AyM

Did anybody drove both ? Can u compare them ? Your opinion is very important. Thanks.

pagemaster

I have driven both and both are a different approach to the same conclusion.

The Mercedes is more modern, more advance and evolved SUV that has a large v8, excellent performance and solid towing skills. It is also luxurious inside. The 7500lb tow capacity shows that you do not need to go body on frame to tow well.

The LX570 on the other hand is an older 1990's type design IFS/solid rear body on frame model even tho the platform is new for 2008. The LX excels at towing, off roading, comfort (except 3rd) and is good at performance. The LX is heavy.

Lots of technology cam be found in both.

The merc has the edge in modern design while I like to old school feel of the LX. I like the LX better.

Eventually Toyota needs to move the LX/LC to IFS/IRS and possibly a unibody. There was talk about moving the Land Cruiser 200 to this type of platform but I don't think we will see it until the next redesign.

tigmd99

Why? Does the GL get that much better fuel economy?? Despite the old school design, Lexus has managed to soothe out the ride quite nicely on their LXs. The ML sound system is far superior to the GL's HK system. The Navigation system is also superior in the Lexus. So, unless massive room is needed, the LX wins on the interior when all things important are considered. The exterior is the minor weakpoint for the LX...but compared to the minivan-style GL, the LX is far better looking to my eyes!

I don't know...the ONLY reason why i would get the GL is if i was going to use 3 rows of seating on a consistent basis...or if you're into drag racing your fullsize SUVs. Otherwise, if you can afford either one, then this decision is a "no-brainer" for me. LX570 is the one i would pick in a heartbeat.

LexFather

LOL wut? The LandCruiser/LX is world reknown for its toughness, luxury and off-road ability. It IS NOT a cute unibody SUV.

You can't even tell the difference in ride on the road.

AyM

Thanks, pagemaster and tigmd99. What I really need to know is the following.

All comparisons what they have inside and what not, their exterior design and etc.. I saw and heard. But a few persons who drove BMW, GL and LX told me their opinion on how driver-friendly is each car, they told that despite LX is smooth, soft, very quality ( X5 BMW for example has a lot of issues) but ride in Mereceds is much easier, u feel yourself more relaxed, u feel yourself as something the whole with the road. The same regarding X5 BMW. As if in Lexus you are on the truck and u are starined.

Is it true? I really drive on the normal ways in 99% and 1% off-road.

tigmd99

AyM, i am an old person in a relatively young body...so, i prefer the quiet soft ride over the stiff riding, but good handling ride. The GL rides very well. I am sure that it handles better than the LX. But, for me, the LX handles "good enough" while providing the comfy ride that i like. The other thing that kinda bothered me about the GL is that the interior is very generic...the ML and GL have idential dash design. Nothing really special about it...yeah, the GL has the vinyl/leather/whatever stitched dash, but still a very generic (boring) dash. The LX dash is classy...like a highend audio system. You only see this dash design in the LS 460, not in the lower end Lexus. The design elegance reminds me of my first impression of the Range Rover interior.

pagemaster

Any of the Audi Q7, Range Rover, GL and LX are all really easy to live with. The LX570 is behind in rear suspension design so it can get fatigue over the long haul compared to the Mercedes or Range Rover. The extra fatigue is not much but everytime you are getting into the LX570 you are piloting a 6000lb SUV.

Each has to be driven and you need to find which one you like.

I would rather have the Land Cruiser above anything else but the LX is not that far behind. The 4 zone, heated second rows of the LC and the addition of power sliding second row in the LX are features I like....I don't care for the poorly designed 3rd row...I would like so see the LX with a IRS.

tigmd99

"Fatigue"?? Do you mean passenger fatigue or are you talking about rear suspension durability??

BTW, although a unibody may tow as much as a BOF design, you also have to consider the LONG TERM durability of towing. I can almost tell you for sure that a LX570 will lasts longer than a GL if you tow a lot. The stress of towing will wreck any unibody over time.

Why would you like to see the Land Cruiser and LX have IRS?? And why would you rather get TLC over LX?? Oh, you like the horrific fake wood in the Land Cruiser??!! That wood would look bad in a Kia, much less a $74k Toyota! Leather quality that is the same as my Sienna?? Or the fact that it is so damn low to the ground?? No thanks. Enough joking around, i would rather pony extra the extra dough and get the LX570 over the TLC anyday of the week...for both off-road and on-road.

pagemaster

Hey tigmd99...took a while to respond...I was busy with things.

Passenger fatigue I was talking about...I am sure Toyota could engineer long term durability in a unibody full size if they spend the R&D.

I don't doubt that the LX570 wil last longer than a GL is you tow a lot. Most LX owners do not tow very often so I am not sure if it is that big a deal. I guess we should have feedback from Range Rover owners now that the unibody Range Rover has been out for a while.

While the solid axle in the Land Cruiser is fine and does well...there is no doubt in my mind that high speed handling and comfort can only get better with a IRS design....the LX570 and LC do ride nice, there is no doubt about this but it could even be better which would be awesome.

I like the Land Cruiser over the LX570. Everything from the exterior styling, interior design and IMO the Land Cruiser if more prestigeous than the LX...even though the LX has the Lexus badge up front.

I have never liked the AVS type suspension...I guess with time I would like them but I really like the Land Cruiser truckish yet still smooth ride. KDSS is good technology as well.

The leather quality in the Land Cruiser is somewhere between the LX570 and Avalon in my opinion. Yes the LX leather is nice but I like the Land Cruiser leather better.

I strongly believe that there is a need for premium Toyota products such as the Avalon, Sienna Limited and Land Cruiser models. Even though there is the Lexus models some people like me do want most of the features and design of Lexus but with a Toyota logo up front. The only Lexus I like is the LS430 but other than that the L-Finese vehicle while good cars do not appeal to me. Although I would consider a SC430 but I am too big for that vehicle.


To be honest, I don't mind the faux wood Toyota uses in the Highlander or Land Cruiser. I really don't like Lexus's choice of wood on the current L-Finese cars but I do like granite type wood which I believe was available on the GX.

IMO the Land Cruiser is the perfect vehicle for me. It has outstanding fit and finish, 5.7 performance is a .5 second better than the LX, it has loads of premium features...can still be driven to the country club (although I would never go lol) and can be found in almost every country in the world...but not in Canada.

A few things I wish it had. Power sliding second row (available on overseas models), cooling front seats, third row delete option, locking diff in the rear and variable gear ratio steering. I would also like to see Sequioa type rear window shades as well. With these upgrades...it would be the perfect SUV.

I did like the LX470 much better than the previous Land Cruiser.

tigmd99

Well, to tell you the truth, Toyota engineering team has not been that impressive of late...with rusting issues on multiple frames, fender cracks on FJs, flexy frames, cracked A-arms on LX470/TLC100, etc..

But, with IRS, you compromise long term towing durability, off-road capability, etc.. The very reasons why you like the TLC are also the very reasons why a solid rear axle is a good thing. (And as you know, the TLC200 is a worldwide vehicle that needs to serve many purposes, not just getting kids to the mall...thus, its platform needs to be strong enough to be an all-arounder to everyone.) This is why the GL550 is not a world vehicle, while the G-wagen is.

Premium products from Toyota? Those vehicles that you name are not selling well at all. Avalon is rumored to be on its way out the door permenantly. (Trust me, i like the Avalon quite a bit!) The Sienna minivan sales stink...as is the case with all minivans. The Land Cruiser may sell well if you look at statistics, but that is only because Toyota makes so few of them.

Don't get me wrong, i understand where you are coming from. I love my Sienna minivan and its many Lexus options (HIDS, Laser Cruiser, memory seats, etc.) However, who in their right mind (besides me) would spend $42,000 on a minivan??? I sincerely love my minivan, but not many other people share this viewpoint.

IMHO, Toyota should be like Honda...limit their offerings to their bread-n-butter (Camrys, Corollas, Tacoms, 4runners, etc.). The more expensive luxury items should be left for Lexus. I think that Honda is doing relatively well during these hard times because they don't have much problem clearing their inventory.

manchurian

The tow capacity is whatever the mfg wants it to be. And the fact that all commercial vehicles use solid axles and BOF construction shows otherwise and those "solid" towing skills of the ML are more like pathetic joke of a frame that fall apart at the welds under any real use.

pemarsh

I have driven both, and own a 570. The 570 drives much heavier and suv/truck like compared to the MB, plain and simple. The MB is easier to maneuver and has better manners. When driving, the MB feels to have more acceleration and more torque, subjectively--im not sure about the exact specs though. Interior of the MB is nice, but does not really have the outstanding luxury of the 570.

The MB absorbs bumps better than the 570. The 570 feels the bumps also much more than the previous 470 (i used to own)..not sure if that is a result of lower profile tires or suspension or both.

MB sticker price is not that bad, UNTIL you start adding options, then look out--the price SOARS quickly.

perry

AyM

pemarsh,

my LX470 is shaking a lot not dependening on is it on COMF position or Sport position. I understand sedans are shaking much less, but what do u know about GL ? Is it common problem with all big SUVs?

pemarsh

in my 470, i never had any such shaking problem ever...no matter what setting.

MPLexus301

iTrader: (3)

The LX is pretty quick...0-60 in the mid 6 second mark.