2005 Lexus GX 470

2005 Lexus GX 470 Test Drive

Big, capable and solid feeling, the GX470 also carries a big sticker price.

From The Driver's Seat

One of the big selling points for SUVs has been great utility. More recently, Japanese carmakers like Honda, Toyota and Nissan have brought great quality to the equation. So where there was once just a big box on wheels, now there is a big box on wheels with leather, excellent fit and finish, and a refined, car-like feel.

All of this is what you get with the GX470. Add in bird's eye maple trim, rich leather that should embarrass all Cadillac Escalade owners (Lincoln, in response to the cheap interiors in Escalades, recently upgraded those in the Navigator and now that vehicle has taken over the sales lead from Cadillac), multiple-position electronically adjustable seats, dual-zone climate controls, heated seats, an 11-speaker audio system with rear-seat controls, a standard moon roof, and multiple power points (for GameBoys and whatever else your kids need to plug in).

But that desired utility isn't exactly what it's cracked up to be.

The GX470 is based on the same platform as the aforementioned 4Runner, but because Lexus stuffs in a pair of seats in the cargo area (with great effort you can fold these and hook them to the walls of the GX470) the space behind them is only good for 13 square-feet of cargo room. Fold them and you get a more reasonable 39 square feet, a tad more than in the VW Touareg. But even this is a deceiving figure, because with the seats still there it's doubtful you could really make use of that space they way you could if it were completely clear of obstacles.

Furthermore, as we've discussed in this column before, vehicles like the Volvo XC90 and Acura MDX smartly allow their third-row seats to disappear into the floor. This isn't only a matter of yielding cargo room; such seats are much easier to get out of the way; should you actually want to remove the third-row seats in the Lexus (you'll have to if you want to use all of the cargo area to, say, move a dresser) we only hope you're one strong Lexus driver.

And in this regard as well the GX470 isn't nearly as large inside as it looks from the outside. It's got considerably less room inside than both the Acura MDX and Volvo XC90, and although it bests the cargo room of the VW Touareg by a few square feet, Toyota's own, far less expensive Sequoia boasts a humungous 128 cubic feet of cargo space.

The GX470 counterpunches by looking much swankier inside than the Sequoia, and by offering safety features not on the Sequoia. For instance you get stability control whereas the Sequoia only has traction control, downhill assist control (for descending in very slippery conditions such as ice) and hill-start assist control (to prevent the vehicle from rolling backwards when starting on a steep hill). None of this comes on the Sequoia.

Also, the GX470, unlike the 4Runner on which it is based, gets an auto-leveling air-suspension with multiple settings. But like many big-box SUVs we find the ride here too plush and uncommunicative. The 4Runner by contrast is smooth and tauter-feeling, but not jarring. What we dislike about the GX470 -- and other gone-soft truck-like SUVs -- is that these are big, powerful trucks and you need to know the limits of responsiveness just in case you have to swerve or brake quickly. By feeling like you're in a luxury vehicle you get numbed into thinking that's what you're driving. You might get a rude awakening when suddenly you try to turn it like one to avoid an accident.

And while we're beefing, while we're duly impressed by the GX470's exceptionally smooth V-8 and five-speed transmission, horsepower is fairly anemic; only 235 hp versus 260 hp from the Acura MDX's smaller V-6. Right, the GX V-8 knocks out good low-end torque (320 foot-pounds at 3,400 rpm), so acceleration is fairly strong. And although 15 city/18 highway mpg figures seem pathetic, these are actually decent numbers for the segment.