At first glance, the 2009 Lexus GX 470 SUV that was sitting in my driveway appeared somewhat similar to a mini-van or even a station wagon. While it is true the 470 can hold eight passengers with the optional third row, I quickly learned not to be fooled by its mild “suburban soccer mom’s vehicle” appearance.
This is definitely a luxury SUV with extra touches like illuminated running boards, spacious and comfortable seats, and other elegant amenities like leather trimmed interior seat facings, headrests, shift knob and steering wheel, with dark walnut wood trim on the dashboard, center console and other cabin features, carpeted floor mats, and a power-touch moon roof. Optitron® instrument gauges also whisper “It’s a Lexus.”
The GX 470 offers great off-road as well as on-road performance with its extremely responsive 4.7 Liter V-8 engine that produces 263 HP. The five-speed automatic transmission includes shift logic to hold gears on inclines or descents, as well. Other standard features include rear adaptive height control (to raise or lower the car for extra clearance) with auto-leveling, adaptive variable suspension, and 17-inch dark graphite-finish alloy wheels with mud and snow tires.
The Lexus GX 470 has a base price of $47,615, but with the optional navigation/Mark Levinson audio package that includes voice-activated DVD navigation system and back-up camera with steering wheel voice command button, Bluetooth, EMV Mark Levinson 14-speaker premium audio system and DVD/CD changer adding $3,250 to the test model, and third row seat with rear air conditioner also added, the total price for the test model came to $52,175 (including delivery charge).
I really enjoyed the week I spent driving this luxury vehicle, but was grateful that gas had gone back down to a more reasonable level since the GX 470 gets about 14 miles per gallon in town, and 18 on the highway. I had a hard time remembering the cargo door opens to the side, but other than that, this is an easy vehicle to love.
Jo Ann Holt is a journalist and car writer based in Dallas, Texas, and a member of the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA).
