Lexus LX 570 2018 Review

Different horses

It would be easy to dismiss the 2018 Lexus LX570 as an oversized, overpriced petrol guzzler. To many people, it is.

But the argument around the Lexus and its relevance to the buying public begins to lose merit when speaking with rusted-on enthusiasts such as Colin Smith, a rural NSW property owner whose nine-year-old LX570 has now bear witness to 170,000km worth of abuse, much of that on his niggly and corrugated driveway - a 25km dirt road.

"I wouldn't own anything else," says Smith, whose sprawling property, River Island Nature Resort, in the NSW Southern Highlands, incidentally plays host to the off-road portion of this road test.

In its intended environment, or even travelling the open road, the Lexus is hard to beat - a perfect fit for someone like Colin. But to the rest of us, what's it like to actually live with?

We spent a week-and-a-half and about 2300km, including a Sydney-Melbourne return journey, to find out.

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The details

The LX570 has gone without seismic change for a number of years, Lexus instead choosing to bring incremental improvements along the way. The latest round of changes occurred in August, 2017.

In essence, what we have here is a Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series Sahara under the skin, fit with all the requisite niceties including heated leather chairs, a cooler bin and an eight-seat capacity.

The major point of difference between Lexus and Toyota is what's under the bonnet. Whereas the LandCruiser relies on a tried and tested 4.5-litre twin-turbo V8, petrol is king in the Lexus - reflective of the car's major market appeal in the Middle East, where unleaded is cheap as chips.

In fact, Lexus doesn't have a diesel in its current SUV line-up. But that will soon change with revelations the LandCruiser's diesel engine will eventually find its way into a five-seat version of the LX.

For now, the Lexus' 5.7-litre (hence '570') naturally aspirated V8 produces 270kW and 530Nm, and is tied to an eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission.

Then there's the price. The Lexus costs $143,160 plus on-road costs. The flagship Sahara version of the LandCruiser retails for about $120,000.

On top of that, our test vehicle added a $16,500 'Enhancement Pack' bringing 21-inch alloy wheels, heated steering wheel, front seat ventilation and second-row seat heater and ventilation.

The Lexus employs a body on frame chassis design that is familiar to the LandCruiser, along with air suspension that is height adjustable for off-roading. There's even an 'Access' mode that lowers the car, allowing occupants to access the broad side steps before hoisting themselves into the cabin.

There is some important safety tech on offer, with items such as forward collision mitigation (AEB) with pedestrian detection, adaptive high-beam, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitor, head-up display, rear cross-traffic alert and tyre-pressure monitoring featuring on the standard equipment list.

On the towing front, the Lexus boasts a 3500kg braked capacity.

The Lexus is backed by a four-year/100,000km factory warranty, while servicing intervals are set at every six months/10,000km - almost archaic compared with German rivals.

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Everyday amenity

You go without very little in the LX: acres of space, quality leather and trims, heated or ventilated everything and modern luxuries including integrated second-row passenger blinds, a cooler box and a 240-volt household power outlet.

It's a dichotomy of sorts, one that juggles luxuries including a cracking Mark Levinson stereo with at-times agricultural on-road tendencies.

Overall the cabin is a nice place to be - soft and comfortable being the two headline words that come to mind.

Storage is also formidable. In a vehicle this big, you're unlikely to be short on space, while incidental hidey holes are well considered thanks to a selection of cubbies and compartments. If anything the door pockets are a little tight for your garden-variety water bottle.

However, for all of Lexus' efforts, there is one big caveat: the infotainment system. It's a horrid set-up, accessed via a tyranny of buttons and a toggle switch that seemingly comes straight from the catalogue of a 1990s Super Nintendo. The matching 12.3-inch colour screen lacks the clarity and intuition of rivals, too, though handily it does help shrink the size of the LX with a reversing camera and wrap-around camera.

Rear seat room is generous and bolstered with the fitment of blinds that retract into the door sleeve, separate controls for the air vents, and access to storage spaces and charging points.

Again, the mix isn't perfect. While the Lexus handily offers entertainment screens mounted behind the headrests, they tend to eat up important space if you're using a reverse-mounted baby seat, forcing the front chair almost all the way forward.

The third row is accessed via easy-to-use tumble seats. We didn't spend any time in the rearmost bleachers, but there's ample wiggle room for short trips. With the seats stowed (against the outer windows, significantly taking up space), there's 701 litres of luggage space along with an electric tailgate.

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Long distance hauler

There's no escaping the LX570's sheer size and mass once on the road. At 5100mm long and 2000mm wide, it is an unashamedly big car.

However, its size proves a major redeeming feature during our extended road test.

The Lexus' first major assignment comes in the form of a classic road trip: Sydney to Melbourne. We're actually heading further south to Phillip Island for the recent World Superbikes event.

Loaded up, baby seat installed, air conditioning cranked, cooler box on full blast, there was some trepidation around how many times we'd need to fuel the big LX before reaching Melbourne. The answer? Zip, thanks to the car's monstrous 138-litre tank and the fact the engine is well versed in highway driving.

The Lexus eats up the highway driving, barely idling along at 1500rpm and using a combined 11.5L/100km combined - well down on the 14.4L claim. This is despite an engine that was only 600km old when we picked it up, and the fact the car was more than 3000kg fully loaded (two adults, a baby and all the associated paraphernalia, plus a 2700kg kerb weight!).

The ride was cushy too, the air suspension floating along the Hume with a subtle waft over washouts, shaking off all but the harshest of bumps without interrupting the cabin. Wind noise and road noise are well contained, while the engine is barely audible once up to speed.

In all, the experience allowed you to emerge from the cabin fresh and happy after lengthy stints in the driver's seat.

Away from the Hume and in the city, it would be possible to double our 11.5L/100km fuel use figure, but the Lexus can be driven in a way that manages fuel use, such is the progressiveness of the engine.

Working in unison with the smooth-shifting eight-speed, the bent-eight picks up speed smoothly and makes light work of the vehicle's kerb weight. In headier situations, it will happily pick up the pace, too, though forward progress is never blinding the engine needs to be revved to hit its straps.

Through the corners, the body is prone to some roll and the steering wheel will nibble over mid-corner bumps, but the experience is never disconcerting. Ditto the brake pedal action, which is long and quite cushy.

We didn't tow with the LX570 this time round, but earlier tests have proven it as a true workhorse in every sense.

Off-road warrior

At the other end of the spectrum, we took the Lexus up some craggy hill-climbs, through sand, over moguls and through a river crossing - all courtesy of the aforementioned River Island Nature Retreat.

It excelled in each situation, using a combination the Torsen centre differential, electronic aids and accessible V8 grunt to tackle obstacles with composure and confidence.

More incredible is how light it feels on its feet with wheels hanging in the air. At no point did your correspondent feel flustered or panicked, despite the car's sheer mass and price.
Key to the vehicle's off-road prowess is a crawl function that essentially sets a speed and allows the vehicle to amble along on its own, allowing the driver to focus on steering.

Armed with a 25-degree approach angle and 20-degree departure angle (along with a 225mm ground clearance), the 570's gleaming guards fortunately survive our off-road experience unscathed.

In a testament to our host's nine-year-old LX, our sparking 'Sonic Quartz' example revelled on the heavily corrugated rounds near Wombeyan Caves.

In fact, it felt more comfortable in this situation than any other during the 2300km journey, and got better with speed - shaking off the unrelenting bumps, steering confidently through sweeping corners and holding its weight superbly.

Verdict

Would you purchase an LX570 over a LandCruiser? Each prospect clearly has its fans and critics - and you can expect the debate to go into overdrive when the diesel-powered LX450 materialises.

Away from that, the creamy petrol engine, added luxury and badge cachet of the Lexus do have merit. After 2300km at the wheel, you can start to see what all the fuss is about.

2018 Lexus LX570 pricing and specifications:
Price: $143,160 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 5.7-litre eight-cylinder petrol
Output: 270kW/530Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 14.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 334g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP