BY JARED GALL
Toyota’s colossal Land Cruiser and Lexus’s luxury spin-off, the LX470, have outlived some of their smaller stablemates by two lifecycles. In New York, Lexus finally shows the replacement for its aging ute, the LX570 which goes on sale in early 2008.As the name implies, the old 4.7-liter, 268-hp V-8 has been replaced by the new 5.7-liter iForce mill from the Tundra pickup, which shames its predecessor with an impressive 381 hp and 401 lb-ft of torque. This engine manages to whip the Tundra to 60 mph in just 6.1 seconds, a feat that the LX should come awfully close to matching. Of course, the downside is conspicuous consumption—figure fuel “economy” numbers in the low teens around town. The six-speed slushbox from the Tundra replaces the five-speed in the old truck. Towing capacity is up 2000 pounds to 8500.
The skin of the LX470 was as much in need of an update as the engine compartment, and that hasn’t been overlooked. But, we're not exactly smitten with the LX570's new sheetmetal, which makes it looks somewhat like a bloated Toyota Highlander. The trapezoidal grille remains as upright as ever, but the odd dual-headlights are gone, replaced by more graceful lamps better matching the rest of the Lexus lineup. In the lower half of the front valance, the hard corners of the fog-light housings and the lower air intake have been rounded and smoothed for a more contemporary look. Gone, too, is the awkward lower-body cladding with its clumsy running boards, replaced by cleaner sheetmetal and gracefully integrated steps. At this stage, Lexus appears unprepared to match Cadillac’s offering of 22-inch wheels on the Escalade, venturing only as high as 20 inches.
Likewise, the interior of the LX570 has been updated to bring it into harmony with other Lexus interiors. The gauge cluster gets updated with a small, rectangular information display in the center and a small gauge on each corner. Flanking the center cluster are a large, round speedo and a tach. The button-intensive center stack is coated in silver plastic like other Lexii, and the transfer case shifter has finally become a button, following suit long after much elegant vehicles gave up on the baseball bat.Underneath, the LX570 rides on a new global body-on-frame platform that will also underpin the upcoming Toyota Land Cruiser and, Lexus claims, shares nothing with the Tundra. It has the same 112.2-inch wheelbase as its predcessor, but the eight possible occupants will be thankful that its four inches longer and an inch wider on the inside.
The suspension is a new cross-linked electro-hydraulic setup that drops the truck two inches for entry and exit. At highway speeds, it lowers the LX by an inch in front and a half-inch in rear for better aerodynamics. Lexus claims that this new suspension reduces body roll by a much-needed 30 percent in the LX570.Four-zone climate control will allow both front occupants and the outboard second-row passengers to choose their own temperature. Optional fineries include keyless entry and ignition, power-folding second- and third-row seats, a “cool box” center console for chilling beverages (although we don’t yet know if it will be refrigerated as Land Rover’s is), XM radio with real-time traffic information, a nine-inch rear screen for watching DVDs, and a 19-speaker Mark Levinson stereo. There's also a blindspot warning system that uses cameras in the grille and under the side mirrors.
Lexus always focused more on off-road capability with the LX470 than it seemed it should. The new LX570 is no different, with a Range Rover like arsenal of off-road adaptivity programming including height-adjustable suspension, Multi-Terrain ABS said to reduce stopping distances on sand and gravel, and “Crawl Control,” which numbs the throttle sensitivity for better modulation during the precarious off-road maneuvering no Lexus will ever be subjected to, no matter how well equipped.
