2023 Lexus LX

Totally redesigned last year, the fourth-generation Lexus LX builds on the formula of its predecessors and stands alone at the top of the automaker’s SUV pecking order. It still shares its platform and go-anywhere capabilities with the famous Toyota Land Cruiser, but after years of Americans choosing the LX far more often, the more humble Toyota now lives on only in global markets and the Lexus has doubled down on refinement and luxury. The LX 600 (there’s only one model) is far more modern than its circa-2008 predecessor, and faster and more efficient, too.

Redesigns are often billed as being “from the ground up,” but in this case that isn’t hyperbole. The styling, interior, infotainment and many other elements are new, with the old gas-guzzling V8 swapped for a more powerful and efficient twin-turbo V6. While that might seem counterintuitive to SUV brawn, it has 26 more horsepower than before and boasts 1,000 pounds more towing capacity. Its digital systems are all-new and more user-friendly than ever. The interior finally feels up to the LX’s lofty price. And yet, it all still feels like the familiar LX formula.

With zero-to-60 times in the 6-second range and a 19 mpg combined EPA rating, the new LX is about a second faster and 5 to 7 mpg better than the old model. These are all huge gains, but top-tier full-size SUVs are a tough crowd, and the LX faces off against the Cadillac Escalade, the recent Jeep Grand Wagoneer, Mercedes-Benz’s GLS, Land Rover’s new Defender 130 and the Infiniti QX80. The LX has the off-road chops to match the best of these and even the Range Rover, and lots of towing power, but it isn’t as family-friendly as the domestics.

Like the Land Cruiser and Lexus’ smaller GX, the LX’s calling card is off-road talent, but for a big off-roader it isn’t brutish at all on the pavement, and its quiet manners illustrate why this SUV has been a staple for affluent families who want to reach ski slopes and sand dunes for years. That said, the optional third row is small and cumbersome to reach, and the lack of second-row captain’s chairs in all but the very pricey top-level trim is a demerit. Somehow there’s also slightly less cargo space than before.

Those foibles aside, the interior is vastly improved from any previous LX. The design is elegant and clean, and all the furnishings radiate the high-quality feel that made Lexus’ reputation three decades ago. The infotainment system is also finally thoroughly modern. The old joystick and tiny screen are gone, replaced by big pretty units that have touch and voice commands. Use the wake words “Hey, Lexus” and the digital assistant is at the ready, and there are hard controls for drive and climate functions. Also new is a conventional tailgate; gone is the two-piece clamshell.

All this doesn’t come cheap, of course. The LX starts at $92,160 and can soar above $130,000 for the top trim, at which point the Mercedes-Benz G-Class starts to look attractive. The LX’s styling is polarizing, with that huge cowcatcher grille, but this big SUV is worlds better than the one it replaced, and as it was new last year there are no changes for 2023. For those with the budget who want to truly go anywhere, the dunes or the school drop-off line, in comfort, it’s a worthy successor to the Land Cruiser.

Performance: 14/15

Weighing in at 5,700 pounds, the Lexus LX 600 is a heavy machine. While you can never entirely forget that on the road, it leans and plows like the big and tall SUV that it is, it’s smooth and comfortable and with the adjustable suspension at maximum height, it feels oddly light, like a Citroën 2CV on steroids. Its height gives the driver a commanding view of the road, and every passenger gets a good view too, and one largely undisturbed by even the worst bumps, even with the optional 22-inch wheels. 

Power comes from a 3.5-liter, twin-turbo V6 making 409 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. Full-time four-wheel drive (4WD) is standard, and this is one of the most capable 4WD setups in any luxury SUV. That system is also supported by updated and different suspension mounting points than before, allowing for more spring and shock travel.

Lexus has also added both Active Height Control and Active Variable Suspension, though getting them requires upgrading to the $100,110 LX 600 Premium. It’s worth the dough though, because it brings up to 11.9 inches of ground clearance and huge gains in critical angles off-road. It can also lower the SUV by 2 inches (to 6.9 inches of clearance) to improve on-road performance. Having tested it on a track, it isn’t anywhere near as roly-poly as a 5,700-pound off-roader could be.

The 4WD system includes features like crawl control, terrain settings and locking differential, standard on all trims. In 2022, we sampled the LX 600 on an off-road obstacle course at the Northwest Automotive Press Association’s (NWAPA) annual MudFest event, where it easily tackled a 30% grade of loose mud, deep moguls and all manner of terrain lesser SUVs could not. It did all this in heavy, driving rain, too.

While zero-to-60 mph in 6.1 seconds isn’t necessarily “fast,” for a big brute like this it’s quick, and the LX 600 has more than enough power for the highway. It can also tow 8,000 pounds, a good rating by any standard.

Fuel Economy: 10/15

The redesigned LX is much more fuel-efficient than the previous one, but this is still a big and heavy machine. The EPA rates it at 19 mpg combined (17 city, 22 highway), a big step up from the 14 mpg rating of the old model, but in real-world use, it’s still thirsty. We observed 15 to 16 mpg combined in two separate drives.

That isn’t great, but it’s also similar to or better than the LX 600’s plus-sized competitors. Except for the Escalade’s optional diesel engine and the Mercedes-Benz GLS, many competitors are 1 to 3 mpg worse in most measures.

The Lexus also requires premium fuel, which doesn’t help the pain at the pump. The LX 600’s low fuel economy can be partially attributed to the SUV’s chunky 4WD gear and the mechanical lag that has on the engine. Lexus hasn’t yet incorporated a hybrid, but with the big Toyota Sequoia now offering one, it seems likely that one will be offered in the future. Industry rumors suggest a high-performance hybrid LX may arrive in 2024, but they’re still unconfirmed.

Safety and Driver Assistance: 13/15

The 2023 Lexus LX 600 has not yet been tested by either the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). However, the basic design (as the Land Cruiser) earned five stars from the Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP), an Australian agency that performs similar tests to IIHS. We also believe that the solid structure and 10 airbags in the LX translate to robust crash protection.

On the active safety front, Lexus provides a wealth of standard driver assistance gear, far more than Mercedes-Benz. An evolved Lexus Safety System+ with every feature standard, from adaptive cruise control to surround-view cameras, lane keeping and rear cross-traffic alerts with automatic emergency braking, on all trims.

Comfort and Room: 10/15

This is a big SUV, but compared to properly full-size models like the Escalade and GLS, both of which are quite a bit larger on the outside, the seating is only so-so. That’s partly down to size, and partly to configuration choices. The optional third row is cumbersome to reach and not all that large, and the lack of second-row captain’s chairs in all but the very pricey top-level trim is a demerit.

For buyers who really need three rows, this isn’t the best choice. The third row can only be accessed by folding and flipping center-row seats, and high ground clearance and narrow ingress/egress dictates that the climb into the third row is only for the limber. It also means a child passenger car seat cannot be installed on the access side. With 31.1 inches of third-row legroom, it also trails most of the other competitors in this segment in room, with even the Land Rover Defender 130 managing fractionally more. The second row (36.6 inches) also lags even some midsize rivals.

However, the materials and details inside the cabin are top-drawer. Rear passengers have a full panel of climate controls including heated seats (Premium and above) and USB ports. 

Infotainment: 14/15

The infotainment system in the LX 600 is entirely new and state-of-the-art, but you don’t need even need to use the screens for some functions. Because Lexus has added so many voice-controlled functions, the system can do almost everything from turning on the windshield wipers to setting navigation and then, finding the phone number of your destination and placing a phone call (“Hey, Lexus, navigate to the Getty Center;” “Hey, Lexus, call the Getty Center”) by voice dictation.

A central 12.3-inch screen holds all the media functions, from navigation (cloud-connected navigation is complimentary for three years and by subscription thereafter) to music, vehicle settings and more.  A second 8-inch screen sits below for vehicle settings, which is useful for off-road settings and trail camera views. While many automakers have gotten too screen happy and there’d be a temptation to do that with so much screen acreage, Lexus handily provides hard controls for essential functions like HVAC and volume control.

Cargo and Storage: 10/15

The size and structure of the LX 600 remains fundamentally similar to the old model, which means only modest revisions to cargo capacity and, strangely, less of it than before in certain areas. There are 11 cubic-feet of space behind the third row, down from 16.3, but 46 cubic-feet behind the second row with the third row folded, up from 41.6. The two-row version also has 46 cubic-feet behind its second row, but that’s down from 53.7 in the old model, and the Ultra Luxury trim gets only 41. Maximum cargo space in the three-row model is 64 cubic-feet, and 71 in the two-row, both way down from last year’s 81.3.

All of the big domestic SUVs (including Lincoln’s Navigator) offer more cargo room, as do the GLS and the Defender 130.

There are a couple of good storage options in the front seat: a small cubby under the center console that is amply sized and easy to reach into, even for passengers with large hands and a deep cargo well under the center armrest that can be optioned as a cool box (for $670). The armrest console opens on either side and a button on the rear allows back passengers access, too.

Style and Design: 7/10

Like many recent Lexus designs, the LX is sure to split opinions when it comes to the visual side of things. It’s huge, and the giant cowcatcher version of the company’s “spindle” grille is a little jarring at first. But it’s unmistakably a Lexus, and in this outsized class of SUVs it pays to be distinctive. While it clearly looks new, the automaker has also done a good job of not casting aside the visual elements existing customers like. The proportions are good and so are the delicate details.

It’s inside where this LX improves most over the old version, with a more luxurious-feeling and modern cabin. It doesn’t feel like a jazzed-up Land Cruiser anymore, even if it still lacks some of the finery of the Range Rover or the top-trim Escalades. The new design brings the tech features and multimedia system into the modern era, though it doesn’t break much new ground in other areas.

Is the Lexus LX 600 Worth it? Which LX is the Best Value?

Because it’s smaller than most other full-size luxury models (at 200.6 inches long, it straddles the line between midsize and large), it’s difficult to directly compare the Lexus LX to some of the larger top-tier big guys. For sure, however, it can take you almost anywhere and do so in refined comfort, and it can be optioned with a third row even if that wayback seat is a little hard to get into.

We’d skip the base model LX 600 ($92,160 including a $1,345 destination fee) and go right for the $100,110 LX 600 Premium as it brings the adjustable, adaptive suspension that makes this SUV a true off-road all-star and helps it perform better on the road too. That’s a six-figure sum, but it would be our pick for the best value in the model lineup.

The pricier LX 600 F Sport Handling ($106,370) gets more aggressive styling like other F Sport models as well as special interior color combinations and, as the name implies, handling tweaks that improve on-road performance. It looks cool but seems at odds with the LX’s off-road reputation. The top-of-the-line $132,250 LX 600 Ultra Luxury boasts even finer interior materials and an executive-style seating configuration, but it means seating is limited to four passengers.

Every model, however, has a brawny 8,000-pound tow rating and the solid feel of Lexus’ quality assembly. When it comes to grown-up, sophisticated capability that will be dependable for years and possibly decades to come, Lexus LX 600 delivers.

How Much Does it Cost to Insure the Lexus LX 600? 

The LX 600 isn’t cheap to insure, but it isn’t out of line with its competitors. According to our data, a typical 30-year-old female driver with clean record can expect an average annual premium of $3,446 for an LX 600 Premium, though this averages all 50 states. That compares to $2,996 for the Cadillac Escalade Premium Luxury, $3,447 for the Grand Wagoneer Series II, $2,507 and $3,522 for the Mercedes-Benz GLS. To get a more accurate picture of your potential insurance expenses, visit our car insurance calculator.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Forbes Wheels author Scotty Reiss contributed to this report.