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What's the difference?
The Lexus LX500d is the base-spec variant in the Lexus LX range, so it’s your entry-level introduction to a prestige line-up.
But “base-spec” and “entry-level” usually mean “budget-friendly”, right? Well, this seven-seat four-wheel-drive SUV has a price tag tickling the $150 grand mark, so it’s not a cheap vehicle, but it is a very refined, plush and feature-packed urban-friendly vehicle – and it is an effective off-road touring platform.
So, is the Lexus LX simply a Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series in a nice suit?
Read on.
Driving a whopping great SUV down the straight on a race track at more than 200km/h sounds like fun, but it actually feels a bit wrong, like entering a baby elephant in a dog show.
These are strange times, of course, and the Maserati Trofeo Levante is a suitably strange vehicle - stylish, classy, expensively appointed family hauler that also has the heart and soul of a race car.
Indeed, while performance SUVs are an increasingly commonplace vehicle, the Levante - which was actually getting along in the tooth as a model before this significant upgrade - has higher performance credibility than most.
That's because it has a big Ferrari V8 driving all four of its wheels and delivering a properly supercar-like 433kW and 730Nm.
It's not what you might call a typical Maserati buyer's car, but then only those who know what the Trofeo badge stands for - shouty insanity, basically - will be interested in this end of town. It is a lot of car, but is it worth the large load of money on the sticker ($330,000)?
The Lexus LX500d is a genuine seven-seater with impressive levels of refinement, comfort and even off-road capability.
The interior borders on being chintzy and it’s price-tag is the wrong side of bloody expensive, but there's no denying this Lexus is packed with stuff.
It’s more city than country, more bling than bush tourer – it’s like a tarted-up 300 Series – but that’s absolutely fine for the people who buy these.
I wouldn’t blame anyone for cross-shopping a Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series with this – and then opting for the 300 Series! For one thing, you’ll save a stack of cash.
Maseratis are built for a fairly specific niche buyer; someone with a lot of money, someone slightly older and certainly someone who likes the finer things in life and appreciates Italian style, quality and heritage.
They are not, typically, the kind of buyers who want to tear around race tracks like fiends in big, shouty SUVs. But apparently there is a niche within the niche of Maserati fans who do, and they are willing to invest big dollars in vehicles wearing the Trofeo badge, like this Levante.
It might seem a slightly strange creation, a track-mad SUV with a screaming Ferrari engine, but surprisingly, it really does work.
In firmly keeping with its target market, the LX500d is a premium-looking SUV.
This is a big unit and everything is slick and in-your-face impressive. Inside and out this Lexus looks a lot like a tarted-up LandCruiser 300 Series that’s been on a recent cycle of steroids.
The optional 22-inch alloy wheels (part of the $5500 Enhancement Pack, as mentioned above) add to the overall look.
The interior is a tasteful blend of woodgrain, leather accents, soft-touch surfaces, plush seating, and even comfortable arm-rests.
While the other two Maseratis to get the Trofeo treatment - the Ghibli and Quattroporte sedans - are undeniably lovely, the Levante is not quite as pretty.
Admittedly, for an SUV, it looks very good, and the Trofeo touches - that big, nostrilled bonnet, the red gills on the sides, the carbon, the badges - really do lift its game to another level.
Overall, though, the Levante has just never felt beautiful enough to me to be a Maserati. These guys really do style well, as you'd expect from a premium Italian brand, but making an SUV sexy is beyond even them.
I'll grant you, it does look good from front on, but at the rear they just seem to have run out of ideas.
Credit is due for feeling properly special inside, however.
Everyone is well catered for inside this Lexus, in terms of, well, everything.
The tech is easy to use – it was simple enough to get Apple CarPlay working – and the screens are big: the horizontal 12.3-inch multimedia unit upfront, an 8.0-inch screen (to monitor air-con, air-suspension height, the four-wheel-drive system, and other vehicle information), a head-up display, plus a 7.0-inch touchscreen for rear passengers.
Heating and cooling are via the 'climate concierge' and everyone can keep themselves as comfortably hot or cold as they like with separate controls.
Storage is plentiful with the usual array of door pockets, cupholders, big glove box etc, but there’s also a cavernous centre console (with multiple ways to open the lids) as well as map pockets for the second row, cup-holders in the centre fold-down armrest and even cupholders for the third row.
The Lexus has a Qi wireless charger as well as front and rear USB-C charging ports – one upfront, two in the second row, and two in the third row – so that should keep any whinging about devices to a minimum – but, knowing kids, it probably won’t.
There’s also a 12V DC socket (front and rear) and a 220V socket in the rear cargo area.
Power-adjustable seats upfront make life easy for the driver and front passenger and these pews are as good as what I’d imagine a massage chair is like. Even the second row is on the right side of plush, but the third row is not quite there.
Second-row passengers have their own air con and entertainment controls, and there’s also an HDMI port.
The moon roof – an Enhancement Pack inclusion – is power-adjustable and allows plenty of welcome natural light in through the top.
In terms of packability, the Lexus LX500d has a claimed 174L (VDA) of cargo space when seven seats are in use; 982L when five seats are being used (that’s with the power-folding third row stowed flat at the push of a button); and 1871L when all seats are stowed away (the 60:40 folding second-row seats tumble-fold forward), except for the driver and front passenger.
The boot has a 220V power outlet.
If you've got to move five people in a genuine hurry, the Levante is a pleasant way to go about it.
There's plenty of head and shoulder room, the seats, while firm in the front, are pleasant to the touch and supportive and there's a 580-litre boot with an electric tailgate and split-folding seats.
The boot feels properly spacious, too, with a 12-volt power outlet and four tie-down points. You won't, however, find a spare wheel out there, so serious off-roading is out (although it probably was already if you look at those expensive wheels).
There are huge door pockets with room for bottles and two big cup holders in the front. The centre-console bin looks lovely, it's all carbon fibre, but is quite small.
There are also three USB points, one in the front and two in the rear, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.
As mentioned the seven-seat Lexus LX500d is the entry-level variant in the Lexus LX line-up.
The standard features list is comprehensive but, for the sake of brevity, we’ll rattle off only a handful of them including a 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen (with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and Bluetooth), a 25-speaker Mark Levinson sound system, heated and ventilated power-adjustable seats, woodgrain steering wheel trim, 8.0-inch multi-information display, quad-zone climate control, 7.0-inch touchscreen and separate control panel for rear passengers, multi-terrain monitor with panoramic view, and 20-inch alloy wheels.
It also has a digital rear-view mirror, adaptive variable suspension, and active height control with low, normal and two high settings.
The Lexus LX500d retails for $153,091 (excluding on-road costs). Our test vehicle has an optional Enhancement Pack (which includes 22-inch alloy wheels, moonroof, hands-free power boot with kick sensor, $5500) and has been fitted with a towbar ($1545). The total price of this vehicle as tested is $160,136 (excluding on-road costs).
Exterior paint colours include the no-extra-cost 'Onyx' or any of these – 'Liquid Metal', 'White Nova' (F Sport models only), 'Sonic Quartz' (not available on F Sport models), 'Titanium', 'Graphite Black', and 'Khaki Metal' (on our test vehicle) – all of which incur an extra cost.
I'm sorry, but $330,000 for an SUV, of any kind? Personally I can't see the value, but then personally, as we'll discuss below in the Design section, I can't see the attraction.
This is one of the most expensive SUVs money can buy, well above things like Range Rover Sport SVR ($239,187) or even Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe ($254,000), although a pricier Ferrari one is surely on the way.
You'd want a lot for that, and the way it drives and sounds, thanks to that Ferrari engine, accounts for quite a few dollars.
There's also an undeniably high-quality feel to everything you touch on the car, inside and out, and a vast quantity of carbon fibre everywhere as well.
Other highlights include the 21-inch machine polished wheels, an 8.4-inch touchscreen with Navigation and DAB radio, full matrix LED headlights, and incredible Pieno Fiore natural leather, “the best the world has ever seen”, as Maserati says.
The lovely if firm front seats are heated and ventilated, sporty and 12-way adjustable, with Trofeo logos stitched into the headrests. The rooflining is lovely Alcantara, the steering wheel is sporty and features carbon-fibre shift paddles, ad the stereo system is Harman Kardon Premium and has 14 speakers.
And even the rear seats are heated. It feels expensive, and it should. But still, $330K?
The Lexus LX500d has a 3.3L V6 twin turbo-diesel engine, producing 227kW at 4000rpm and 700Nm between 1600-2600rpm.
It has a 10-speed automatic transmission with manual shift mode, a full-time all-wheel-drive system, low-range transfer case and locking diffs.
The V6 is impressive and this is a smooth-shifting beast, but there’s a real lazy – not lively – feel to how the engine and auto work.
It’s pretty hefty as well – with a listed 2690kg kerb weight – so the Lexus takes a bit of a wind-up to get going off the mark and during overtaking moves.
This will be the last time Maserati gets a proper Ferrari engine like this a 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 shouty monster, which is good for 433kW and 730Nm.
The future, as is the case everywhere, is going to be more electric and less noisy. For now, anyone who can should enjoy this V8 masterpiece, which drives all four wheels through Maserati's Q4 on-demand all-wheel drive system via a limited-slip rear differential and uses an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Its claimed 0 to 100km/h time is 3.9 seconds, which puts it in what used to be super-car territory, and is still very quick indeed, while top speed is an unimaginable 304km/h.
The Lexus LX500d seven-seater has a listed fuel consumption of 8.9L/100km on a combined cycle.
Our actual fuel consumption on this test, from pump to pump, was 13.2L/100km. Note: our test included a lot of low-range 4WDing.
The LX500d has an 80-litre fuel tank – so, going by that on-test fuel consumption figure, you should be able to get a driving range of about 606km or so. Take off a 30km safe-distance buffer and you have 576km.
The official claimed fuel economy for the Maserati Levante Trofeo is 13.5 litres per 100km, but good luck with that.
A more realistic number would probably sit somewhere above 17 litres per 100km, and we would have easily exceeded 20 litres while driving it like lunatics around a track.
But you just paid $330K for an SUV, what do you care about fuel economy?
The Lexus is a refined and comfortable vehicle on sealed surfaces.
It’s 5100mm long (with a 2850mm wheelbase), 1990mm wide (with a 1675mm wheel track, front and back), 1895mm high, and it has a 2690kg kerb weight.
The woodgrain steering wheel feels nice in the hands but even though the Lexus feels tighter and more controlled than the previous-gen – its body-on-frame structure has shed some kegs – this is a hefty rig so it’s no real surprise that body roll remains pronounced – it always tends to wallow even at optimal ride height.
The suspension set-up – adjustable dampers, double wishbones at the front, a four-linkage rigid axle at the rear, stabiliser bars front and rear – is aimed at keeping things under control, and it certainly irons out any major issues, but it’s not perfect, even ably supported by adaptive variable suspension.
The brake pedals feel spongy, taking some time to ‘bite’, but the ventilated disc brakes front and rear did pull the Lexus to a controlled stop when I did a “watch out for that roo!” emergency-braking move.
And while, by its very nature, it may not be a very dynamic SUV to drive, its low-key composure makes up for that.
The gutsy V6 and auto work well, if lazily, together, and while that transmission is enough of a smooth shifter, 10 gear ratios seems like overkill to me.
Driving modes include normal, eco, sport and each adjusts throttle response, engine outputs, and gearshifts to suit the driver and the driving conditions.
It’s quiet inside – very quiet – and there’s no issues with vibration or harshness levels either.
Among its many tech-based attractions, the digital rear-view mirror is a handy touch.
This is a great open-road touring vehicle but with some flaws when it comes to adventuring off-road.
Our test vehicle is shod with Dunlop Grandtrek 265/50R22 112V tyres and these all-season tyres are fine for sealed surfaces, but they’re not up to low-range 4WDing in tough conditions, even more so on these 22-inch rims, as we found out during a few hours at our 4WD testing ground.
The Lexus has Cruiser-like off-road-capable underpinnings with top-layer dirt-focussed tech as well.
There’s plenty of glass around so visibility is fine, steering generally feels light but takes on a clinical precision during low-speed, low-range 4WDing.
And ‘clinical’ is how the Lexus feels off-road – not always in a good way either. Like many contemporary tech-heavy off-roaders nowadays, it’s almost so good that you’re in danger of feeling entirely removed from the actual process of driving.
With multi-terrain select driving modes offering auto, dirt, sand, mud, deep snow, and rock options; with a multi-terrain monitor and panoramic view helping you ‘see’ everywhere that you usually wouldn’t be able to see on the track; with active height control helping you to lift the vehicle’s body in order to improve off-road angles at the push of a button; and the list goes on.
That’s not forgetting downhill assist control, hill-start assist, crawl control, and off-road traction control.
Don’t get me wrong: high-tech is great because anything that helps maintain safe forward progress out bush or while beach driving is awesome but, Great Odin’s raven, it’d be great if the tech onslaught stops now. As if that’s going to happen.
If you’re looking to tow with your Lexus, listen up: unbraked towing capacity is 750kg, braked towing capacity is 3500kg. It has a gross vehicle mass of 3280kg and a gross combination mass of 6780kg. There you go.
It has a full-size spare tyre and that’s mounted under the rear cargo area.
We got to drive all three Trofeo-fettled Maseratis on track at Sydney Motorsport Park, and before that on the road, where the Levante felt very pleasant, and pleasantly expensive at all times.
As you might expect, a vehicle with 433kW is difficult to fully appreciate on public roads, although there was the occasional and exciting change to give it a quick, loud blat between gears.
It only takes hearing that engine note, and feeling that torque surge, a few times to see why someone might fall in love with this car, or at least this engine.
Out on the track, the rear-driven Ghibli and Quattroporte, which share the Levante's engine, were surely the more fun and frenetic things to drive, but there were those who chose the Levante as their best of the three, even for circuit driving.
There's no doubt that its on-demand all-wheel-drive system, which is biased towards the rear but asks the front wheels for help when required, made it feel the most planted, and the safest, through fast and slow bends.
There's a definite sense that its engine is being asked to work the hardest, though, to push all that bulk through the air (although its brakes never seemed to fade, which is impressive with more than two tonnes of SUV to stop).
While the big, deafening V8 is willing and keen to rev all the way to 7000rpm (where it bangs on the redline waiting for your upshift, if you're driving in manual mode - I do like that), it started to make large sucking sounds towards the top of each gear, as if it was desperately trying to get more oxygen in.
It genuinely sounded different to the other two Trofeo cars, which is odd, but perhaps they just weren't as near their limits. That bulk also slowed it slightly in terms of top speed down the straight, but it still exceeded 220km/h with ease.
What should be said is that I was genuinely shocked at how good the Levante Trofeo was around a track. So much so I asked to have a second go, just to make sure I wasn't going mad.
Sure, it makes no sense to me personally, and I don't know why anyone needs an SUV that's good on a track, but if you do, I can recommend the Levante for sure.
That hugely enjoyable engine is just too much fun, although it's even better in a sedan like the Ghibli...
The Lexus does not have an ANCAP safety ratings as it has not been tested yet.
Safety features include 10 airbags (driver and front passenger: front, knee, side; rear: side), AEB with pedestrian detection and daytime cyclist detection, front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera with rear camera washer, adaptive cruise control, road sign assist, blind spot monitor with rear cross traffic alert, tyre pressure warning system, and more.
Buying a Lexus gives you three-year access to Lexus Connected Services including (SOS) emergency calls, automatic collision notification, and stolen vehicle tracking.
Maserati's safety offering on the Levante includes six airbags, a reversing camera and 360-degree overhead camera, parking sensors front and rear, adaptive cruise control and Blind Spot Detection, Forward Collision Warning Plus, Pedestrian Detection, Lane Keep Assist, Active Driver Assist and Traffic Sign Recognition.
There is no ANCAP rating for the Levante as it's not been crash tested here.
The Lexus LX500d has a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty.
Capped-price servicing applies for three years. Servicing is set at six month/10,000km intervals with each appointment costing $595 over that period.
Lexus Encore Platinum benefits – including valet parking and on-demand vehicle loans – are standard for new Lexus owners.
Maserati offers a three-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, but you can choose to buy 12-month or two-year warranty extensions, and even a sixth or seventh-year drive-train warranty extension.
When much, much cheaper Japanese and Korean cars are offering seven and even 10-year warranties, this is so far off the pace that such a fast vehicle should be embarrassed. And if you're buying something Italian, a better, longer warranty would seem like a must. I'd be negotiating at sale for them to throw the longer warranty offer in.
Maserati says servicing for the Ghibli has a "ball park costing of $2700.00 for the first three years of ownership" with a service schedule of every 20,000km or 12 months (whichever occurs first)
Also, "please note that the above is indicative only of the manufacturers basic routine service maintenance schedule and does not include any consumable items such as tyres, brakes etc or additional dealership charges such as environmental levies etc."