unknown2

My dad's 99 LX470 has HID from the factory (non US apec)... It's for the high beam only (low beam is just halogen)...

tigmd99

Thanks...but your LX570 is also infinitely more comfortable! There is no perfect SUV that can do everything the best...the perfect car for a particular owner depends on the owner's needs. I would love to have your comfy quiet ride, NAVI, and the amazing ML Reference system. I would say that the LX570 is the best compromise between on-road luxury and off-road capability...IMO, the previous owner of this title was the Range Rover.

trusso

I agree, it's a preference thing. The G is such a great automobile, can go ANYWHERE.... still I'm loving those videos because you are getting out there and using it (and pushing it) I'm not a huge Mercedes guy (well, I'd take an S65 and love most of the AMG line) but it's great to see someone use their car for what it's meant for.
I tried to take my wifes 570 "off road" this last weekend into the snow, got yelled at a little.

LexFather

Funny and good point!

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

try sitting in a car and some SUV sitting or driving behind you with HIDs blazing in my side mirrors and rear mirrors at the same time, it makes me want to hurl a brick-e-mart

tfelsky

I'm sure Lexus will offer HID's later in the model life. That being said, the car is still hand and fist better than its competitors for on/offroading, making a compromise for agility that modern SUV buyers don't really need and a compromise for space being a world vehicle competing in a North American market.

03LX470

Sorry I should've clarified that i was thinking about the middle east market...

TRDFantasy

The official reason from Lexus engineers that I have heard is that HIDs would be blinding to drivers because of the tall positioning of the HIDs for the LX570. I have personally experienced blinding HIDs from Benz and Cadillac SUVs. It seems like Lexus engineers thought it might be a driver/safety hazard if HIDs were installed.

Da Hapa

I struggle with this "official" explanation since the HID's in the nowhere near as high RX can be blinding to most drivers anyway.

Realistically, just about every vehicle on the road is blinding to me when I drive my very low to the ground NSX but I think HID headlamps offer an important safety margin in night driving and should absolutely be standard equipment in any vehicle costing more than $30,000 USD, let alone a nearly $90,000 rig.

TRDFantasy

HIDs on an LX would be more blinding than on a RX due to the height difference. Also due to the higher height the headlamps on the LX cover a greater range and distance than most vehicles. There may be no practical need for HIDs on the LX as the projector lamps may very well cover a wide angle and may illuminate a long-enough distance. If that is the case then HIDs on the LX would be mainly for looks, and the safety drawback to other drivers I think would outweight that.

tigmd99

TRDFantasy, although your reasoning is correct IMO and is what Toyota is saying, it is still strange that more than a few other manufacturers have added HIDS to their high-riding SUVs, e.g. Escalades, Navigators, G500/55. BTW, i do find HIDS to be significantly better than regular halogens (projector or not).

TRDFantasy

Perhaps some LX570 owners can chime in and tell us if the regular projector headlamps have enough range and distance.

It may seem strange that other automakers do equip their large SUVs with HIDs, but maybe their engineers or executives decided that HIDs would not be a safety hazard.

IMHO, I find Escalades and Navigators with HIDs to be the worst offenders when it comes to blinding other drivers on the road at night.

And how do you find HIDs "better" than regular halogens or projectors? Is it the color temperature of the lighting? Is it greater distance and range?

Lexus engineers likely looked at this not just from a driver's point-of-view, but also how it would affect others on the road.

You also have to look at how each vehicle was developed. The latest-gen Escalade for instance was developed with input from athletes and celebrities. The Escalade is more about looks than practicality; more form than function. It's not even half as capable of a vehicle as the LX is.

Lexus also places a high priority on safety, and like I said earlier the benefits of adding HIDs may have been outweighed by the drawbacks.

Who knows though, we could see HIDs added in the future. Fact of the matter is the RX right now has HIDs available and the LX does not; there must be a good reason for that.

ggebhardt

I am with you and do not think that Lexus did not put HIDs on the LX570 to save money.

TRDFantasy

Since you have a 570, could you give your experience on driving at night? How good are the headlamps at night? Do you feel that HIDs are needed?

ggebhardt

I find they are more than bright enough and on high beams it lights up more than enough to get the job done. I have used HID and the biggest difference is color of the light. The stock lights are well focused and will not make most unhappy.

The LX570 is such an outstanding piece of hardware that the lack of HID lighting should not even be considered a deal breaker for the unit. Anyone using it as an excuse to avoid the 570 is not using sound judgement! The 570 lighting is superior to my last four LX470 units and still puts a HUGE grin on my face everytime I step on the gas!

It is hard to believe that this "LX570 HID Thread" is 6 pages long! <vbg>

Just look at this thing! See: http://www.pbase.com/greggebhardt/lx570