On the road
the Lexus Lx 570 gets an extreme makeover that improves upon the suv’s technological and mechanical bits
The 2016 Lexus LX 570 is as a monster of a car that is as massive as anything found in the Jurassic Era
SUVS are the favourite vehicles in this part of the world. People like them small, big, fast on the road and on sand, simple and tricked out! In fact, you could put yourself to sleep if you were to count the number of SUVS driving down your street.
And in the thick of it all is Toyota’s superlative cousin, Lexus. The general consensus is that Lexus Suvsare perfect from a utilitarian point of view — they can flaunt financial success while remaining relatively affordable in comparison to their German counterparts. Well, that was up until now. Today, we review their most prized possession — the 2016 Lexus LX 570 platinum that wears a retail price well north of Dh400,000.
DESIGN & AESTHETICS
If you didn’t know the king of the Lexus SUV line- up — the LX 570 — was based on the Toyota Land Cruiser, chances are you also think that the Earth is flat. But what you would know, by the overwhelming number you see on the roads, is that it has taken ‘ full- size’ to a whole new level. Yes, the 5,065mm and 1,980 mm-width is as massive as anything from the Jurassic era. It’s a real truck, meaning that it uses a body- on- frame chassis instead of the modern day monocoque.
Earlier, there were complaints that the LX 570 and Land Cruiser looked too similar but with the 2016 revamp on both models, they look far apart— which is a good thing. The LX 570 has become bold and impressionable, thanks to the evolved Lexus spindle grille upfront. Also new for 2016, the tick- shaped LED day time running lamps and vertical LED fog lamps.
But even with the multitude of purposefully placed creases and sculpting, the view from the profile reflects that it’s a truck derivative — it’s big and boxy. To keep the bling quotient high, Lexus lets the LX ride on big shiny 21- inch wheels, which has as many spokes as minutes on a clock face.
Some of the LC or Land Cruiser
familiarity is retained in the hindquarters. The LX, though, gets L- shaped LED tail lamps and the same swiping blinkers, similar to that upfront.
Climbing aboard is like entering the USS Enterprise. There is an air of luxury and sophistication that comes with space and an array of gadgetry.
The LX has the best driving seat in town. The leather is textured for primo softness and the seats themselves are broad, wide and flat, letting you sink into it like a couch. You could spend hours behind the wheel without complaint — it’s for the long haul.
The Lexus interior has an 80s inspired feel with its button layout and horizontal dash. The ambient lighting is subtle and the gauges are very readable. You can dress up the interiors, with a variety of veneers and they are all winners.
With the price tag comes all the bells and whistles of a superlative SUV. There are buttons and electronic engagements for conveniences you never knew existed. Newfor2016, is the 12.3- inch full- colour infotainment screen that fits on the dashboard with a landscape orientation. Control is not via idrive like control or touch but Lexus Remote Touch control, which is an apparatus that works a bit like a PC mouse — you need to nudge it to move from menu to menu. It’s all well and good, but it lacked fluidity in operation.
Downbelow, adjacent to the shift lever, is where most people would get lost. There are toggle switches and twistable knobs for air suspension, ride height, diff lock, drive modes and so on and so forth. All of which is programmed to make you a better off- road driver.
Surprisingly, for a vehicle of such proportions, the driving position is great and the outward visibility is even better, shrinking the external size. But you still need to pay attention, especially in parking lots and ramps.
POWERTRAIN & PERFORMANCE
This vehicle is designed to carry up to eight individuals; and considering the weight of the passengers and that the car itself weighs about 2,800 kg… that’s nearly 3 tonnes! You can only imagine what it would take to motivate this car! Since it’s 2016, you are probably expecting a large displacement motor aided by a turbocharger to do that job. Instead, Lexus has retained their reliable 5.7- litre V8. If we had to describe it in one word, we’d say… adequate.
The big improvement is in the transmission. The 2016 model comes with a modern 8- speed unit, which gives advantage to all dimensions of performance including acceleration, fuel economy and general drivability.
After hours on the road, our conclusion is that it is perfectly suited for the highways, with plenty of poke for running past others. However, the dash to the 100 km/ h, even at 7.7 seconds, lags behind in comparison to the Range Rovers, Mercedes GLS and Escalade.
To reduce CO2 emissions, Lexus has specified extensive use of plant- derived plastics for components, instead of petroleum- derived plastics. And that is something to feel good about, but on the road, the fuel economy figures are dismal, logging 100kms in 14.4l/ km on average. There is a large 138- litre tank — that’s roughly 3 times the size of some tanks — which means you won’t have to pull over too often.
As for braking, the LX 570 has large 354 mm disc rotors upfront and 345 mm rotors at the rear. The braking performance is strong, but our advice is to brake early to keep the car’s composure — else you have the nose diving deep into the front. That brings us to the main event… its ability to take on Mother Nature’s elements. As standard, the car comes with agreeable off- roading characteristics. The fording depth is 700 mm, which would have proved very useful to some during the rainy weeks in other emirates.
To further its expedition into difficult terrain, you have air suspension that allows you to adjust ride height; drive modes are set for Mud & Sand, Loose Rock, Mogul, Rock & Dirt or Rock. It is also equipped with a 5- speed Crawl Control to get past tricky sand situations.
You have the innovative Turn Assist, which helps you make U- turns in tight situations by braking the inner wheels. To help avoid blind spots, the Multi- ter- rain Monitor displays views from four cameras.
Other areas where the LX excels are cabin quality and ride quality. With all the high quality insulation and good build quality, driving becomes a quiet affair, especially at low speeds. Of course, the slab- sided nature means there is some noise at speed. Ride quality works on the contrary. At speed, it floats over road undulations like its second nature, but at low speed, especially over speed humps, it can get bouncy.
FEATURES & FUNCTIONALITY
Lexus is not just your plain- Jane SUV. It is equipped with as many features and conveniences as the number of stars in the clear night sky ( which you can view through the panoramic sunroof).
For entertainment, youhavea9- speaker audio unit as standard and you can have more than double that number if you order the Platinum model which comes with the 19- speaker unit by renowned manufacturer Mark Levinson.
In the second row, occupants can enjoy two independent 11.6- inch displays and a wireless headphone. It is something that can keep your children occupied once you get them off the ipad addition. There is a charging tray that enables wireless charging of batteries in Qi- compatible smartphones.
Onthe safety front, it’s no less of a tank. It has Pre- Crash Safety System, Lane Departure Alert, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Blind Spot Monitor System and Rear Cross Traffic Alert. In the unfortunate event of an accident, you have 10 airbags help cushion the impact of a crash. The air- conditioner on this car has been given a peculiar name — Lexus Climate Concierge. The 4- zone control automatically controls the cabin temperature, seat heaters and ventilation.
VERDICT
The 2016 Lexus LX 570 is the epitome of luxury SUV, meant for the traditional customer. Chances are people who have been witness to the reliability and practicality of the older models will queue up for a model swap this year. So if you are looking for a luxury 8- seater SUV that can be taken off road, this could be it, but if road manners and badges matter, you may want to look westward.