Lexus LX test drive since 2008 SUV
From dawn to dusk
We drove away from the Grand del Mar Hotel in San Diego, and five minutes later we were on the famous Avtrand No. 5 stretching along the entire west coast of the United States. A huge SUV flew forward with a cat's softness, as if under the wheels there was not hard concrete, but a carpet. Hmm, this land yacht gives royal comfort and has a long journey. South? Several dozen kilometers are not serious, and we are in Tijuan, where we rest against the Mexican border. There is another thing to the north: ahead of several thousand miles, Los Angeles, San Francisco, then Portland and Seattle, rush, not turning anywhere, even to the Canadian Vancouver. And you can leave right here, on the 8th to Phoenix, and after, on the 17th road, to the Grand of Canyon. Great route! But the worse it is to go to the 40th, and, across the continent through Oklahoma City, Memphis, readannugu to the Atlantic coast? No worse, the journey and in this case promises to be interesting. Sir! I hear on the right, from the navigator, ironic and at the same time demanding. I don’t know what you thought about, but after three quarters of a mile we need to turn right. Eh, colleague, you unceremoniously interrupted the dreamy process! .. But I dutifully turn off, perfectly understanding that for today only during the dawn to sunset, allotted to the test drive, of course, will not have time to reach the Canadian border . But they are quite capable of evaluating how nice it would be to do this behind the wheel of Lexus LX 570.
Will not pass, so crawl However, what is our person to readsnuga? Resolutely nothing. It is important for him to know whether this luxury SUV is capable of not saving in front of the summer country, when the snow is knee -deep, and, if necessary, to be taken intact at least to Tyumen, at least to Vladivostok. In my opinion, it is quite capable. True, we evaluated the running qualities of the LX 570 not in the tundra and taiga (the model enters the Russian market in February), but on the south of California, pampered by the warm sun. But here, even here it was possible to compose about them correct, as it seems to me, a performance.
To begin with, let me remind you that the third -generation Lexus LX was created on the basis of Toyota Land Cruiser 200, which was described in detail in the last AI issue. Having gained additional power and comfort, he has not lost any of the qualities that the legendary SUV is famous for. The construction of the body is based on the same frame from durable and light steel. The arsenal has the same complete set of off -road driving. But the suspension is different. It is equipped with hydropneumatic damping elements, is able to adapt to road conditions, change clearance and rigidity. Hence, by the way, that softness and smoothness of the stroke on the hard coating, which I immediately paid attention to.
If we were not allowed to open America, slipping it along or across, then I was not able to experience Lexus LX in combat conditions. Why the organizers of the test drive offered to call on the ranch, which struck me with the scale. Against his background of the land of some newly-minted Russian landowner, a pair of hectares of the land near Moscow, they look like a modest front garden. Beautiful horses walked peacefully in the giant enclosures, there were a lot of geese in a huge pond, there were a lot of their geese, they showed aggressiveness and interfered with driving, and ahead, behind some buildings under the red tile, because of the trees she visible a chain of high We sought hills with steep slopes for them. In truth, in Russia I had to see the roads and worse. But here the whole thing was not so much in the depths of ditches and pits in brown clay, but in a considerable degree of rise and descents. All this, coupled with the side slopes, made him take the exercises seriously.
The first section of my colleague and I took turns driving without any difficulties. Although in some places the car crawled in reduced gear (at the same time, the system of active height adjustment (AHC) automatically increases the ground clearance by 7.5 cm), and there were times when two wheels at once lost the clutch with the soil. That is, there were no problems with diagonal hanging. The front wheels, it is worth noting, have a vertical move of 22 cm, they can move approximately 10 cm up, and 12 cm down from the neutral position. So even if it seemed to me that now we will certainly hook the ground with the bottom, this miraculously did not happen. Of course, it is always necessary to measure the depth (height) with the capabilities of the machine, but in the case of LX, the driver's instinct of self -preservation will work rather.
It is clear that it is hardly possible to overcome such an off -road without a full -wheel drive system. It is based on the time -tested differential of torsen (blocked by pressing the corresponding button), which distributes the torque equally, or 41% transfers to the front wheels, and 59% to the rear. In addition, the wheel that has lost support is slowed down, and the power is redistributed to wheels that have the best adhesion to the soil. I will add that the disconnected margin stability system (VSC) and anti-circus (A-TRC) are quite effectively used by both ABS and throttle, in an effort to keep the car on a given trajectory. Like the latest Land Cruiser 200, Lexus LX is equipped with an off -road ride CRAWL CONTROL. We managed to tell about what feats the SUV with such a system is capable of such a system when lifting. I experienced her on the descent thirty degrees. Under the wheels, a broken track and clay, however, are not wet, but wet. Having activated Crawl Control and choosing the fastest of the three possible modes, I focus on control, trying to forget about the pedal, the electronics will ensure that the speed does not exceed 5 km/h. A car weighing more than two and a half tons confidently crawled down. And then ABS snapped, slowing down the right wheels. Actually, the LX 570 brake system is noticeably more powerful than that of the previous model: in front, ventilated 340 mm disks and four-piston calipers, also ventilated discs of 345 mm in size. Plus a new generation anti -lock system that can recognize the type of road surface and choose the optimal mode of operation; The electronic system of distribution of brake force (EBD) and an emergency braking amplifier (BA).
In fact, a steep descent with Crawl Control does not require any effort from the driver, even unnecessary movements of the steering wheel should not eat a hydraulic wrap, and there is a mechanism with a variable gear ratio (VGRS). Personally, I admit, I would completely do without VGRS, especially since from the stop to the stop, the steering wheel makes 3.1 turns not much for a large SUV. On the other hand, I admit that with such a slow movement, it is less necessary to twist the steering wheel. And in other conditions of VGRS movement, the idea of \u200b\u200bexactly where the front wheels are looking too much. Confident move
Moving in the space Lexus LX 570 provides a new V8 volume, as easily guessed, 5.7 liters. This motor is ideal for a large SUV: its relics are more than enough for heavy off -road, and for rapid throws, and for a yacht on the trailer. For the Russian market, the manufacturer indicates a capacity of 367 hp, although the official website of Lexus talks about 383 forces. Perhaps this is due to the settings for the quality of gasoline (AI-95 and above, accurate data on fuel consumption is not yet given). But the difference in this case, you see, is insignificant, and the advanced technologies laid down in the design of the gas distribution phase of Dual VVT-I, the variable geometry of the ACIS inlet collector did not disappear. It is important that the maximum torque of 530 nm is reached at 3200 rpm, and 90% of the moment are at the disposal of the driver at 2200 rpm. On the road, this means a delightful acceleration and a sense of power supply under the accelerator pedal at any time.
We can say that in complete harmony with the potential of the motor are both a transmission and a 6-speed automatic gearbox with the possibility of manual switching. I would call the pauses between pressing the gas pedal and the response of the automatic transmission, I would call it insignificant, the electronic control unit quickly perceives commands and at the right moments willingly moves one two steps down. That is, with rapid overtaking on Highve, everything is in order. It is worth taking the desired lane and gain the optimal speed, and you can amuse yourself with the thought that onboard electronics will do everything possible for an economical driving. Moreover, everything happens smoothly and silently. Unlike some other large SUVs, in which you always feel like on a feather bed, Lexus is different. There is no steering in it that I personally pleased me especially. In maneuvers, in steep turns the body is heated, but a little, with sharp accelerations and braking, only slightly squats and pecks. And at the same time, I would never call the pendants tough. Here is the whole thing in pneumatics, which I have already mentioned. The damping elements in each wheel are connected diagonally, and the control unit monitors pressure in the hydraulic system, very efficiently and quickly increasing it or decreasing it. Plus, shock absorbers are endowed with the ability to change rigidity. When driving along the highway with constant speed (in this case, most of the moment enters the rear wheels) pneumo elements and shock absorbers open, ensuring comfort and smoothness. In other conditions, on the contrary, they are clamped, struggling with longitudinal or transverse buildup. In addition, the operating mode of adjustable adaptive suspension (AVS) can choose independently.
The suspension, which, I recall, is also capable of changing the road clearance (ANS system), has another remarkable feature. The car squats 5 cm to facilitate landing and landing. This happens either at the command of the driver when stopping, or automatically after turning off the ignition. The process takes a couple of seconds and is completely impassable. With the beginning of movement, the body returns to its original position. And, for example, at high speed, AHC lowers it by about 2 cm in front and 1.5 cm from behind. Capaches
I don’t know if it is worth dwelling in detail on the exterior of the car. Perhaps this time I will limit myself to what I’ll say: the SUV inspires respect with its appearance. It looks respectable, and chrome elements, moldings, alloy 18-inch discs and other details eloquently speak of its belonging to the luxury class. At the same time, the appearance of LX leaves no doubt in its remarkable abilities.
But it makes sense to talk more about the interior and equipment. First of all, the company itself calls the Lexus LX 570 eight -seater car. Theoretically, on the third row of seats, three adults will be placed, but if they are not small people, they will, I think, is cramped. But with all the whole, and even better, the sinter can safely go on a long -range voyage, the comfort in the highest category is provided. The salon is quiet, light and soft here is dominated by high -quality skin, pleasant to the touch plastic and wood. In this wardroom, you can enjoy the sound of a first-class Mark & \u200b\u200bLevinson audio system with 19 speakers, or turn it into a movie call for the rear passengers by ordering a Luxury equipment with a 9-inch LCD monitor on the ceiling. I, as a driver, liked the seat with a pillow adjustable in length, you don’t get tired of it for a long time.
A system of four-zone climate control with the 28th ventilation deflectors, which effectively maintains a given temperature, also deserves several words. Since the winter is still in the yard, it is worth mentioning the presence of an additional RTS heater, which will warm the interior before the engine reaches operating temperature. The heating system, by the way, is equipped with the front (they are also ventilated) and the rear seats.
With all signs of luxury, the LX 570 salon is very functional. The second row of seats moves forward/back 10 cm with an electric drive. The backs are folded in a ratio of 40:20:40. If you need to release the place for the lug, the second row is easy to remove: for this there are special springs and a rotary damper. The seats of the third row are also folded using an electric drive.
The trunk door consists of two parts: the upper can be opened by pressing the button, the lower one will have to be thrown away manually. But without effort, since it is equipped with a mechanism with a spring and a shock absorber. It is curious that, as the press release says,
this mechanism was developed for two years, and its reliability was checked in hard tests equivalent to 15 years of operation and including 45,000 cycles for opening/closing. LX 570 The first Lexus car equipped with a new front and lateral review system. The cameras located in the radiator zone and behind the outer rear -view mirror from the passenger are made visible on the standard screen of the navigation system in the central console, the dead zones should only press the desired key on the instrument panel. The expanded front and lateral review system works until the car takes 12 km/h.
The SUV is equipped with an adaptive road lighting system (AFS), which improves visibility when passing turns. At the same time, it seemed to me somewhat strange that the headlights remained halogen, and the far steel of the Xenon.
What else? Pre-Safe safety system with ten pillows and active headrests of the front seats. And in the Lexus LX 570 there are a lot of pleasant trifles, such as remote control of locks with the button to start the engine and heating the brushes of the windshield cleaner. But about all this, as well as about the prices, which were not finally defined at the time of preparation of this material for Russia, it is better to recognize Lexus in the cabin of the official dealer. In America, the cost of this SUV is simply indecently small, by our standards. Maybe that's why I still wanted to get to the readannuga, about which I still have no idea? ..
Oleg Osipov
San Diego Moscow
Photo by Lexus
