1998 Lexus LX 470 Review

The redesigned 1998 LX 470 from Toyota's luxury Lexus division should help fuel the surge in sales of posh sport/utility vehicles.
The eight-passenger LX 470 not only has sleeker styling--it's larger, heavier, more solid and more powerful than its predecessor. While the LX 470 is heavily based on Toyota's new Land Cruiser, it has a softer ride, more equipment and slightly different appearance.

Many luxury sport/utes are being snapped up by former owners of big luxury cars. Such people should feel at home in the LX 470, which features a leather-and-wood interior and rides and handles much like a large car.

Despite its tall, wide body and huge interior, the LX 470 is 4.2 inches shorter than the Lexus LS 400 luxury sedan to allow fairly easy maneuvering and garaging.

The LX 470 doesn't go on sale until March, and its price hasn't been announced. But the price of Toyota's new $45,950 Land Cruiser rose 11.6 percent from 1997 to $45,950. The LX 470's predecessor--the LX 450--cost $48,700, so the new LX 470 should cost about $54,500, with the same percentage increase.

The market is strong enough to allow that increase, and the LX 470 is so equipment-loaded that the only factory option is a power sunroof.

The LX 450 got its name partly because it had a tough-but-aged 4.5-liter inline six-cylinder. That's gone. The LX 470 has a 4.7-liter V-8 derived from the V-8 in the LS 400--the most luxurious Lexus auto.

The 212-horsepower six was a solid motor, but the silky double-overhead-camshaft, 32-valve V-8 generates 230 horsepower and lots more torque. Fully 80 percent of the torque kicks in at engine speeds as low as 1,100 r.p.m., so the LX 470 accelerates quickly off the line despite its hefty 5,401-pound weight.

The 0 to 60 m.p.h. time is 9.9 seconds, or nearly a two-second improvement over the LX 450, and the V-8 provides lively acceleration during 65-75 m.p.h. passing maneuvers. New LX 470 owners should be careful because it's so smooth, quiet and powerful that it picks up speed much faster than one might expect.

The V-8 is sure to put a smile on the faces of those who owned old Cadillacs and Lincolns with powerful V-8s. But high-octane gasoline is recommended for the LX 470, and it's no fuel miser--delivering an estimated 13 m.p.g. in the city and 16 on highways. But the V-8 is a bit more economical than the old six and a large tank allows a long highway cruising range.

The V-8 works with a four-speed, electronically controlled automatic transmission that upshifts almost imperceptibly and downshifts quickly.

A permanently engaged four-wheel-drive system provides good grip during on- and off-road driving. But, while handling is quite good, noticeable body lean when making sudden, sharp turns reminds one that this is a tall, heavy truck.

The power steering is quick, with good road feel. Powerful anti-lock brakes work well with an easily modulated pedal. A new independent torsion bar front suspension helps provide a carlike ride. But an independent rear suspension, instead of the solid rear axle, would make the ride smoother.

The LX 470 has computer-controlled shock absorbers with 16 settings to handle various types of road surfaces, and a driver also can choose firm, normal or soft ride settings.

The suspension has an adjustable feature that allows high, normal or low ride-height settings ranging nearly four inches. An owner can use the high setting for off-road driving, normal setting for average driving and low setting for easier entry and exit.

But, even with the low setting, the LX 470 calls for above-average effort to get in and out. And there isn't much space for adults to crawl past the second-row seat to reach the hard, flat third-row seat.

The plush interior is deathly quiet, except for a fair amount of tire-slap noise when driving over highway expansion strips. Big supportive front seats face a nicely designed dashboard, and good attention to detail is shown by such things as beautifully stitched upholstery and use of high-grade materials instead of cheap plastic--even in the often-neglected rear-seat area.

There is virtually no room for cargo with the flip-up third-row seat in place. But the cargo area is large when that seat is folded out of the way--and is enormous when the second-row seat is flipped entirely forward.

The LX 470 should hold its own against other big, costly sport/utes such as the Lincoln Navigator, Range Rover and upcoming Cadillac model. It's amazing how an automaker can turn a big, rugged truck into such a posh, carlike vehicle.