Did Anyone Cross-Shop the LX with the Landcruiser?
10-29-08, 03:56 PM
#18
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10-29-08, 04:39 PM
#19
I love my Sienna...it is my daily driver. It is smooth and quiet. And it is probably the most practical car you can buy, bar none. I don't buy car for image...i buy them for a purpose.
10-29-08, 05:03 PM
#20
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It's an asinine comparison. It's like comparing the GS to a Sentra.
10-29-08, 09:28 PM
#21
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I think that you need to focus more on the whole picture than just this issue. If you are most worried about your family's safety, then perhaps you should be looking at something like an LS 460 or S550.
While it seems like being higher off the ground would be safer for your family, you also have an increased risk of losing control and rolling in something as big and top heavy as an LX. If someone slams into your wife from the side or back, there is a much greater chance of the car rolling than there is in a sedan or even minivan.
I am not saying that the LX is a bad 'ute or an unsafe truck because looking at the safety features, I am sure that it's built like a tank. However, with anything that has 9 inches of ground clearance, you are looking at a whole other set of safety issues IF an accident were to occur. All of the airbags would probably keep your family safe but it just presents an additional safety hazard.
Last year there was a video floating around here about an LX 470 that got rear ended on the highway and started rolling and wound up in a median, right side up after several flips. If I recall correctly, everyone exited the vehicle with minor injuries due mostly to the curtain airbags and other features, but rolling and flipping is a pretty significant threat to safety, no matter what type of vehicle you're in.
While it seems like being higher off the ground would be safer for your family, you also have an increased risk of losing control and rolling in something as big and top heavy as an LX. If someone slams into your wife from the side or back, there is a much greater chance of the car rolling than there is in a sedan or even minivan.
I am not saying that the LX is a bad 'ute or an unsafe truck because looking at the safety features, I am sure that it's built like a tank. However, with anything that has 9 inches of ground clearance, you are looking at a whole other set of safety issues IF an accident were to occur. All of the airbags would probably keep your family safe but it just presents an additional safety hazard.
Last year there was a video floating around here about an LX 470 that got rear ended on the highway and started rolling and wound up in a median, right side up after several flips. If I recall correctly, everyone exited the vehicle with minor injuries due mostly to the curtain airbags and other features, but rolling and flipping is a pretty significant threat to safety, no matter what type of vehicle you're in.
From IIHS' brochure Shopping for a Safer Car 2008 (available at IIHS.org) on page 2 - "The first crashworthiness attributes to consider are vehicle size and weight. Small, light vehicles generally offer less protection than larger, heavier ones. There's less structure to absorb crash energy, so death and injuries are more likely to occur in both single- and multiple-vehicle crashes." The next paragraph is even titled "Bigger Generally is Safer".
The IIHS report titled Injury, Collision, & Theft Losses 2003-2005 models of September 2006 (also available at IIHS.org) makes the safety of heavier vehicles quite clear. The injury rates of the heaviest SUVs and pickups is dramatically lower than most vehicles. The report assigns an injury rating of Better than Average to the Sienna FWD (which we own) and Substantially Better Than Average to the Sienna AWD. They are both safe vehicles. But, the report assigns a Substantially Better Than Average Grade to both the Lexus LX470 and the Toyota Land Cruiser with injury claims noticeably lower than even the Sienna AWD.
Your point re rollover avoidance is a very valid issue. But the data above obviously take that into account and shows the LX and TLC as noticeably safer than the Sienna. And the adoption of vehicle skid control and not driving an SUV like a sports car mitigates the rollover issue further. In fact, the NHTSA gives the larger heavier 6,000 lb Toyota Sequoia the same 4 stars re rollovers as it does the 4,300 lb Sienna (LX and TLC are not rated).
Then there's the extra safety equipment that the LX has as standard that the Sienna does not even offer- 2nd row torso airbags, front knee airbags, active front headrests, seatbelt pre-tensioners in the second row, 4WD, etc.
Another point re accident avoidance is the superior braking of the LX versus the Sienna. Car & Driver has the Sienna braking 70-0 at 201 feet versus just 178 feet for the LX. That 23 feet can make a big difference re testing out all those airbags or safely getting to your destination. And I'd wager that the 23 foot difference expands considerably in wet or slippery conditions when the LX really shines and the number of accidents increase.
I still believe the Sienna is a great vehicle and its increased cargo and people carrying capacity may still fit our needs. But on just the safety issue, it's not a fair fight. I believe the LX is safer.
10-29-08, 10:55 PM
#22
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Last edited by pagemaster; 10-30-08 at 10:17 AM.
10-30-08, 07:01 AM
#23
Pole Position
You got to realise that most of us here did not buy a LX570 to be practical. Heck no Lexus is really financially practical.
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