2006 Lexus LX 470 Review
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By Capability, comfort and quality.

Overview

The Lexus LX 470 offers luxurious comfort with outstanding off-road capability and strong towing capability. The LX shares many of the high-tech features of Lexus's flagship sedan, the LS 430, including a video display that can help the driver spot objects (such as a child on a tricycle) behind the vehicle when backing up. Bluetooth communications technology allows hands-free operation of your cell phone without having to pull it out of your jacket pocket or purse. A Mark Levinson audio system, now standard, provides the ultimate in mobile music. Both seat-mounted side-impact airbags and side-curtain airbags look after your passengers' safety. A tire-pressure monitor has been added to 2006 models.

Its interior is elegant and well equipped and can seat up to eight passengers. Its 4.7-liter V8 is smooth and powerful. The 2006 models are significantly more powerful than last year's models, thanks to electronically variable valve timing (called VVT-i). This setup also helped the LX to become certified by California as a ULEV II ultra low emissions vehicle, and that same engine is used in all 50 states. The five-speed automatic transmission is smooth and responsive. And the LX is rated to tow up to 5,000 pounds.

Active safety features, including Vehicle Stability Control, anti-lock brakes and traction control, work as a team to help the driver maintain control in an emergency handling situation. The systems sense when the LX is being driven off road and compensate accordingly. Six airbags and other passive safety features help protect occupants in the event of an accident.

Lexus offers the best quality, durability and reliability in the business, with retailers dedicated to customer satisfaction.

Model Lineup

The 2006 Lexus LX 470 is available as one fully loaded model ($67,295). It's equipped with a 4.7-liter V8, five-speed automatic transmission, full-time four-wheel drive with a locking center differential and four-wheel traction control. It also comes with an adaptive suspension with variable-rate damping and adjustable height control, and big P275/60HR18 mud-and-snow tires on 18-inch alloy wheels. Four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and vehicle stability control help drivers keep the LX 470 on course even in emergency conditions.

Also standard is a sumptuous leather interior and a boggling list of luxury and convenience features, including automatic climate control front and rear, power seats, door locks, windows and moonroof; a DVD-based navigation system; and a Mark Levinson stereo system with a six-disc DVD/CD auto changer, automatic sound leveling and a separate rear-seat controls.

Safety equipment is impressive. Standard are frontal airbags, seat-mounted side-impact airbags (for torso protection) and side curtain airbags (for head protection), along with front seat belts with pre-tensioners and force limiters, and a first aid kit. The side curtain airbags are designed to help provide protection for the four outboard passengers in the front and second-row seats in certain types of severe side impacts or in case of a severe tilt or rollover. Windshield wipers adjust for rain automatically and the windshield is coated with water repellent.

Options include a rear-seat DVD entertainment system ($2,469) that plays movies on a 6.5-inch overhead screen; put it in Park and front-seat passengers can watch, too, on the navigation screen. Wireless headphones ($182) are an additional option. XM satellite radio is available ($486). Night View ($2,200) is also available; it uses near-infrared technology after dark to help illuminate people, deer and other objects up to 500 feet away and display them on a section of the windshield in front of the driver. You can also order a roof rack with cross bars ($220), a rear spoiler ($280), a sunroof wind deflector ($89), a cargo net ($59), and a cargo mat ($92).