First Test: 2010 Lexus GX 460

We take our first in-depth look at Lexus newest off-road capable luxury barge and ponder its latest recall woes...

Transcript

00:00 Recently, after a leading consumer magazine identified a handling problem with the new

00:12 2010 GX460, Lexus quickly pulled back all models to address the issue.

00:17 The problem in question involves the GX's tendency to hang its tail out during emergency

00:22 cornering maneuvers and what was perceived to be an unacceptable lag in response from

00:26 the electronic stability control system.

00:29 Since pulling the car from dealer lots, Lexus claims to have identified the GX's problem

00:34 and solution, though perhaps not quick enough for some critics.

00:38 How has our opinion changed since the hubbub and recall?

00:41 Surprisingly, not very much.

00:43 While Lexus's swift response is understandable in light of Toyota's recent recall woes, the

00:48 GX460's performance and handling have not caused our opinion to slide much at all.

00:55 At the test track, we found the new 2010 GX460 accelerates briskly, hitting 60 mph in an

01:01 impressive 6.9 seconds.

01:06 That is just over a full second faster than the GX470 we last tested in 2003.

01:12 The quarter mile marker also arrives much sooner.

01:15 The new model needs only 15.4 seconds at 89.7 mph.

01:20 Braking is much improved as well.

01:22 Our GX460 needed only 114 feet to stop from 60 mph, which is astonishing for a vehicle

01:28 weighing 5,112 pounds.

01:31 Around our figure 8 course, the GX logged a respectable 0.74 g and a time of 28.3 seconds

01:38 at 0.58 g.

01:40 Those are competitive numbers for a luxury SUV in this class.

01:44 We should note that our test team did manage to induce tail-out behavior during our figure

01:48 8 test, but only with the stability control switched off.

01:51 That is because we do not perform any of our handling or braking or acceleration tests

01:56 with ESC turned on, as the systems typically intervene well before the limits are reached.

02:01 As an enthusiast outlet, we're interested in finding those limits.

02:06 However, we were not able to replicate the same behavior while on an extended road trip

02:10 with a GX460 involving hundreds of miles of city, highway, and off-road driving.

02:16 Never once did the GX put a tire wrong, despite some fast blasts on dusty dirt roads and even

02:22 a bit of rock climbing.

02:24 Comments from the logbooks do call out the ESC system for some notably un-Lexus-like

02:28 behavior.

02:29 The GX's stability control system does indeed feel looser than many we've tried, noted

02:34 editor-at-large Arthur St. Antoine, while senior editor Ron Kino dubbed it "surprisingly

02:39 sporty."

02:41 So there you have it.

02:42 Our test and extended road trip of a pre-recall Lexus GX460 finds this controversial luxury

02:48 SUV to be capable and comfortable whether on or off-road.

02:51 [music]

02:55 [music]

03:01 (whooshing)