Review: 2011 Lexus LX 570


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By Mark Elias
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It used to be that the rugged, off-road capable SUVs that could also land a prime parking spot at the valet were dominated by a brand of one. Able to ford a stream, run through ruts, and up and down impossibly steep hills, the Land Rover and its Range Rover variants were the only ones tony enough to shmooze with Bentleys.
Then Toyota stuck a Lexus badge on its UN-ready Land Cruiser. Three generations later, the Lexus LX 570 is still classing up the off road scene.
What is it?
An eight-passenger, full-size SUV (no poseur CUV here, thank you), the LX 570 is the latest edition of the tarted up version of the Toyota Land Cruiser, as turned out by Toyota’s high-zoot brother, Lexus.
While the Land Cruiser itself has moved way up, the LX 570 offers even more, competing head-on with Range Rovers but offering three rows of seats. Cargo space is at a premium when the rearmost seat is in use. Fold them down (who needs to haul around eight people anyway?) and the possibilities become wide open.
Redesigned for the 2008 model year, the LX 570 isn’t Lexus’ most popular model, although it does handily outsell the Land Cruiser.
What’s it up against?
The aforementioned Land Rover LR4 and Range Rover models, the BMW X5, Infiniti QX56, Cadillac Escalade and Mercedes-Benz GL550 lead the charge. Oh, and let’s not forget the Land Cruiser for budget shoppers.
Of the bunch, the Land Rover crew matches up performance-wise off road, while everyone has their own take on creature comforts. .
Any breakthroughs?
Lexus Enform with Safety Connect gives the ability to have messages pushed through to the vehicle while Safety Connect contacts operators who in turn contact fire and police. An available pre-collision system with Dynamic Radar Control to slow down the LX if its sensor feels a collision is imminent.
Smart Stop Technology also makes its way into the LX this year. Another case of Artificial Intelligence, it reduces the engine’s power if both brake and gas pedal are depressed at the same time.
How does it look?
It does look softer than some of its off-road competitors, but perhaps that’s a blessing in disguise. A traditional, two-box design, it sports blistered fenders over slab siding.
It still ends up being loaded with a blingy grille, and a tasteful application of chrome. The LX 570 boasts conservative look that would not be out of place hauling the rugrats to their weekly burn-off-the-energy soccer match, and following a car wash, making a star turn at a black-tie event later that night.
Luckily, it’s even more differentiated from the Land Cruiser than ever. The first generation LX 450 – which got its name from a sluggish 4.5-liter inline-six – was merely a rebadge. Generation two gained its own fascia, while this third LX has its own more Lexus-like look inside and out.
And on the inside?
As far as SUVs are concerned, this is about as luxobarge as it gets. We are talking major league cush. With enough African Bubinga wood to have the vehicle itself classified as an endangered species, it is one of the nicest interiors we have come across in this segment.
From the driver’s position, things are laid out in typical fashion, meaning tach on the left, speedo on the right, with fuel, oil, water, and battery gauges in the middle.
Overall, the cockpit is a bit button-heavy with a combination that has you touching the dashboard, touching the navigation screen, or just touching, period. Certain climate controls are touch screen only (fan speed, for instance) while others are strictly button-based (temperature). The 450-watt, 15-channel, Mark Levinson Audio system from Harman/Kardon continues to impress. We just have to remind ourselves that the ringing in our ears we experience after driving the vehicle is our own fault.
Heated and ventilated front seats do the trick, while the second row offers heated seats. Third row occupants are advised to bring a blanket. Speaking of second and third row seats, they have their own version of ICE (in-car entertainment) with a DVD player and nine-inch monitor. Our tester was equipped with a cooled storage bin between the two front seats.
No, the look isn’t as traditional as you’ll find in a Range Rover, but it feels positively Lexus-like here. For once, the LX 570 feels more like a homegrown Lexus division product inside – and that alone speaks volumes.
But does it go?
Well, it’s no top fuel dragster, but it does get up and go with all that power from the 5.7-liter V8 engine. Producing 383 horsepower and 403 lb-ft. of torque at 3,600 rpm, it has enough ummph to pull up to 7,000 lbs. Using sequential multi-port fuel injection seems to be quickly falling out of favor with many other manufacturers but Lexus continues to supply it in their vehicles. Perhaps the next-gen version will jump on the bus.
The power hits the pavement by way of a full-time four-wheel-drive system with six-speed automatic sequential shift transmission. A Torsen limited slip differential spreads it out at the four corners. A smooth operator, it still shows a curious outline of the shift gates in the gauge pod. We’re not sure why it is needed when the standard P, R, N, D, S designators show up too.
The LX is sprung all around by coil-spring double wishbones in front, and a four-link setup in the rear to keep all four wheels planted. For tail-draggers, the LX is equipped with an electro-hydraulic suspension with four-wheel height control and automatic load leveling.
For a beast, it rides extraordinarily well, quelling the roughest pavement we could find. We didn’t get much of an opportunity to leave the pavement, but previous experiences in LX 570s and Land Cruisers have shown impressive off road capability once you realize the large dimensions of the vehicle.
The LX 570 tips the scales at 5,995 pounds, and hits zero to 60 mph in 7.4 seconds, which is absolutely rip-roaring for the gross tonnage it has to motivate. ‘Bahn burners beware, though. The speed has been limited to 137-mph, which still manages to make this one flying brick.
EPA numbers are average for the segment, at 12 mpg in the city and 18 mpg on the highway. You don’t buy this vehicle for its ability to sip premium.
Why you would buy it:
You appreciate luxury from the ever-refined Lexus perspective, but you want to haul everything over hill and through dale.
Why you wouldn’t:
You’re a rock crawler expecting a Jeep Wrangler with leather.
Leftlane’s bottom line
Lexus has refreshed the LX 570 with creature comforts and technology that should secure its place in the high-zoot end of the segment.
With more and more safety features as standard, it will cover the mistakes of a driver seamlessly, probably before he or she realizes they may be in over their heads. Besides, it’s good for the image to arrive anywhere in a larger than life luxury SUV, isn’t it?
2011 Lexus LX 570 base price, $77,755. As tested, $87,274.
Luxury package, $3,740; Mark Levinson Audio, $2,850; DVD player, $1,990; Cargo net, $64; Destination, $875.