Lexus GX 470 Gains Power and Adds New Sport Package for 2005

The Lexus GX 470 luxury utility vehicle delivers a big gain in performance for 2005 with the addition of a more powerful V8 engine and a new Sport Package that combines the advanced Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS) and special trim. The 2005 GX 470 will be in dealership showrooms beginning this month.

The new Sport Package gives the GX 470 a distinctive visual signature, with smoked front and rear light bezels, and dark graphite finish on the 17-inch alloy wheels and roof rack. Inside, dark graphite center console and instrument panel trim complements the Black Bird's Eye Maple wood trim.

Also new for 2005, the optional Lexus Navigation System now integrates Bluetooth� wireless technology for greater capability and convenience.

The GX 470 is a full-capability luxury utility vehicle positioned between the brand's car-based RX 330 and the premium-luxury LX 470 models in size and price. The GX 470 combines the luxury appointments and workmanship of a Lexus sedan with an innovative full-time four-wheel drive system that's augmented by an arsenal of safety and dynamic handling technology. As proof of its all-road capability, the Lexus GX 470 won the Four Wheeler Magazine's "Four Wheeler of the Year" award two years in a row.

"The GX 470 offers the ultimate in luxurious adventures," said Lexus Group Vice President and General Manager Denny Clements. "It is simply among the most capable and luxurious vehicles in the SUV category. The new Sport Package for 2005 further highlights the distinctive design, advanced handling capability and lavish interior appointments of this award-winning vehicle."

Equipping the GX 470's 4.7-liter V8 engine with the variable valve timing with intelligence (VVT-i) system and an electronic throttle control system with intelligence (ETCS-i) has increased output from 235 horsepower to 270. Torque rises by 10 lb-ft. to 330 lb-ft. The GX 470 also meets Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle II (ULEV-II) certification. Its five-speed automatic transmission provides seamless shift quality, and shift logic holds gears on inclines for power and on descents for increased engine braking � helpful when towing.

Safety has been enhanced for 2005, as well, with the addition of driver and passenger advanced front airbags that inflate according to collision severity. A front seat passenger sensor is designed to determine if there is a person in the seat as well as the person's weight category to determine whether the airbag should inflate, and the correct inflation power.

Industry-First Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System
The performance cornerstone of the Sport Package is the unique Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS). Introduced as an option in 2004, KDSS brings new levels of handling, ride comfort and off-road capability to the already highly competent GX 470.

Employing a simple hydraulic control system acting on both front and rear stabilizer bars, KDSS reduces the degree of roll stiffness provided by each of the bars in response to changing road conditions and driver inputs. With its variable roll stiffness, a KDSS-equipped GX 470 is able to use much larger stabilizer bars that help reduce maximum body roll angle by nearly 50 percent, helping to significantly enhance handling response.

Large stabilizer bars would normally mean a stiff ride over single-wheel bumps, but with KDSS, the energy is distributed between front and rear so that ride comfort is not disturbed. In some cases it's improved. Larger stabilizer bars enable shock absorber damping force to be optimized to improve ride comfort, without sacrificing handling.

The front and rear stabilizer bars, which have nearly double the standard torsional stiffness, are supported by their own inter-connecting hydraulic cylinders. In normal cornering, the bars work conventionally to resist body roll motion and there is no fluid flow between the cylinders. When unequal wheel loading occurs in certain conditions, fluid can move between the front and rear cylinders, helping to equalize loading.

The variable terrain typical of most off-road situations highlights the benefits of KDSS. Stiff stabilizer bars can limit off-road performance, because the inside wheels tend to lift and lose traction when outside wheels encounter bumps. However, with KDSS, the hydraulic cylinders allow the wheels on each axle to move with a larger degree of side-to-side independence, helping to minimize any tendency for wheel lift. The increased suspension articulation freedom helps maximize traction, even in challenging off-road driving situations.

KDSS works in concert with the standard Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS), which continuously changes shock absorber damping in response to road conditions and driver input.

Combining these suspension technologies helps provide superior ride and handling and maximum traction both on and off-road.

Rugged Chassis, Sophisticated Control
Robust body-on-frame construction provides the high carrying capacity that customers in this segment favor. Independent front suspension and rear air suspension with self-leveling deliver a smooth on-road ride without compromising rugged hauling and off-road capabilities. The standard 265/65R17 tires mounted on 17-inch alloy wheels provide a good balance of quiet ride, responsive on-road handling and off-road capability.

Variable-gear ratio rack-and-pinion steering system makes it easier to maneuver the GX 470 in very tight places. The tooth spacing on the gears of the rack becomes wider toward the end of the rack, reducing driver effort at large steering angles.

The rear Adaptive Height Control provides flexibility for the GX 470's many uses. A high setting provides an extra 1.6 inches of clearance when traversing challenging terrain. The Adaptive Height Control also will lower the rear of the vehicle 1.2 inches from its neutral setting for easier cargo loading.

The comprehensive dynamic handling technology in the GX 470 gives it exceptional capability and includeS: Full-time four-wheel drive with low range; anti-lock brake system (ABS); Brake Assist (BA); Active TRAC (traction control); Downhill Assist Control (DAC); Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), and Vehicle Stability Control (VSC).

The full-time four-wheel drive system uses a Torsen� torque-sensing center differential that distributes the power 40 percent front / 60 percent rear under most conditions and changes the ratio as needed based on steering input and wheel slip. Changing to a 29 percent front / 71 percent rear distribution ratio during steering maneuvers helps to enhance vehicle tracking through curves. If the rear wheels spin, the center differential can change the ratio to 53 percent front / 47 percent rear to control the slippage.

The Torsen center differential also makes the vehicle less prone to slippage caused by sudden changes in road surface conditions, such as driving through a puddle or ice patch.

The transmission's low range allows the GX 470 to negotiate steep off-road slopes. Downhill Assist Control (DAC) is designed to augment the low-speed descending ability of low-range by holding the vehicle to a target speed with no intervention from the driver. In addition, the Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC) system helps provide additional control for off-road driving by helping to keep the vehicle stationary while starting on a steep incline or slippery surface.

Active TRAC (traction control) provides the traction benefit of locking front and rear differentials, but with less weight. The system can apply the brake to a slipping wheel, which functions to transfer torque to the wheels with better traction.

Advanced Safety Systems
The Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system helps keep the GX 470 going on its intended course by detecting front-wheel slide and rear-wheel slide during cornering and attempting to control either condition with torque intervention and/or by braking individual wheels.

Brake Assist is designed to determine if the driver is attempting emergency braking and, if the driver
has not stepped firmly enough on the brake pedal to engage the anti-lock brake system (ABS), the system supplements the applied braking power. Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) utilizes the ABS and distributes proper brake force between the front and rear wheels according to driving and wheel load conditions.

The Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) in the GX 470 include dual front and side airbags and side curtain airbags. Roll-sensing curtain airbags are designed to deploy in a severe tilt angle, roll or lateral g force.

A rear backup camera, available in conjunction with the optional navigation system, gives the driver a view of what the camera lens detects behind the vehicle, automatically projecting a color image on the navigation system�s seven-inch LCD screen when reverse gear is engaged. A Tire Pressure Monitoring system (TPM) can detect a severe loss in pressure in one or more tires, a condition that could potentially lead to loss of control.

The Look and Feel of Lexus Luxury
Interior design and content continue the Lexus tradition of blending incomparable fit and finish with unmistakable luxury. The GX 470 offers eight-passenger seating with the optional rear seat. Available rear air conditioning brings all-season comfort to the third-row passengers.

The many standard luxury features in the Lexus GX 470 include automatic climate control, leather seating surfaces and trim, premium audio system with a six-disc in-dash CD changer, steering wheel audio controls, rain-sensing windshield wipers, power moonroof, a wood/leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, memory system for the driver's seat, steering wheel position and outside mirrors, heated front seats, and an overhead console with integrated HomeLink� transmitter.

The optional Lexus Navigation System integrates Bluetooth� wireless technology for 2005. When combined with a Bluetooth� equipped phone, this global wireless technology allows the driver to transfer personal phone books to the navigation system and make hands-free phone calls through the navigation system�s touch-screen control panel.

Customers can place a hands-free call in different ways. To help avoid driver distraction, the one-touch dial feature is the only dialing function that a customer can access when the vehicle is in motion. The system can store up to 18 one-touch dial numbers. Some Bluetooth� functions are disabled when the vehicle is in motion, and the customer can use steering wheel controls to answer and end calls as well as adjust call volume.

The optional, factory-installed DVD rear seat entertainment system uses a high-resolution LCD screen that lowers from the headliner, providing a mobile theater experience for up to six passengers. A Lexus-exclusive Mark Levinson� high-end audio system can turn the GX 470 into a concert hall on wheels.

The 2005 GX 470 has a base Manufacturer�s Suggested Retail Price of $45,775, and all new Lexus vehicles come with a 48-month/50,000-mile basic limited warranty with roadside assistance for 48-months/unlimited miles. Powertrain and restraint system coverage is provided for 72 months/70,000 miles. Corrosion perforation protection is covered for 72 months, regardless of mileage.

Credit: www.lexus.com