It’s no secret I like large SUVs and always have. My review vehicle isn’t overly exciting, it is not terribly fast. It sort of lumbers down the road instead of cutting through wind like so many of the SUVs today. However, this big boy has an amazing interior that feels like a 1000 square foot apartment. Welcome to the 2020 Lexus LX 570, the flagship SUV in the Lexus lineup.
Deciding between a new or used LX? We're reviewed it many times since 2020. Here's a list of all of our LX reviews.
When we saw the first LX in the United States in 1995, it was an offshoot of the venerable Toyota Land Cruiser. This is the 3rd generation of this vehicle that was redesigned in 2015 and has remained largely unchanged since that time.
The LX I’ve had all week has the new Sport Package that features a different grill than the standard LX, and it features unique front and rear spoilers. It does give the LX a fresher, more modern look.
Performance
When you raise the large sculpted hood, you’ll find the tried-and-true Toyota 5.7-liter V8 that is putting out 383-horses and 403 pound-feet of torque. It is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission that has paddle shifters that I was never tempted to use.
You would never guess it by looking, but the LX is a very capable off-road SUV. You’ll see all the controls on the center console, and like the Land Cruiser, the LX 570 has full-time four-wheel drive and good ground clearance.
Interior
When you open the door to this three-ton behemoth, you aren’t sure if you are seeing a vehicle interior or the waiting room of a Ritz-Carlton. The leather seats look comfortable and are quite inviting.
Stitching abounds across the dash, the center console, and through the door panels. A lot of attention to detail was paid to make this one of the most luxurious interiors I have seen.
Gauges are bright and colorful, and really easy to see and read. Mid-dash up high, there is the 12.3-inch Lexus Enform display. It handles the sound system, navigation, Bluetooth, and apps for real-time info like traffic, weather, gas prices, stock prices, and even sports scores. Don’t look for Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, but it is compatible with Siri-eyes free.
This is where me and the Lexus LX have a big problem. The Enform system is truly awesome and one of the easiest to read I’ve ever seen, but controlling it is dreadful. There is a small mouse-like controller that drove me crazy. I would have so much preferred the screen to be touch activated, or just give me the option of both-the mouse OR touch.
The huge center console is busy, but easy to navigate other than Enform. There is an optional wireless phone charger, button for the heated and cooled seats, the drive modes for Eco, Normal, Sport, and Sport Plus. Also, that is where all your 4-wheel drive functions are.
A cool feature I love is in the center console, a cool box you can turn on to keep beverages cool.
Moving to the backseat, there is a lot of room, a fold down armrest with controls for audio, and the second-row seats are climate-controlled for heating and cooling.
Utility
The third-row seats are different than I have ever seen. Instead of folding flat into the floor, they fold up against the sides of the vehicle. While unusual, this configuration really works for me. It is a two-step process to fold the seats down from the sides, then fold the back of the third-row seats up, but it is functional. With the seats out of the way, there is a cavernous amount of room.
Standard Equipment and Options
The Lexus LX 570 comes loaded as you would expect. You get a power moon roof, keyless entry, a terrific backup camera, park assist, an integrated trailer hitch, adaptive suspension, and blind spot monitoring.
Options on my tester include some beautiful 10-spoke 21” wheels, the Sport Package, an 18-speaker Mark Levinson sound system, dual screen DVD player with headphones, and a head-up display with traffic sign recognition.
Ride and Drive
Before wrapping this up, let me say that I am a huge fan of Lexus vehicles because the quality is amazing and they exude comfort, luxury, and exceptional quality.
However, the LX is really long in the tooth. The ride is great, but even in Sport Plus mode it never seems to respond. Steering is light and a bit unresponsive, and handling is numb in turns.
If you like a floaty ride, it’s really good for that, but if you want to feel the road-experience and the driving dynamics, it is pretty anemic. If you want to go off the pavement, the LX is super-efficient. However, most people who spend over a hundred grand on a vehicle rarely go off-roading.
Fuel Economy
Worse is the fuel economy. This is a guzzler, about as bad as I’ve reviewed. It is rated at 12 in town and 16 on the highway, and to be honest, I’m not getting those ratings. It’s hard for me to imagine driving this SUV when gas gets back to over $3 per gallon.
Verdict
Yes, there are a lot of positive qualities about the LX 570, overall quality is top of the list. In the first quarter of 2020, only 846 of these were sold, that is a horrible number.
It’s time for Toyota to completely re-do this SUV and make it a contender again. Just my advice-use the BMW X7 as your template.
2020 Lexus LX 570 Sport Package
- What I liked most: The interior and off-road capability.
- What I would change: The infotainment system control.
- MSRP: $103,300.
- Official color: Nebula Gray Pearl.
- Fuel economy: 12 city/16 highway/14 overall.
- Odometer reading when tested: 6200 miles.
- Spare tire: Full-sized spare.
- Weight: 6,000 pounds.
- Length-width-height: 200” long/ 78” wide/ 75” high.
- Fuel-tank capacity: 24.6 gallons with the filler on the passenger side.
- Towing capacity: 7,000 pounds.
- 2020 LX 570 in a few words: It’s a great SUV but doesn’t make sense anymore in today’s world.
- Warranty: 48 months/50,000 miles Basic Warranty; 72 months/70,000 miles Powertrain.
- Final assembly location: Aichi, Japan
- Manufacturer’s website: Lexus
- Up next: 2020 Acura MDX
