Living large in the lap of luxury
(This review is representative of model years 2003 to 2006)

The Lexus LX 470 has been one of our favorite vehicles since it was first introduced in 1998. The LX 470 competes at the top of the luxury SUV market with such other marquee names as the Range Rover, Infiniti QX56, Lincoln Navigator and Cadillac Escalade.

The underpinnings of the LX 470 is the highly capable Toyota Land Cruiser, but with a different grille, taillamps, wheels and aproximately $10,000 more in added luxury trim, wood, leather, illuminated running boards and other standard features.

The luxurious LX 470 received a mild face-lift for 2003 and visually remains unchanged for 2006. While attractive, the boxy style is beginning to show its age and losing ground to other top brands like Range Rover, Mercedes ML and Infiniti QX56, who all have recently introduced newly designed styles.

The Lexus LX 470 is a full-size, four-door SUV available as one fully loaded model with a base price of $66,995. For 2006, the horsepower on the 4.7-liter V8 engine has been increased to 275 – an increase of 40 hp from last year’s output. Power is routed to the full-time four-wheel-drive system by way of a buttery-smooth five-speed automatic transmission.

Think of a luxury, comfort or safety feature and most likely it comes standard on the LX 470. In addition to the usual power features like seats, windows, mirrors and locks, Lexus adds a tilt-slide moonroof, 11-speaker Mark Levinson audio system, three rows of sumptuous and perforated leather seating, DVD navigation system, power tilt-telescoping steering wheel with auto tilt-away, power-folding and heated outside rearview mirrors and an interior air system with activated charcoal micron filter that operates automatically when high levels of air pollution are detected, to remove dust, pollen – even odors.

Inside are two front bucket seats with three place middle and rear bench seats with room for eight, but realistically comfortable for six. Our stone leather-colored seats were exceptionally comfortable. Attractive golden bird’s-eye maple wood trim was stylishly applied to the dash, center console and door trim. The steering wheel and gearshift knob were finished in a combination of wood and leather trim. Tasteful use of chrome also adds to the sense of luxury.

The center dash features a standard 7-inch multi-functional LCD screen. Shifting from park to reverse activates a rear camera providing a view of what’s behind the vehicle on the LCD screen. The LCD screen also functions as the navigation display, which integrates some audio and climate controls, identifying disc and track titles and CD or DVD-select from the changer. You can also watch a DVD movie from the screen, but for safety reasons, only while the vehicle is in park.

Like all Lexus vehicles, attention to even the smallest conveniences abound: sun visors include a ticket holder and are dual-folding for those times when you need to block the sun from both front and side; seat backs have map pockets; an overhead sunglass holder; power windows are one-touch express-power up and down; rear passengers have their own stereo controls, headphones and even climate control in the third row. Perfect for our hot Arizona climate is a remote control feature that opens all windows with the press of a button.

Our tester included the optional Night View ($2,200), which uses near-infrared technology (think night-vision goggles) to illuminate deer, people or other obstacles in the road at night up to 500 feet away and displays them on a small section of the windshield in front of the driver. It worked beautifully, but I found it distracting, almost like watching a small movie screen instead of the road ahead.

For those few who would take a $72,000 LX 470 off-road and chance putting Arizona pinstripes on the beautiful metallic finish, you won’t be disappointed by the performance. While I didn’t ford any streams or climb mountain trails, I felt the LX 470 was more than capable of doing so.

Similar to the Range Rover, the LX 470 has a one-button adjustable ride height that allows increased ground height for trail and off-road driving. A locking center differential, rear limited-slip differential and shift into low range, plus the huge 275/60HR 18-inch mud and snow tires, will pull you through just about anything Arizona off-roading can throw your way.

We drove our tester from Phoenix to Pine-Strawberry experiencing ride and handling characteristics that were smooth, quiet and luxurious. Of course, the thick leather seats and Mark Levinson audio system only added to the pleasure. But this is a big, heavy vehicle and all of that luxury comes at a price with gas mileage rated at 13-mpg city and 17-mpg highway. We averaged 13.3-mpg during our week of mostly highway driving.

Standard safety equipment includes four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, front, side and curtain airbags, electronic brakeforce distribution and BreakAssist for full panic stopping. Stability control and tire-pressure monitoring systems have been added for 2006. The LX 470 has not been crash tested by either the NHTSA or IIHS.

The LX 470 is an exceptional vehicle combining impressive off-road capabilities and premium first-class luxury. When considering Lexus’ reputation for quality, dependability, low depreciation and an excellent dealer network, the LX 470 remains one of our all-around favorite vehicles.

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