LEXUS DELUXE

IS A LANDCRUISER NOT FANCY ENOUGH? LEXUS HAS THE REMEDY

- TONY O'KANE

IF YOU’RE the cynical type, you might be tempted to dismiss the Lexus LX as simply being a LandCruiser with a more prestigious badge and a hefty markup. However, if you’re the type who prefers not to judge books by their covers and instead look a little closer, the all-new LX is separated from its Cruiser cousin by myriad differences, on the outside, underneath and within.

For enthusiasts, the most intriguing difference will be what’s beneath the LX’s gigantic double-humped aluminium bonnet. While the all-new 2022 LX range – which utilises the same box-fresh GA-F platform as its Toyota counterpart – is available with the same 3.3-litre twin-turbo diesel as the 300 Series LandCruiser, that engine is offered alongside a new powertrain for the platform: a 305kW 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6.

Developed from the engine that powers the Lexus LS 500 luxury sedan, it’s this mill that provides the new LX with a key point of difference to the 300 Series – but it’s not the only unique selling point. An interior that bears almost no resemblance to that of the 300 besides its general dimensions is another, with LX-specific dashboard, door and centre console furniture. Meanwhile, suspension settings for the coil springs and hydraulically-linked dampers are also totally revised. A ride height that’s adjustable on the fly, blingy 20- and 22-inch wheels, a Torsen limited-slip differential on the F Sport variant, a hyper-opulent four-seat configuration ... the list of major differences is a long one.

What does it all amount to? We travelled to Tasmania for the new LX’s local launch to put it through its paces over several hundred kilometres of tarmac and dirt to find out.