Luxury SUVs have a reputation for never being taken off of paved roads and into the rough stuff. It’s not as if rigs such as the Range Rover or Mercedes-Benz G-Class can’t handle some rocks and mud. They have powerful motors, robust frames and advanced four-wheel drive systems. The Lexus LX 570 is made out of the same nature-proof hardware.
I can’t blame owners of the dressed-up Land Cruisers for pampering them, though. They’re such handsome vehicles. Forest pinstripes mar their rich, lustrous paint jobs. Trail dirt can ruin the LX’s creamy, semi-aniline leather seats. Creek water has the potential of leaving spots on the Mahogany wood trim.
However, I did enjoy the following video. It was refreshing to see such a mechanically rugged truck’s capabilities being put to use. In the clip, some well-to-do adventurer not only drives an LX 570 across a river in Chile, but he or she tows what appears to be a pop-up camper behind it at the same time. This person even equipped his or her Lexus with a safari-style roof rack.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
Where do you go for answers when you have a Lexus with a gorgeous leather interior but are not sure about how to maintain that luxurious look? The "Club Lexus" forums, of course.
