Test drive Lexus LX 1997 - 2007 SUV
Kapuccino with cream
The most luxurious of all -terrain vehicles can conquer not only with appearance. There was a tenth hour of the morning. In one of the cozy coffee houses in the center of Moscow, I enjoyed wonderful coffee. Kapuccino is prepared here excellently. True, he, alas, is one of the most expensive here. Hot, like a kiss, sweet, as a sin ... And suddenly I caught myself thinking that they are very similar to a large and courageous Lexus, who obediently was waiting for me outside the window, and my favorite drink. Not only the color of the caps of whipped cream in today's cappuccino. Both know how to not only leave a pleasant impression of themselves, but also conquer.
What a pity that two days that we lived with this strong and relaxing luxurious machine soul into the soul came to an end.
R1 for Lexus
LX470 comes to us in only one R1 configuration. If, for example, for the Corolla this equipment is quite modest, then in Lexus a much larger amount of goodies is hidden under such an abbreviation. There are electric drives of seats, a steering column, folding mirrors, an audio system with a 6-disk CD changer, climate, cruise control, a leather salon, 4 airbags and so on, so on, so on. In addition, unlike Lend-Croizer-VX, its interior (inserts on the door panels, a steering wheel, a gearbox lever, central console) is finished with a natural tree, there is a compass in a photo chromium rear-view mirror, casting wheels of original design and side safety curtains. Comparing the Lexus with the Mercedes-Ben G-class and the range-rover, you will make sure that it is equipped with much richer, but is somewhat inferior to the latter.
Airbag
At first, however, I had to get used to him.
It would not be worn out by the pouring side on a close parking lot as it were not to crush that bucket felicia that would not touch green and also, seeing me off, the salon manager optimistically remarked: there will be enough gasoline before refueling, there are three in the tank of the liter. The 235-horsepower eight of Lexus is like an elephant of a crumb for two or three accelerations, no more. And here is a traffic jam. I will be good at a light chic LX470, cold without a drop of the 95th.
Fortunately, everything worked out. While at the treasured refueling a man in a blue special forces, the Japanese was respectfully treated, I was specifically in no hurry to the salon. It is even amazing how much more intelligent, how much more solid it looks compared to its donor Lend-Kroizer-100VX. And just thanks to small changes in the nose and stern. The profile is like an ordinary weed, and you look at the ANFAS, and immediately a kind of aristocrat is clear before you. He has glasses in an expensive frame, and the jacket seems to be more abrupt. With every dash, every stitch of his costume, he seems to strive to emphasize: they say, I’m not a simple Toyota, but Lexus, one emblem on me is much more expensive.
Electronic compass in the rear view mirror is one of many distinctive features of the interior of Lexus
A full -fledged fire extinguisher, a first -aid kit, a jack and a balloon key are laid in an alarming suitcase
The maximum trunk volume is 1370 liters, but who will put a refrigerator here for transportation to the cottage here?
Side windows are opened using an electric drive
The button turns off the side airbags to avoid false operation with a strong side roll
Congratulations on the purchase. Dear, probably? The tugger interrupts my thoughts. Ninety thousand. And for some reason, I myself amazed at the figure spoken aloud, I sadly realize that I give more than a thousand rubles at the first gas station. Honestly, I myself have not yet understood why we had so many people who wanted official sales to pay 50 orders to pay that kind of money for this all -terrain vehicle. It is more expensive than the already expensive Lend-Croizer for twenty thousand. After all, technically, it seems, he is the same. Or not?
The fact that I am mistaken became clear from the very first minutes. I press the gas. Ha-ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! The heavy colossus menacingly cuts space, and small cars, like fishing boats in front of the enormous battleship, only have time to resign. And where is it from me? Those lurking somewhere deep down, selfishness instantly takes off to the bottom. The suspension in the comfort mode now suddenly did not understand, or you are flying, or you are going. Not at all the battleship, a kind of airbus gained speed, took off ... Almost no noise of tires or engine is heard. And somewhere all the bumps on the road immediately went. Miracles!
Smoothly I transfer the handle adjustment handle to a tougher sports mode, and again the echoing of the wheels along the road becomes noticeable. Yeah, I remember that you can’t indulge on Cruise like that. There is a hydraulic suspension, independent in front, an uncertain bridge behind: coffee is good, strong, but without cream. And then pneumatics are trying. So our cruiser is on the air pillow.
Accuracy - the politeness of kings In a word, he himself did not notice how he sailed to the landfill. Now I will make this luxury brand show what it is capable of.
Ahead is straight, and then a number of rather steep turns. Frive acceleration. As if under the wheels not snow, but dry asphalt. 80, 100, 120, 140 km/h. This hurricane seems to be nothing. What are the Japanese on paper write 11.2 s to hundreds? From the driver's seat it seems much faster. And there is almost no imposition, and you can’t steer.
I slow down, turn. The skid is just beginning, and suddenly there is no pi-pea, it was not the mouse of the field crushed. Such a squeak gives out its work ESP. And the all -terrain vehicle now writes a trajectory in untouched snow, like a circuit in a batman.
The next turn I try to go faster. I provoke a skid. Now the engine also comes to the aid of ESP. The turns are intensively reduced until the glide stops, and that’s it. Curious. The electronic stabilization system on an all-wheel drive BMW-325IX also behaves. True, on a third you can turn it off. What else did the Japanese boasted? Well, of course, the new VGRS system so they called the steering with a variable gear ratio. By the way, the most uncompromising sports punishes do not have this yet. Where to feel these nuances?
Just wondered, but the car seemed to hear. I turn around on the patch, the steering wheel is out of the left. I understand that he somehow rested on the limiter too quickly, and the car obediently travels along a steep circular trajectory. The cruise here is that with the help of a handbrake it was possible to spin so dashingly. I later check on paper, did it seem. No, the diameter of the Lexus turn is 12.1 meters, half a meter less than that of the Lend Croizer. And the steering wheel 2.5 turns from the stop to the stop, and not 3.4, like Toyota.
This is what VGRS is: with speed growth, the gear ratio smoothly increases from 12.4 to 18: 1. No, BMW or Alfa-Romeo’s severity of a large Japanese crook still did not appear. But you can maneuver and control at speed a Lexus a little more precisely than a Lend-Croizer.
And now we are moving out of the road.
Do ku The road clearance of Lexus-LX470 is the same as the Lend-Croizer 22 cm. When the reduced hydraulic pump is turned on, the car above the ground is already 29 cm. The possibility of manual clearance adjustment is provided. In Nigh (high) car, the car will throw his nose to 3, and the stern of 2 cm relative to a normal level. And for a more convenient planting, Lexus, Lexus will politely sit 3 cm. Upon reaching a speed of about 30 km/h, the suspension will automatically return to normal.
Where Toyota will not pass
At my own peril and risk I decide to descent. Why risk? Yes, because a frozen herbal slope, powdered by snow, is a very slippery coating. Below the thorny bushes and a boil. I’ll miss a little, and my almost hundred thousand kapuccino is better not even to think.
And Lexus is so fun as if in joy. By independently deciding how to slow down each wheel, and holding the first gear in the machine, it carefully rolls down. And now I am surprised at how I managed to go down so famously.
We are going on. I turn on the reduced and get ready to climb a steep degrees of 40 slopes. Suddenly I understand that the car has become higher. It turns out that the road clearance completely grew by 7 cm on its own. And Lexus grew up after turning on the handout. Intellectual!
Using this control unit, you can adjust the road clearance and change the rigidity of the suspension
Now, through small fossa, the car jumps a little tougher, and growling loudly with the engine, confidently climbs to the top. Here the electronic blocking of slipping wheels blocked. The car again decides which wheel needs to give more torque. Nevertheless, Lexus begins to slip and, alas, stops. Thinking everything, arrived? As if not. After all, we have forced blocking of the center differential.
I roll back a little. I press the button on the central console. Meter, second ... Fifth everything, we are at the top. Now I would still have to cross through the slope, and not to hang the car on the belly. Easy. An increased clearance is enough for this.
Free cheese I admit, I did not take risks further. Lexus has already shown much more than it will probably ever need its non-poor owner. Yes, and they most likely think three times before you scratch your sides and uproot the levers of the pendants with such a prestigious car.
Nevertheless, the role of this machine is first of all to look. With which she copes with just five with a plus. And at the same time, the Japanese succeeded in the platform of the excellent student of the Land Croizer to create an even more wonderful all-around.
A spoon of tar? There is, of course, small. In the states where the prices for Lend-Croizer start at $ 53,000, his luxury counterpart costs 10 thousand more. And in Russia, the difference is all 20 thousand. Well, at least the cream in the kapucchino option is free.
Lexus LX470
general information
Length x width x height, mm
4890x1940x1850
Base, mm
2850
Front/back, mm track
1620/1615
Road clearance, mm
220
Maximum speed, km/h
180
Acceleration time 0100 km/h, with
11.2
Engine
Location
The front is longing
Design
gasoline, V-shaped, 8-cylinder with a collapse angle 90
Working volume, SMZ
4664
Compression ratio
9.6: 1
Power, L.S. (kW) at rpm
234 (172)/4800
Torque, kgsm (nm) at rpm
44.2 (434)/3600
Sergey Sergeev, photo Maxim Goncharov
A source: Magazine "Limousine" [01-02/03]
