Lexus has revealed a new diesel variant for the LX
SUV in the form of the LX 450d, which is set to go on sale in Australia at a
retail price of AUD 134,500. The LX 450d will join the
petrol-powered LX 570 that is already on sale in the country.
Powering the LX 450d is a massive 1VD-FTV 4.5 litre
twin-turbo direct-injection V8 that
serves up 268 hp at 3,600 rpm and 650 Nm of torque from 1,600-2,800 rpm. As a
comparison the 5.7 litre V8 in the LX 570 makes 362 hp and 530 Nm. The
diesel-powered LX gets a six-speed automatic transmission, which is two gears
shy of the eight-speed unit used in the LX 570 – full-time all-wheel drive
remains.
According to Lexus, the diesel-powered LX has a
potential range of almost 1,000 km on a single tank of fuel, and has a claimed
fuel economy of 9.5 l/100 km under the combined-cycle fuel economy test.
To handle off-road trails, the LX 450d has
multi-terrain skid brakes, crawl control and a four-camera multi-terrain
monitor with surround view, five driving modes, adaptive variable suspension,
active height control and a variable gear-ratio steering setup.
The equipment list includes 20-inch alloy wheels
shod with 285/50R profile tyres, LED headlamps, daytime running lights and
sequential turn signals. The Lexus Safety System+ (Pre-Collision System,
High-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Lane Departure Alert and Intelligent
High Beam), head-up display, blind-spot monitor and rear cross-traffic alert are
also standard.
Inside, the LX 450d comes with a 12.3-inch
high-definition multimedia screen, satellite navigation, four-zone climate
control, heated front seats, leather-accented trim, wireless phone charger,
cool box and nine-speaker premium sound system. Unlike the LX 570 which has
eight seats, the new diesel mode only has seating for five. There’s also 400
litres of cargo space from the floor to the top of the rearmost seats.
