The 2019 Lexus LX 570 is a luxury SUV that can seat from five to eight people, depending on whether you select models with or without a third row. Lexus now offers the LX 570 in a two-row model, leaving more room for all your stuff in back.
With Row 2 up and in place, cargo space is more than 32 cubic feet out of the total interior volume of 140 cubic feet. Fold down Row 2 and you’ll have more than 50 cubic feet of cargo room.
Awash in leather appointments and indulgences inside, this is a luxury hauler that can do double duty, believe it or not, off the beaten path. This body-on-frame SUV has full-time 4WD with a high and low range, a crawl control system and a button that can raise the vehicle to nearly nine inches of ground clearance or lower it for access height. A driver-selectable multi-terrain system adjusts to five different conditions: rocks, rocks & dirt, moguls, loose rocks, and mud & sand.
The new LX 570 is powered by a big 5.7-liter V8 that develops 383 horsepower and sends 403 lb.-ft. of torque to all four wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission. The powertrain is enough to launch the LX 570 to 60 miles per hour from a standstill in 7.3 seconds or a quarter mile in 15.5 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 137 miles per hour. Maximum towing capacity is 7,000 pounds, so the new LX 570 can haul all your water toys with ease. Standard wheels are 20 inches, upgradeable to 21 inches.
Despite its performance and off-road capabilities, do not doubt that this is a luxury SUV. Heated and cooled seats are dressed in real leather, and real wood adorns the dash, doors and console.
In case you didn’t know, there is no easy drive route from Baton Rouge to northwestern Arkansas, so I was really happy to have the LX 570 on a 10-hour road trip to Eureka Springs for a friend’s wedding. The LX 570 was compliant and comfortable on the twisting country roads between Natchez, Miss., and northern Arkansas.
The one issue that LX 570 owners have to face, though, is fuel economy. The EPA rates the 2019 LX 570 at just 13 miles per gallon in the city and 18 mpg on the highway, or an average of 15 mpg combined. Keep in mind, however, the engine is propelling a full-time 4WD vehicle that weighs 5,800 pounds empty and 7,385 pounds when fully loaded. On my Arkansas road trip, the onboard computer showed I averaged 15.4 mpg with only about a third of the trip on interstates.
On or off the roadway, the LX 570 is capable of getting you and seven others just about anywhere in supreme comfort. A massive 12.3-inch touchscreen display sits atop the center stack and has crystal clear graphics. A standard camera system with adjustable views is of great assistance when backing the vehicle up. An optional luxury package ($1,190) has a climate concierge that keeps all four climate zones at just the right temperature for everyone.
A mouse-like controller governs the huge touchscreen, along with buttons that surround the controller. There are a lot of technical systems and adjustments, so LX 570 buyers will have a learning curve to get a handle on everything this car can do. There’s also an adjustment for drivers who can select ECO, comfort, normal, sport or sport-plus driving modes.
At the rear end of the vehicle, the 2019 LX 570 has a dual tailgate with a top that rises and a deck that lowers. Ingeniously, engineers put tire-changing tools in a box on one side of the lower deck and left room for whatever you want in a box on the other side.
Neither the government nor the insurance industry has crash tested the 2019 LX 570, but it has an array of sophisticated safety equipment and 10 airbags. Standard in the Lexus Safety System are pre-collision warning with pedestrian detection, all-speed dynamic radar cruise control, lane departure alert and intelligent high-beam headlights. Also on the test vehicle were blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, electronic brakeforce distribution, rain-sensing wipers and triple-beam LED headlights.
2019 Lexus LX 570
Engine: 5.7-liter V8
Horsepower/Torque: 383/403 lb.-ft.
Transmission: 8 speed automatic with full-time 4WD
Price: $85,830 ($88,940 with options & freight)
EPA Mileage Estimates: 13 mpg city/18 mpg highway/15 mpg combined
Estimated Highway Range: 442 miles