SCbarber

Looking to pick up a nice low mileage 470. Need to tow about 45-5000 lbs. has anyone done it and how does it tow? I know I can step up to the 570 but from what I am reading, I would prefer an older model (they seem to ride better for most). Also, the prices still seem to be very high on ones with under 100k on them.

SCbarber

ok, apparently nobody has towed anything with their LX.

hankinid

We've towed before with wife's '01...a Charmac 3-horse slant with 2 horses weighing just under 2500 lb., so with trailer weight should be 4500 lb. or so. No issues, just be patient going up hill and turn off the overdrive. Power mode and manually shifting is great as you've got positive transmission lockup to keep your transmission from frying due to "hunting", and you're saving your brakes on downhills by dropping down a gear.

That said, the 5.7 in my Land Cruiser does a much better job with about the same gas mileage...no substitute for cubic inches when towing, especially in the mountains.

SCbarber

Also, looking at LC's how do you like yours and would you buy another?

hankinid

...In a nano-second, if it were the right deal.

Zero issues...just wear & tear, brake rotors and pads (diy), ABS and brake system flush by local indy shop. I bought her 3.5 years ago as wife sold her perfect '91 Suburban which left her with a 3/4 ton truck as her DD. The money was there and we approved a new 200 series for me and the LX would become her DD. I sat on the web for ~ 3 months and found a '13 Cruiser, 1-owner, low mileage, and all services done on time by Lexus of Kootenai. I negotiated on the phone a bit and caught an early plane from Boise to Spokane. Dealer picked me up and we test drove the Cruiser for 3 hours...no issues and solid as a rock. We stopped by a bank, I picked up a check, and drove her home that night. I discovered it loves to cruise 5-10 mph over the 80 mph limit.

UZ214

I would highly recommend a 570, the prices are almost the same with a low mileage 470 and maybe a higher mile 570. The 570 engine is very good with towing, the 470 is sort of sluggish; I towed a trailer with it but kept the weight about 3500lbs, wasn't much an issue.

Reggie1

I towed at least once a week with my 2007 LX470. Trailer was a 2 horse with the aerodynamics of a large brick., which weighted about 6,000 pounds when carrying 2 horses and their tack.
Prior to that I towed the same trailer with a 2003 GX470, and before that, a K2500 7.4L Suburban.

The best of these 3 was by far the Suburban - without looking in the rear view mirror, you could almost forget there was a trailer back there. 13.5mpg without the trailer, 13.5 mpg towing the trailer. The GX470 and LX470 were very close im towing performance. Both were adequate - nothing more. On the flat the Lexuses were OK, but going up a grade both struggled. My usual towing route was along I-20 across the Savannah river, with a very long grade up the SC side. The semis were struggling up the grade at about 40 mph, and both the Lexus 470's just barely kept up. We were usually flat out in RPM's and in 2nd gear and down to about 30mph by the time we reached the top. The ride in both was fairly choppy when towing, really noticeable over the expansion joints in the concrete. I had expected the LX470 to tow better than the GX470, but I really felt no difference. The AHC on the LX470 failed at about 35,000 miles, but whether towing precipitated that I'll never know. I never had it fixed, just traded it in on a new LX570.

To me the LX570 is hands down a far better towing setup than the 470's. On the same I-20 grade with the same trailer and horses, I can pass all the slow moving semis. I can maintain 70 mph, but it takes high revs and 3rd gear (my LX570 has the 6 speed transmission). The truck-trailer package just feels steadier (less twitchy), and is a pleasure to drive. That added liter engine size in the 570 is a huge.improvement.

Plus, I get about 9.5 mpg towing with the LX570. With my two 470's I don't recall ever getting above 8 mph.

Bottom line is that I personally do not recommend the LX470 as a regular towing vehicle for a 6,000 pound trailer. Unless you live in someplace almost totally flat, like Florida.

By the way, if you tow a horse trailer, enclosed utility trailer, or other brick shaped trailer, consider replacing the dinky little LX side mirrors with a decent set of towing mirrors. I did, and it makes a huge improvement in visibility and towing peace-of-mind.