0
0
As my spouse and son and I have been on the highway from Peoria to Gilbert, Arizona within the 2026 Lexus LX 700h Luxury, I immediately realized two issues. The first? That I used to be going 80 mph. The second? Why the LX is Lexus’s flagship mannequin.
(Somewhat) Green Machine
When it was got here out for the 2022 mannequin 12 months, the all-new, fourth-generation LX stuffed an vital place available in the market for Toyota and Lexus. Toyota had discontinued the 200-series Land Cruiser within the U.S. the earlier 12 months, so the 2022 LX was the one model of the newer 300-series mannequin out there stateside. Even when Toyota launched the brand new 2024 Land Cruiser right here, it was a two-row, hybrid, 250-series rig, though that was mirrored in its extra approachable value. The LX underwent some adjustments of its personal, probably the most vital ones being the change to the GA-F platform and a twin-turbo 3.4-liter V-6 and a 10-speed auto changing the outgoing 5.7-liter V-8/eight-speed combo. Minor trim adjustments adopted in 2023. The 2025 mannequin 12 months introduced the first-ever LX Overtrail and 700h fashions, the latter of which mixes the forced-induction V-6 with a nickel-metal hydride battery and an electrical motor. Total output is 457 horsepower and 583 lb-ft of torque. That additional output comes with barely higher gasoline economic system than the ICE-only LX 600: 19 mpg within the metropolis, 22 on the freeway, and 20 mixed; over the course of 371.6 miles, my press loaner averaged 16.5.
High-dollar, Low-profile
For 2026, Lexus made its Safety System+ 3.0 suite of security and driver help options normal throughout the LX lineup and rolled in just a few minor adjustments. There are seven primary 2026 LX fashions unfold throughout the LX 600 gasoline and LX 700h hybrid vary. Prices vary from $108,550 for the entry-level LX 600 Premium to $143,050 for the LX 700h Ultra Luxury with its VIP-style second row lodging. With a window sticker-indicated base MSRP of $120,000, my LX 700h Luxury take a look at car was the second costliest mannequin in all the vary. That sort of cash buys normal options corresponding to 22-inch cast wheels, heated/ventilated/massaging entrance seats, second-row captains chair’s, power-folding third-row seats, and a 25-speaker, 2,400-watt Mark Levinson audio system. The $1,295 Appearance Package, $450 cross bars, and different small choices drove the overall value as much as $123,461.
On paper, an SUV that goes for over 120 grand appears as if it ought to be a loud and flashy try-hard, screaming out “Look at me!” to close by drivers. In actuality, the LX was comparatively understated — as understated as a car its dimension with 22-inch wheels can be. Its easy, clear Atomic Silver paint helped it fly underneath the radar, as did the Appearance Package’s Matte Gray grille, Black Chrome window trim, black door handles, and different darkish accents.
Quiet Confidence
The LX’s cabin was equally low-key. As anticipated, it was lined with semi-aniline leather-based and wooden trim, however the hides have been black, identical to the open-pore accents. Looking round, it turned very clear to me that the LX had nothing to show. Land Cruiser followers know what sort of car it’s and what it’s able to doing off-road. Lexus appears to be simply as conscious. A number of years in the past, I drove to and from lunch within the 2024 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro that my colleague Luke Lamendola reviewed, however in that quick period of time, I fell in love with the overtly macho dimension of its steering wheel, shifter, and controls. It needed you to know that it’s an enormous, unhealthy off-roader. The LX, then again, was way more discrete. After all, it’s a Lexus, so a sure restraint is suitable. That’s why the leather- and wood-trimmed wheel, shifter, and primary controls have been so understated. Even although the LX is in its fifth mannequin 12 months, I nonetheless can’t get used to its engine begin button being to the left of the infotainment system’s 12.3-inch touchscreen. However, I do applaud Lexus for utilizing a wide range of buttons, toggles, and dials for the HVAC, drive mode, and switch case controls to eradicate any doable confusion about what adjusted sure options.
Before my household and I set out for Joe’s Real BBQ in Gilbert, I loaded my son Hayden into his rear-facing automotive seat within the second row. Traveling with him has made me grateful for autos just like the LX which have HVAC vents within the ceiling as a result of they are often aimed proper at him and hold him cool, in contrast to the vents usually discovered on the rear of middle consoles. Manual rear sunshades offered one other layer of safety towards the desert warmth. Thanks to the cool-box between the 2 entrance seats, I used to be capable of hold his milk good and chilled for him. Car seats demand lots of room, however the LX’s 112.2-inch wheelbase and inside packaging left loads of legroom for my spouse within the shotgun seat straight forward of Hayden.
In the Wayback
Things have been much less snug within the third row — for somebody who’s five-foot-ten like me, at the very least. Although I did have sufficient legroom, my knees have been raised and the crown of my head brushed towards the rear downward curve to the headliner. Someone shorter than me would have a way more nice time again there on a protracted highway journey.
When the third row was down, the LX’s rear cargo space had no downside becoming Hayden’s compact stroller. But simply because it did within the 2025 Toyota Sequoia 1794 Edition I examined final October, it had a big difficulty. The hybrid battery pack was positioned underneath the third row, so it not solely raised these seats, however it additionally raised the peak of the load ground created by reducing them. Erecting the third row minimize cargo area to 7.23 cubic ft. So if you wish to carry a full load of individuals within the LX and need all of your baggage to suit contained in the car, pack calmly.
Getting It (Not a Speeding Ticket)
On the way in which to strive Joe’s pulled pork, sizzling hyperlink sausage, and sliced brisket, with the massaging seats pulsating and Mark Levinson taking part in my spouse’s Spotify playlist together with his attribute readability, I casually glanced on the head-up show. 80?! We had been cruising alongside on the freeway so easily for thus lengthy that I had no thought we have been going that quick. And that’s after I realized why the LX is Lexus’s prime car: It does the whole lot so properly and so effortlessly. All the considerate, satisfying options as much as a good better, extra spectacular entire. The LX is refined, snug, elegant, and generously geared up. When you place your proper foot down, it pulls onerous, regardless of its 6,200-plus-pound curb weight. And it’s acquired the bones of a Land Cruiser.
That’s to not say that the LX is ideal. While its Adaptive Variable Suspension smoothed out bumps within the highway, it couldn’t utterly neutralize the LX’s body-on-frame building. The outer proportions generated a noticeable quantity of wind noise. As nice because the LX was to drive, I used to be at all times somewhat nervous threading its 6.5-foot width via the quite a few building zones in northwest Phoenix. I didn’t count on Lexus to defy physics or do the unattainable, and it didn’t. But the way in which that it took a heavy, truck-based off-roader with full-time four-wheel drive, a kind of auto that’s inherently harsh and jarring, and so successfully smoothed out its tough edges got here as a nice — and spectacular — shock.
Luke acquired his personal takeaways from his time within the 2026 Lexus LX 700h Luxury, so make sure you watch his full video assessment beneath.
Click above to look at our full video assessment on YouTube!
Source link
#Review #Lexus #700h #Luxury
