Well they have a wider selection of std. equipment and like before only few features are available as optional, since the these SUVs come pretty loaded from the factory.

However lets be realistic the LX will experience a price change, whether it be steep or not, we dont know, my sources tell me that it will not be that significant!

The LX/LC in its entire lifecycle never had bragging rights when it came to mpg


Sure I agree the Large Luxury SUV segment is a bit more competitive, but they are pioneers who are well-established in this market and are well-informed about its customer. This customer will not mind paying an extra few grand provided his whole experience is elevated by the new model, which IMO will surpass even the most loyal customers expectation!

 

IMHO, in the ultra-lux SUV division, the Range Rover is all by itself. Yes, it is extremely unreliable. However, this does seem to matter much to the people with money to burn. Range Rover is classic, damn elegant inside & out, supremely comfortable, and elegant (oh i said that already). The new LX may have a good interior (IMHO still not up to RR's interior ambience and elegance), but it's exterior falls waaaayyyyy short of the RR.

The richer you are, the more emphasis is placed on elegance and class.

 

True, but the point is that most buyers care more now about mpg than they did in the past.

At least that's how I feel. When I bought my 2000 LX, I don't remember even checking the mpg rating. Now, as I think about a replacement, I go to fueleconomy.gov all the time.

 

sure, but at the end, LC outsells LR :-)

 

R320 CDI compares to LX? Really? Interesting.

Did you check comparable V8 GL pricing? I doubt you did :-).

LX will be expensive - it has big engine and it has equipment comparable and better than LS460.

 

Well I sorta have to disagree with you there. Because there are manufacturers out there who are constantly introducing more powerful engines with increased hp, torque etc.

Take for instance the German Ultra-luxury sedan market with the Merc S600, BMW 760Li, Audi W12. Now all 3 of these vehicles have V12 engines since they were launched decades ago (BMW V12 -1988, Merc follwed shortly, Audi introduced it more recently) These V12 models are low volume models but have been constantly updated with more peformance, bigger engines, superchargers (in mercs case). The niche for this market is always anticipating for more power and performance in there newer models, they never EVER look at the mpg or how efficient is it goin to be if it was a hybrid

These people want the V12 models because they are used to that kind of grand tourer-lux-performance.
And trust me take it from me, once you drive a V12 you cannot step down to a V8 jus because the smoothness and comfort of that V12 engine can not be acheived by any V8 or hybrid (LS600h is not going to steal away buyers from this market lol)

Sorry for the long analogue there, but now back to the LX570 its targeted for the same niche market and these are ppl who constantly want more powerful engines and performance out of there SUVs with fuel economy as a secondary criteria. When we heard about the new LX we thought, meh its jus going to be an underpowered, boring reliable SUV, but after I came across the specs, I was baffled that it competes with all 7 seaters providing the best performance, luxury in its market!

 

How is LC/LX not a classic? they have been around longer then RR by a couple of decades

The aristocracy of England and other countries started using the RR in there fleet of vehicles which helped transition it as classy elegant vehicle, but the matter of fact is that all the governments around the world have also used the LC/LX in military missions and been successful.

This is jus a round ball arguement, considering that now the RR is owned by Americans and will be traded to someone-else or has been I dunno is kinda pathetic, In my eyes RR has lost its character and soul as a British marque

 

By classic, i was referring to it's looks/appearance. The LX appearance is neither distinctive nor as classy as a RR. You can say what you want about it's ****-poor quality/reliability, but in terms of appearance or appeal, RR wins hands down.

 

OK well once this LX570 comes on the road then you should make a judgement...but I beg to differ for the earlier LC/LX models all looked very classy/distinctive and have a lot of appeal as amazing vehicles. They changed model design every 10 or so years and the rest of there competition have been adopting there designs

The RR sport looks like its on some kind of steriods, however the regular RR does look classy I have to agree, and I would sort of be indifferent (excluding certain criteria like utility, reliability, off-road performance etc.) between the Regular RR and the Current LX470 MY-2007.

However, the LX570 is a new deisgn theme altogether and once thats released the RR will look a bit dated and also the LX will definitly be more unqiue in its appearance and have loads of appeal as the definitive full-size luxury SUV

My 2 cents

 

Definitely, the Land Cruiser is a legendary name, and renowned the world over for its off-roading prowess and long-term use. The LX is a Lexus vehicle IMO that benefits a lot from very close Toyota roots.

 

What I stated is that "most buyers care more now about mpg than they did in the past". I didn't say ALL buyers.

There is certainly a class of buyers that wants power at any cost, as you point out. But have you ever checked just how many V12s the Germans ACTUALLY SELL? BMW conveniently discloses that info monthly: http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2...04/060914.html

The 760 accounts for a whopping TWO PERCENT of ytd 7-series unit sales.

 

No it isn't a direct competitor. My point is that Lexus has NO high-mpg 6+ seaters with which to compete with diesels like the R and GL diesels.

Sounds like you didn't check and realize there's a new version of the GL, the GL550. MSRP $77,750.

 

Well as I predicted above the angles are down, at least on the '08 TLC, see this thread:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=307254

 

There are probably a WHOLE lot more people who will appreciate that extra inch in width (more room inside) than those who complain about driving down skinny trails.. Otherwise, I'm surprised that the SUV is longer with the same size wheel base as before...

 

You may be right, however, I'm afraid the extra width of the new '08 TLC may not translate into any extra interior room. The '03 LX (which I assume has similar stats to the old TLC) actually has slightly more front seat shoulder room (61.3") compared to the wider '08 TLC (61.0"). Middle row is still the same at 61.1". Similarly, I noiticed that even though the new TLC is taller (listed at 74.0") it actually has less front seat headroom (38.3" v. 39.1" for the '03 LX). While front seat legroom is the same at 42.3", it does appear that the extra length has translated into extra 2nd and 3rd row leg room (36.0 and 28.4 for '08 TLC v. 34.3 and 27.3 for '03 LX).

Of course, the extra width may come with other benefits such as extra track/stability, safety, etc. However, the extra width will come at the price of scratches off road (for the 5% of folks who actually go off-road) and dings in the parking lot (for the soccer Moms).