2017 Lexus LX 570

Lexus's flagship luxury SUV, the LX 570 offers Lexus luxury for eight passengers, plenty of high-tech toys and the off-roading prowess that will leave rivals far behind. While most don't think of Lexus as an off-roading brand, the LX draws from the same DNA pool as the legendary Toyota Land Cruiser.

Redesigned just last year, with a bold new look, the only change for 2017 is that 21-inch alloy wheels are now standard equipment and that Satin Cashmere Metallic has been dropped from the colour pallet.

The LX 570 competes against the likes of the Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, Infiniti QX80, and like these models, it rides on a truck-style body-on-frame platform. In actuality, its closest rival is the Range Rover, but it’s made completely of steel instead of aluminum. Both the LX and the Range Rover are very capable off the beaten path. The LX's adaptive suspension continually adjusts for optimal smoothness over varied terrain, and can be raised and lowered for extra ground clearance.

In addition, every LX also comes with Multi-Terrain Select, which adjusts the permanent four-wheel drive system to traverse mud, sand, loose rock, moguls, and dirt. The LX also features Crawl Control, a sort of low-speed cruise control, which allows drivers to focus on steering and navigating.

Powering the LX 570 is a powerful and dependable 5.7-litre V8 engine that develops 383 horsepower and 403 lb-ft of torque. It drives all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. While this seems impressive, the LX 570 is a behemoth, with a pavement-crushing curb weight of 2,680 kilos - 6,000 lbs. The LX is also rated to tow up to 3,175 kg (7,000 lbs), which sounds like a lot, but it's at the bottom of the class, and about a quarter of what SUVs like the Escalade and Navigator can haul. As you'd expect, the LX 570 is a thirsty machine with a city fuel economy rating of 18.3 L/100 km and a highway rating of 12.9.

The LX 570 is available in one fully loaded trim - there are no options, just a choice of four exterior colours and three interior colours.

Luxury features abound in the LX, including premium leather upholstered seats, first and second row heated and ventilated seats with power adjustment, heated wood-rim steering wheel, power tilt and telescoping steering column, four-zone automatic climate control, power folding third-row seats, retractable sun blinds, dual-screen rear-seat entertainment system, head-up display, 19-speaker Mark Levinson audio system, wireless device charging, as well as a huge 12.3-inch colour LCD infotainment display with navigation and overhead parking sensors.

Impressively, the LX 570 comes standard with the Lexus Safety System +, which bundles together dynamic radar cruise control, pre-collision warning, lane-departure alert, and automatic high beams. The LX also gets blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and several parking cameras.

Price for the 2017 LX 570 starts at $107,500.