All-New Lexus LX 600 SUV Offers Rugged Luxury

The all-new Lexus LX 600 replaced Toyota’s long-tenured Land Cruiser for 2022, after low take rates of the body-on-frame SUV siblings skewed towards higher-income buyers. In fact, the previous-generation LX very nearly outsold the Land Cruiser outright in 2021 and, now, the updated LX adds new levels of luxury and refinement while retaining many of the off-road goodies expected for a full-sized body-on-frame SUV.

Based largely on the Tundra, also new for 2022, the new generation of LX drops the outgoing 570’s V8 option and now sports a twin-turbocharged V6 rated at 409 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque. A 10-speed automatic delivers that power to all four wheels at all times, with a two-speed four-wheel drive transfer case offering low range and a standard locking center differential. An optional rear locker fits into the mix abroad, but more on that later.

The entry-level LX stickers at $86,900 but Lexus very much hopes to entice city dwellers with the F Sport Handling package, which ups the starting price to $102,345 and draws inspiration from past F coupes and sedans with handsome 22-inch wheels, lower-profile tires, a Torsen torque-biasing rear differential, and a themed interior highlighted by aluminum pedals and bolstered front seats.

Both off-roading and sporty driving might sound antithetical in the context of a massive, upright SUV that costs well into the six-figure range. At that price point, the LX now pivots to focus entirely on the luxury SUV market. Lexus first came onto the scene in the 1990s with a staid four-door LS sedan, which aimed to take Mercedes-Benz and BMW on at their own premium game with a focus on inviting customer service and refined reliability. Since then, more recent Lexus releases lost much of that original theme, trending toward swoopy designs, the confusingly mild performance-oriented “F” models, and a complete lack of user-friendly in-vehicle infotainment systems (this despite the longtime advertising slogan “Discover intuitive design”).