Lexus goes country

If you have to rough it, you may as well do it in style. Motoring editor ALASTAIR SLOANE reports on the latest in off-road comfort.

Toyota won't admit it, but the four-wheel-drive Lexus will form the basis for the all-new Prado, due in New Zealand later this year. The latest Lexus is the GX 470 and, in some markets, will slot between the smaller RX 300 and bigger Land Cruiser-based LX 470. The RX 300, called the Harrier in Japan, is available in New Zealand only as a used import.

The GX 470 is expected to become the eighth member of the Lexus line-up in New Zealand, either late next year or early in 2004. Toyota executives hinted as much last August.

The GX 470 was unveiled at the Detroit motor show and will go on sale in America next January.

The five-speed automatic is powered by the 4.7-litre V8 engine found in its bigger brother LX 470 and comes with the latest in safety and luxury features, including dual front, side and curtain airbags, anti-lock ABS brakes and brake assist, traction control, skid control, electronic brake force distribution, electronic descent control, air suspension and a DVD entertainment system.

Just as the Lexus ES300 formed the basis for the new Toyota Camry (also due later this year), so too is the Lexus GX 470 the platform for the new Prado.

But the Prado obviously won't have Lexus' level of luxury. It will be well-equipped, sure, but stripped back to suit its price and its role as a family four-wheel-drive.

However, there is talk that Toyota might just equip the premium Prado with much of the Lexus' safety gear to make it stand out from the competition.

The front of the Prado is expected to be changed from that of the GX 470 to resemble that of the bigger Land Cruiser. Toyota is understood to want a family look among its main four-wheel-drives.

The V8 engine will be replaced for New Zealand by a choice of six-cylinder petrol or four-cylinder turbo-diesel engines, just like the current Prado.

But what won't change in the transition from GX 470 to Prado is the basic build - the Prado will sit on a separate steel chassis rather than the car-like monocoque construction of the Mitsubishi Pajero.

Toyota has steered away from the trend towards sophisticated monocoque off-roaders with independent suspension and has stuck to a proven off-road recipe - independent suspension up front and a beam axle at the rear.

Lexus expects to sell 20,000 models of the GX 470 a year in America. Standard luxury features include automatic climate control, leather seating and trim, Mark Levinson audio system with a six-disc in-dash CD changer, steering wheel audio controls, memory system for the front seats, steering wheel position and outside mirrors, and an overhead console with a transmitter linking the vehicle to the owner's home.

Dimensionally, the GX 470 is slightly smaller than the LX 470: its 2788mm wheelbase and 4780mm length are 60mm and 11mm shorter, respectively. The GX 470 is also 60mm narrower and slightly lower than its larger sibling. The GX 470 weighs about 2090kg and has an 85-litre fuel tank.

The interior continues the Lexus tradition of blending incomparable fit and finish with luxury components. An optional, factory-installed DVD rear entertainment system uses a high-resolution screen that lowers from the headliner.

A wide selection of luxury options will allow customers to personalise the GX 470. These include heated front seats, rain-sensing windshield wipers, power sunroof and a wood/leather steering wheel and shift knob like that on the LX 470.

Lexus said it chose the steel chassis over a monocoque design because it can provide the high carrying and towing capacity that customers in this segment favour.

The suspension set-up includes the use of a variable system that changes each wheel's shock absorber damping rate in response to road surface conditions, vehicle speed, driver steering and braking inputs, and even vertical vehicle movement.

The adaptive height control, the same as that of the LX 470, gives extra clearance off-road but lowers the vehicle for easy entry and exit.

The GX 470 is equipped with a full-time four-wheel-drive system with a center differential that splits the power 50/50 front to rear.

The five-speed automatic transmission includes a low range for off-road use and the driver can lock the center differential for extra traction.