Lexus may have a reputation built on luxurious, quiet executive sedans, but as the market has shifted to SUVs, so has its concept of a flagship model. The luxury arm of Toyota is bringing out an all-new one for 2022, the Lexus LX600. This range-topper has all the supple leather and advanced technology you’d expect from a new Lexus, plus some serious off-road skills.
Lexus hasn’t revealed pricing, but we expect the 2022 LX600 to start above the $86,960 base sticker of the 2021 Lexus LX570 it replaces. It will reach sales lots in the first quarter of next year.
The Land Cruiser America Missed
The Toyota Land Cruiser has long been one of the world’s most accomplished off-road vehicles. Americans got their first taste of it in 1958. And their last, this year. Toyota has redesigned the Land Cruiser globally but announced that the U.S. will not get a 2022 model.
We will, however, get this one. The LX600 is, functionally, a luxed-up version of the all-new Land Cruiser Toyota decided not to send stateside.
All Grille
There’s no way around it – the all-new LX600 is all grille. If you like the aggressive, grille-forward look of recent big truck and SUV designs, you’ll love this one. If you’re not a fan of the big-grille trend, you’re not going to like this look.
Once you can look away from the big nose, you’ll find lots of character lines keeping the LX600 from looking like a block. A deep trench runs down the center of the hood. The C-pillar is thick, with a pronounced angle. It’s a unique design choice, with other big SUVs like the Cadillac Escalade going for larger windows and less metal in the rear. We hope it won’t create a blind spot.
Like almost every other SUV on the market, Lexus is switching from a badge on the reader hatch to the brand name in wide font, a look first seen on the new 2022 Lexus NX.
Quilted Leather and More Screens than Passengers
Inside, the top of the Lexus line is the luxurious getaway you’d expect. Buyers can select two rows of seating or three. The base model seats five in two rows. Premium, Luxury, and F Sport models seat seven in three rows. And a new Ultra Luxury trim gives all that space to just four people, with second-row captains chairs that recline to 48 degrees and include a footrest.
In place of the big central touchscreen, Lexus has used two displays. The upper, at 12.3 inches, handles navigation, entertainment, and the backup camera. The lower, at 7 inches, handles the climate and drive settings. The driver’s instruments are a digital screen. Rear-seat passengers get screens in the seatbacks ahead of them, plus a center-mounted touchscreen that handles seat position and rear climate control. Ultra Luxury models, then, have six screens for four passengers. Amusingly, the press photos Lexus sent on show a passenger ignoring them all in favor of his iPad.
The new Lexus Interface system incorporates a voice assistant “intended to be the primary way guests interact with the new multimedia system,” Lexus says. So you don’t have to touch the screens.
A 25-speaker Mark Levinson surround sound system is optional.
Fewer Cylinders, More Power
The only engine on offer is a twin-turbo, 3.4-liter V6 making 409 horsepower. That outclasses the 383-horsepower V8 found in last year’s LX. Lexus hasn’t released fuel efficiency figures yet. But with that smaller engine and a 10-speed automatic transmission, they’re likely to show improvement.
Land Cruiser bones should make the LX exceptional off of paved surfaces.
The body-on-frame construction (borrowed from the Toyota Tundra) is the key to the LX600’s off-road ability. Active Height Control lets you set a preferred ride height, then continuously adjusts the suspension to maintain it over uneven terrain. On parking, it lowers to ease entry and exit. Multi-Terrain Select lets the driver select for different surfaces, and several off-road camera views are available.
Safety Tech
Lexus Safety Sense 2.5 means pre-collision assist, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and automatic high-beams are all standard. That’s a comfort in a vehicle this size. Lexus says the system can detect bicycles and pedestrians even in poor lighting.
F Sport Model
For the first time, Lexus will offer an F Sport version of its largest vehicle. The sportier model rides on 22-inch wheels. It incorporates a limited-slip differential to improve on-road manners and retuned suspension dampers to improve cornering. The F Sport is easy to spot – the big chrome grille is replaced with a black mesh version.
Class of 2022: All the New and Redesigned Cars, Trucks, and SUVs
