Lexus LX 470 Gains Power, Adds Enhancements for 2006

May 13, 2005 -- Torrance, CA -- The LX 470, Lexus' flagship luxury utility vehicle, receives a big gain in performance with the addition of a more powerful V8 engine along with additional enhancements.

To its arsenal of safety technology, the LX 470 adds a new direct-type tire pressure monitoring system that can help detect a severe loss in air pressure in one or more tires, a condition that could potentially lead to loss of control. In addition, the 11-speaker Mark Levinson Premium Audio System becomes standard on the 2006 LX 470.

For 2006, the LX 470's exterior styling is updated with LED tail lamps, redesigned 18-inch alloy wheels with a graphite finish and three new body colors added to the palette.

"With premium luxury, outstanding safety features and superior off-pavement capability, the LX 470 continues to exceed the high expectations of its owners," said Bob Carter, Lexus group vice president and general manager. "We're certain that the enhancements for 2006 will help the LX 470 continue to set the standard for premium luxury in its segment."

Equipping the 4.7-liter V8 engine with Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (VVT-i) has increased output from 235 to 275 horsepower. The addition of VVT-i eliminates the traditional compromise between low-end torque and high-rpm horsepower by helping the engine perform as if it had a larger displacement, yet without the extra fuel consumption of a larger engine. Peak torque rises by 320 lb-ft. to 332 lb-ft. 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 – especially helpful when towing. The LX 470 also meets Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle II (ULEV-II) certification.

The LX 470 luxury sport utility vehicle combines true premium luxury with the capability of handling the most demanding driving environments. Especially for customers who experience the harshest weather and road conditions, the LX 470 is an ideal luxury vehicle. The high capability level does not come at the sacrifice of on-pavement handling response or Lexus' trademark smooth ride comfort.

Advanced Safety Technology
The 2006 LX 470 exemplifies the Lexus brand's leadership in advanced safety technology. The large array of safety systems in the LX 470 include front seat-mounted side airbags and front seat/second row side curtain airbags. The standard navigation system integrates a rear backup camera. The camera gives the driver a view of what the camera lens can detect behind the vehicle, automatically projecting a color image on the navigation system's seven-inch LCD screen when the reverse gear is engaged.

The LX 470 is one of the few vehicles available today with the advanced optional Night View System, which uses near-infrared technology designed to help enhance nighttime driving visibility. Near-infrared beams from two lamps in the front bumper project objects ahead back to a Charged Coupled Device (CCD) camera mounted inside the vehicle at the top of the windshield. A dedicated computer processes the resulting natural-looking images, which are then projected onto the lower section of the windshield within the driver's field of vision, resulting in a picture similar to that on a black and white television.

Lexus + Mark Levinson: Two World Standards in Modern Luxury
Like Lexus, Mark Levinson is an international brand that is a leader in its industry. First established in the 1970s, the Mark Levinson brand has long been associated with true state-of-the-art technology and performance in the area of home audio systems. Lexus has had an exclusive partnership with Mark Levinson for high-performance mobile audio since 2001.

The Mark Levinson Premium Audio System in the LX 470 is built around a discrete amplifier design with 240-watts continuous average power, all channels driven, at .01 percent total harmonic distortion (20-20,000 Hz). Such specifications compete with some of the best home audio systems to provide exceptional sound quality in the LX 470. The 11-speaker system includes a rear cargo area subwoofer that helps produce bass response that sounds "live" from both audio CDs and DVDs (the rear seat entertainment system for DVDs is optional).

Rugged Construction with Advanced Steering and Suspension Systems
Rugged body-on-frame construction, height-adjustable hydropneumatic-assisted suspension and computer-controlled shock absorber damping provide the versatile LX 470 with both the smooth, composed ride expected of a Lexus and off-road capability at the top of its segment. Double wishbone independent front suspension employs torsion bar springs for long wheel travel. Standard 18 x 8-inch alloy wheels are equipped with 275/60R18 mud and snow-rated tires.

The Variable Gear Ratio Steering (VGRS) system can vary the rack-and-pinion steering ratio to improve maneuverability at low speeds and preserve control at highway speeds. The overall steering ratio varies from 12.4-to-1 to 18.0-to-1. In slow, tight maneuvering (under 6 mph), the system provides 2.4 turns lock-to-lock. A computer-controlled actuator on the intermediate steering shaft increases the driver's steering angle at low vehicle speeds, quickening the steering ratio. At higher speeds, the mechanism rotates slightly in the opposite direction of steering input to decrease the total steering angle, resulting in a "slower" steering ratio desirable for a more controlled handling response. In addition, tooth spacing on the gears of the rack becomes wider toward the end, reducing steering effort at higher steering angles.

The VGRS system's operation is transparent to the driver. To help enhance safety, VGRS selects a higher steering ratio if the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system is activated. This helps to prevent too large of a steering angle if the driver is attempting to avoid an obstacle. The 39.1-ft. turning circle is commendable for a large luxury vehicle.

The Adaptive Variable Suspension (AVS) system provides four positions to control the shock absorber damping force. Position "2" will suit most driving conditions and will automatically select the appropriate suspension damping that driving conditions demand. The driver can manually select Position "1" to provide a softer response on bumpy roads. Positions "3" and "4" provide increasingly greater levels of control for driving a heavily loaded vehicle, driving at higher speeds on paved roads or driving on unpaved roads.

When the driver shifts the two-speed transfer case into "Low" for traversing difficult off-pavement terrain, the AVS system automatically selects the suitable damping setting.

The LX 470 provides a minimum ground clearance of 9.8 inches. Hydraulic Adjustable Height Control (AHC) allows the driver to raise the vehicle to negotiate particularly rough off-road terrain, and to lower it for easy entry and exit. A height control switch and light indicate current suspension height and will recommend optimal height as road conditions change. If set in "high" mode, the suspension will automatically lower when the LX 470 exceeds 18.6 mph, which is a more-than-adequate speed for rigorous off-road conditions. Switching to high mode also increases the angle of approach from 30 to 32 degrees and the angle of departure from 23 to 26 degrees to help the LX 470 "step over" obstacles. The vehicle will go into "extra high" mode if it is in low range and traveling over rough terrain, with the height rising automatically by 1.2 inches at the front and approximately 1.8 inches in the rear.

Arsenal of Dynamic-Control Technology
The LX 470 uses a full-time four-wheel drive system with a center differential that distributes the power 50/50 front-to-rear. The system is always engaged and requires no intervention by the driver, except to shift into low-range for driving on steep off-pavement inclines. The system is equally adept at handling the rigors of slippery winter weather or deep mud or snow. Using the sensors and actuators of the standard four-channel, four-sensor Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), traction control (TRAC) uses both brake and throttle intervention to help control wheel spin.

Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) allocates brake force between the front and rear wheels to help provide added control under hard braking. The ABS operates even in low-range, adjusting its level of control in response to changes in road slope. Brake Assist is designed to determine if the driver is attempting emergency braking. If the driver has not stepped firmly enough on the brake pedal to engage the ABS, the system applies increased braking power until pedal pressure is released. The standard Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system helps keep the vehicle on its intended course by detecting front-wheel and rear-wheel slide during cornering and attempting to control either condition using torque intervention and/or individual wheel braking to correct any discrepancy.

The new direct-type tire pressure monitoring system can detect if a tire is significantly under-inflated and alert the driver with an indicator light on the instrument panel to a condition that could potentially lead to uneven tire wear or a loss of control.

Technology That Enhances Luxury With Convenience
The LX 470 employs advanced electronics to enhance on-board entertainment and convenience, but without adding to driver distraction. Standard comfort features in the LX 470 include steering wheel audio controls and rain-sensing windshield wipers. The standard DVD-based navigation system includes voice command for ease of use while driving.

The standard navigation system uses a DVD changer/player located in the center console, and the system's seven-inch display screen can show DVD movies when the transmission selector is in the "Park" position and the parking brake is set.

An in-demand convenience feature is Bluetooth

Here are links to some pics of the Japanese version of LX:

http://toyota.jp/landcruisercygnus/e...lly/index.html

http://toyota.jp/landcruisercygnus/i...or/index2.html

http://toyota.jp/landcruisercygnus/i.../sp_equipment/

Very nice update on the platform.

Don't forget, the next LX will have to conform to car-compatibility crash testing requirements...meaning it will have a lowered front suspension/bumper (aka GX470/4runner). This will reduced it's approach angle in off-roading...and ground clearance (again, see 4runner/GX)!

Also, the Sequoia platform is inferior to the TLC/LX platform in terms of off-roading features. The rack-pinion steering is low in the Sequoia...in the LX, it is tucked up high, away from rocks. Also, the underbody of the Sequoia is not nearly as clean nor as well-protected. Front suspension will probably go to coil springs (like GX and 4runner) to save space and possibly more compliance on-road. However, this will result in greatly reduced wheel articulation in the front. The current LX/TLC has the BEST RTI (ramp travel index) of ANY SUV/truck with independent front suspension according to FourWheeler!!

So, i would recommend everyone to get the current LX ASAP! I would if i was in the market! It's a dying breed...SUVs that can do more than go to the local mall strip!

The new LX looks nice in those pictures. I can't wait to see them when they come out!

Are the Land Cruisers going to be discontinued next year or will they receive a few updates as well? I remember reading that they will be, but when I asked somebody at Toyota, they said that they will still be produced.

TLC will receive similar updates as well. As far as i know, both TLC and LX will continue through 2006:

Land Cruiser enters the 2006 model year with several changes that add style, refinement and safety to the legendary off-road king. For the 2006 model year, the Land Cruiser receives an all new front fascia including an upscale grille and refined headlamp housings. Also, new rear tail lamps and a high gloss wheel finish raise Land Cruiser

Wow, maybe they will sell 70 a month instead of 50.

Pics of '06 TLC:

http://www.tundrasolutions.com/photo...ry.php/cat/530

I'm just starting to research a new car/SUV for my dad and the LX is on the "list". Is the TLC/LX scheduled for complete redesign in 2007? Thx.

It does look like it will be either 2007 or 2008, more likely 2007. No definitive fact yet.

Thx Thai.

Excerpts from article in Automotive Industries, Feb. 1998, by Lindsay Brook


Design/Engineering: Chassis

Design of UZJ100, as the '98 Cruiser program is coded, was frozen in mid-1994, says veteran chief engineer Takeo Kondo. At that point, the previous FJ80 model was three years old. And as on every previous Cruiser, UZJ100 has body-on-frame construction.
"There was never any consideration of unibody design," Kondo tells AI. "Long-term durability has always been the number one goal of the Land Cruiser program," he explains, "and we expect these vehicles to be on the road for at least 25 years." Range Rover was the program's primary benchmark, particularly for suspension articulation, chassis stiffness and interior appointments.

Kondo's team completely re-engineered the FJ80's ladder frame, adding three extra crossmembers (now nine) and beefing up the side rail structure. Each crossmember is set into the rails using new bracketry, which Toyota calls a flared-flange-type joint (see Illustration). Frame rail wall thickness has been increased to 3.2mm, and the boxed rails include internal stiffening plates welded within their front 48 inches. Kondo claims this helps maintain frame integrity during a frontal impact, keeping the front end from "folding up" into the passenger compartment.

Kondo says none of the Cruiser's frame components is hydroformed nor does any Toyota program currently use this increasingly popular method of metalforming (see June '97 AI, p. 57 and Dec. '97, p. 40). The new frame surpassed the benchmark Range Rover frame in bending and torsional rigidity, claims Kondo (he did not reveal actual frequencies), while boosting overall rigidity by 5096 versus the old FJ80's frame. The stiffer frame allows more compliant suspension bushings and body mounts, helping to improve the new Cruiser's ride comfort. Two types of body mounts are used: compression and lateral-restriction.

The '98 Cruiser switches to an independent front suspension (IFS), based on upper and lower control arms and longitudinal torsion bars. The latter mount to a frame crossmember via a floating member designed to control fore/aft stability of the EFS and limit road-induced NVH. For the vehicle to match its go-anywhere image, all critical running gear, including suspension lower control arms, mounts high. The rack-and-pinion steering gear mounts above the front crossmember, which also protects the engine oil pan and radiator. Both torsion bars are protected by a large skid plate. Minimum ground clearance is nearly 10 inches, and the Cruiser's suspension stroke is among the industry's longest: 200mm front, 240mm rear.

The new Cruiser's Aisin-supplied ABS operates even in 4-wheel low while the center diff is locked. The system is able to "read" road conditions and vehicle dynamics, decreasing the amount of anti-lock applied according to suspension travel, road gradient and abrupt changes in vehicle speed. Foundation brakes feature 4-piston calipers and 12.2-inch ventilated rotors in front, and huge 12.9-inch rear rotors.

Design/Engineering: Body

Also improving the overall structure, and the body's dimensional accuracy, are new one-piece bodysides, claimed by Toyota to be the largest on any light vehicle. The large panels replace the FJ80's two-piece welded bodysides. High-strength steel reinforces all pillars and door sills. Door and rear liftgate jambs are wider for improved ingress/egress and cargo loading.

Dynamically, the UJZ100's structural changes have wrought a vehicle devoid of any body flex or squeaks when flung over the roughest terrain we could find at Borrego Springs, a California desert off-road park that's far more amenable to motocross bikes and extreme dune buggies than luxury SUVs. Driven back-to-back versus a '97 FJ80 over washboard dirt roads, the '98 Cruiser's NVH attenuation is noticeably better. Toyota has added more melt-on asphalt sheeting to the floorpan, and has increased the amount of sound-deading urethane foam and pads injected into pillars and roof rails. On the highway, wind noise is lower due to faster (by three degrees) A-pillars, and new flush-mount windshield and rear quarter window glass.

The extra stiffness and refined manners come at a price, however--mass. The new, all-steel-bodied Cruiser weighs nearly 500 pounds more than its predecessor, mostly due to the chassis and body upgrades. Kondo says there was no plan to offset the added mass with lighter weight components, such as aluminum body panels. At nearly 6,500 pounds GVWR, the Cruiser is actually a medium-duty vehicle.

Powertrain: New V-8

Land Cruiser finally gets a V-8 (a first for any Toyota-badged vehicle), but the new 4.7L engine does not contribute to the new model's extra heft. Even with its cast-iron cylinder block, the dohc, 32-valve V-8 weighs 66 pounds less than the FJ80s 4.5L inline six.
Program boss Kondo admits he wasn't initially sold on the V-8. "We evaluated the (Lexus) aluminum-block car V-8 early on, but it did not have enough low- and midrange torque for our vehicle," he recalls.
So he chose displacement. The UJZ100 design spec required an iron block, with extensive ribbing for bulletproof durability. Manufacturing efficiency called for the Cruiser's block to be machined on the same Tahara plant line as the 4.0L Lexus car V-8. Thus both blocks share common bore centers, but the Cruiser's has the maximum displacement permitted by the Tahara line. The 94mm bore is 6.4mm larger and stroke, at 83.5mm, is 1mm longer than on the car V-8. Besides its iron block and more displacement, Toyota's new "truck V-8" also differs from its car cousins in combustion chamber shape (though valve angles are the same as the 4.0L), cam profiles, and intake manifold geometry. It has a stouter crankshaft, and the con rod big-end bearing shells are aluminum. Package efficiency was also critical; the V8's designers placed the water pump and starter motor inside the block's "vee" to save space.

Powerful 32-bit engine control and effective catalysis, plus Denso top-feed injectors and coil-on-plug ignition, help certify the new Cruiser as a Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) in California. Claimed output is 230 hp at 4,800 rpm, and 320 lb-ft of torque at 3,400. That's a boost of 18 hp and 45 lb-ft over the old inline 6. At presstime, city/highway fuel economy was estimated at 14/16 mpg, more frugal than with the six This basic V-8 will also power the '99 T100 pickup, although rumors persist that the T100 engine will have sohc cylinder heads.

As fits a true 4A, the '98 Cruiser retains a 2-speed Aisin transfer case (and 2.48:1 low range). U.S. market models only offer a 4-speed electronic automatic transmission, sourced by Aisin A-W, While the center and rear differentials are still (optional) "lockers," the Cruiser's new IFS with torsion bars forced the elimination of the FJ80's locking front diff.

Interior:

A slightly wider and longer cabin features a subtly refined IP, and an increased array of storage areas overhead, in consoles and cubbies, and in the door panels. Rear seat legroom is up by nearly three inches, and front seats have almost two extra inches of fore/aft slide. There is also an engine immobilizer, a trio of 12-volt power outlets, and power swing-out rear windows.

Manufacturing:

Land Cruisers are made the old-fashioned way. Chassis are fully assembled at Toyota's Honsha plant in Toyota City, then trucked across town to Araco, a Toyota kieretsu affiliate. Araco, which produces the company's Coaster minibus, stamps the massive one-piece bodysides on the largest press in Toyota's inventory. It also builds the Cruiser's body and assembles the vehicle.

what is the long term plan for this chassis? they seem to keep updating the model rather than doing a full model change... just like the G-wagen is probably going to be kept as a classic?

Unfortunately, the new TLC/LX will be based on the next generation of Sequoia platform...well, that's what the rumor mill has been saying.