Purchased a 2013 LX 570. Was it overkill?
11-03-15, 05:52 PM
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Purchased a 2013 LX 570. Was it overkill?
I purchased a 2013 LX 570 about a year ago. While not my daily driver (I have a 2006 Audi A6 Avant for that) I use it on the weekends for towing and getting up north (cabin in the woods next to the lake with only access being several miles of badly kept gravel/dirt roads. I also use it to get through the farm fields to the neighbors place to keep an eye on them for their kids. During the winter months especially, it can be a challenging environment. Made worse by the fact I am towing 80% of the time (usually with a 6000-7000 pound load) when I'm going up their, often with some passengers. Many of my friends keep saying I should have gone for something that has more interior space and better road dynamics with less off road capability because it will still be enough. More to the point, they state I should have bought a QX56/QX80. I decided to at least consider their claims so I took one for a test drive. Being pleased with it and open minded, I rented one for a week(end) during the winter and treated it the same way I treat my LX. While not as capable off road, it did seem to tow decently well, despite the independent rear suspension. It also managed to get to my cabin. However it did leave me with some concerns. First being that the air suspension would be overworked from the towing and rough terrain and result in premature failure. My other concern was I felt like the vehicle had to really work at some points to get me to my cabin and too the neighbors (it did not like the snow covered corn field). In the LX, I never have come across a circumstance where I felt like I was stressing the vehicle to get me somewhere. The best analogy I can provide is I felt like I had to use 100% of the QX80's capabilities to get me through a weekend where with the LX, I'm using 75-80%. So do you think I made the right choice buying an LX instead of a QX80? I would appreciate your thoughts.
11-03-15, 06:35 PM
#2
I purchased a 2013 LX 570 about a year ago. While not my daily driver (I have a 2006 Audi A6 Avant for that) I use it on the weekends for towing and getting up north (cabin in the woods next to the lake with only access being several miles of badly kept gravel/dirt roads. I also use it to get through the farm fields to the neighbors place to keep an eye on them for their kids. During the winter months especially, it can be a challenging environment. Made worse by the fact I am towing 80% of the time (usually with a 6000-7000 pound load) when I'm going up their, often with some passengers. Many of my friends keep saying I should have gone for something that has more interior space and better road dynamics with less off road capability because it will still be enough. More to the point, they state I should have bought a QX56/QX80. I decided to at least consider their claims so I took one for a test drive. Being pleased with it and open minded, I rented one for a week(end) during the winter and treated it the same way I treat my LX. While not as capable off road, it did seem to tow decently well, despite the independent rear suspension. It also managed to get to my cabin. However it did leave me with some concerns. First being that the air suspension would be overworked from the towing and rough terrain and result in premature failure. My other concern was I felt like the vehicle had to really work at some points to get me to my cabin and too the neighbors (it did not like the snow covered corn field). In the LX, I never have come across a circumstance where I felt like I was stressing the vehicle to get me somewhere. The best analogy I can provide is I felt like I had to use 100% of the QX80's capabilities to get me through a weekend where with the LX, I'm using 75-80%. So do you think I made the right choice buying an LX instead of a QX80? I would appreciate your thoughts.
Given the similarities in terms of power and capabilities, many elements of an LX-to-QX comparison are arguably subjective. However, I do find your observations to be very telling, and in short, yes, I do believe you made the right choice. The LX is indeed very capable off-road, but the QX is hardly "mild-mannered" on the road.
FWIW, a little over a year ago, I rented a QX. Ignoring the "ugly", indeed, it was very spacious and well-appointed (arguably better than the LX, in some ways, in terms of technology). It also rode very well on the highway, but I can't remember it being much smoother (or smoother, at all) than the LX. Something I did observe is that despite being more powerful on paper, it did not feel that way, nor did it feel as sure-footed. From what I remember, powertrain calibration likely had a lot to do with it. In essence, the 5.6L motor has plenty of muscle, but power delivery and the shift schedule didn't make as optimal a use of that powerplant as the LX's drivetrain does.
From what I have read, however, towing is where you may feel a difference (in favor of the QX, pulling-power-wise). You say the QX towed well; was that it, or did you actually notice a big difference between the two? In terms of handling in snow, I did not try the QX in that setting, but of course, as you know, tires will make a huge difference, and I wonder how much of that was at play.
So, bottom line, while neither vehicle is perfect, for the utility you need, and taking into account reliability considerations, it's difficult to say that you could have made a better choice between those two.
11-03-15, 06:57 PM
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A year later, but still, congratulations on the LX!
Given the similarities in terms of power and capabilities, many elements of an LX-to-QX comparison are arguably subjective. However, I do find your observations to be very telling, and in short, yes, I do believe you made the right choice. The LX is indeed very capable off-road, but the QX is hardly "mild-mannered" on the road.
FWIW, a little over a year ago, I rented a QX. Ignoring the "ugly", indeed, it was very spacious and well-appointed (arguably better than the LX, in some ways, in terms of technology). It also rode very well on the highway, but I can't remember it being much smoother (or smoother, at all) than the LX. Something I did observe is that despite being more powerful on paper, it did not feel that way, nor did it feel as sure-footed. From what I remember, powertrain calibration likely had a lot to do with it. In essence, the 5.6L motor has plenty of muscle, but power delivery and the shift schedule didn't make as optimal a use of that powerplant as the LX's drivetrain does.
From what I have read, however, towing is where you may feel a difference (in favor of the QX, pulling-power-wise). You say the QX towed well; was that it, or did you actually notice a big difference between the two? In terms of handling in snow, I did not try the QX in that setting, but of course, as you know, tires will make a huge difference, and I wonder how much of that was at play.
So, bottom line, while neither vehicle is perfect, for the utility you need, and taking into account reliability considerations, it's difficult to say that you could have made a better choice between those two.
Given the similarities in terms of power and capabilities, many elements of an LX-to-QX comparison are arguably subjective. However, I do find your observations to be very telling, and in short, yes, I do believe you made the right choice. The LX is indeed very capable off-road, but the QX is hardly "mild-mannered" on the road.
FWIW, a little over a year ago, I rented a QX. Ignoring the "ugly", indeed, it was very spacious and well-appointed (arguably better than the LX, in some ways, in terms of technology). It also rode very well on the highway, but I can't remember it being much smoother (or smoother, at all) than the LX. Something I did observe is that despite being more powerful on paper, it did not feel that way, nor did it feel as sure-footed. From what I remember, powertrain calibration likely had a lot to do with it. In essence, the 5.6L motor has plenty of muscle, but power delivery and the shift schedule didn't make as optimal a use of that powerplant as the LX's drivetrain does.
From what I have read, however, towing is where you may feel a difference (in favor of the QX, pulling-power-wise). You say the QX towed well; was that it, or did you actually notice a big difference between the two? In terms of handling in snow, I did not try the QX in that setting, but of course, as you know, tires will make a huge difference, and I wonder how much of that was at play.
So, bottom line, while neither vehicle is perfect, for the utility you need, and taking into account reliability considerations, it's difficult to say that you could have made a better choice between those two.
11-03-15, 07:24 PM
#4
The towing in my opinion has to due with suspension setup. The LX still uses a solid rear axle in addition to the air suspension. The QX80 uses an independent rear suspension with air suspension. The QX80 tends to get forced around by the load on the trailer more than the LX does. In addition, it squats noticeably more and the air suspension takes a significant amount of time (over 10+ minutes) to try to level out the trailer when loaded, and even then it still squats. I do run some decently chunky mud and snow tires on my LX. Can't recall what the QX80 was equipped with, but even if it did have comparable tires, I still believe that the QX80 would have fallen short of the LX in terms of capabilities.
The time to level is interesting. One thing to note is that the adjustable height on the LX is not driven by air, but is actually hydraulic (which only supports your perception about the added robustness of the setup on the LX).
But anyway, it sounds like you know the answer to your question. Between that and the fact that this is, after all, the LX forum, I can't imagine you will get many dissenters (we are objective, but we also picked the LX for a reason, acknowledging you've also done extensive targeted/detailed testing that goes beyond what most of us have done). I would be curious as to folks' experiences over in the Infiniti forum (people who, like you, tow).
11-06-15, 05:47 PM
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QX56 vs LX are fairly similar vehicles.
Both based on truck platforms throughout
Both are lacking on infotainment
The QX has more active features for safety vs the LX
LX Greater reliability over the QX in the electronics area. Mechanically theyre both the same. Popular Robust trucks
In regards to the air suspension, the QX actually wins as you can select a passive suspension while the LX has an active suspension setup standard. Although you really shouldnt experience any issues usually before 100K
Both based on truck platforms throughout
Both are lacking on infotainment
The QX has more active features for safety vs the LX
LX Greater reliability over the QX in the electronics area. Mechanically theyre both the same. Popular Robust trucks
In regards to the air suspension, the QX actually wins as you can select a passive suspension while the LX has an active suspension setup standard. Although you really shouldnt experience any issues usually before 100K
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