By now, everyone knows that Lexus means luxury — figuratively speaking. What you may not know is that each of the Lexus model names are abbreviations. For example, UX is short for “Urban Crossover”, NX is “Nimble Crossover”, RX is “Radiant Crossover”, and so on. So, when a model like the 2023 Lexus LX 600 — or “Luxury Crossover” — comes along, we expect nothing but the best the brand has to offer.
At first glance, this hulking behemoth of luxury machinery is quite imposing with its massive front grill, while Lexus’ trademark triple-beam LED headlights sparkle alongside. The LX’s massive proportions are cloaked in a gorgeous coat of Nori Green Pearl, a shade that is quickly becoming Lexus’ signature colour. Much like the brand itself, it’s subtle and understated while at the same time being exciting and opulent as it dances in the sun. Equipped with the Luxury package, our LX is adorned with massive 22-inch alloy wheels, looking every bit as ostentatious as that front grill.
Climbing up into the interior rewards with a commanding view of the road looking out over the muscular sculpted hood. As Lexus’ flagship SUV, our expectations were high, and for the most part, the LX delivers. From the organic patterned speaker grilles to the black wood inserts; from the plush A-pillars to the fuzzy headliner, everything is pleasing to the eyes and fingertips. While Lexus’ synthetic NuLuxe material in its lesser crossovers evolved to an incredible level, there is no substitute for the tactile, soft-as-a-cloud feeling of the semi-aniline leather on the seats and armrests.
Our only gripe are the tiny wood panels, attached to the front of the steering wheel like emblems. What happened to the beautiful wood rounding the entire wheel, from previous generations?
As for technology, the LX may not be bleeding-edge, but it certainly keeps up with the times. A 12.3-inch touchscreen runs Lexus’ latest infotainment system, which is snappy, easy to use, and wirelessly supports Apple Car Play and Android Auto. The LX goes a step beyond the norm with a second, smaller touchscreen below, dedicated to climate and certain vehicle controls. The 25-speaker Mark Levinson Reference [It’s not called Mark Levinson-Gould? –Ed.] premium audio system included with the Luxury package provides outstanding sound quality and imaging, no matter which of the seven seats you happen to be sitting in. Although the LX doesn’t have all of Lexus’ tech toys found in the Lexus RX 500 h — such as Advance Park and the Advanced Touch Steering Wheel — what you get instead is far more serious, off-road-oriented hardware under the skin.
It begins with a twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre V6 under the hood. Yes, the V8 has exited stage left, but in its wake is a buttery smooth powerplant pushing 409 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. Power delivery is diesel-like, with a huge punch of torque down low. Its sound, thrust, and fuel economy will help you get over the loss of the V8 in a hurry, though only time will tell if it proves as reliable; we aren’t betting against it. The engine is mated to a smooth-shifting 10-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters. While the paddles themselves feel great in hand, we found it better to leave the LX to shift on its own, as it’s a bit unresponsive to manual inputs.
For all the luxury and elegance of the exterior and interior, the LX 600 is built on one of the most capable off-road vehicle platforms of all time — the Toyota Land Cruiser, a true, body-on-frame truck with all the capability you could ask for, including an 8,000-pound towing capacity. The LX is also equipped with hydraulic suspension and active height control, which automatically adjusts ride height and dampening to suit road conditions, and comes with dedicated drive modes for all types of terrain. Everything about driving the LX 600 feels solid — from the weight of the turn signal stalks and the feel of the steering wheel in hand, to the way it absorbs bumps in the road. It can’t hide its body on frame ride quality completely, but in Comfort mode, it does an admirable job trying.
The other thing the LX can’t hide is its mass. While feeling remarkably solid, all that weight is a detriment when throwing it into a corner — or when talking about fuel economy. While a combined rating of 12.7 L/100 km is a big improvement over the old V8, there are definitely more fuel-efficient ways to haul your family around, especially if you do mostly city driving, where consumption climbs to 14.2 L/100 km and you don’t need the capability of a body-on-frame SUV. As expected, the LX 600 requires 91-octane gas to feed its turbocharged powerplant — though if you are shopping in this segment, fuel prices are probably not at the forefront of your concerns.
For 2023, the LX 600 starts at $112,550. The Luxury package adds an additional $20,600 to that price tag, which includes a heads-up display, rear-seat entertainment, and a cooled centre console box — in addition to the features we’ve mentioned thus far — bringing the tally on our tester to $132,650 as-tested. If that’s not eye-watering enough, you can opt for the $44,600 Executive VIP Package, which ditches the third-row seats to create a more luxurious experience for second-row passengers, with reclining and massaging rear seats, among many other bits.
In the world of luxury SUVs, few that can tout the legendary capability of the Lexus LX, so at least you know you aren’t just paying for a badge. The 2023 Lexus LX 600 is an action hero in a tuxedo — capable of great feats, as long as you’re willing to get that tux a little ruffled and dirty.
