Lexus LX: 3rd Generation News & Information

The 2010 Lexus LX 570 is getting the sports treatment down under, as Lexus Australia is releasing the supersize SUV with a muscular body kit as part of new Sports Luxury package:

There’s something ill-fitting about that front bumper and the way it overlaps, but I do like the reverse trapezoid air intake mirroring the grille. The rear bumper looks quite fussy in the creases, but with only one photo to go on, it’s tough to judge.

Some more photos:

The LX 570 Sports Luxury will retail for $165,400 AUD and will likely be limited to Australia—you can find out more information on the Lexus Australia website.

[Via: The Motor Report]

Speaking of custom Lexus finishes, here’s a LX 570 from Russia done up in matte red:

Love the stealthiness of matte black, but don’t care for color matte, especially this red tone that looks like a high-quality rust primer.

[Via: Club Lexus]

It was announced last week that a 24k gold-leaf Lexus LX 570 would be displayed at the Dubai Auto Show—and now the first images have arrived by way of Flickr user AlBargan:

Be sure to check out AlBargan’s photo gallery for larger images of the LX and plenty more from the Dubai Auto Show.

Surprised to saythe matte & muted look of the gold leaf looks pretty good—although the LX will be covered with a veneer once the gold leaf application is complete, and that’s likely to change the look. I certainly hope it stays in that black & gold two-tone.

[Source: AlBargan’s Photostream]

Al-Futtaim Motors, the company that distributes Lexus in the United Arab Emirates, has announced that they will be applying 40,000 gold leaves to a Lexus LX 570 as part of their display at the Dubai International Motor Show this week:

At the end of the process, the vehicle will be finished off with varnish before being sold, making it the first commercial 24-carat gold car in the UAE. The transformation will be completed by four craftsmen from French company Goldemotion, which works on conservation projects at the Louvre in Paris and other sites in France.

If I hadn’t already seen a gold LX from the UAE (pictured above), I might be more surprised—though I don’t believe that was actual gold. Not exactly Lexus-subtle, in any case.

Looking forward to seeing some photos from the auto show at the very least.

[Source: The Independent]

Here’s a nice twist on the standard auto review—Racer magazine recently needed a hauler to transport their Mazda RX-8 race car from California to Nebraska, and they chose the Lexus LX 570:

Having recently completed a project RX-8 build for SportsCar magazine, we were looking to transport the car from Southern California to the Sports Car Club of America Tire Rack Solo National Championships, in Lincoln, Neb. Contemplating the many options out there, and knowing we had to complete a 3,000-mile round trip in a very short time, we decided to give the Lexus LX570 a go.

The 403lb-ft of torque combined with the gearing made easy work of even the longest climb. The LX570 will tow much faster than you would ever need to go. Even as our trip took us over the Rocky Mountains and through the Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel, the LX570 never missed a beat.

This review really highlights the LX 570’s capability, particularly if you’re looking for insight into how the SUV performs while towing a trailer.

[Source: Racer Magazine]

Details on the 2010 Lexus LX 570 have been announced by way of a Lexus Canada press release, and as expected, changes are minimal. Four new features have been added:

• The latest generation of the Lexus Voice-Activated, Hard Disc-based Navigation System
• A USB audio input connection
• The Lexus customizable settings system
• Privacy glass for the rear hatch

I’m curious about whether the latest version of the non-Remote Touch system will also have the new natural-language voice activation, and the customizable settings system sounds interesting. More details as I get them.

The full press release, including the changes to the standard and Ultra-Premium packages, is after the jump.

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