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2016 LX570 Owners - What are your first impressions?
Greetings!
After reviewing this LX - 3rd generation forum I was able to make some contacts who helped me - or at least gave me the confidence to negotiate a great deal on a 2016 LX. I've spent about 2 weeks with the vehicle and have some first impressions to share.
1. Brakes: I guess I am not quite used to the brakes yet. Getting a smooth gradual stop 100% of the time has been a bit tricky.
1b. Brakes: Last night on a highway in congested fast moving traffic (about 50 MPH) there was a sort of "panic stop" where everyone ahead of me hit their brakes fairly hard. So... I did too only damn! The LX went into a nose dive and the brakes locked up. More sensitive than I'm used to and I hit 'em too hard I guess. At speed, the soft suspension comes in to play as well. Anyone else taking longer than usual to get used to the brakes?
2. Stuff: Where do you put all your stuff? I seem to remember carrying a lot more "junk" with me in previous vehicles. I usually have a pen in my vehicle, some change for tolls / parking meters, air pressure gauge, keys for roof rack and bike rack locks, purell hand sanitizer ... Anyhow, stuff like that seems to have no place in the LX. Yes... the center cooler is nice but sort of feels like a bottomless pit when it comes to small stuff. And... since it works as a fridge, the tendency is to keep it freed up for cool stuff. I did find that a 3" x 9" plastic drawer organizer fits and would allow a place for small stuff inside the cooler. Have any of you figured out any tricks?
3. Offroad: Amazing. I haven't done anything crazy yet but there is a reservoir near me which is real low on water, so the rangers let people drive out to go fishing. The day after I got the LX I spent an afternoon going over all sorts of terrain from soft scary quicksand like mud right at the edge of the reservoir to soft dry sand, steep rocky grades, loose boulders, 3' tall dry grassy vegetation, hills which would seem too steep to climb and across terrain which made the vehicle lean at an extremely uncomfortable angle - for fear it would roll. The LX was sensational. I kept feeling like while I was going over the various terrains the LX was yawning - while I was smiling.
** Remembering to turn off side air bags - Press and hold the button it takes a second to engage. Crawl control works great but vehicle needs to be in Neutral before engaging L4. Paddle shifters are cool when in 4WD.
4. Rear Seat Entertainment System. I didn't want it but ended up getting it because (get this) I was able to get a better deal on a fully loaded LX than one without the rear seat entertainment system. I haven't quite figured out all the features yet...or maybe it is less capable than I envisioned. It seems like you should be able to use any source for front, rear right or rear left occupants however, I haven't been able to get audio from bluetooth, SAT or radio in the rear seat - separate from the front. Thus far only audio from DVD, HDMI external inputs work in the rear seat.
Rear seat headphones are cool.. they don't work in the front seat and if switched right/left they will not work if on wrong side i.e. if switched right, headphone will not work on the left. IMHO, this system is not worth the cost, is ugly and the if the rear seats are in a forward position, they smash into the monitors when folded forward.
5. Deal: As I eluded to above, I was able to get a fully loaded LX for less than one that wasn't fully loaded. However!!! My vehicle was used at the concours d' elegance and had about 1,000 miles on it when I purchased. My price was below base MSRP so the estimates on this site of these being available for 90K (for a fully loaded NEW - undriven LX) are accurate. If you're looking at one with a few miles on it, the price could even be less than that.
6. Too much to look at and respond to: Between all the lane departure, blind spot, collision prevention, parking warning, 360 camera, center console screen, mouse controller and other doo dads, I get a feeling like while trying to make driving safer we have succeeded in mostly making driving different. Instead of looking over my shoulder or in my side view mirrors for a car, I'm focusing on / trying to locate, a little orange light which may or may not be flashing. Distracted by beeps or vibrations from poorly lined roadways, attention moving from the road to the center console to look at whatever is on there, finding a menu button, scrolling through presets. Heads up display that doesn't work with polarized sunglasses on... Argh... lots of distraction in this vehicle but maybe that's the way of the future and something we just need to get used to. Thoughts?
After reviewing this LX - 3rd generation forum I was able to make some contacts who helped me - or at least gave me the confidence to negotiate a great deal on a 2016 LX. I've spent about 2 weeks with the vehicle and have some first impressions to share.
1. Brakes: I guess I am not quite used to the brakes yet. Getting a smooth gradual stop 100% of the time has been a bit tricky.
1b. Brakes: Last night on a highway in congested fast moving traffic (about 50 MPH) there was a sort of "panic stop" where everyone ahead of me hit their brakes fairly hard. So... I did too only damn! The LX went into a nose dive and the brakes locked up. More sensitive than I'm used to and I hit 'em too hard I guess. At speed, the soft suspension comes in to play as well. Anyone else taking longer than usual to get used to the brakes?
2. Stuff: Where do you put all your stuff? I seem to remember carrying a lot more "junk" with me in previous vehicles. I usually have a pen in my vehicle, some change for tolls / parking meters, air pressure gauge, keys for roof rack and bike rack locks, purell hand sanitizer ... Anyhow, stuff like that seems to have no place in the LX. Yes... the center cooler is nice but sort of feels like a bottomless pit when it comes to small stuff. And... since it works as a fridge, the tendency is to keep it freed up for cool stuff. I did find that a 3" x 9" plastic drawer organizer fits and would allow a place for small stuff inside the cooler. Have any of you figured out any tricks?
3. Offroad: Amazing. I haven't done anything crazy yet but there is a reservoir near me which is real low on water, so the rangers let people drive out to go fishing. The day after I got the LX I spent an afternoon going over all sorts of terrain from soft scary quicksand like mud right at the edge of the reservoir to soft dry sand, steep rocky grades, loose boulders, 3' tall dry grassy vegetation, hills which would seem too steep to climb and across terrain which made the vehicle lean at an extremely uncomfortable angle - for fear it would roll. The LX was sensational. I kept feeling like while I was going over the various terrains the LX was yawning - while I was smiling.
** Remembering to turn off side air bags - Press and hold the button it takes a second to engage. Crawl control works great but vehicle needs to be in Neutral before engaging L4. Paddle shifters are cool when in 4WD.
4. Rear Seat Entertainment System. I didn't want it but ended up getting it because (get this) I was able to get a better deal on a fully loaded LX than one without the rear seat entertainment system. I haven't quite figured out all the features yet...or maybe it is less capable than I envisioned. It seems like you should be able to use any source for front, rear right or rear left occupants however, I haven't been able to get audio from bluetooth, SAT or radio in the rear seat - separate from the front. Thus far only audio from DVD, HDMI external inputs work in the rear seat.
Rear seat headphones are cool.. they don't work in the front seat and if switched right/left they will not work if on wrong side i.e. if switched right, headphone will not work on the left. IMHO, this system is not worth the cost, is ugly and the if the rear seats are in a forward position, they smash into the monitors when folded forward.
5. Deal: As I eluded to above, I was able to get a fully loaded LX for less than one that wasn't fully loaded. However!!! My vehicle was used at the concours d' elegance and had about 1,000 miles on it when I purchased. My price was below base MSRP so the estimates on this site of these being available for 90K (for a fully loaded NEW - undriven LX) are accurate. If you're looking at one with a few miles on it, the price could even be less than that.
6. Too much to look at and respond to: Between all the lane departure, blind spot, collision prevention, parking warning, 360 camera, center console screen, mouse controller and other doo dads, I get a feeling like while trying to make driving safer we have succeeded in mostly making driving different. Instead of looking over my shoulder or in my side view mirrors for a car, I'm focusing on / trying to locate, a little orange light which may or may not be flashing. Distracted by beeps or vibrations from poorly lined roadways, attention moving from the road to the center console to look at whatever is on there, finding a menu button, scrolling through presets. Heads up display that doesn't work with polarized sunglasses on... Argh... lots of distraction in this vehicle but maybe that's the way of the future and something we just need to get used to. Thoughts?
Well.. that's all I can think of for now.
Welcome! I bought my CPO 2013 with 30k in May for 56700. I traveled a few hundred miles to get it as all the maintenance was done religiously and documented.
My comments:
1. Brakes seem fine. The dive is part of a heavy vehicle with excellent suspension travel.
2: I have boxes for stuff - a bigger crate for the cargo area, with plastic spikes to dig in to the carpet to prevent sliding and a smaller one in the passenger footwell. This keeps the center cooler free because other than that the only storage is glove compartment, cupholders, and door storage.
4. The pimp my ride system (its true name) is a waste of money with iPads with much better content and resolution available for a fraction of the cost, but usually every LX you see will have it. Mine has it and I have not seen a single vehicle with ML that didn't also have the system. It's a pure price padder. Yes, it is a functional system, but do you really need or want a cheesy TV screen in the headrest? Then, if you are transporting cargo with the cargo area full, or folding the seats, you have to be careful with the screen. They stick out even more with the 2016 model. Not a problem, but not something I would spend 2,000 on either.
5. Not bad!
6. My 2013 model does not have a lane departure/BLIS system. With the huge D pillars, there is no point in looking behind your shoulder. I have been using the convex wide view stick on side mirrors that came with the vehicle from previous owner and they work pretty well.
I agree that these systems can be distracting. I use a mount for my phone and the steering wheel controls when possible. It's up to us to keep our focus on the road.
The screen is improved for 2016, but I find the passenger mirror camera and front camera to be lacking in clarity. Gas mileage is atrocious but I knew that when I bought it so that is not a complaint. I find the LX to be an excellent package and you won't see a ton of them on the road.
I like it for what it is, other than an unnecessary and fussy 8-speed transmission. It scores the highest amongst peers as a total package. Pros: the looks (front schnozzle including), ML sound, much improved braking and steering, stiffer, less wobbly ride, rarity in my geographic area, always impeccable dealership service experience
Cons: while being the best as a total package, doesn't excel in any particular area
I like it for what it is, other than an unnecessary and fussy 8-speed transmission. It scores the highest amongst peers as a total package. Pros: the looks (front schnozzle including), ML sound, much improved braking and steering, stiffer, less wobbly ride, rarity in my geographic area, always impeccable dealership service experience
Cons: while being the best as a total package, doesn't excel in any particular area
I totally agree. I too am real happy with the purchase. However, I'd say it does excel in off road as I had a Range Rover throughout the 90's. I loved the Rover, it was super fun for various excursions and exemplary on road but it was a nightmare to maintain. For my most recent purchase I wanted something that took me back to the Rover days but was reliable. I first looked at the Toyota Land Cruiser and thought it was way overpriced given the amenities relative to the dollars spent. The 2016 LX is more in line with what I was looking for and for me at least, a much more sensible vehicle than the Land Cruiser (or Range Rover).
Upon first glance in publications, I didn't like the looks of the 2016 LX570 I thought it was flat out ugly. So... I was going to buy a preowned 2014 LX with low miles because I couldn't see spending nearly 100K for a "truck".
But... When I saw the updated 2016 LX in Nebula Grey in person I fell in love. I asked myself, "is it really worth $30K/$40K more for a new 2016 vs. used 2014." Hell yeah it was!
1. Brakes: you can get used to them. Not so bad. But much different comparing to my '14 LS460. The brake pedal progress should be similar to other Lexus models.
1B: Probably the Brake Assist electronics decided that this is a panic breaking and used maximum breaking power.
2: Stuff: absolutely terrible. My previous SUV was Sequoia and there were so many storage places. But it's the same on all Lexus vehicles. It's really bad.
3: Off-road: unbelievable. I had a chance to compare side by side with my Sequoia and also my highly modified Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. The suspension of LX is really great. Much faster and more comfortable on dirt roads comparing to Sequoia or even Jeep Wrangler on aftermarket off-road springs and Bilstein shocks. Although LX does not have a front/rear lockers, the electronics using brakes helps a lot and there is almost no difference between Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with both lockers engaged and LX using crawl control. Sometimes even LX is better as Jeep with the front locker engaged has problems turning (of course). The only big problem is the stupid front bumper which decreases front approach angle (I know; I mention this often...).
6: Blind spot monitor and adaptive cruise control are great. I could not live without these features. Very helpful. HUD is also great addition.
Other issues: I hate that Toyota/Lexus have extremely inconsistent user interface. The buttons on the steering wheel are on completely different places on each Lexus/Toyota models. The map button at the Remote Touch is on the left side at LX but on the right side at LS!!! The cruise control lever on LS can do 5 miles steps when pushed longer (very convenient). This does not work on LX! The same for audio. Seek buttons pushed for a longer time can change folders on LS but not on LX...
Yeah... I visited the ih8mud.com forum quite a bit prior to buying the LX. Thanks for sharing the link. It's a great site but SO SLOW!!
I'm also looking for some 16" or 17" wheels to use off road instead of the 21's... maybe someone over there will be able to recommend something.
Best deal I found on a set of wheels was from my local Lexus / Toyota dealer...zero-mile Tundra take-off's with TPMS sensors. $200 old....you can do better and you can do worse. My wheels are 18's...no issue with Toyo AT II's off or on-road mounted on the oem wheels, and Blizzaks' for winter on the Tundra rims.
As to mud being slow...have you run a speediest lately?? Mud is definitely in my 3-4 fastest loading pages. E.g., I don't see a perceptible difference between it and gmail.
As to mud being slow...have you run a speediest lately?? Mud is definitely in my 3-4 fastest loading pages. E.g., I don't see a perceptible difference between it and gmail.
I'd say my download speed is fairly good. If this is one of your faster sites, you're very fortunate.
Yeah... I visited the ih8mud.com forum quite a bit prior to buying the LX. Thanks for sharing the link. It's a great site but SO SLOW!!
I'm also looking for some 16" or 17" wheels to use off road instead of the 21's... maybe someone over there will be able to recommend something.
I had the same process. I am replacing my 20" wheels with 17s. 16" wheels will not clear, but 17s will for the 2008-2015 LC and LX. If anyone can confirm that the 2016 model uses the same brake setup, that would be helpful - that's the only question and you would be the first one I know of to run this setup on the 2016.
The most common wheel there is the Rock Warrior which has proven itself with years of service on the LC. It's your only choice for a 17x8 wheel in the 5x150 bolt pattern though there are a lot more 18" wheel choices, and like with hankinid's, can be found actually better priced too. These forged aluminum wheels are only 22 pounds each without the ring. I bought a set of 5 (you will need to replace the spare as well). I checked the inventory when I bought them and there were 78 remaining in national inventory a week and a half ago. http://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/2013....901290/page-2
Good article and why I will probably skip the rings:
Another benefit of running the larger tire is the speedometer actually reads more accurate and your vehicle will register between 4-5% less miles than actual.
I am quite happy with 18" wheels from '16 Land Cruiser. They are quite cheap on eBay. Probably many new LC owners want to replace their wheels with some stupid 21" or bigger wheels. Unless you plan doing some really difficult trails (which would also require some lifting, offroad bumpers, rock rails etc.), you would be probably fine with 18" wheels.
07-13-16, 09:15 AM
2016 LX570 Owners - What are your first impressions?
