One Big Thing About The 2023 Lexus LX 600: V8 Who?

–Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

The old Lexus LX was a bit of a dinosaur, relatively speaking. Lexus would tell you that was part of the appeal. But I’d argue its less-than-stellar drive experience and lethargic V8 made the LX one of the least compelling choices among newer, better competitors.

But Lexus finally shed the old bones of its predecessor for a spiffy new chassis. With major upgrades underneath the skin (shared with the Toyota Tundra), Lexus’ body-on-frame SUV is much more appealing than the previous version, and most importantly, you won’t miss that dated V8.

The new twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6, also borrowed from the Tundra, is one of our favorite powertrains on the market today. It delivers effortless torque and the upscale refinement you expect of a luxury car. This lovely new engine replaces the outdated naturally aspirated 5.7-liter V8 and boosts the output to 409 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. That’s an extra 26 hp and 76 lb-ft over the outgoing LX.

And even for as big as the Lexus LX is – longer and taller by an inch than the previous generation – it doesn’t feel any less underpowered. You won’t have to bury your feet deep into the pedal to get it up to speed; the two turbos spool up quickly and give the LX enough low-end power for easy overtakes and seamless onramp entries.

The 10-speed transmission is new too, and it shifts quickly and seamlessly. There are paddle shifters behind the steering wheel, sure, but there’s no reason to play with them. Even under hard acceleration, the gearbox is quick to downshift and never acts confused.

The LX comes with six drive modes to choose from: Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport, Sport S+, and Custom. Each one gives the LX a unique driving character. Eco and Comfort make for easy cruising with a softer pedal feel while Sport and Sport+ sharpen the throttle response for a more engaging drive; although, this is still a large luxury SUV, not a sports car.

With this new engine, the LX finally feels like a genuine competitor instead of a niche alternative, transforming it from a dinosaur to a modern off-roader. The Lexus LX 600 starts at $88,245 with the $1,345 destination fee included, and with the F Sport package equipped (like on the version tested here) quickly crests $100,000.