Ripped from autoweek.com

>> LX 470
HIGHLIGHTS: 5 more horses give the 4.7-liter V8 235 horsepower
total; exterior freshened, four new colors
BASE PRICE (INCLUDING DEST.): $63,700
WHAT'S NEXT: This luxury version of Toyota's Land Cruiser gets dropped in '05 and replaced by a Lexus version of the Sequoia
IN OUR OPINION: This all-wheel-drive, plush eight-seater is one of the best luxury SUVs on the planet

The rest of the truck news is at

http://www.autoweek.com/cat_content...._code=03097087

Overclocker

 

I'm not surprised although I'm going to miss the LX 470 and the Landcruiser. Have to narrow the playing field.

 

I'm not sure I follow what autoweek is talking about...isn't the GX Sequoia-based and not 4runner. (Does the 4Runner even come with a 3rd row of seat option??) I'm not disputing that the end may be near for the LX, but I gotta question that too, given some of the other inconsistencies (at least they are inconsistent to me).

 

The new GX is 4Runner based. I should say New 4Runner based since the new 4Runner is larger and has a V8 option. I've also read that the 4Runner will have a third row seat option.


gadgetSC

 

Is it really 4runner based? If the new 4runner has a 3rd row then why do they have the sequoia? So if they get rid of the LX then wouldn't they cut off the Land cruiser too? I do not see them doing that.

 

The reason is probably because they want to compete with bigger SUV's, such as the new Ford Explorer, which when I first saw it, I thought was an Expedition.

 

The Landcruiser is gone, it was supposed to be gone this year but it wasn't for some reason....

This is all a shame...

 

apparently the GX is based on the new 4Runner. Hmmm, that changes things...I haven't been in the new 4R, but if it's anything like the old one it was too "truck-like" (Not that my Expedition is riding like an ES or anything, but you know what I mean). I may have to convince the dealership to let me have an extended test drive when the GX comes out before I make my final decision on it.

 

Ok, I'm a little confused. Is just the LX470 being dropped or the Land Cruiser as well? There was no mention of the Land Cruiser being dropped on the Autoweek site...

I would hate to see the Cruiser go....its been around for a looong time....an off-roading legend.

 

Yes the GX is going to be 4Runner based and from what I've heard, the new 4Runner, while still remaining truck based, will be the most refined and smooth truck based SUV on the market. You do have to remember that the LX is based off the LandCruiser which is a full frame, and live axled truck if I remember correctly. The reason they're dropping the LandCruiser and the LX470 is because they basically occupy the same hole in the line as the new 4Runner and the GX do. The 4Runner slides into the lineup where the LandCruiser was, the Highlander takes over 4Runner's space, and the LX470 gets a significant size upgrade by being based off the Sequoia.

The only problem with this is that, my dad has a Sequoia and while its a very nice truck, it is American made and it really shows. The quality isnt there as much as it is in the Land Cruiser.

 

LX470 is listed on Lexus website for the 2006 model year. Maybe they are just selling the remaining production inventory from 2005 as 2006s and producing them no more?

 

I guess you didnt see how old this thread is. Ancient thread. But anyway, its still around for the 06 year with even more improvements for the 06 model year(addition of VVT-i 260- 270 something hp, and a few new features and standard equipment. Rumor has it that it still will be replaced by a Lexus styled Sequoia(named JX). We shall see.

 

Actually the style is updated on the 06' LX 470 and the power is up slightly, aswell as some features, also sales are slightly higher in the past two months I believe so yup.

 

JohnnyMo...go look at a new V8 4Runner and and new GX470 and you will see there is very little real difference besides a plusher interior and a little more sound insulation in the GX.....and the lack of a V6 option in the GX.
I'd also like to stress that, for their height, both vehicles are quite narrow.....this doesn't do much for the center of gravity, so you have to be careful tossing them around curves.

Now..the LX470. While, like some others at CL, I will miss it if it is indeed dropped. It, like the Toyota Land Cruiser it was based on, was a superlatively good, luxurious, and capable off-roader, but the low sales numbers of these two vehicles certainly don't help their position in the marketplace. The rock-climbing and stream-fording that these vehicles do so well just isn't what most people in the U.S. use their SUV's for nowadays. The Sequoia, being car-based rather than truck-based, and even though it is not as capable off-road as the Land Cruiser / LX470, actually makes a better and more efficient people mover.....the main use for today's SUV's. So, in the end, it will not be surprising if it indeed becomes the new top-of-the-line SUV for Toyota and Lexus.

We see the same thing at Mercedes-Benz. The bank-vault-solid, tough-as-nails Gelandewagen ( G-Wagon ), a military-derived world-class off-roader, is being replaced by a much more car-like version of the M-Class.

 

LOL...I guess a response is better late than never. This thread was started three years ago.