Weathertop

Hi all:

After a few years with an Infiniti QX56 (sorry), I'm shopping right now and I am hoping that 2016/2017 LX owners can please help me with the following questions:

• Is the ride THAT much better than a Land Cruiser?
• Does the heads up display on all models droop to the right? I've been on one test drive and noticed some "droopage" of the HUD.
• Will the bottom half of the rear hatch open automatically with the key fob? The dealer demonstrated that the top half opens but I've since driven the Range Rover and notice that the bottom half flips open automatically on this vehicle...yes, I know that the Range Rover isn't reliable.

Thanks in advance for your feedback. I'm about 45 days out from a purchase decision, largely between the LX vs. LC vs. MB GLS.

ClaytonW

The ride is better - especially on comparable tires (I would strongly recommend replacing stock 21" wheels/tires with 18").
I never noticed drooping to the right. But I would strongly miss HUD on Land Cruiser.
The bottom half of the hatch does not open/close automatically. I don't think that it is a big issue. On Range Rover it's probably broken most of the time :-)
BTW, note that the adaptive cruise control on '16 Land Cruiser was not full speed range. I am not sure about '17 LC.

Reggie1

Personally, if service departments were all comparable in quality, I would choose the MB GLS 350d when it becomes available again this year. Nine speed transmission coupled with good low end and mid range torque, plus about 1500 pounds more towing capacity than the Tundra powered Lexus. For cargo, MB configuration is much better. Among other things, the third row seats in the MB don't encroach into the side-to-side space when folded. I made my Lexus decision based on the fact that my Lexus dealership is by far the best for service in my area, regardless of make.

Weathertop

Thanks for the feedback thus far.

ClaytonW: Why would you replace the stock wheels with smaller wheels? Many times, I see folks going the other direction on other vehicles to larger wheels.

And at what speed will the adaptive cruise control turn off?

brywhite

When I was shopping, I looked at the Land Cruiser first but never drove it... so I cannot compare the ride quality of the Land Cruiser to that of the LX. The first thing I did with the LC was open the lift-gate and "drop" (quite literally) the tailgate. It fell... unsupported by any sort of damper or spring and actually bounced a few times before coming to a stop. I couldn't believe that the manufacturers of a $90K vehicle would "allow" it to operate this way. It seemed cheap and after that, I was totally turned off to the Land Cruiser.

The LX tailgate is not powered but it is (thankfully) dampened so it drops in a controlled manner...much more civilized and no bouncing like in the LC. The lift gate is powered open/close via the remote and/or interior switch and power close only via a button on the underside of the lift gate. When opening the lift gate via the awkward manual latch, it "springs" open without a motor.

Either I sit crooked or the HUD is slightly off to the right because to me, the HUD is not centered visually where *I* would like it. I seems to point inward, more toward the center of the vehicle so I have to sort of lean slightly to the left to get a clear(er) view of it. Kind of annoying but livable.

brywhite

Also.. I might add that a power tailgate may not be optimal. My previous vehicle was a Mercedes GL which had a powered one piece lift gate - no tailgate. The problem with this is for example, if your carrying a watermelon back there or had bottles of wine fall over, or a bag of top heavy groceries and park on any sort of incline, the power lift gate opening will let those items roll right out of the vehicle. If you are fully loaded with camping equipment and off road (something I don't recommend in the GL because it sucks offroad) on a hill and need to access the rear of the vehicle all kinds of stuff will fall out of the vehicle when you open the liftgate.

With a tailgate - such as with the LX, the items behind the tailgate stay inside the vehicle even on an incline. No accidental automatic opening leading to damaged goods.

My 90's Range Rover pre-dated any automatic lift/tailgate functionality and I don't know how the newer generation Rovers operate... but I imagine that if the tailgate dropped automatically or even if you could select the tail/lift gate separately... every once in a while you may accidentally open the tailgate from afar and potentially have something fall out of the vehicle.

tlhicks

I have a 2017, Much better ride that a LC. Comfort mode is like riding on your couch but to soft for any curvy roads. Sports + give tight turns and is best for high speeds.
Heads UP display has been no problem for me. I had to adjust the Up and down to get in clear for my height that's it.
The bottom is manual open but when you lift it, it pulls close by its self.
The Radar cruise control and lane assist turn off below 32 MPH
The 360 top view cameras makes parking and maneuvering tight areas a breeze.

The 12 inch display kills the LC display. You will have to get use to the remote touch tho.

Hope this helps

Get an LX MAN JOIN THE FAMILY!!!

Wandl

Weathertop - My wife went through the same decision making rigor (LX vs LC vs GL...we also looked briefly at the new Q7). Haven't purchased yet but from what I could gather

LC - Only thing missing was thigh extender, if you can live with that you can save 5 figures easily. She liked the looks, the ride was comparable (I do like 87 octane plus smaller tires)
LX - Superior dealership experience, had a few more bells and whistles that were "nice but not essential" like heads up display, thigh extender and some comfort creatures
GL - Usable 3rd row, I'd argue more practical with the interior design. Unfortunately my wife didn't like the ride, it wasn't good enough to match the LX/LC
Q7 - Questionable dealership experience, but a lot of bang for your buck. Dubious as to a 1st year model release from a German automaker however. Lot more tech, *almost* as comfortable as the LC/LX

We're leaning heavily towards the LC unless a heck of a deal pops up on the LX.

Weathertop

This is an excellent point, brywhite. It now leads me to see the Lexus tailgate design as an advantage.

ClaytonW

Just a short explanation regarding the adaptive cruise control on LX and LC. For both LX and LC it can be activated for speeds 28 mph or higher. But the adaptive cruise control on LC is not "full speed range". That means when it is activated and LC slows down under 25 mph it turns off and does not resume. According the owners manual, no changes for 2017 LC.

ClaytonW

I don't want to start anothread about LX and tire sizes :-) It's quite simple. For comfort and offroad abilities, smaller wheels mean a better comfort and better offroad abilities. The best size for affroading is probably 17" wheels, the best size for mixed highway/offroad driving is 18" (the same size as on Land Cruiser). Some people say that bigger wheels look better. But I don't think so for an SUV which was designed for offroading. The big rims just look stupid on it.

Reggie1

In case some of you have not noticed, there is a tire and wheel forum on this ClubLexus site, which is sponsored by Tire Rack. There is way more information available there. Just scroll further down the menu that took you to this LX forum and you'll find it.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/the...akes-forum-76/

Weathertop

Thanks to all who replied previously. I had a couple of additional questions for LX 570 owners:

• With the Mark Levinson system option, can you use an SD or USB drive to bring along your own songs? I'm not finding any mention of external media that can be used with the LX, besides an iphone/ipod over bluetooth.
• Can you use the button on the steering wheel that controls the front camera to view the front of the vehicle while parking and slide into a tight (front) parking spot? My Infiniti QX allows the front video camera to be selected at slow speeds.
• Is there a puddle light that will illuminate when approaching the vehicle? My Infiniti and my wife's BMW both have this feature.
• While using the multi-terrain monitor, is there a set speed that this view will disengage?
• Seems that at least one person in this thread noticed the "droopage" of the heads up display that I also noted. Is this common?

As info, I test drove the Land Cruiser this weekend and noticed that the drive quality is not what I would expect. The other creature comforts don't match the Lexus either. Also, I received a promotion from my Lexus dealer in the mail that offers a free $75 gift card for a test drive and $500 off if purchased by the end of March. I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on the LX but would really appreciate feedback on my 5 questions above...

ClaytonW

1. USB drive can be used for playing mp3 songs.
2. There is no such button on the steering wheel. And I worry that you cannot switch between front and rear cameras as on Infiniti.
3. Probably not. There are no automatic puddle lights.
4. Yes and unfortunately, the speed when it disengages the multi terrain monitor is quite low. I would be happy if it could be set higher.

Weathertop

Sorry, I wasn't probably clear for all my questions but I really appreciate your speedy help, Clayton. Follow-up thoughts follow:

1. Where is the usb port on the vehicle to use with music?
2. I think that there is a view button on the steering wheel that operates the multi-mode monitor. It looks like a camera. At least, the Land Cruiser has this button. If it is present, can you use it as a front-facing parking aid?
3. That's mildly disappointing. I figured that a vehicle with this much scratch involved would have something that lights up on it when you approach it, like every other vehicle that costs more than $40 K.
4. Ditto.