JJG2005

Hey everyone...

I think I'm going to be needing a light truck or SUV soon, and the only SUVs I like are the Land Cruiser, LX470, or possibly a Range Rover. I'm looking at a 98-99 model LX.

Can someone please educate me on the differences betwen an LX470 and a Land Cruiser? I know there must be some... owning an ES300 I know all about the differences that most people don't seem to see... so I thought I'd go straight to ClubLexus to ask labout the LX ol.

Also, how is the cargo room in these? Do the rear seats fold down? (I know a lot come with 3rd row seating... I'd probaly remove it for extra room) Anyone here ever towed a trailer with one? Lastly, did TRD make a supercharger for the 98-99 LX? I was able to find a 97 and older supercharger, and an 00-04, but nothing in between.

Thanks guys.

JeffTsai

iTrader: (1)

My parents have a 02'. Off the top of my head it has Nav standard, leather standard, wood trim, and also the hydraulic height adjustable suspension. For the 98-99 model I believe it has all of those I just listed minus the navigation.

1loudLX

TRD discontinued the supercharger as people kept blowing their motors. On a 98-99 you have the active hight control and rear A/C standard and if im not mistaken the AHC isnt aval on a Cruiser of these years.


If your looking for a SUV to have as a beater to do things like tow and haul alot of crap i would suggest you get the LC as it is slightly lighter and the suspension is tougher and easier to beef up. The 3rd row comes out in either a LC or LX. 2nd row folds foward seatback down to seatbottom and then flips foward.


Overall if you can find a good deal on a LX then its well worth it over a LC as it has an overall more luxurious feel to the interior(ive ridden in a few LCs of my year *2000*). But if you need a serious truck and want to really go nuts offroad and other things the suspension of the Cruiser is better.

Im somewhat tired right now and cant thing of alllll the little things that are different. For one the wood trim on the LX is real and the LC is fake, nicer climate controls, better looking gauge cluster. in a few LCs of my year *2000*). But if you need a serious truck and want to really go nuts offroad and other things the suspension of the Cruiser is better. Navi was an option. LX is quieter inside as it has more body paneling on the doors then the cruiser. LX has projector headlights(and makes a really nice setup for HIDs) while the cruiser has reflectors. Taillights are setup differently(personally i think the ones on the land cruiser look like ***). The little vents on the D pillars at the back of the truck are molded differently. Theres more chrome trim on the LX then the LC. Body colored running boards on the LX instead of crappy black ones like the LC gets. i dont know what else to think of right now.......oh the stock sound system is better on the LX then the cruiser.

If you need any specific research done just tell me my friend has a Land Cruiser the same year as my LX...i guess i could just compare anything you might need me to.

JJG2005

Cool.. I think that's about all I was looking for. Other than body colored moldings, and oval shaped center lights, tail lights, etc... are the actual body panels different? (like on the ES almost every body panel is different from a Camry)

Also does anyone know if the LX or LC ever came with black leather interior? I can't seem to find one with this.

Thanks again

1loudLX

those years, nope only tan and gray interior.


Body parts are all the same except hood and front bumper and the little vent in the back. The tailgates are different also. my friend crashed into my right front fender back in the wintertime, i went to toyota and the part number was the same as the lexus one. So i assume fenders are the same, and doors.

jdmlx470

dont forget about the power folding mirrors! hahaha and the Mark Levinson and Nakamichi systems...uhh..other than that i think the other guys got what i was gonna say...

V8_Fan

If you tow, the AHC on the LX is self-leveling, so your headlights won't point sky-high. US-spec LC didn't get the AHC until '06 while the overseas LC's have had them for years. '98 LC didn't come w/ rear air while on the '99, it was an option. Also, the '98-99 LC had an optional rear diff lock. This was discontinued from '00 on (in the US, but still available overseas). ATRAC was available from '00 on, which works better than the rear locker in the snow and on ice.

1loudLX

jim, FYI the AHC disables itself after 800 lbs is loaded into the truck or put on the tow hitch, as to make sure it doesnt damage anything. At least thats what i remember my manual saying.

V8_Fan

IIRC, my manual says the AHC disables itself when the gross vehicle weight is exceeded (comes to about 600 lbs passengers, 600 lbs gear). Of course, that assumes not all the weight is on the rear end! Either on this or the other lexus owners forum, there's a guy who tows a boat quite often w/ his LX. Search for threads on towing. If the tongue weight is like 10%, 800 lbs on the hitch is like towing 8000 lbs...far more than what the vehicle is rated for!

1loudLX

i dont know i dont tow..........mainly because i have no cool toys to tow.

V8_Fan

I think bsjoiner tows a lot. You might try asking him.