• last year
The Lexus LX has finally lobbed in Australia and it's set to be just a little more expensive than the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series. Paul Maric checks out the Ultra Luxury four-seat version before we have a proper drive soon!

Hardness tester results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/121Auf6HGvaBqRToYcuAz94alin7Sw55SpOPECBDlnKE

2022 Toyota LandCruiser VX review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqt5Sqqkf_g
2022 Toyota LandCruiser GR Sport review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQqTIwjBQB0
Every 300 Series LandCruiser 4WD feature tested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls55_rMYFzM
2022 Toyota LandCruiser Sahara ZX review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMZcA4IAgk0

Skip Ahead:
Intro: 00:00
Exterior 1:00
Interior 6:48
Infotainment 9:11
Safety Tech 11:39
Practicality 12:48
Second Row 14:56
Luggage Space 18:10
Verdict 19:35

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#lexus #lx #review
Transcript
00:00 G'day, I'm Paul. So have you been waiting for a Land Cruiser but kind of don't want to wait any longer?
00:05 Well, you might have another option now and that is the Lexus LX.
00:08 It's based on the 300 Series Land Cruiser,
00:10 but has a whole lot of luxury stuff in it and Lexus has gone super upmarket with this latest version of the LX.
00:18 Now today I'm going to give you a quick walk around of this and run you through some of the features of the car before
00:23 we drive it a little later on, but I'll give you as much detail as I can, especially on this one here.
00:27 This is the top spec. It's called the Ultra Luxury. It's got four seats, so it's like a proper limousine style thing.
00:34 Now this competes with things like the new Range Rover, the Mercedes-Benz GLS and
00:39 ironically the Toyota Land Cruiser as well.
00:42 If you do want to skip ahead to other parts of this walk around you can use the time codes on the screen or if you're
00:47 on YouTube, you can scroll down and use the chapters below and if you haven't done so already,
00:51 subscribe to our channel and press the bell icon because that's going to tell you every single time
00:56 we're in a very white echoey room.
00:58 Let's talk about design. So the exciting news about the LX for Australia is that we won't just be locked into the diesel.
01:06 We're going to get the LX600. We're also going to get the diesel version as well.
01:10 So instead of you know, the situation we have with the Land Cruiser where you only have a diesel option available,
01:15 we can actually go down the path of petrol here, which is exciting news for me because I do love the diesel in the Land Cruiser,
01:21 but I think having a petrol option as well will be pretty cool.
01:24 Now typical Lexus design in the sense that you have this enormous grille. In fact, this is probably the biggest grille
01:31 I've ever seen but I have mentioned in our previous Lexus reviews that they actually
01:35 sport a big grille nicely. It's not like BMW that has the big grille and it just looks a little bit strange.
01:41 This really just blends in nicely with the front there. They've done a great job with the colour scheme as well.
01:46 It's got that sort of brushed look on the front there, the big Lexus logo and then a number plate surround just down the bottom
01:52 there as well. So I think that Lexus has gone down the stylish path with this and you've got to consider that if someone does
01:58 want something that is hardcore and off-road friendly, they will go down the path of a Land Cruiser.
02:03 Whereas this, it kind of splits the two differences. You've got off-road capability, but it also looks stylish and classy,
02:09 a bit like a Range Rover does and I think that's the market they're going for with this.
02:13 Jump over here to the headlights. So this uses what Lexus calls BladeScan technology.
02:20 So it's effectively a matrix LED headlight.
02:23 So when you are driving down the road, you're able to run these in high beam without dazzling other drivers.
02:28 We've actually shot a video explaining how this stuff works and comparing headlight technologies. You can watch that by
02:34 clicking up there. You've got an LED daytime running light in there and also a LED indicator. Headlight washers here as well.
02:41 So if you do any off-road driving,
02:42 these are going to be great for blasting mud and all this sort of debris that you can get over your headlights.
02:47 Often it will come in over these top sections under the bonnet and then coat the headlights.
02:52 So it is important to have a washer there to get rid of all that stuff as you go.
02:55 And then you have cooling down the side and also across the bottom there. Have a look at these wheels.
03:00 These are absolutely enormous. So 22 inch alloy wheels and the interesting thing is they're on a decent profile tire,
03:08 so they don't look gaudy or out of place.
03:10 And that's I think important because you don't want to be driving around in your Lexus having these giant chrome wheels.
03:15 This actually looks really nice and classy. It's got that sort of
03:18 brushed finish on it. You've got the Lexus logo in the center there. Black brake calipers in the Land Cruiser,
03:24 they're not colored. So here at least they look a little bit different with Lexus branding on them as well.
03:29 This also has adaptive suspension and height adjustable suspension.
03:33 So it does mean that you can, while you're driving, move the height up and down.
03:37 It's useful for off-road driving and also for access height as well.
03:40 You can lower it a little bit to make getting in and out of the vehicle easier. With the Land Cruiser, certainly for Australia,
03:46 you can only get adaptive suspension on one of the grades and you can also only get EKDSS on one of the grades.
03:52 But as we've discovered previously, it doesn't actually work all that well in terms of handling.
03:57 So I think it's good that they've got a, I guess, a better, more luxury focus system in place here for the LX.
04:04 Jump up here with the wing mirror. You've got that chrome element along there with body colored top and bottom.
04:10 You've got a camera built into there as well. So this is for the 360 camera, but also for the multi-terrain mode as well.
04:16 So you would have seen with some of our previous Land Cruiser reviews that
04:19 off-road cameras are important for being able to actually trek off-road and these are able to stitch an image together
04:24 so you can actually see what's happening under the car as you drive over obstacles.
04:29 So given it is such a big car,
04:30 you want to have as much vision as you can while you are driving off-road.
04:33 Indicator built into there as well.
04:35 And then you have more of that chrome garnish along the windows and then you've got a chrome finish as well on the roof rails.
04:41 A little disappointed with the side steps.
04:43 They're sort of a plastic finish.
04:45 I would have loved to see something like the Maybach GLS that has
04:48 steps that come out of the side or at least just something that looks a little bit better than just a
04:52 bit of a scratchy plastic finish on there. Privacy glass and then come around to the back.
04:57 So this is probably what I love about the modern Lexus, right?
05:01 So LED lights that run along the back here. We saw it in the NX that we recently tested and I think it's
05:08 it's subtle but effective in the way that it works.
05:10 So you can see just really highlights how wide and pronounced that rear end is. The Lexus lettering looks fantastic as well.
05:17 Again, it's it's subtle enough but really sort of sits there nicely and and pronounced. Full LED taillight cluster.
05:24 So in addition to that center section that runs all the way along, this is all LED including this bottom section here.
05:30 So, I don't know LED just is really nice and premium, especially on a vehicle like this and it just confuses me why
05:36 some manufacturers still use like a mix of LED and incandescent globes.
05:40 This is just the optimum way to go about it. So badging LX600.
05:45 I mentioned earlier you do get the two variants available, the diesel and the petrol.
05:49 So they will have different badges down there depending on which one that you choose.
05:51 So this comes standard as well like the Land Cruiser with a wiring harness for the tow bar.
05:56 So that means all of this is ready to configure and install the tow bar on.
06:00 I like the way they've concealed this a little better than on the 300 series. It just looks neater there.
06:05 You've got a different color there to the body. And in fact, you've got the body color there.
06:09 This is like a bit of a matte finish and then it comes down to this bottom section.
06:13 Your reverse light is built into there as well. So it doesn't sort of sit within that main cluster.
06:18 The one thing you will notice up here is shark fin aerial up the top, but also this camera here.
06:22 So the rear vision camera is just a regular camera, but also is digital as well.
06:28 So as this wipes across it clears debris off that so you always have good vision at the rear of the car.
06:34 Now, let me know in the comments section below. What do you think about the design of the LX?
06:39 Do you think it looks better than the Land Cruiser?
06:41 And if you are on the wait list for a Land Cruiser,
06:43 are you going to consider maybe upgrading to one of these because you'll probably get it a little bit quicker.
06:47 So we're inside the LX.
06:49 Let's start off with the key. So here it is here. You've got lock, unlock, boot.
06:55 You've got a panic button, a little Lexus logo down the bottom there.
06:58 This sort of metallic trim and then on the back a Lexus logo as well.
07:02 So it's a push-button start. So you leave that in your pocket.
07:05 Once you're inside you have a start button up here.
07:07 The start button is interesting though because it has a little fingerprint reader on it.
07:11 So you can register up to 10 fingerprints on that and that will basically
07:14 authenticate you as the owner of the car and also then set your preferences.
07:18 So whether that's seating, mirrors, that kind of thing,
07:20 it's all done just as you push your finger on that.
07:22 So clever setup and I think that it is, I guess, a good way to get around the key issue.
07:27 It means you can share a key with your partner
07:29 and you don't need to then worry about configuring all your settings once you get inside the car.
07:33 Now in terms of the design, you'll notice that this looks, I guess, completely different to the Land Cruiser
07:38 and that's what I like about this.
07:39 I was a bit worried it was going to be just a clone of the Land Cruiser in terms of the interior layout,
07:44 but typical Lexus, they've gone to town on luxury.
07:47 So you've got these soft touch finishes along the dashboard all the way down the centre console.
07:52 The roof has this, I don't know what it is, it's like a felt finish to it
07:57 and it just really looks high-end and premium.
07:59 You can't mistake this for anything other than a Lexus.
08:02 So Toyota/Lexus have done a great job differentiating the two of them.
08:06 You'll also notice a different layout for the screen.
08:08 So you've got a big infotainment screen up the top plus a secondary screen beneath it.
08:12 So I'll run you through all of that in just a second.
08:14 And I do like as well the open-pore wood trim around the cabin.
08:18 It looks really nice and classy and it removes any obvious notion of piano black, which is great news.
08:24 Now, what about your touch points?
08:26 So, that is nice and soft and it is soft on the door as well.
08:30 How soft are they?
08:31 Well, we've got our durometer.
08:32 We've tested the main surfaces in this cabin.
08:34 If you want to see how this car compares to others that we've tested before,
08:38 have a look at the link in the description.
08:39 Build quality.
08:41 Everything feels incredibly solid inside the cabin here.
08:45 So if you are spending this kind of coin, it is all going to feel like it will stand the test of time.
08:50 And finally, our door test.
08:51 Sounds really nice and solid.
08:55 It also has a self-closer on the door, so it will suck the door in if you don't close it all the way.
09:01 And I also love as well, very quickly, the windows.
09:06 So as you put them up, they slow down as they tuck into that spot up the top there.
09:10 So pretty cool setup.
09:11 Let's talk infotainment.
09:12 So I mentioned earlier that there is a big departure from Toyota's infotainment system here.
09:17 And I think that's a good thing because, I don't know, after driving a few Land Cruisers now,
09:21 I kind of don't really like that infotainment system.
09:24 It's good, but it is just a little bit clumsy in terms of how it works.
09:27 So the Lexus uses the new Lexus infotainment system.
09:30 So it's a 12.3-inch widescreen display up the top there.
09:33 It is a colour touchscreen.
09:35 You can migrate between the menus by using the touch on the display there.
09:38 So it's a really nice setup, very easy to use and actually quite intuitive.
09:43 This also has remote connectivity, so you'll be able to connect to the car using a phone
09:47 application similar to the rest of Lexus products.
09:50 And that means you also get the SOS function up the top here.
09:52 So if you do have a car accident, you're able to hit that and it will then dial
09:55 emergency services on your behalf.
09:57 In terms of smartphone mirroring, you have both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
10:01 I'll show you what Apple CarPlay looks like.
10:03 There it is.
10:03 So massive display there.
10:04 It's ultra sharp as well.
10:06 Very quick and easy to use.
10:09 That's a wired system.
10:10 And this is what Android Auto looks like.
10:12 So again, nice full-screen integration.
10:15 Very snappy too.
10:18 So really impressive setup there.
10:19 I love the way that looks.
10:20 That is very sharp.
10:21 Also has inbuilt satellite navigation just natively within its own ecosystem.
10:26 You get AM/FM, DAB, digital radio.
10:30 Now, are you seated?
10:31 I hope so.
10:32 25-speaker Mark Levinson sound system.
10:35 That is incredible.
10:36 I think everywhere you look, there are speakers.
10:38 So it is a huge speaker count.
10:40 And typically in Lexus products, the Mark Levinson sound system is excellent.
10:43 And I think this will be absolutely no exception.
10:46 But we will wait until we get a chance to test that.
10:48 Now, beneath that display, you have a seven-inch display.
10:50 Now, this is where you control some of the vehicle's four-wheel drive settings.
10:53 You can see exactly what the car's doing in terms of its off-road modes.
10:57 So you can see here, you've got your pitch and roll angles, brake and accelerator.
11:01 This is where you can engage turn assist, that technology that tightens up the
11:05 turning circle.
11:06 You can then also move through to climate control menus while you do still have
11:09 manual controls down the bottom.
11:11 This allows you to flick between those different settings, including the option
11:14 of just limiting air conditioning to the front row and stopping it in the second
11:18 row and change the colours as well.
11:20 So, yeah, I like that setup.
11:21 It's nice and clean, sharp screen, quick and easy to use and just fuss-free with
11:26 the backup of actual buttons, which is good to see.
11:29 Ahead of the driver is a slightly larger LCD display.
11:31 So that gives you your tachometer and also your critical functions for off-roading.
11:35 It then has analogue gauges on either side as well.
11:38 Let's talk about safety technology.
11:40 So you have autonomous emergency braking that works at low and high speed, detects
11:44 pedestrians and cyclists.
11:46 You have reverse AEB as well, blind spot monitoring in the form of a little
11:50 indicator there on the wing mirror.
11:52 You have a lane departure warning and a quasi lane-keeping assistant.
11:56 Radar cruise control.
11:57 You also have rear cross traffic alert.
12:00 While you have front and rear parking sensors and a 360 camera, I'll show you
12:03 that in just a second, this is where you're able to see your digital rear view
12:07 mirror.
12:07 So it uses a camera on the back of the car to look out the back.
12:10 So you can just use the standard mirror if you want or the digital display,
12:13 whichever one you prefer.
12:14 This is what the 360 camera looks like.
12:17 So you can see the 360 camera there.
12:18 The quality is really great and then you have views down the front of the car.
12:21 You also then have a button down here that you can hit that then gives you more
12:26 capability and then also the ability to look at your multi-terrain camera as
12:30 well.
12:30 Keep in mind we are in a white room here.
12:32 It's a studio, so you obviously can't see much on that display.
12:35 Hey, by the way, before we actually get a chance to drive this, we've shot a
12:39 number of videos on the new Land Cruiser.
12:40 So if you do want to check out those, scroll down to the link in the
12:43 description below.
12:44 We've got all of them there for you to pick from.
12:46 Let's talk about practicality and we'll start off with your charging options.
12:50 So you have one USB-C charger down the front here, one USB-A charger and then a
12:55 12-volt outlet.
12:56 Now, normally you would have a wireless phone charger here, but on the ultra
13:00 luxury spec, it is in the second row.
13:01 So there is no wireless phone charging here.
13:03 But in terms of storing your phone, it can sit there or inside the cup holders
13:07 if you want.
13:08 How big are our cup holders?
13:09 Well, we've got a coffee cup here that fits in nicely there without the risk of
13:14 losing your lid.
13:15 Same story with the bottle that goes in nicely.
13:17 You've got teeth there to hold it in place and then the bottle fits inside the
13:21 door.
13:21 But from memory on the Land Cruiser, it doesn't fit larger bottles inside the
13:26 door.
13:26 What about the rest of your storage?
13:28 Well, you've got a little nook just here for keys and coins and that type of
13:31 thing.
13:32 This centre console opens both ways, so you can go that way or that way.
13:35 And then when you do open it, you have a little coin tray just there and then a
13:40 fridge to keep your champers nice and cool.
13:43 We've got a glove box down the bottom here as well.
13:45 Pretty tiny actually.
13:47 Once you get rid of the first aid kit, there really isn't a great deal of room
13:51 in there, especially with the manual.
13:53 But you do have a sunglasses holder up the top.
13:56 Now, what about your comfort?
13:58 Well, you have dual zone automatic climate control up the front.
14:02 Then you also have heated and cooled seats for your front row.
14:05 A heated steering wheel as well.
14:08 And on the comfort front with the seats, love this design.
14:11 So big bulky seat.
14:12 You have the quilted finish, which is unique to the ultra luxury spec, as is
14:17 this interior colour and this particular woodgrain trim.
14:20 Big Lexus logo in the headrest just there.
14:23 In terms of the seat adjustments, you have 10 way power adjustment for the
14:25 driver's seats.
14:26 You can go forwards, backwards, backrest can go forwards, backwards.
14:29 You have a stack of lumbar adjustments as well.
14:32 And then also this bottom section.
14:34 You have memory for the driver, but you can also control the passenger seat from
14:38 the driver's seat as well, which is a very handy feature.
14:41 Steering wheel adjustment is tilt and reach and electric.
14:44 I love the steering has this open pore woodgrain in it as well, which is cool.
14:49 And then on our reach test, this all feels easy to reach, but it's just these
14:53 outer edges of the screen that are probably just a little bit of a pull
14:55 away from the driver.
14:56 So the second row.
14:57 Now this is where in the ultra luxury version, you're going to have all of your
15:02 fun because this is literally the definition of ultra luxury.
15:05 So in terms of legroom, you've got stacks of knee room, just a standard, heaps of
15:09 toe room and headroom is pretty good as well.
15:12 But then all the fun begins.
15:13 So I'm going to run you through the stuff on the roof.
15:14 I love this, kind of reminds me of the A380.
15:17 You've got these little things here that move around with the lights inside them.
15:21 Then you have air vents up the top here and also down the bottom as well.
15:24 So you are sort of fully catered for when it comes to cooling and also light if you
15:28 need to be doing any work and that kind of thing.
15:30 Ahead of both of your rear seat passengers are these screens.
15:34 These are actually quite clever because they use a DLNA system.
15:37 You can do mirror casting as well and they're a touchscreen too.
15:40 I can control all the audio from back here and then I can also play whatever I want
15:45 through HDMI if I want to as well.
15:46 So pretty good setup.
15:48 You've got wireless headphones as well that interact with those and then you have
15:52 manual controls just beneath them as well.
15:53 So I like this.
15:55 Tilts too, so if you do want a little bit of a different angle on that, that is easy
15:58 enough to do.
15:59 So air vents down here.
16:01 You've got then further storage just here.
16:03 That includes two USB-C ports and a HDMI outlet.
16:07 Behind that you've got a little bit more storage for nooks and crannies.
16:11 In here you've got two cup holders so your bottle can go into there.
16:15 You've got teeth as well.
16:17 And as we work our way back, this is where your wireless phone charger is.
16:20 Similar story to the front there.
16:21 So you can open this from both sides.
16:24 Once you do open it, you've got another two USB-C outlets and then a stack of
16:28 storage in there as required.
16:30 This is where all the fun happens.
16:32 So I can control the audio through this central screen or the screen ahead of me
16:36 just here and that can be for both the front of the car or the left and the
16:41 right.
16:42 So you have full control over everything.
16:44 Then if you jump back through climate menu, I can have heated and cooled seats
16:47 running.
16:48 I also have ventilation for the two outside seats as well, including heating.
16:53 Then if we go to the next menu, the seat.
16:56 Now watch this.
16:57 So with one push of this button here, what we're able to do is recline the seat
17:02 all the way back.
17:03 It moves the passenger seat out of the way.
17:05 So obviously if you have a passenger there, it's not going to work.
17:08 But that disappears out of the way and then you can kick back and relax.
17:14 Like this is literally the definition of ultra luxury.
17:17 So if you are the type of person that perhaps doesn't want to drive all the
17:20 time but does want to relax and take it easy, this is going to be the ultimate
17:23 setup for you.
17:24 You can then control the passenger seat here as well.
17:28 So if you do want to bring that back a touch, you can do that.
17:30 You really have all levels of control within that central display.
17:35 And then to cap it all off, you can do a massage.
17:38 You have a bunch of them there to choose from.
17:39 So pretty awesome setup back here.
17:41 And I think that when you look at this car compared to something like a Range
17:45 Rover, the old Range Rover was feeling really dated, there is a brand new one
17:48 coming and I'm hoping they've addressed the size issues because this actually
17:52 is plenty of room for me to stretch out.
17:53 I found with the Range Rover, unless you went with the long wheelbase, there
17:56 just wasn't enough room in there.
17:57 So yeah, this is a pretty cool setup and I am looking forward to us testing this
18:01 car so I can actually sit in the back for once and just chillax instead of
18:05 having to do all the driving.
18:06 Now let's talk cargo space.
18:11 So obviously your four seat configuration does penalise you a little bit on
18:15 cargo space but it's actually still not that bad.
18:18 So you've got around 800 litres of cargo space to work with here in the four
18:22 seat configuration.
18:23 If you do go down the path of just the five seat LX without this sort of
18:28 luxury setup, it's around 1100 litres so gives you an idea of the difference
18:32 but as you can see there's still plenty of room there.
18:34 So show you what it looks like with the bags in.
18:36 So laptop in there and then we've got our Pelican case just there.
18:40 So still stacks of room in there.
18:42 Now if we get those out of the way, you've got a power socket over here on
18:47 the left hand side.
18:48 So it's not a huge socket, 100 watts so barely any sort of power coming out of
18:51 that but it is a 220 volt outlet.
18:54 Under the floor here you've got a little repair kit, you've got a warning
18:59 triangle, not a great deal of storage though.
19:02 Your spare tyre, I'm sure you're wondering where that is, that's located
19:05 under here, it's a full-size spare, also next to the world's biggest exhaust.
19:09 You've got clips down here to tie things down.
19:11 Over on the left hand side you've got a jack to lift the car and then on the
19:15 other side it's a set of relays and fuses.
19:18 So not a bad space here and obviously you can't get rid of the second row of
19:23 seats so that's why they've got this little partition here because they can
19:27 recline all the way down just next to your cargo blind.
19:36 So it's been your first look at the new Lexus LX4 Australia.
19:39 Now we didn't know pricing when we started filming this but we will know it
19:42 by the time it goes live.
19:43 I know it's a little bit confusing so you can see the pricing up on the screen
19:46 there.
19:46 So obviously it's more expensive than a Land Cruiser but justifiably so,
19:49 especially in this four-seat configuration.
19:52 We're really excited to drive this because, well more so the petrol, just to
19:56 see how it compares to the diesel that's currently available in the Land Cruiser.
20:00 So let me know if you have any questions in the comments section below, is there
20:02 anything in particular you want us to show you when we do finally get behind
20:05 the wheel?
20:06 Let me know what your thoughts are on the design and the pricing and all that
20:08 kind of thing as well for the Australian market.
20:10 Now if you did enjoy this video please make sure you hit the like button, share
20:13 it with your mates and if you haven't done so already, subscribe to our channel
20:17 and press the bell icon.
20:18 But until next time, take it easy.

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