Lexus GX 470 Gains Power and Adds New Sport Package for 2005

The Lexus GX 470 luxury utility vehicle delivers a big gain in performance for 2005 with the addition of a more powerful V8 engine and a new Sport Package that combines the advanced Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS) and special trim. The 2005 GX 470 will be in dealership showrooms beginning this month.

The new Sport Package gives the GX 470 a distinctive visual signature, with smoked front and rear light bezels, and dark graphite finish on the 17-inch alloy wheels and roof rack. Inside, dark graphite center console and instrument panel trim complements the Black Bird's Eye Maple wood trim.

Also new for 2005, the optional Lexus Navigation System now integrates Bluetooth® wireless technology for greater capability and convenience.

The GX 470 is a full-capability luxury utility vehicle positioned between the brand's car-based RX 330 and the premium-luxury LX 470 models in size and price. The GX 470 combines the luxury appointments and workmanship of a Lexus sedan with an innovative full-time four-wheel drive system that's augmented by an arsenal of safety and dynamic handling technology. As proof of its all-road capability, the Lexus GX 470 won the Four Wheeler Magazine's "Four Wheeler of the Year" award two years in a row.

"The GX 470 offers the ultimate in luxurious adventures," said Lexus Group Vice President and General Manager Denny Clements. "It is simply among the most capable and luxurious vehicles in the SUV category. The new Sport Package for 2005 further highlights the distinctive design, advanced handling capability and lavish interior appointments of this award-winning vehicle."

Equipping the GX 470's 4.7-liter V8 engine with the variable valve timing with intelligence (VVT-i) system and an electronic throttle control system with intelligence (ETCS-i) has increased output from 235 horsepower to 270. Torque rises by 10 lb-ft. to 330 lb-ft. The GX 470 also meets Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle II (ULEV-II) certification. Its five-speed automatic transmission provides seamless shift quality, and shift logic holds gears on inclines for power and on descents for increased engine braking – helpful when towing.

Safety has been enhanced for 2005, as well, with the addition of driver and passenger advanced front airbags that inflate according to collision severity. A front seat passenger sensor is designed to determine if there is a person in the seat as well as the person's weight category to determine whether the airbag should inflate, and the correct inflation power.

Industry-First Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System
The performance cornerstone of the Sport Package is the unique Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS). Introduced as an option in 2004, KDSS brings new levels of handling, ride comfort and off-road capability to the already highly competent GX 470.

Employing a simple hydraulic control system acting on both front and rear stabilizer bars, KDSS reduces the degree of roll stiffness provided by each of the bars in response to changing road conditions and driver inputs. With its variable roll stiffness, a KDSS-equipped GX 470 is able to use much larger stabilizer bars that help reduce maximum body roll angle by nearly 50 percent, helping to significantly enhance handling response.

Large stabilizer bars would normally mean a stiff ride over single-wheel bumps, but with KDSS, the energy is distributed between front and rear so that ride comfort is not disturbed. In some cases it's improved. Larger stabilizer bars enable shock absorber damping force to be optimized to improve ride comfort, without sacrificing handling.

The front and rear stabilizer bars, which have nearly double the standard torsional stiffness, are supported by their own inter-connecting hydraulic cylinders. In normal cornering, the bars work conventionally to resist body roll motion and there is no fluid flow between the cylinders. When unequal wheel loading occurs in certain conditions, fluid can move between the front and rear cylinders, helping to equalize loading.

The variable terrain typical of most off-road situations highlights the benefits of KDSS. Stiff stabilizer bars can limit off-road performance, because the inside wheels tend to lift and lose traction when outside wheels encounter bumps. However, with KDSS, the hydraulic cylinders allow the wheels on each axle to move with a larger degree of side-to-side independence, helping to minimize any tendency for wheel lift. The increased suspension articulation freedom helps maximize traction, even in challenging off-road driving situations.

KDSS works in concert with the standard Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS), which continuously changes shock absorber damping in response to road conditions and driver input.

Combining these suspension technologies helps provide superior ride and handling and maximum traction both on and off-road.

Rugged Chassis, Sophisticated Control
Robust body-on-frame construction provides the high carrying capacity that customers in this segment favor. Independent front suspension and rear air suspension with self-leveling deliver a smooth on-road ride without compromising rugged hauling and off-road capabilities. The standard 265/65R17 tires mounted on 17-inch alloy wheels provide a good balance of quiet ride, responsive on-road handling and off-road capability.

Variable-gear ratio rack-and-pinion steering system makes it easier to maneuver the GX 470 in very tight places. The tooth spacing on the gears of the rack becomes wider toward the end of the rack, reducing driver effort at large steering angles.

The rear Adaptive Height Control provides flexibility for the GX 470's many uses. A high setting provides an extra 1.6 inches of clearance when traversing challenging terrain. The Adaptive Height Control also will lower the rear of the vehicle 1.2 inches from its neutral setting for easier cargo loading.

The comprehensive dynamic handling technology in the GX 470 gives it exceptional capability and includeS: Full-time four-wheel drive with low range; anti-lock brake system (ABS); Brake Assist (BA); Active TRAC (traction control); Downhill Assist Control (DAC); Hill-start Assist Control (HAC), and Vehicle Stability Control (VSC).

The full-time four-wheel drive system uses a Torsen® torque-sensing center differential that distributes the power 40 percent front / 60 percent rear under most conditions and changes the ratio as needed based on steering input and wheel slip. Changing to a 29 percent front / 71 percent rear distribution ratio during steering maneuvers helps to enhance vehicle tracking through curves. If the rear wheels spin, the center differential can change the ratio to 53 percent front / 47 percent rear to control the slippage.

The Torsen center differential also makes the vehicle less prone to slippage caused by sudden changes in road surface conditions, such as driving through a puddle or ice patch.

The transmission's low range allows the GX 470 to negotiate steep off-road slopes. Downhill Assist Control (DAC) is designed to augment the low-speed descending ability of low-range by holding the vehicle to a target speed with no intervention from the driver. In addition, the Hill-Start Assist Control (HAC) system helps provide additional control for off-road driving by helping to keep the vehicle stationary while starting on a steep incline or slippery surface.

Active TRAC (traction control) provides the traction benefit of locking front and rear differentials, but with less weight. The system can apply the brake to a slipping wheel, which functions to transfer torque to the wheels with better traction.