By Tim Plouff

By now, everyone should know the story behind Toyota’s Lexus Luxury Car Division and the details of how the Japanese expansion of the 1980s led the Asian automakers to the elevated market share, class respectability and higher levels of consumer respect that they enjoy today.

Honda’s upscale Acura Division was first in 1986 with the Accord-derived, mid-size Legend sedan. Toyota followed three years later with a tarted-up Camry dubbed the ES250. It quickly grew into the groundbreaking ES300.

But the hit of the new luxury car segment, the vehicle that made the Germans and everyone else pay attention, was the V-8-powered LS400 sedan.

Japan had never done anything like it and the LS was better than anything Mercedes or Jaguar was building.

The world stood up and paid attention. Buyers raised on Corollas, Celicas and Camrys flocked to crowded Lexus dealerships in numbers that managers never expected. Lexus had arrived as a serious player, in case anyone ever had any doubts about Toyota’s intentions.

In 1998, Lexus replicated the success of the LS400 with the new RX300 crossover/SUV/wagon. A non-traditional effort — a sport utility based on a front drive car platform (the Camry) — the RX offered front or full-time AWD. It was smooth, reasonably fuel efficient and reliable.

No one else had anything like it — not Cadillac, not BMW, not Lincoln, not even Mercedes’ M-class was as good. The RX soon became the best-selling model in the entire Lexus lineup, a distinction that it still holds today as the new RX330 and RX400h hybrid SUV.

In a wild, ironic twist, the profits that Toyota and Lexus earned from selling these luxury vehicles allowed the brand to spend $1 billion of its $30-billion cash savings to develop the Hybrid Synergy Drive system, the technology that is now propelling Toyota’s “green’ image in the industry. To complete that circle, in a masterful stroke of management, Toyota now uses the fuel credits earned by its new hybrid powered cars and SUVs (low profit margin vehicles, but high consumer awareness) to balance its CAFÉ — (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) numbers to negate the big penalties that it would normally earn on its SUVs and pickups. These are vehicles that earn less than stellar fuel economy but whose sales are growing at much larger profit margins.

These higher truck sales generate more profits that help produce more hybrids, which help Toyota and Lexus to earn more accolades, more CAFÉ credits, more car and hybrid sales, more market share, and….you get the idea. 

Oddly, Lexus sells more SUVs than it does cars. With three SUVs in the lineup, the full-size LX470, the mid-size GX470 and the RX330/RX400h, Lexus sales were up 3 percent through the end of August. Toyota USA’s total sales were running 10 percent ahead of a year ago.

The GX470 is based on the popular Toyota 4Runner mid-size SUV. Using a full-length ladder-style frame with independent suspension up front and a solid axle in the rear, the GX comes with a five-speed automatic and a whole host of electronic gadgets to make it class competitive with Land Rover, Mercedes and anyone else who dares to venture off-road.

Horsepower grows to 270-hp — a 35-hp boost over last year — with minor enhancements to the refined 4.7-liter V-8. Power flows smoothly from the DOHC motor, with a muted snarl as the engine nears redline. Fuel mileage numbers have snaked ahead marginally, up to 19-mpg with throttle restraint. This is a decent result for a 4,750-pound truck laden with luxury features and the grip of full-time, four-wheel drive.

The four-wheel drive system uses Torsen limited slip differentials to avoid the crabbing and binding that often plague other truck-based 4WD systems when negotiating tight turns. The Lexus is fluid in these situations and, in fact, offers a very tight low-speed turning radius. Even with all four wheels pushing, or pulling, depending on your perspective, the GX retains a traditional rear-drive handling bias.

You also get a floor-mounted shift lever to lock the 4WD into high or low range, just in case the open diffs allow too much slippage. That is probably never going to be an issue, as the GX also comes with A-Trac active traction control, Vehicle Stability Control, Downhill Assist Control and HillStart Assist. There is also a new Rollover detection system to activate the side airbags before the vehicle reaches the critical stage of impacting mother earth with unintended surfaces.

Add to this 9.5-inches of ground clearance, plus an auto-leveling suspension with manual selections for sport and comfort modes in the air shocks, and you can see that Toyota is very serious about this truck working well off-road.

In reality, it does. Without breaking into a sweat — and without breaking any parts. I can’t always say that about Land Rover and some other high-falutin’ trucks.

All of these off-road systems might seem like so much overkill for a truck that will spend 99 percent of its life on pavement, yet they never compromise the vehicle’s primary mission. Yes, the ride is stiffer than a car-based SUV, however, the GX470 can tow 7,000 pounds of trailer comfortably — a task that no soft-roader SUV would dream of attempting.

The Lexus could offer more steering feedback, as steering feel is too muted. Path accuracy is fine, and the steering wheel never feels too light or too heavy in your hands, but you just don’t “feel” much at all. There is some body lean in fast turns and over crowned surfaces — a sensation heightened by the lack of any significant side bolstering in the slippery leather seats. A sports car this is not.

Fit, finish and control design are all first class. A plethora of standard features designed to entertain and delight occupants give the Lexus a leg up over many rivals. The standard third row seat also gives you more passenger volume, but realize that only young kids will find this space hospitable for extended use.

The cargo hold is small when the third row seat is in use, not much larger when the seatbacks are folded forward as they rest too high atop the load deck. If removed, you would have about 40-cubic feet of space, valuable room accessed from a right side-hinged rear door rather than the 4Runner’s conventional liftgate. There are pros and cons to each rear-door design. I think the Lexus got the swing-out door because of its higher roof, a design that provides more headroom throughout.

Despite the premium feel and flawless performance of the Lexus, there are still some annoying shortcomings in the GX.

Every time you start the truck, you have to process the acceptance steps to access the navigation system — going through the “lawyer-up sequence” as it is known. Is this reminder really necessary — for every day over the next six, seven, eight years of ownership? Lexus is not alone with this step, but it seems more grating in this vehicle because everything else is so refined and comforting.

The nav screen frequently washes out in direct sunlight and its operation was less user-friendly than some other recent samples. Controlling audio and climate functions, as well as a handy back-up camera, the nav system lacks a real trip computer screen to measure fuel economy, trip mileage, etc. An odd oversight at this price level.

It also seems unusual that the driver’s side sun visor is ineffective on the side window as the two overhead grab handles effectively block the placement of the visor in this use. Did no one test this before production?

There are more positive nuances than negatives when you consider this truck against its competition. Put Lexus’ top-of-the-industry reputation up against the new Land Rover LR3 — no contest. Match the Lexus against the price of a Mercedes Galendewagen — Lexus wins easily. A Jeep Grand Cherokee is short on prestige, value, and panache; the Acura MDX is less expensive but a step behind off-road, and the BMW X5 V-8 costs $8,000 more than the GX with comparable levels of equipment. Only the VW Touareg V-8 matches up closely with the GX470 but its tow rating is less than the Lexus. None of these brands enjoys the level of customer satisfaction that Lexus has earned in the industry.

If you are among the legion of loyal Toyota 4Runner fans who have owned one model right after another, this GX is your next step, your automotive nirvana.

For every other SUV buyer who wants or needs a real truck-based SUV, the GX470 makes a solid case for itself.