The Star: December 08, 2016

The Star 47
Driven
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Thursday December 8 2016
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• By Ross Kiddie
BY MY own admission I’m
a bit of a snob, I glamourise
where I live, and I tell
people I own a Lexus.
Well the latter is true
up to a point, I own a
Toyota Altezza which was
sold here new as a Lexus
IS200/300.
Badge engineering is
commonplace throughout
the automotive manufacturing
world, and Lexus
has had several models
sourced from the wider
Toyota stable.
One to come my way
recently was the Lexus
LX450d, a large, luxury
four-wheel-drive SUV
based on the Land Cruiser
platform. And realistically,
it is a Land Cruiser 200 in
disguise, it gets all the trick
four-wheel-drive gear along
with all the grandeur that
embodies the Lexus spirit
of luxury, refinement and
sophistication.
The LX has always been
powered by a 5.7-litre V8
petrol engine, but just
recently it has been joined
by a 4.5-litre V8 diesel
which, incidentally, is the
first Lexus diesel offering.
The LX570 lists at
$179,900, and I guess if
you have that amount of
money to spend on a vehicle,
filling regularly with
petrol probably isn’t a disadvantage,
but at $159,900
the diesel variant probably
makes just that little
bit more sense, and it is
still the epitome of luxury
transport off-road, or any
road as the case may be.
Ironically, it was just a
few weeks back that I drove
the Land Cruiser 200 with
exactly the same engine
and driveline. I remarked
then that even though it is
a huge and bulky vehicle,
it doesn’t feel big to drive;
the same can be said for
the LX450d, and it is an
off-road champion like no
other.
The four-wheel-drive
mechanicals and the
electronic systems which
override it are comparable
to the world’s best fourwheel-drive
platforms –
even Range Rover and Jeep
product.
The LX450d has a multitude
of options available at
the driver’s command for
when road (or track) surfaces
vary, they are all dial
or button operated, mostly
from an extensive array on
the centre console, they
are intuitive to use quickly
when grip and traction settings
need altering. There
LEXUS LX450D: Diesel engine is the first for Lexus.
are also comfort, normal
and sport suspension settings.
Lexus rate the 4461cc,
quad-camshaft, 32-valve
V8 at 200kW, with an
amazing 650Nm of torque
available all of the way
from 1600rpm to 2800rpm.
It is a true powerhouse
with an unfaltering flow
of power right through to
the 4500rpm redline. Well,
it needs to be strong, the
450d weighs heavy at over
2500kg, and rated with a
3500kg towing figure there
is a lot of weight to haul
constantly.
• Price – Lexus LX450d,
$159,900
• Dimensions – Length,
5080mm; width,
1980mm; height,
1865mm
• Configuration – V8,
four-wheel-drive,
4661cc, 200kW,
650Nm, six-speed
automatic.
• Performance –
0-100km/h, 9.5sec
• Fuel usage –
9.5l/100km
That aside, the 450d feels
sprightly, it will cut out a
standstill to 100km/h time
of 8.6sec, and will lunge
through a highway overtake
in 5sec; both these
figures I would suggest are
quick for vehicle type.
Drive is transferred
through a six-speed automatic
gearbox, interestingly,
the petrol V8 gets a
flash eight-speeder, but that
matters little, the diesel unit
flows smoothly through
the transmission and it has
quick, fluid shifts which
work well with the power
characteristics.
A stiff southerly
was blowing through
Canterbury during my day
of rural testing, and as big
as the LX450d is, it wasn’t
bothered by the wind gusts,
there’s a lot of sheet metal
down the side of the vehicle
(almost 5.1m) but it
feels firmly planted on the
road and has remarkable
stability.
There is little sensation
in a corner, there is body
roll, but that’s no surprise,
it’s how I would expect it to
be. The LX450d gets a fabulous
ride through a complex
air suspension system,
bearing in mind that it has
to disguise a live rear axle.
Up front the suspension is
more traditional through
a double wishbone system,
but the engineers have created
a plush ride, and that
is something we have come
to expect with Lexus.
The mechanicals are
engineered for life crosscountry.
I didn’t take the
vehicle off-road for fear
of damage, although I did
take it on a long shingle
loop near Hororata, crossing
the Hororata River
through legitimate fords.
The river was barely a
trickle, but it was a good
opportunity to test the
varying four-wheel-drive
options.
As a series, the LX has
just had a major makeover,
it’s a lot more than cosmetic
facelift, the only carryover
panels are the doors.
The interior, too, has had
a major refresh, and all of
the trim elements are true
Lexus with enough cockpit
dials and switches to keep a
Boeing pilot happy.
Column space doesn’t
allow comprehensive
detailing of equipment, but
to say the LX450d misses
out on little. I would have
liked to have seen the rear
passenger compartment
entertainment screens that
are offered on Cruiser VX,
which I can report certainly
keep youngsters entertained
on a long journey.
Nevertheless, the LX
series is a quality piece of
kit all round. It is expensive,
but you certainly
get a lot of vehicle for the
money. It is most certainly
the machine to get you to
the skifield in style.
Finance
available T.A.P
NOW $74,995
Neat cars
Cruise traction control, ABS, CD, brake
assist, very smart car.
Car City
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2 BERTH
Every option covered for all your needs. 2 berth options with
end kitchens, end bathrooms, L shape Kitchen, L Shape Lounge,
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panel, air conditioned and motor movers options.
www.neatcars.co.nz
www.carcitychch.co.nz
* NO DEPOSIT SUBJECT TO NORMAL LENDING CRITERIA (no on road costs)
Best
F E
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www.caravanplanet.co.nz
47-49 Hayton Road, Wigram | Phone 03 982 3366
From No Dep
now only
$8,490
1340cc, auto, multiple air bags,
over drive, one owner
LoW KmS
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03 343 0068
511 Blenheim Road
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Christchurch
03 379 4254
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