[rlm32]

I saw it at the Detroit auto show yesterday. Its like a cross between the Land Cruiser and the M class. Not bad looking, actually. The only thing bad about it is the engine, supposedly borrowed from the LX470 rated at only 218 hp!(preliminary estimate, according to the display at the show). The 470 is actually rated at 230. Anything less than 240 in a vehicle that size is a crime. Com'n, the Altima is 240 hp. And they claim they're gonna move 8 people in it! Its gonna be a dog.

 

[rlm32]

Those 300 plus pounds of torque are not enough to push the LX 470, which weighs over 5000 pounds. That shows in its mediocre acceleration of 10.1 seconds 0-60 mph, which is one of the slowest in the SUV segment. In fact, when you look at Motor Trend's December 2000 SUV comparo issue (which the MDX was SUV of the year), of all 13 SUV's tested, only 3 SUVs are slower, Mitsubishi Montero (10.3), Toyota RAV4 (10.4) and Hyundai Santa Fe(11.1). Anything over 10 is slow by modern SUV standards, where the average acceleration for SUV's is 8-9 sec 0-60 mph. Its gonna be a pretty slugish SUV unless the weight is kept down, which is probably not in the Lexus engineers priorities.

 

[rlm32]

. Maybe an uneventful, 10 sec 0-60 is welcome in such a large SUV

-Nick

Sure, remember that when you're merging into the highway from an on ramp with traffic coming at 70 mph while hauling 7 people. BTW, I think a very low percentage of Lexus owners are towing stuff with their SUV's.

 

[rlm32]

It'd be interesting to see how the MDX handles under such conditions, full of people and all of their cargo.

-Nick

All being equal, the short answer is 2 seconds faster. And when driving at highway speed, 2 seconds is an eternity, . And were not talking high speeds here, 0-60 mph is everyday speeds for most people, even with SUV's.

 

[rlm32]

This is my last take on this topic. I don't have to be a mathematician or engineer to know that its gonna be AT LEAST 2 seconds slower than my MDX. BTW, you don't have to look at Motor Trend to realize the lack of power of the LX470. Taken from the www.edmunds.com web site ( I know, they take bribes when they write their reviews, right?): "Power comes from a 4.7-liter V8 that creates 230 horsepower and 320 pound-feet of torque. This V8 is one of the smoothest engines we've ever experienced. Still, we'd like Lexus to add a few horsepower to propel the 5,401-pound truck--".

 

[rlm32]

Hey Nick. No offense taken. I agree with you, its pretty fun to have healthy discussions about SUVs and cars (my wife won't participate in such discussions, except when were planning to buy a new one for her ),and a lot of it is very subjective on the actual driver.The goal here is to enjoy what we are driving (or planning to drive). And don't get me wrong , the LX470 is a dam nice SUV and the new one is gonna be nice, I just think that the engine power issue in the new Lexus SUV its gonna take away a few potential customers in that price range.