Not being able to make a cell phone call through the car's audio system while driving is a major complaint of mine. While I understand Lexus' commitment to safety, the notion that pulling over in a breakdown lane on a highway to make a phone call is safer than dialing while driving is absurd! Along that same complaint, the radio has a message (MSG) button that you can touch to get information on a song that is playing (i.e. the artist, title, and year). While this is a near little feature, once again, "Big Brother" Lexus has decided that this is not a feature you can ever use while driving. When else would you use this dopey button? Do the people at Lexus seriously believe people are pulled over on the side of the road or sitting in their garages playing with the MSG button? It's beyond ridiculous that any human being with an ounce of common sense would have designed this feature. Either allow us to access the button when we want, or get rid of the foolish thing, and nobody is ever going to pull over to the side of the road to use it!

The Bottom Line - I know that my review looks as though I sometimes love this truck and sometimes hate it. That is partially true. If I were writing this review on my Crown Vic, I wouldn't be nearly as critical of the flaws. That being said, it's the same reason I expect MUCH more out of Manny Ramirez than Mark Bellhorn...One guy costs a lot more money! The 2004 Lexus LX470 is the nicest vehicle I have ever been in and owned. That being said, any vehicle that is being sold for $70K should be and needs to be flawless! As nice as this truck is, it is nowhere near flawless, and in my opinion doesn't warrant anywhere near the $70K pricetag it carries! It's a superb vehicle at 45-50K, but I believe Lexus needs to improve upon it's existing design and work out what I think are some major design flaws. Will you be happy owning an LX 470? ABSOLUTELY! Will you think it's worth what you paid for it? I would have to say absolutely not. By completely changing the audio output on the current GPS system, this vehicle would improve tremendously, in my viewpoint. Until such time, it's the absolute worse GPS system I've ever come across in any vehicle! Thanks for reading my venting session

John from Boston

 

About your underpowered statement: They do make a supercharger for that beauty

-Robert

 

I was unaware that the bluetooth phone could not be used to make a call when driving....is that really true??? If so, is there a way around it?

 

It's definitely true. And to answer your question, I'm sure there is a way around everything. You can certainly receive calls while you're driving, and you can also call any number through one-touch dialing if you've downloaded that number into your address book. Other than that, you are not allowed to dial a number through the screen while driving. Lexus thinks it's simply too dangerous. I can see the first lawsuit already when someone pulls over into the breakdown lane to make a phone call and someone else crashes into them and causes serious bodily injury or death, all because Lexus has decided that it's a better option to pull over.

John from Boston

 

Also remember how many lawsuits there will be when people crash because of dialing while driving.
If they can afford a Lexus like that, I'm sure they can afford a good lawyer to win.

-Robert

 

Good review, I still love the Lexus LX 470 even with some of those flaws...I was wondering if you have any pictures especially of the interior. The LX 470's interior is the one of the nicest if not the nicest in my opinion after being in a Escalade , Navigator, and QX56 with only the Range Rover comes close. I would like to see Lexus improve some of the minor problems you have though. Enjoy the SUV I'd love to have one if I had the money.

 

First time posting. While I don't have an LX470, I do have a 2004 Land Cruiser. Prior to that I owned a '98 version.

I agree with pretty much everything you pointed out in your review. I can't comment on the nightvision since that isn't an available option on the 'Cruiser.

I also own an Acura with the Navigation and on that system, the two front speakers are muted and the the the voice comes from those speakers. Still difficult to hear if the music is turned up, but still a better application that what's in the 'Cruiser/LX470.

The voice recognition is worthless. You can't even give it any wow factor points since you would embarass yourself demonstrating it. The technology is still a ways off.

The navigation works very well (for me at least). I just returned from a trip from the norther Chicago suburbs to Minneapolis and back. The system worked flawlessly. I can't explain the feeling of being in a strange city and not having to worry about directions. I will say this though, I was able to use the NAV in my Acura without referring to the manual at all, very simple and straightforward, i did have to find myself referring to the manual quite often for the one in the 'Cruiser. In it's defense though, it has many more features than the Alpine unit found in the Acura (at leasrt pre-'04 models).

As for the interior, I actually prefer the brushed metallic and chrome trim in the Land Cruiser versus the LX470 , but aside from that, the interior is truly flawless.

Also agree on the maddening inability to use many of the navigation and audio features while the vehicle is in motion. The Acura system as of yet still allows you to access all of the navigation features whether in motion or not.

With all of that said, we LOVE the vehicle, but we also didn't pay $70K . Ours listed for $62K and we got it for $57.5K OTD.

We are spoiled. Can't imagine owning another SUV.

 

For those of you that have used the handsfree bluetooth technology, what kind of call or voice quality do you get. My handsfree is essentially useless because of mine and the caller's voices constantly cutting in and out. (It reminds me of bad cell phone reception) I can switch over to the phone and it sounds fine, therefore it is not my cell phone signal strength. I have been really frustrated by this. I am using an SE T616.

 

Hey Driller...

I'm using the new Motorola V600 and the voice quality really depends on where I'm driving. If I'm driving at low speeds, I don't seem to encounter any problems being able to hear the party I'm talking to. That being said, if I'm driving at highway speeds, because of the Lexus design of using just one speaker, it is difficult to hear a person when driving 65 miles per hour.

John from Boston

 

Thanks for the reply. Thats interesting. In my case, it's not a matter of volume at all. I have the volume turned up about half way on the "telephone screen". I've been thinking of turning my T616 in for a different phone - did your V600 sync up easily and could you transfer your phonebook all at one time? One other annoying think is that when I transfer my phonebook it insists on putting the first name first. I know that sounds logical, but I have always had my phonebook arranged with the last name first.

 

Well, I'm up to 9500 miles on my 04 LX, and now my AM radio signal has gone out (zero reception on AM radio...and no, I have not had a single thing installed), and the plastic piece on the floor where I place my left foot has broken off. I must say that I'm growing less and less impressed with Lexus' quality and find it has many of the same flaws that my 03 Mercedes ML 500 has. Let's hope my dealer can work out some of these bugs, or this will be my first and last Lexus!

I do know that if I ever do purchase another Lexus, I'll be sure to test out the navigation system and phone audio, as these features continue to annoy me on a daily basis! I just can't accept a vehicle at this price point to have problems that are so easy to remedy, with even a hint of common sense!

John from Boston

 

So I take it that you haven't taken your 470 into the dealership to have these issues resolved?

It sucks that you have a couple minor things that went out on your truck, but until you have someone look at it, it seems to me that you're making a mountain outta a mole hill. Things happen...stuff breaks. The radio could just be an issue with a bad antenna connection.

Hopefully you have as good a dealership that I have near me. I've had minor issues with my 450, but everything had been resolved to my satisfaction.

 

For the record Doug, I'm not making a "mountain" out of anything! I'm simply offering my opinion on a vehicle I just purchased in March. I believe plunking down nearly $75K for a vehicle at least entitles me to an opinion! If you read the original post in this thread, you will see the issues I've recently cited are in addition to the god-awful design of the navigational system that the geniuses at Lexus believed were adequate for this vehicle. I believe I made it quite clear in my review that the good far outweighs the bad on the LX470. That said, there are enough annoyances on this vehicle that should be corrected. Keep in mind that my frame of reference here is my Mercedes ML500 (which for the record, is about $20K cheaper than the Lexus). The Mercedes is by no means flawless, but the navigation system (A VERY important feature for me) and hands-free operation of the cell phone is 100% better.

I am most cognizant of the fact that most people get VERY defensive if you ever dare criticize anything they've purchased. That said, I'm not someone who thinks just because I've made the decision to purchase something, that it is flawless and without faults. The LX is a very nice truck, but, for the money, it should be flawless!

John from Boston

 

there is a supercharged LX? i didnt know that

 

No, there is no supercharged LX. You can supercharge your LX if you like, however. That said, I've heard that TRD is no longer producing blowers. Those currently in stock at vendors will not be pulled, but as of a couple weeks ago, TRD stopped marketing superchargers for the V8.