Our 2016 Lexus LX 570 wasn’t the headliner. It wasn’t even a competitor. Rather, it was just the support vehicle for a post-apocalyptic comparison of the Jeep Wrangler, Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and Toyota Land Cruiser. The Lexus shuttled our photographer and videographer from location to location and went everywhere the three competitors went, save one place: Moab. The big, expensive LX 570 was left in the parking lot. The height-adjustable suspension makes a difference in the approach and departure angles on the big Lexus, but it’s not enough to keep the bumpers attached in a place like Moab no matter how attentive your spotter is.
After braving rain, snow, and dirt, and following the storied four-wheeling trio across the Southwest, we came to realize something about the 2016 Lexus LX 570’s off-road abilities: It can, but you won’t. If you’re looking to do some serious off-roading with seven of your closest friends, there’s no reason to spend the extra money on the Lexus, because the Toyota Land Cruiser is plenty luxurious and incredibly capable. When you’re within a stone’s throw of six figures (ours rang up for $97,570), the thought of sticking a fender into a rock just doesn’t sound so appealing.
The 2016 Lexus LX 570 is the latest recipient in a long line of lucky vehicles to get the corporate spindle grille. This time, we think it looks great. On the RX it’s extreme, and we wonder why Lexus would take such a chance with one of its best-sellers, but on the LX we think the sheer size of the 6,230-pound SUV matches up well with the huge, aggressive mug. From the driver’s seat the LX is a little like a Mercedes-Benz G-Class. You’re riding high, on top of the world, looking down on everyone and everything. The squared-off fenders and bulging hood add to the feeling of power. Unless you really get on it, the LX moves in a stately manner, accelerating and only showing a sense of urgency when the accelerator is nearly flattened. We took the LX to our test track and found out that the 5.7-liter V-8’s 383 hp and 403 lb-ft of torque did more than make fun V-8 noises: 60 mph passes in 7.3 seconds and the quarter mile in 15.6 seconds at 89.9 mph. From 60 the LX stopped in 118 feet, which is astounding considering the SUV’s dimensions. The LX 570’s figure eight of 28.2 seconds at 0.61 average g’s was mid-pack for the ultra-luxury off-roader segment, better than the G-Wagen but not as good as the Land Rover Range Rover. Not bad considering you get that legendary Toyota reputation for reliability, too, which neither of those is known for.
When the time comes for some off-roading, the Lexus LX 570 is ready. Select the appropriate terrain, adjust the suspension up to the high setting for a better approach (from 25 to 27 degrees) or departure angle (20 to 23 degrees), and use the full complement of cameras to keep an eye on those pristine fenders. For the other 99.9 percent of the time you’ll be driving, none of that will matter. We tried out all the relevant drive modes and found a custom setting of Normal for the chassis and Power for the drivetrain was the most drivable. Leaving the chassis in Comfort allowed a significant amount of body roll and head toss for the occupants at highway speeds. There’s a Sport mode, but aside from more readily available downshifts, a drive mode didn’t turn the three-ton SUV into an RC F.
The driving experience is as refined as you would expect from a Lexus. Everything simply works. The adaptive cruise control will bring the SUV to a complete stop and accelerate it again with just a tap of the cruise control lever or a light push on the accelerator pedal. We enjoyed the full-color head-up display and the only-when-you-need-it approach to information. The bright display was sharp and easy to see in bright sunlight, and it would display vehicle speed and a compass constantly while briefly showing relevant information whenever necessary. When the speed limit changed, the display would briefly increase in size, drawing our eyes to it, and then shrink back to a less obtrusive position. It’s thoughtful and operates in the seamless manner we expect from Lexus.
Our tester had every option thrown at it. We got the Luxury package, all seven individual options, and a set of all-weather floormats. The Luxury package includes contrast stitched semi-aniline leather seats that are smooth, well-bolstered, and all-day comfortable. There’s heating and ventilation for the front and outboard second-row seats. Our tester also came with a Mark Levinson 19-speaker sound system, dual-screen DVD rear-seat entertainment system, a heated wood steering wheel (only the leather bits get warm), a Qi-compatible wireless device charging tray, a color head-up display, a cool box in the center console, and 21-inch alloy wheels.
How much of that stuff exclusive to the Lexus? Quite a bit, actually. Options not available on the otherwise identical Toyota Land Cruiser include the color head-up display, 21-inch alloy wheels (18s are the only option on the Toyota), the heated wood and leather steering wheel, and ventilation for the outboard second-row seats. Outside of the options list, we thought the center stack on the Lexus was more fitting for an $80,000+ SUV than the more utilitarian feel of the Toyota. Consider the center stack from straight on: a handsome, sweeping horizontal element with wood and aluminum, plus that classic analog clock in the center; below, every illuminated button you can see vanishes when the car is turned off, leaving a minimalistic black and chrome center stack when not in use. It looks great, and it’s attractive like Cadillac’s CUE system, except without the odd capacitive touch system. But like CUE, Lexus isn’t without its quirks: Remote Touch is an odd system with a small joystick that’s used to navigate through the vehicle menus. Is it intuitive? Not really. Would you get used to it? Certainly. We prefer Audi’s MMI infotainment system, which seems to scale nicely no matter the center console.
It seems like nearly every comfort feature in the LX 570 had an automatic setting. Automatic climate control? Yeah, it’s got that. Automatic recirculating or fresh air? We passed a few smokers while crawling through L.A. traffic, and every time we reached to hit the button we found it already on, keeping the stank out of the Lexus. We liked that. Automatic heated and ventilated seats? Set the temperature lower, and the ventilation automatically comes on; set the system to warm you up, and the heated seat kicks on. Good stuff. But, we asked ourselves, what the heck is Climate Concierge? It’s simply a four-zone climate control system that also automatically controls the heated/ventilated seats in addition to the 28 (!) HVAC vents. Speaking of four-zone, when the middle seat of the second row is occupied, there doesn’t seem to be any way to control all those features for the outboard second-row seats; the controls are laid out in the fold-down section of the middle seat. We searched through the menus from the front seat but couldn’t find redundant controls. If you’re not packing it out to the gills, make passengers five and six sit in the third row or set the second-row climate controls to something comfortable before hiding the controls away behind someone’s backside.
The 2016 Lexus LX 570 is an excellent vehicle for a foursome to take on a long road trip. It can handle nearly any situation the weather could feasibly throw at it. The third row will power fold and stow up to the sides of the cargo area, leaving plenty of room for a number of overnight bags. The split power rear tailgate is a helpful feature, as well, allowing you to open just half of the rear tailgate if you want to. The lower half is damped, which avoids the uncultured slamming that would otherwise occur. Lexus knows there’s no such thing as an overlooked detail, and it shows.
The mono-spec 2016 Toyota Land Cruiser retails for $84,820, which is $12,750 less than the Lexus LX 570. Is the Lexus worth it? Logically, perhaps not. But for the logic-bound, there’s always the GX. For some, though, there is no compromise. If you want the option to go anywhere in absolute luxury, the reassurance that you won’t be stranded by questionable reliability, and the extra touches that can’t be had on the Toyota Land Cruiser, then the Lexus LX 570 is absolutely peerless in the segment.
| 2016 Lexus LX570 | |
| BASE PRICE | $89,820 |
| PRICE AS TESTED | $97,570 |
| VEHICLE LAYOUT | Front-engine, 4WD, 8-pass, 4-door SUV |
| ENGINE | 5.7L/383-hp/403-lb-ft DOHC 32-valve V-8 |
| TRANSMISSION | 8-speed automatic |
| CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) | 6,230 lb (51/49%) |
| WHEELBASE | 112.2 in |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT | 199.4 x 78.0 x 73.4 in |
| 0-60 MPH | 7.3 sec |
| QUARTER MILE | 15.6 sec @ 89.9 mph |
| BRAKING, 60-0 MPH | 118 ft |
| LATERAL ACCELERATION | 0.76 g (avg) |
| MT FIGURE EIGHT | 28.2 sec @ 0.61 g (avg) |
| EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON | 13/18/15 mpg |
| ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY | 259/187 kW-hrs/100 miles |
| CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB | 1.31 lb/mile |
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