LEXUS PREMIERES ALL-NEW LX FLAGSHIP SUV

INTRODUCTION

• New generation LX combines reliability, durability, and off-road performance cultivated over many years with supreme on-road ride comfort
• Introduction of two new powerful and efficient petrol and diesel powertrains
• Implementation of Lexus’s next-generation design language, which harmonizes functionality and elegance
• New VIP grade with four independent seats and supreme comfort credentials
• Improved security with Lexus’s first fingerprint-authentication push-start switch.

Lexus revealed the all-new LX on Oct 13 during an exclusive event held in Moscow, Russia. The new LX, which embodies the brand's commitment to meeting the diversifying needs and lifestyles of global customers, is scheduled to go on sale in early 2022.

Since its launch in 1996, the LX has been well received as Lexus’s flagship SUV due to its high-quality ride comfort and drive-through performance that can withstand driving on all kinds of roads around the world, supported by its unparalleled reliability, durability and rough-road driving performance credentials. The LX has sold more than 500,000 units in more than 50 markets worldwide, including more than 60,000 in Russia and other Eastern European markets.

The new LX is designed to provide vehicle occupants with a comfortable and high-quality time wherever they go and to further enrich their life experiences. While maintaining a traditional body-on-frame structure to ensure reliability, durability, and driving performance, it renews its characteristics by adopting the new GA-F platform, realizing a weight reduction of approximately 200 kg, and achieving a digitally developed high-rigidity body.

The new LX will be available as LX 600 with a high-output, high-torque 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo gasoline engine and as LX 500d with a 3.3-litre V6 diesel twin-turbo engine. Both variants will have electronically controlled brakes (ECB) and an electric power steering system (EPS) to deliver Lexus-unique driving performance to the fullest, both on-road and off-road.

To realize a safer and more comfortable driving experience, the instrument panel features Lexus’ first dual display with a 12.3-inch upper screen and 7-inch lower screen, as well as Back Underfloor View, which displays the area beneath the rear part of the vehicle as a world first.

Also, to be as close as possible to the diverse real-life situations of Lexus customers, a new VIP grade has been created, featuring four independent seats for elegant and safe travel on all kinds of roads.

In terms of styling, while pursuing a design that contributes to the athletic performance and functions that began with the NX, proportions have been achieved that combine sophistication with power and presence befitting a flagship SUV. Among other featured technologies, Lexus’s first fingerprint-authentication push-start switch contributes to reducing the risk of theft.

MAIN HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ALL-NEW LX

1. Lexus's next-generation design language, harmonizing functionality and elegance

• The overall design concept aims to create an appearance that combines sophistication with a powerful and overwhelming presence befitting a flagship SUV.
• The new spindle grille, which pursues the new, function-rooted design language of the next generation of Lexus, is three-dimensional and chrome-frame-free, accentuating its sense of unity with the body and expressing a sense of mass while fulfilling functions such as cooling and rectification efficiency.
• Based on the Tazuna Concept, which generates dialogue between driver and vehicle, display and other switches are arranged to create a cockpit space that allows the driver to control the vehicle at will with minimal posture change, even on rough roads.
• Following the NX, a new “LEXUS” logo is placed in the centre of the rear of the new LX to symbolize the next generation of Lexus.

2. Outstanding driving performance, both on-road and off-road

• The new GA-F platform has been adopted for the first time by Lexus in pursuit of an ideal inertia factor. The vehicle’s front/rear centre of gravity has been optimized by placing the massive engine further back.
• In addition to downsizing the engine and employing a lighter new Active Height Control (AHC) suspension, the roof material, which is high above the vehicle’s centre of gravity, has been replaced with lightweight aluminium. This has resulted in a thorough lowering of the centre of gravity and a weight reduction of approximately 200 kg.
• The first-ever use of EPS and the application of structural adhesives in the body achieve a straightforward response for both steering and use of the accelerator pedal.
• The 2,850 mm wheelbase, which is inherited since the first generation, and the ground clearance angles (approach angle, departure angle, and ramp break angle), which are equivalent to those of the previous model, provide both rough-road drive-through performance and a high-quality interior space.
• The AHC suspension, which allows the ride height to be adjusted according to the driving environment, now comes with an expanded selection of ride height positions. Additionally, AHC now also stabilizes vehicle posture during turning, acceleration, and deceleration by optimizing the spring rate as needed.
• A new Multi-Terrain Monitor uses four cameras to help the driver check the situation around the vehicle. There is also a new Back Underfloor View whereby the vehicle is made transparent, and the driver can check the condition under the vehicle as well as the areas around the front and rear wheels.
• The instrument panel features a vertically aligned dual display as a Lexus first. The upper part is a 12.3-inch touch display that shows navigation and audio controls and that serves as the Multi-Terrain Monitor during off-road driving. The lower 7-inch touch display shows the climate control screen and serves as a driving-related screen for Multi-Terrain Select, selecting drive modes, etc.

3. New line-up of powerful and efficient powertrains

• The new 3.5-liter V6 twin-turbo gasoline engine in LX 600 produces powerful low-speed torque and excellent boost response. Maximum output is 305 kW (415 DIN hp) and maximum torque is 650 Nm. The engine provides a pleasant acceleration feeling that draws out the extended torque characteristics up to the high rpm range.
• Lexus’s first 3.3-liter V6 twin-turbo diesel engine in LX 500d features optimized structures for each engine part to achieve maximum output of 220 kW (299 DIN hp) and maximum torque of 700 Nm, as well as excellent fuel economy. The engine utilizes the torque characteristics that rise from the low rpm range to achieve powerful acceleration that better reflects the driver's intentions.
• The newly adopted two-way twin turbochargers with variable nozzles deliver supercharged performance for exhilarating acceleration in all situations. A highly responsive single turbo contributes to powerful acceleration at low speeds, while the large intake volume of the twin-turbochargers contributes to smooth acceleration at high speeds.
• Both powertrains come with a 10-speed transmission producing a cadenced and comfortable driving rhythm, as well as enhanced starting acceleration, off-road performance and high-speed fuel economy.

4. New VIP grade

• The VIP grade, with four independent seats, is equipped with rear seats that ensure the highest level of comfort, notably by ensuring a high level of hold against lateral g-forces and road surface inputs. They can be reclined up to 48 degrees and have a dedicated rear-seat console. The rear seat display behind the front passenger seat can be folded down to ensure forward visibility, creating a sense of openness and a relaxing space with a maximum leg space of 1,100 mm. Also, a footrest behind the front passenger seat can be deployed to provide a more strain-free posture from head to toe.
• Comfort features such as sunshades on the side windows and quarter windows, special reading lights, and a rear seat display come as standard. The VIP grade's exclusive ceiling air conditioner vents diffuse a breeze from above in a shower-like air conditioning function to comfortably envelop rear-seat passengers. Furthermore, air conditioning vents have been added to the sides of the base of the rear-seat exclusive centre console to blow out a warm air curtain in the winter to further enhance the effectiveness of comfort provided by a cool head and warm feet.
• The rear control panel, which centrally manages the various functions and equipment of the rear seat, and its surrounding areas have been carefully designed with usability as the top priority, down to the smallest detail in terms of placement and shape.

5. New generation Multimedia system

• Adoption of the latest in multimedia systems provides even greater convenience.
• Full compatibility with Android Auto and Wireless Apple CarPlay.
• LX provided as standard with 10-speaker Premium Sound System or optional 25-speaker Mark Levinson Premium Surround Sound System
• New generation rear entertainment system with intuitively operable touch panel also available in the VIP grade.

6. Advanced technologies for security and safety

• Lexus’s first fingerprint-authentication push-start switch reduces the risk of theft.
• Latest generation of Lexus Safety System + package of active safety and driver assist functions, featuring expanded Pre-Collision System with new Emergency Steering Assist function, improved Lane Tracing Assist, Dynamic Radar Cruise Control with new curve speed control function and Road Side Assist.
• Implementation of BladeScan^TM Adaptive High Beam system, allowing the driver to use high beam and recognize pedestrians and road signs without impeding the visibility of other drivers.

STATEMENT FROM TAKAMI YOKOO, CHIEF ENGINEER, LEXUS INTERNATIONAL

“To meet the diversified lifestyles of our customers, we established the new LX’s driving concept to be: "Ease and quality on any road in the world”. We aimed to create a vehicle that, while possessing exceptional off-road performance, can be driven without hesitation on any road, whether in town, on the highway, or in a harsh environment, and that allows all occupants to travel in comfort. To raise its re-innovated basic elements to a high level of quality, we focused on “real roads” and “aspiration”.

We refined the LX’s traditional off-road performance through repeated "breaking and fixing" on harsh road, and our development team and drive-meisters worked together to refine on-road performance through an uncompromising approach to building in the "Lexus Driving Signature". We aimed to provide a unique Lexus driving sensation that delivers linear response faithful to the driver's intentions.

Also, to meet the diverse needs of our customers around the world, we are making available a four-seat VIP grade. Each trim level, including the standard model, embodies the fruits of labour of the development team's passion and attention to detail. We invite you to experience the new LX on real roads, built by the hands and aspirations of real people.”

STATEMENT FROM YOSHIAKI ITO, LEXUS INTERNATIONAL DRIVE-MEISTER

“Through the use of a renewed platform and EPS, we have achieved on-road driving performance that lets you experience the Lexus character the moment you get behind the wheel and start driving. Especially, the steering sensation from the moment the vehicle begins to move and the way the vehicle handles from winding roads to high-speed driving were developed in cooperation with an off-road master drive to reflect the concept of rough-road driving control and to apply the knowledge gained from off-road driving to the improvement of on-road driving performance.

Also, we repeatedly drove the vehicle off-road both within and beyond company premises to see if what we were doing would affect its drive-through capabilities on rough roads, as we aimed to achieve characteristic Lexus driving performance on any kind of road. The greatly evolved LX will add even more colour to the daily lives of our customers. Please look forward to it.”

STATEMENT FROM KAZUYUKI UENO, LEXUS INTERNATIONAL DRIVE-MEISTER

(OFF-ROAD)

“To make off-road driving safe and secure, and to allow customers to experience the high quality and comfort that is characteristic of Lexus, we repeated numerous test runs on various rough roads to create the off-road driving performance of the new LX. To ensure that all occupants can travel comfortably, AHC and AVS have been finely tuned to provide an improved sense of contact with the ground on rough roads and a high-quality ride.

Also, from the way the multi-terrain monitor is viewed to how Crawl Control is controlled, we have put much thought and care into making sure that our customers can enjoy their time with the LX even in off-road environments. We hope that everyone can enjoy the driving performance of the LX, which allows for the comfortable enjoyment of all kinds of roads around the world, both on-road and off-road.”