A new version of the Lexus LX SUV will arrive later this week with sharper style and new underpinnings.
While we don’t know specifics about the new 2022 LX 600, we do know that it will share its architecture with the global-market Toyota Land Crusier that won’t be sold in the U.S. That’s right: for the first time in more than 60 years, the Toyota lineup will be Land Cruiser-free in the U.S.
Instead, Toyota is focusing on its higher-profit (and higher-volume) Lexus lineup with a new version of the LX. The 600 name is likely to be a mere indicator of its position in the Lexus hierarchy, not its engine displacement. While the Current LX 570 uses a 5.7-liter V8, the new LX 600 should make use of a 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission.
It’s safe to speculate that a permanent 4-wheel-drive system will again be standard fare, and we can also expect a host of off-road bits for that handful of LX owners ready to take a dirt road to their Aspen chalet.
The LX outliving the Land Cruiser may come as a surprise. The model was first introduced in late 1996 as a Land Cruiser with softer leather and a smattering of fake wood trim, but by the outgoing model’s 2008 debut it had evolved with its own interior styling and suspension setup. Where the Land Cruiser stuck with coil springs, the LX 570 used a height-adjustable air suspension tailored toward on-road comfort. See Lexus LX models for sale