Western News: May 11, 2023

Thursday May 11 2023 13
IF A new Toyota Land Cruiser is
on your wish-list but you have a
few extra notes in the bank, the
Lexus LX 500d is the next best
option.
It’s a Land Cruiser on steroids
in terms of specification and
luxury and it sits in a part of the
market that has little competition
in terms of prestige and
ability than, say, Range Rover.
What’s more, it’s an easy decision
to make if you have decided
on Lexus, there are just two
models – F-Sport and Limited
both are priced at $175,900.
As its nomenclature suggests
the F-Sport has design elements
that are a little on the sporty side
– black mesh grille, unique front
and rear bumpers – while inside
there are aluminium centre
console panels and coloured seat
coverings. The Limited has a
chrome slatted grille, woodgrain
shift panel, wood-rimmed steering
wheel and full black leather.
The only other real difference
lies with the suspension, the F-
Sport gets what Lexus describes
as performance dampers. In
effect, the ride is just marginally
firmer, although I certainly
couldn’t detect much difference
between the standard settings
and those fitted to the F-Sport;
I climbed out of it and stepped
straight into the Limited, there
was no immediate feeling of
change.
Of course, if you were to
explore all of the driveline settings
and functions that make
the Land Cruiser/LX 500d so
capable, the chassis and suspension
settings would then come
into play.
However, as capable as it is
Incorporating
best motorbuys
www.drivesouth.co.nz
Go-anywhere goliath loaded with luxury
off-road, you don’t see too many
Lexus models charging through
the bush or high country tracks,
it is far more of a civilised sevenseat
family wagon that will lend
itself to any challenge, especially
in terms of towing, it is rated
with a 3500kg figure. If towing
a horse float or boat for your
recreational pursuits is what you
require, then the Lexus in this
form is the vehicle for you. It is
a true sport utility vehicle with
luxury and quality elements that
are true to the Lexus ethos. For
the children in the second row of
seats, each can be entertained by
their own personal screens fixed
to the rear of the front seat head
rests.
Under the bonnet sits a new
V6 diesel engine that also comes
courtesy of Land Cruiser. The
best way it can be described is it
is much the same design as the
old V8 that powered previous
generation models, but with two
cylinders fewer. It does get the
benefit of a twin turbocharging
system which provides power
outputs greater than previously,
it is rated at 227kW and
a stunning 700Nm. Add in the
coupling to a 10-speed automatic
transmission, the relay of power
to each corner is seamless and
constant, there’s never a point
when accelerator input isn’t met.
The LX 500d is chock full of
the luxury ingredients you get
with any model from the Lexus
stable, that’s something the
company has classed as a major
manufacturing ingredient in all
of its models. I was reluctant to
take the evaluation cars back to
the dealership, both variants really
grew on me, I simply enjoyed
the driving experience.
Which one would I buy?
The F-Sport, knowing those
performance dampers are sitting
underneath are just one more
reason to feel secure on the road.
• Price – Lexus LX 500d
Limited, $175,900
• Dimensions – Length,
5100mm; width,
1990mm; height,
1895mm
• Configuration – V6,
four-wheel-drive,
3346cc, 227kW, 700Nm,
10-speed automatic
• Performance –
0-100km/h, 8sec
• Fuel usage –
10.2l/100km
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