2021 Lexus LX 570 review: An off-road champ, but tough to recommend

The Lexus LX 570 is in essence a gussied-up Toyota Land Cruiser, so it has some terrific off-road chops. But though the Land Cruiser has this intrinsic interesting component — even far more so with 2020’s Heritage Version — the LX 570 just feels, nicely, previous.

The LX 570 competes in the crowded complete-size SUV section, and employs previous-faculty, entire body-on-body architecture with complete-time all-wheel drive. Only one powertrain is out there, consisting of a in a natural way aspirated, five.7-liter V8 mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

Even with 383 horsepower and 403 pound-feet of torque on faucet, the LX 570 isn’t accurately swift. This is a large, six,a hundred-pound SUV, and it will take 7.3 seconds to strike 60 mph. A complete-size Mercedes-Benz GLS450, on the other hand, has significantly less energy and torque, but thanks to turbocharging and delicate-hybrid technology, it can sprint to 60 mph in five.9 seconds all though returning greater gas performance.

On that take note, the EPA offers the 2021 LX 570 ratings of 12 miles for every gallon city, sixteen mpg freeway and fourteen mpg blended. The GLS450 returns 19 city, 23 freeway and 21 blended, and even far more powerful rivals like the Land Rover Selection Rover and Lincoln Navigator do a little bit greater, both returning sixteen city, 21 freeway and eighteen blended. Through a week of testing, my LX 570 is only averaging 13.six mpg.

The LX’s freeway journey is mostly clean but it truly is very easily upset by bumpy pavement. Potentially the most disconcerting aspect of the driving working experience is the steering, which feels large (yay!) but really numb (boo!). The lack of on-middle steering experience implies I am constantly making modest corrections just to remain in a straight line.

I know homeowners are not likely to run the Lexus LX 570 through the canyons like they would in a sports automobile, but the business provides its SUV Sport and Sport Plus modes to adjust up the throttle and transmission parameters. Even when dialed into Sport Plus, the steering is continue to imprecise and there is a ton of entire body motion. The very good news is that the 8-speed transmission shifts properly in the qualifications, not drawing any consideration to itself.

Luckily, there are numerous normal driving aids, and the adaptive cruise regulate does a nice task of slowing the LX down after I strike traffic. Regrettably, the lower-speed modulation of the adaptive cruise regulate is awful. The LX slams on the brakes and stops abruptly, to the place exactly where I would fairly just drive with this tech off.

All factors thought of, the LX 570 is significantly even worse to drive on-road than very substantially any other complete-size luxurious SUV. But it at the very least can excel off the beaten path. I didn’t have a chance to off-road this tester, but I strike the dirt in an LX in 2016, and the 2021 design is in essence the exact same. A lockable middle differential is normal as is a two-speed transfer circumstance and 5 distinct terrain modes. The air suspension can give the Lexus about eleven inches of floor clearance and there is some nifty technology that applies the brake to an within wheel when the path gets limited. It’s significantly far more able in the rough stuff than anything from BMW or Mercedes-Benz. It’ll totally stand toe-to-toe with a Selection Rover.

Within, the LX can be experienced with two or a few rows of seats, and there is certainly a optimum of 81.3 cubic feet of cargo area. When there is a great deal of space in that 3rd row, it isn’t the most snug. My rear is decrease than my knees, making me experience like I am sitting in a kindergarten chair, but the 2nd row is supercomfy with out there heated and cooled seats, separate weather controls and an out there twin-display DVD program. Regrettably, there isn’t a Wi-Fi hotspot, so your young ones cannot stream Netflix or Hulu or anything like that.

When the cabin is complete of high-class style and it truly is very nicely insulated from road and motor sound, Lexus wants a complete-blown overhaul of its infotainment program. The Enform technology is housed on a 12.3-inch display, controlled by a persnickety joystick that’s complicated and distracting to use. The graphics are outdated, the interface isn’t quick to understand and the total program is just more challenging than it wants to be. Situation in place: When utilizing the in-dash navigation program there is no mute button on the map. In its place I have to exit navigation, go to the standard set up menu, locate the voice settings and mute the directions from there. It’s just not nicely considered out. Commonly I would just say to use your cellular phone for navigation, but neither Apple CarPlay or Android Auto is offered. Ugh. At the very least the LX gains Amazon Alexa integration for 2021.

The LX 570 has two USB Sort-A ports, a wi-fi charging pad and a 12-volt outlet up entrance, but 2nd-row passengers only get one 12-volt plug and a 120-volt outlet. Want charging solutions in the 3rd row? As well bad.

The 2021 Lexus LX 570 starts at $87,605 such as a $one,025 location charge, and my tester just crests the $a hundred,000 mark. That implies the LX is priced in line with other complete-size luxurious contenders, but nice as it is within, the Lexus features significantly significantly less in the way of technology and performance. Actually, if you might be married to this archaic form of SUV and benefit its off-road believability, why not just save $five,000 and get a Toyota Land Cruiser? Following all, it truly is in essence the exact same point.