Review: Lexus 200 LX (2008-on)

Review: Lexus 200.I LX 570 (2008-12)

Overview

Released in April 2008, the Lexus 200-Series Mk.I (200.I) LX 570 was an eight seat, four-wheel drive wagon. Manufactured in Tahara, Japan, the LX 570 was powered by a 5.7-litre petrol V8 engine that was mated to a six-speed AB60F automatic transmission with a two-speed transfer case which had a low-range ratio of 2.618:1. The LX 570 was initially available in Prestige and Sports Luxury variants; from February 2010, however, the Prestige was renamed Sports.

3UR-FE engine

The 5.7-litre 3UR-FE V8 engine had a cast-aluminium cylinder block, aluminium heads, electronic throttle control, roller rockers, an electronic Acoustic Control Induction System (ACIS), double overhead camshafts per cylinder bank, four valves per cylinder, variable intake and exhaust valve timing (dual VVT-i) and a compression ratio of 10.2:1.

Although tuned for 98 RON premium unleaded petrol, the LX 570 could operate on 91 RON unleaded petrol. Over the combined ADR 81/01 test cycle, fuel consumption for the LX 570 ws 14.8 litres per 100 km.

Dimensions

Compared to the Lexus LX 470 , the LX 570 was 100 mm longer (at 4990 mm), 30 mm wider (1970 mm) and 15 mm taller (1865 mm), but had the same wheelbase length (2850 mm).

Suspension

The LX 570 had independent double wishbone front suspension with coil springs (previously torsion bar springs) and five-link rear suspension with coil springs. The LX 570’s suspension system also included:

• Adaptive Variable Suspension (‘AVS’) which constantly varied damping at each wheel and had selectable Sport, Normal and Comfort modes; and,
• Hydro-pneumatic Active Height Control (‘AHC’) with selectable ‘Low’, ‘Normal’ and ‘High’ ride heights.

4WD system

The full-time four-wheel drive system included a limited-slip mechanical Torsen centre differential and provided a 40:60 front:rear torque split in normal conditions. In the event that traction was lost, however, torque could be redirected to the wheels with grip.

The centre differential lock could be electrically controlled via a button on the left-hand side of the steering wheel. Furthermore, a ‘Crawl Control’ function enabled the LX 570 to maintain low speeds over rough terrain without throttle or brake inputs from the driver.

Safety equipment

Standard safety equipment for the Lexus LX 570 included dual front airbags, dual front knee airbags, side airbags for front and second row passengers, full-length curtain airbags (i.e. for first, second and third row passengers), ABS, electronic brake force distribution, brake assist, traction control, electronic stability control, hill ascent and descent control, active front seat head restraints and front seatbelts with pretensioners and load limiters.

Lexus Pre-Collision System

The LX 570 Sports Luxury was also fitted with Lexus’ Pre-Collision System (PCS) which used a millimetre-wave radar to detect obstacles in front of the vehicle. PCS would activate in the following situations:

• When the radar detected that a collision could not be avoided;
• When the electronic stability control and braking control systems determined that emergency braking had been applied; and,
• When the vehicle was in an understeer or oversteer situation.

PCS would then prepare the vehicle by:

• Adjusting the brake assist system for maximum braking force so that any brake application would provide the maximum possible reduction in speed;
• Adjusting the Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS) for stiffer dampers and Active Height Control (AHC) for a lower ride height for greater dynamic ability; and,
• If a collision were determined to be unavoidable, the front seatbelts would be pre-tensioned to maximise their initial restrain performance.

Features: LX 570 Prestige, Sports and Sports Luxury

Standard features for the LX 570 Prestige and Sports included 18-inch alloy wheels, a nineteen speaker Mark Levinson sound system with a six-stack CD/DVD changer and MP3/WMA compatibility, four-zone climate control air conditioning, leather seats, power adjustable front seats with driver’s seat memory settings, heated front and second row seats, satellite navigation with an eight-inch touch screen, directional headlights, automatic headlights, park assist display, power sliding and 40/20/40 split-fold second row seats, power folding third row seats, Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity with voice recognition, remote central locking with Smart Card, power windows and mirrors, a power adjustable steering column (height and reach), an electrochromatic rear view mirror, a 12 volt power outlet, power sunroof, powered tail-gate, trip computer, an alarm and immobiliser.

The LX 570 Sports Luxury was further equipped with front and side cameras (for blind spot monitoring), active cruise control, a second row DVD player with a nine-inch display, driver’s seat lumbar adjustment, cool box within the centre console, roof rails and privacy glass.

February 2010: LX 570 update

The LX 570 was updated in February 2010 with an upgraded satellite navigation system and user interface, a USB input for media players, a 12 volt power outlet in the cargo area, headlamp washers and improved privacy glass.

Beyond this, the LX 570 Sports featured a centre console cool box, roof rails and a second row DVD player and display with wireless headphones. Finally, the LX 570 Sports Luxury was fitted with ten-spoke 20-inch alloy wheels and a body-kit which included front and rear spoilers.

Related links

• Press Kit: Lexus 200-I LX 570 (March 2008)

Review: Lexus 200.II LX 570 (2012-15)

Overview

Released in April 2012, the Lexus 200-Series Mk.II (200.II) LX 570 introduced a revised range that consisted of a single, unnamed variant as the 200.I LX 570 Sports and Sports Luxury variants were discontinued. The 200.II LX 570 was also fitted with a new Turn Assist function which applied the brakes to the inside rear wheel when cornering to reduce the vehicle’s turning circle, the Multi-Terrain Select system was upgraded and included five modes (rock, rock and dirt, mogul, loose rock and mud and sand) and the number of preset speeds for the Crawl Control system was increased from three to five.

Visually, the Lexus 200.II LX could be identified by its new ‘spindle’ grille, headlights with daytime LED running lights, bumpers, larger fog lamps bezels, door mirrors with integrated indicators and LED tail-lights.

Inside, the ventilated front seats were improved and there was a restyled centre stack, an updated instrument panel with a full-colour multi-information display between the speedometer and tachometer and metallic finishes for the centre instruments and front side air vents. An ‘Easy Access’ system was also introduced which enabled easier ingress and egress by retracting the driver’s seat and steering wheel.

Features

Compared to its 200.I predecessor, standard features for the 200.II LX 570 were extended to include 20-inch alloy wheels with 285/50 R20 tyres, a proximity key and a ‘Multi-Terrain Monitor’ which used four wide-angle cameras to monitor blind spots or areas of the vehicle obscured from view – this information was displayed on the eight-inch LCD centre console display.

Related links

• Press Release: Lexus 200-II LX 570 (April 2012)
• Brochure: Lexus 200-Series LX 570 (May 2013)
• Lexus Australia: Lexus LX 570

Review: Lexus 200.III LX 570 and LX 450d (2015-on)

Overview

Released in Australia in December 2015, the Lexus 200-Series Mk.III (200.III) LX 570 could be identified by its ‘bolder’ spindle grille, 20-inch split ten-spoke alloy wheels, triple LED headlights, LED indicators and fog lights, revised tail-lights and rear bumper. In March 2018, the Lexus LX range was expanded with the release of the five-seat LX 450d; the LX 450d was powered by the 4.5-litre 1VD-FTV twin-turbo diesel engine. Like the LX 570, the LX 450d had a 3500 kg towing capacity.

The Lexus 200.III LX 570 introduced an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Lexus AE80F transmission had a shorter first gear, longer top gear and closer spread of intermediate ratios; the final drive ratio was 3.307:1, while the low-range gear had a 2.617:1 reduction ratio. The updated LX 570 also introduced a new ‘Drive Mode Select’ dial on the centre console which enabled the driver to adjust powertrain and suspension behaviour. Selectable modes included:

• Normal: pre-selected when the vehicle starts, Normal balanced fuel economy and performance;
• Eco: for maximum fuel efficiency, Eco controlled engine output, softened throttle response and limited air conditioning output;
• Comfort: lowered the damping force sets of the AVS system for improved ride comfort;
• Sport S: increased throttle response and reduced steering assistance; and,
• Sport S+: engaged a ‘power’ setting for the drivetrain and applied ‘sport’ settings for the steering and AVS.

Furthermore, a ‘Customize’ feature enabled the driver to select a combination of settings not available in the other modes.

Inside, the Lexus 200.III LX 570 had an upgraded multimedia system which included a 12.3-inch HD display, a digital tuner and an auxiliary (VTR) input terminal on the front of the console for external video input; the instrument cluster also contained a larger 4.2-inch TFT multi-information display. Compared to its predecessor, the updated LX 570 had new seats, steering wheel, console storage, full instrument panel, door trims, ornamentation, instrument display and clock.

Safety equipment

As standard, the Lexus 200.III LX 570 was fitted with the ‘Lexus Safety System +’ which combined –

• Pre-Collision Safety System (PCS) including Autonomous Emergency Braking: used a millimetre-wave radar and front-facing camera to detect vehicles and pedestrians. PCS could then warn the driver of a possible collision and initiate automatic emergency braking (AEB) if necessary;
• All-Speed Active Cruise Control: monitored the distance to the vehicle ahead and could maintain a set distance by controlling vehicle acceleration and braking;
• Lane Keeping Assist (LKA): operated All-Speed Cruise Control was engaged and included:
  • Lane Departure Warning (LDW): used a lane recognition camera sensor mounted near the interior mirror to monitor the vehicle’s position on the road. If the sensor detected that the vehicle had deviated from its position, the driver was alerted via steering wheel vibrations and a warning message is displayed on the multi-information screen;
  • Lane Departure Warning+ (LDW+): if the LDW determined that the LX 570 had deviated from its current lane and the audio-visual warnings had been issued, LDW+ would apply force to the steering wheel to make a correction and avoid lane departure; and,
  • Sway Warning System (SWS): monitored the vehicle’s position within the lane and the driver’s steering operations to detect sway, which could be caused by driver fatigue or inattention. If detected, the system would alert the driver by sounding a buzzer and displaying a warning on the multi-information display.

As standard, the 200.III LX 570 was also fitted with:

• Blind Spot Monitor (BSM): operating at speeds above 40 km/h, the BSM used two radar sensors to detect other vehicles in the adjacent lanes. If detected, the driver was alerted via illuminating LED indicators in the relevant door mirror;
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA): used the same radar sensors and warned the driver of approaching vehicles that may cross the vehicle’s path when the driver was reversing; and,
• Adaptive High Beam (AHB): automatically switched the headlights between high and low beam to avoid dazzling other road users.

Features

For the Lexus 200.III LX 570, standard features were extended to include LED headlamps with Adaptive High Beam, a Head-Up Display (HUD), tyre pressure monitoring, wireless charging tray for Qi-compatible mobile phones, electric park brake, LED ambient lighting and Lexus’ ‘Enform’ connected mobility system.

The Mark Levinson Reference Surround Sound System was upgraded with a three-way speaker system to create a 7.1 channel system that supported discrete 5.1 channel playback. For the rear seat entrainment system, larger 11.6-inch HD screens were introduced (replacing the previous 7.0-inch screens).

Lexus LX 570 S

The Lexus LX 570 S was released in Australia in October 2018. Visually, the Lexus LX 570 S could be identified by its ‘aggressively styled’ front and rear bumper skirts, gloss black 21-inch forged alloy wheels, mesh pattern for the spindle grille and rear ‘LX 570 S’ badge; the courtesy lamps in the exterior door mirrors also projected ‘LX S’ on the ground. The LX 570 S was available in Sonic Quartz and Starlight Black paint finishes.

The Lexus LX 570 S was fitted with front ‘performance’ dampers which Lexus claimed improved ‘body rigidity and steering stability. Inside, the Lexus LX 570 S featured semi-aniline perforated leather trim (in Black of Garnet, a rich burgundy colour), Shimamoku Grey ornamentation and alloy pedals.

Brochure

• Brochure: Lexus 200-Series LX 570 and LX 450d (March 2018)

Related links

• Lexus Australia: Lexus 200-III LX 570 (December 2015)
• Lexus Australia: Lexus LX 570 S (October 2018)
• Wikipedia.org: Lexus 200 LX