More luxury, safety and the biggest grille ever for Lexus LX?

In Pebble Beach, Monterey, California, golf can be played for almost all 51 weeks in the year, but in August each year, clubs of a different kind get together – car clubs ascend on this international event, and Lexus though it good to bring its new-look LX.

What is the Lexus LX?

The Lexus LX is the biggest and most expensive vehicle in the Lexus line-up – it makes no excuses for its size and opulence, as it aims for the large luxury SUV market.  LX is a clear indication that this Lexus caters for LuXury.  It is based on the big Land Cruiser, so is said to be as capable in the 4x4 stuff, and even more luxuriously-equipped.

What has changed?

You only need to look at the front to see the major difference – a mega-size grille (is this the biggest ever fitted to a production vehicle?) brings the zig-zag Lexus “spindle” grille into bigger dimensions.

It is now less obvious that it is a reworked Toyota Land Cruiser 200, with the first models launched to South Africa in 2010 but a thinly disguised Land Cruiser.  The 2012 facelift added some LED lighting, but this 2015 facelift sees a major redesign.  Incorporated Lexus L-finesse styling items are visible in the front bumper and all-LED headlights – compare images against the Lexus NX (the smaller cross-over/SUV) and the facial resemblance clearly shows.  The restyle sees only the doors carried over, with bonnet and rear also redesigned.

The previous 6-speed is updated to an 8-speed automatic transmission for improvements in performance and consumption.  The engine is still the full-capacity 5.7 litres of V8, which also gives it the model name of LX 570 – no turbo or diesel offered, and no Lexus Hybrid here.

Standard Lexus Safety System +

Lexus says room for 8 people comes with safety for 8 people.  They could not add more airbags to the already-high count of 10 airbags (driver knee, front passenger knee and rear side airbags are included), so other safety items were added:   the Lexus Safety System + comprises a wide array of driver-assistance technologies, like Pre-Collision System (PCS), with Pedestrian Protection, Lane Departure Alert (LDA),  Intelligent High Beam (IHB), Blind Spot Monitor (BSM) with Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) and All-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (ASDRCC?).  Lexus will also include HUD (Head-Up Display).

To stay competitive against the high-tech toys the guys from Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz and Infiniti bring out, the Lexus LX has been left behind in the tech-race, which buyers of luxury XL SUVs need/want.  Lexus pitches the LX against the big Range Rover (or tries to), Mercedes-Benz GL (the similarly big SUV) and the old-school but very capable G-Class, and is seeing new competition from the arrival of the even-bigger Infiniti QX80.

Local Lexus LX luxury listing?

Lexus has not confirmed local pricing or time availability, though expect to see the new biggest-grille Lexus LX 570 arrive in a few months, and, with all the extra kit, likely to be more than the current luxury retail listing of R 1 364 400 – expect the LX facelift to be closer to the bar-and-a-half mark.