Luxury automaker Lexus took the wraps off its 2008 LX sport-utility vehicle, showing a larger, sleeker-looking and more powerful, new version of its most expensive SUV.

With a bigger displacement V8 and a new, 6-speed, automatic transmission, the new, full-size LX 570 adds some 110 horsepower — to 381 — over the current, 268-horse 2007 LX 470. Torque rises to 401 lb-ft from 328 lb-ft with the new engine, and towing capacity goes from 6,800 pounds to 8,500 pounds, so it’s capable of towing many horse trailers and good-sized boats.

The SUV’s name changes from LX 470 to LX 570 to reflect the installation of the new, 5.7-liter V8. This engine debuted in calendar 2007 in the Tundra full-size pickup truck that’s sold by Lexus’ parent company, Toyota.

Overall length of the LX grows by 4 inches for 2008, and the new LX is 1.2 inches wider and 1.6 inches taller than the current LX SUV. This provides a roomier interior, though the LX wheelbase — distance from the middle of one wheel on one side of the vehicle to the middle of the other wheel on the same side — is unchanged at 112.2 inches.

More Safety

Among the new features on this third-generation LX is the addition of more airbags. With knee airbags provided for driver and front-seat passenger to help keep them properly positioned, the 2008 LX promises to lead the segment with 10 standard airbags.

The two front seats also have active front head restraints to help reduce whiplash injuries in a rear-end collision. Meantime, in a first for the auto industry, the LX 570 will have a power sliding second-row seat. The vehicle comes with three rows of seats, total, for a maximum passenger capacity of eight.

New Gadgets and Suspension

There’s new technology in the LX 570. A blind corner monitor with cameras hidden in the grille and under the passenger-side, outside mirror will give a driver a view of the ground on the lower front and passenger side of the SUV — helpful in some parking situations and when the tall SUV is cresting an incline out of an underground parking lot when pedestrians might be difficult to see.

The LX 570 also has a new, sophisticated and adaptive suspension system called Four-Wheel Electro-Hydraulic Suspension with Active Height Control. It’s a cross-linked system that allows each of the four wheels to react individually to road impacts as well as the actions of the other three wheels for a more managed ride. The suspension also monitors chassis roll, working to reduce it by some 30 percent, and can lower the height of the body by an average of 2 inches to help passengers get in and out of the LX.

New options for the LX 570 include a 19-speaker Mark Levinson audio system with a hard drive capable of storing 2,000 songs, a “coolbox” to keep beverages cool in the center console and a new interior wood never offered by Lexus before. It’s the exotic Bubinga wood that’s used to create harps, pianos and decorate private jets.

The 2008 LX 570 “is better in virtually every way,” said Bob Carter, general manager for Lexus.

 

Due in dealerships early in calendar 2008, the LX 570 is expected to have a starting retail price similar to the current, upper $60,000 pricing of the LX 470. But final prices won’t be set until closer to introduction. With a starting price of $67,395, the 2007 LX is the priciest of the Lexus SUVs.