What arguments does this car have against the "Cruiser"? First of all, under the hood hides a 5.7-liter V8 that accelerates the Lexus to 100 km/h in 7.2 seconds. But where do you put all that power if, already after 120 km/h, your hair starts to stand on end due to the wandering front end? Why does such an expensive car behave so indecently? Oh, it's because the suspension is set to Comfort mode! I switch to Sport. It got a bit better, but still lacks the thrill of fast driving. I glanced at the tires – they're Dunlop. If I change them, will the wandering disappear completely? Possibly…
I turn off the asphalt onto mud and clay. I have an extra 75 mm of ground clearance in reserve. I switch to the maximum mode of the hydropneumatic suspension and happily notice that the bumper no longer catches the tops of bumps. But is there any point? In its homeland, that is, in Japan, such suspension is installed on both the LX 570 and the TLC 200, but in Russia it's only mounted on the Lexus, and our "two-hundreds" drive as if deprived of something important. This pompous "Lexus" took away the ground clearance from the real "Cruiser" due to stupid marketing. What could be dumber?
The marketers' tricks don't end there. The KDSS system, which we know from the Land Cruiser 200, is not available on the Lexus 570. Well, of course, why would a "Lexus" need a disconnectable stabilizer when it already has hydropneumatic suspension… It seems they simply took the best off-road options and split them between the two twins. What a pity! If this division were removed, both cars would become true kings of off-road…
SPEED IN SILENCE
Let's move to the main question. Where is it more comfortable and pleasant to be – in the Lexus LX 570 or Toyota Land Cruiser 200? Definitely, in the TLC. There at least the buttons are simpler, but in the "Lexus" there are so many of them that you can't find the right one on the go – they all feel the same and are the same color. How critical is this for the LX 570 driver who is trying to cope with the insane engine power and simultaneously turn on the desired fan speed of the heater? Japanese engineers are silent. I couldn't figure out the radio control. On my commands, it just randomly scanned the FM band. So I drove in silence. For two days. I asked the photographer to help figure it out. He couldn't either.
With great difficulty, I mastered the climate control. It turned out its settings are scattered in two places. On the touchscreen – fan speed and airflow direction. On the panel – temperature. True, touching the screen while driving was prohibited by a warning on the display, so I drove not only in silence but also alternately in cold and heat.
OR MAYBE TAKE THE SRT?
Under such conditions, my brain refused to think. But there were few thoughts. One of them: if you need power so badly, why not look at the Grand Cherokee SRT8 for similar money, which accelerates to 100 km/h in 5 seconds? Another: if you need convenience, then, oddly enough, there's more of it in the TLC 200.
SWEET IS HARMFUL
The only thing that is clearly felt in the LX 570 is the desire to please Americans. The sycophancy is just oozing. Uncle Sam's star-spangled boots are polished from the sole to the very top. I understand the Japanese, but I don't understand the Russian fans of the brand. If you want a real "Yankee", choose from the corresponding models. Why take an "almost American"? For reliability? Come on – modern Tahoe, Expedition, or Commander won't let you down either.
If we return to the comparison with the TLC 200, objectively assessing the directional stability and handling of the Lexus didn't work out because of the tires, which behave poorly on asphalt. But you can't blame all the shortcomings on the wheels, so in these parameters, the "two-hundred" looks better. In terms of ergonomics and workspace organization, Toyota is again ahead. Even in comfort, the "Cruiser" won, because in the LX 570 there is so much of everything that it's cloying.
I turn off the asphalt onto mud and clay. I have an extra 75 mm of ground clearance in reserve. I switch to the maximum mode of the hydropneumatic suspension and happily notice that the bumper no longer catches the tops of bumps. But is there any point? In its homeland, that is, in Japan, such suspension is installed on both the LX 570 and the TLC 200, but in Russia it's only mounted on the Lexus, and our "two-hundreds" drive as if deprived of something important. This pompous "Lexus" took away the ground clearance from the real "Cruiser" due to stupid marketing. What could be dumber?
The marketers' tricks don't end there. The KDSS system, which we know from the Land Cruiser 200, is not available on the Lexus 570. Well, of course, why would a "Lexus" need a disconnectable stabilizer when it already has hydropneumatic suspension… It seems they simply took the best off-road options and split them between the two twins. What a pity! If this division were removed, both cars would become true kings of off-road…
SPEED IN SILENCE
Let's move to the main question. Where is it more comfortable and pleasant to be – in the Lexus LX 570 or Toyota Land Cruiser 200? Definitely, in the TLC. There at least the buttons are simpler, but in the "Lexus" there are so many of them that you can't find the right one on the go – they all feel the same and are the same color. How critical is this for the LX 570 driver who is trying to cope with the insane engine power and simultaneously turn on the desired fan speed of the heater? Japanese engineers are silent. I couldn't figure out the radio control. On my commands, it just randomly scanned the FM band. So I drove in silence. For two days. I asked the photographer to help figure it out. He couldn't either.
With great difficulty, I mastered the climate control. It turned out its settings are scattered in two places. On the touchscreen – fan speed and airflow direction. On the panel – temperature. True, touching the screen while driving was prohibited by a warning on the display, so I drove not only in silence but also alternately in cold and heat.
OR MAYBE TAKE THE SRT?
Under such conditions, my brain refused to think. But there were few thoughts. One of them: if you need power so badly, why not look at the Grand Cherokee SRT8 for similar money, which accelerates to 100 km/h in 5 seconds? Another: if you need convenience, then, oddly enough, there's more of it in the TLC 200.
TECHNICAL PART: LEXUS LX 570
SWEET IS HARMFUL
The only thing that is clearly felt in the LX 570 is the desire to please Americans. The sycophancy is just oozing. Uncle Sam's star-spangled boots are polished from the sole to the very top. I understand the Japanese, but I don't understand the Russian fans of the brand. If you want a real "Yankee", choose from the corresponding models. Why take an "almost American"? For reliability? Come on – modern Tahoe, Expedition, or Commander won't let you down either.
If we return to the comparison with the TLC 200, objectively assessing the directional stability and handling of the Lexus didn't work out because of the tires, which behave poorly on asphalt. But you can't blame all the shortcomings on the wheels, so in these parameters, the "two-hundred" looks better. In terms of ergonomics and workspace organization, Toyota is again ahead. Even in comfort, the "Cruiser" won, because in the LX 570 there is so much of everything that it's cloying.