I'm thinking of trading my FX45 in on an LX470. I need a bit more space. Anyone have one? What do you think?

 

LX470 is a great truck. But it's getting a bit old. What exactly are you looking for in your next SUV? The LX470 has been basically the same since it's redesign in 1998. They changed the dash and the tranny a couple years ago, but that's about it.

Quality of materials is amazing. Smooth leather and glossy wood. It can get pretty pricey though, mid to upper 60's I believe right now.

Engine and tranny are smooth, but a bit underpowered. The GX470 got an updated VVTi version of the engine good for 270hp. more than the 235 the LX has. It's not all that large of a truck, but definitely bigger than the FX you're driving right now.

I'd also offer up the Land Rover LR3. I'm looking into that right now, and I really like it so far. Or maybe hold out for the upcoming Range Rover Sport

 

landcruisers rule! what about the armada or qx56 too big?

 

For the price, you can get a Range Rover.

 

For everyday driving, I'd take the GX470 over the LX470. It's a more modern design and a little less "truckish" (though neither vehicle is remotely carlike). If you want to tow and go offroad, though, the LX is a great vehicle - just a more luxurious Landcruiser, really.

 

I have a 2000 version. The bottom line is... if you like the FX45 for its drive and power, this LX470 is the wrong SUV.

Here is my impression. I love this truck. And it drives like a truck too. It is very heavy and a gas hog. I get around 12-14 miles/gal.

The steering is meant for offroad use, turn-to-turn takes forever. I had to make an extra circle to get the car to turn. But it is great for offroading though.

The adjustable suspension is nice to have. Especially when you need to have a harder setting for more agressive driving. The ride is not truck like when set to soft, but very hard to drive on the freeway until you get used to the soft suspension setting.

The interior is limo like. Very posh indeed.

The LX470 biggest complaint is that it is way under power for 3 tons of weight. It initially pulls hard, then runs out of power fast. Getting into Freeway speed takes forever if you have passengers and/or stuffs in the back. The engine and tranny (I have the 4speed auto) are very smooth. The newer 5-speed auto should get a little better mileage/acceleration, but tranny cannot tow as much.

I recommend staying away unless you are planning to buy used. The LX470/Landcruiser is officially going to die after this year. So Toyota has not upgrade much of anything for a long time.

There are a lot in the used lots now and you should be able to get a decent deal.... especially gas prices are going to go up even more this summer. I say wait until the summer, you will see even more this time around as economist have projected $3/gal. And this SUV uses Premium only.

Hope this helps from a LX owner.

 

and the gx is a glorified 4runner

 

I drove the GX and the LX the other day. There weren't many things the LX could offer that the GX wasn't adequate at. I'd suggest the GX.

 

We've had three LX's and two GX's. The LX is larger, more comfortable, and much more capable off-road. I don't think the Land Cruiser/LX470 gets the recognition it deserves in the off-road catagory. On the negative side, it is very thirsty, the not-so-aerodynamic design can creat wind noise at highway speeds, and the styling is pretty conservative (I consider this a positive aspect, but if you are coming from an FX, you might value looks more than I). Oh, and the nav system can be easily modified to play DVD's while you are driving


...and before anybody tries to flame me, I don't watch movies while I am driving. I only watch from the passenger seat while on road trips.

 

They are not that good anymore. Running boards kill the break-over, those bumpers kill the approach/departure and the wheelbase is overall too big.

I looked at the Land Cruiser long and hard before picking up an LR3 -- in fact we drove one 10 minutes before we purchased the LR3. The bottom line is the Land Cruiser and Lexus derivative are stuck in the late 90's. They are not bad choices, but they are showing their age. As was the case with the Land Cruiser, 60 grand and my third row seats are held up by straps? WTF.