Lexus

Lexus

Japan’s most pompous SUV changed generations and tried to get as far away from the Land Cruiser 300 as possible. Let’s figure out what happened
WE HAVE THE BIGGEST AND PATHOSEST RADIATOR GRILLE IN THE WORLD, AND ALL OTHER GRILLES ENVY US. Behind this manifesto, written on the face of the Lexus LX, it costs nothing to miss the first full-fledged change of generations in fourteen (!) years: it seems that no changes have occurred at all from the outside. Meanwhile, so much effort has been invested in the flagship SUV that it is almost wrong to call it simply a luxury version of the “three hundredth” Land Cruiser. Nearly.
Do not think too much: it still shares the frame, continuous rear axle, engines and transmission with the current Kruzak. But the differences in appearance are more massive than ever – the body panels of the Lexus are entirely their own, not counting the doors! The stylists who went into a rage even dared to tilt the rear pillars – not to the state of “coupe-like”, but quite noticeably – and there was no one in the management who could interfere with them.
In the interior, there are no details in common with the Toyota, although the architecture itself with the endless airfield of the central tunnel is exactly the same. Here, the Japanese had to dodge with all their might, because the original retained the same wheelbase of 2850 mm as the previous generation, and did not really increase in internal dimensions. This is unlikely to be of great concern to Land Cruiser buyers, but among the competitors of the Lexus LX, the Mercedes-Maybach GLS and the BMW X7 have appeared in the past time – and the Range Rover and Cadillac Escalade managed to become newer and more spacious twice as much.
It was impossible to leave this unanswered for the next ten years, so the LX received a VIP version with separate second-row seats and a monumental console between them, which is crowned with a touch control panel. Not that it gave more space to the left passenger, but the right and the main one can fold the chair in front of him and pile his legs on the folding ottoman. It turns out very convenient, and the resemblance to an aircraft business class is enhanced by additional reading lights on the ceiling.
One problem: watching a series or news release in this position will not work, because a large monitor folds together with the front back. It remains to relax and have fun – we bring the chair to a horizontal position, turn on the convincing massage and let the driver go about his business.
By the way, it’s also a sin for him to complain: Lexus interior designers have found a very right balance between traditions and trends. On the one hand, decorum is respected – the dashboard is now digital, not counting additional sensors, multimedia has become larger and more beautiful than before, and it is controlled by a responsive sensor instead of a stupid “mouse” from the previous generation. Here, however, it is necessary to make a reservation that we drove pre-production cars with limited head unit functionality (for example, without navigation), but potentially everything looks logical and accurate.
At the same time, the vast majority of functions are still given to real keys, levers and drums – but all this does not look like the Old Believers, as in the “three hundred”, but is appropriate and neat. It seems to be unnecessary to talk about the quality of materials in Lexuses, but just in case, we note: leather, wood, metal and plastic are still expensive and solid here. Savings on matches, which are slowly hitting even the top-end Mercedes, have not yet made their way into the LX.
BB.
I already wanted to shout: “Yes, we believe, we believe!”, But the test organizers continued to throw up various tests designed to prove that we are dealing with a real and very capable SUV. Is it in vain that there is a lowering row, inter-axle and optional inter-wheel locks, a bunch of control electronics modes, including “off-road cruise control”, all-round cameras with the effect of a transparent hood and a hydropneumatic suspension that allows you to lift the body by more than 30 centimeters?
Therefore, on the route there were fords, and dried up riverbeds, where cars hung out at frightening angles, and steep ascents and descents, on which it became a little uncomfortable. Lexus, of course, coped with all this: only viscous and loose places will be terrible for him, where you can’t wave off any blockages from an almost three-ton mass. But, as in the case of the Range Rover, in reality, this entire arsenal will be idle – because who would think of deliberately rushing off-road in such a car? Even for the Land Cruiser, they eventually came up with an “off-road” version of the GR Sport, realizing that it would be a pity to torment the usual one. And then there’s the Lexus with its shiny grille…
But what was definitely not in vain was hundreds of kilometers of various Georgian primers: it was there that the LX showed not only commendable, but also the necessary qualities. The same hydropneumatics – architecturally the same as the previous generation, but carefully redesigned and still inaccessible to Kruzak – can do almost magical things. She does not notice small country pits at all, more irregularities are neatly marked (so that you remember about 22-inch wheels that are worth saving), and the most interesting thing happens at the bends: having sunk into a sudden low with all the carcass, Lexus … Just goes on! Without sharp blows, buildup and everything else that you have already prepared for. https://cars45.com.gh/listing/lexus/nx/2015
However, this idyll does not last forever: Lexus does not like sharp bumps, stones or a large comb and lets quite sensitive pokes into the cabin. They do not happen so often, but they are more upsetting than they could be, precisely because of the contrast. It’s still better than the Land Cruiser, which vibrates and shakes everywhere – but there you at least get used to it. And then I just relaxed and forgot – and hello again, welcome to the real world.
However, even on primers, real, and not journalistic, LX will drive not that often. But on asphalt – from freshly laid to relic – almost always. And here the dual nature of the Lexus is almost no longer manifested: in aggregate it is very comfortable, very quiet and unexpectedly light in sensations.