The Lexus LX 600 debuts with two variants and a lot of grille.
The all-new Toyota Land Cruiser was revealed back in June and already has a waiting list that’s four years long. In the meantime, Toyota Motor Corporation has decided to unveil the more upmarket Lexus LX 600 that is built on the same bones and features the same engine and transmission. This new, fourth-generation Lexus LX also adopts the GA-F body-on-frame chassis which is 20% more rigid than the one it replaces while also being quite a bit lighter. The all-new Lexus LX sheds some 200kg versus its direct predecessor.
Now, you may be wondering, ‘why the need for such a large front grille?’ Well, the equivalent Land Cruiser from Toyota is powered by the same 3.5-litre V6 twin turbo, and this new setup may be running a little hotter and require more airflow than the outgoing V8 engine. What we do know is that this “V35A-FTS” engine is measurably more efficient and powerful with 409 hp and 649Nm of torque. The engine is mated to the Direct Shift 10-speed automatic gearbox with a torque converter, lockup, and a ‘cross gear ratio setting’.
Lexus Offroad Toughness
Very few in the right mind would take a Lexus offroading, but the LX was made for the toughest conditions. The suspension stroke with 100mm of bound and 145mm of rebound helps achieve exceptional rough road performance. The Lexus LX has four-link axle suspension with rear lateral control arms with a loonger rebound stroke versus the previous model, and refined control of axle movement. The rear shock absorbers are placed outside of the lower control arm and the shock absorber mounting angle is now matched to the angle of the axle’s movement. An oil pan guard has been installed to protect the lower body of the automatic transmission.
The new Lexus LX also features Multi-Terrain Select – Auto, Dirt, Sand, Mud, Deep Snow and Rock conditions are supported in both low range and high range. Crawl Control allows the LX to move forwards or backwards in one of five low speeds to reduce tyre slippage over tough terrain.
Downhill Assist Control modulated hydraulic brake pressure to all four brakes to maintain vehicle descent speed. Multi-Terrain Monitor uses 4 vehicles to give the driver all-round visibility on the 12.3″ display. This includes the new Back Underfloor View, which works a bit like Land Rover’s ClearSight Ground View, but with an option of seeing what’s under the rear wheels as well.
On-road performance is also excellent, with the new GA-F platform delivering the Lexus Driving Signature in conjunction with Active Height Control, Adaptive Variable Suspension, Electric Power Steering, and Electronically Controlled Brakes.
Lexus LX Variants
The Lexus LX 600 will be sold in two grades to begin with – Ultra Luxury and F Sport. With Ultra Luxury, the rear seats can be reclined up to 48 degrees. Exclusive comfort features are present such as sunshades, reading lights, a full-body comfort breeze experience and more.
The Lexus LX 600 F Sport takes sporty styling more seriously with 22″ forged aluminium wheels, an F mesh spindle grille design with a jet-black chrome grille frame, textured leather appointments, F Sport emblems, F designed seats and an exclusive Ultra White exterior + Circuit Red interior option present.
This version also comes with a Torsen LSD, a rear stabiliser, and special tuning of the EPS and AVS.
