Lexus GX470 Review
The Lexus GX470 is a poster child for SUV haters: huge exterior, cramped interior, hippo handling and mileage figures so low they make an M1 tank look frugal. For those who care about such things, the fact that the GX470 qualifies as an Ultra-Low Emissions Vehicle doesn’t alter its planet-killing profile. For those who couldn’t care less, the GX470 offers at least one good reason to piss off your PC neighbors (providing that’s not enough reason in and of itself): off road prowess.
The GX470 is a fantastically capable four-by-four. It sports all the structural strength and traction control doo-dads you need to trammel the road less traveled. Hill Assist Control stops the SUV from sliding backwards on steep inclines. Downhill Assist Control modulates engine and wheel braking to avoid nose-diving in the opposite direction. And if that’s not enough to help you boldly go where TV ads have gone before, the GX470 also has full-time all-wheel-drive, a limited slip diff, rear air suspension and enough ground clearance to mount a MINI.
The GX470 also makes a case for itself as a luxury car on stilts-- although not one that leads to acquittal. While the Japanese SUV offers the usual range of luxury car gizmology-- voice activated sat nav, Bluetooth, rear seat DVD, etc.-- you have to re-heat your Amex for the good bits and there’s no gee-whiz killer app that makes you glad to be living the Lexus lifestyle. An Acura MDX provides a more decadent techno-feast.
The 470’s deficiencies are more than skin deep. Mind you, there’s nothing wrong with its engine or engineering. The SUV's 4.7-liter V8 is a magnificent powerplant, smooth when you want it, hard-charging when you need it. The 470 is also perfectly screwed together, ridiculously quiet at cruising speeds and absurdly easy to steer and brake. No, the problem that keeps the GX470 from being a “true” Lexus is its ride quality, or lack thereof.
The GX470 weighs 4871lbs. That’s far too much heft to be hauling around for such cramped accommodations. Three adults would find the "mid-sized" SUV's middle seats far too intimate for long journeys, while the Geneva Convention prohibits anyone over the age of 16 from inhabiting the 470’s rear row. If space is the ultimate luxury, the Lexus GX470 is the ante-penultimate luxury SUV.
Curb Weight: 4871lbs.
Engine: 4.7-liter V8 DOHC 32-valve w/VVT-i
Horsepower: 270 hp @ 5,400 rpm
Torque: 330 lb-ft torque @ 3,400 rpm
Drive Type: AWD
0 to 60: 8.1 secs.
1/4 Mile: NA
Price as Tested: NA
Top Speed: NA
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