07-02-2025
2025 Lexus LX 700h review: A surprisingly spry giant
When Lexus comes calling and invites you out to Napa, CA, to test the all-new Lexus LX 700h, the only acceptable answer is, 'How soon can I pack my bags?'
Despite living in California since I came to America back in 2009, I have never had a good reason to visit Napa. Although I'm no sommelier by any stretch, the rolling hills of California's Wine Country would prove to be the perfect picturesque landscape for Lexus's rolling mansion.
With a wheelbase of 112.2 inches and a curb weight between 6200 and 6300 lbs, this is a beastly machine from any angle. The row of ten that Lexus had lined up for us was a menacing bunch. It was like staring down the Spartans from 300, towering over you and ready to pounce at a moment's notice.
We were given a book of trails hand-picked by the Lexus team to be both picturesque and a great test of the LX 700h's road capabilities. We paired our phones with the wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto capabilities, scanned a QR code, and the routes were expanded onto the 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment first partner of the day was the $141,350 Ultra Luxury trim, finished in Atomic Silver and a gorgeous contrasting 'Sunflare' interior with diamond-stitch semi-aniline leather-trimmed seats. Surrounding the various interior surfaces was an equally as opulent 'Takanoha Wood Trim,' bringing a touch of Lexus's home turf to the SUV. Any luxury feature you would expect from a vehicle of this caliber was present, from heated and cooled seats, a heated steering wheel, massaging front seats, and even an automatic door closer.
One new feature that Lexus added to the 700h is a 'cool box' in the center console that works with the AC system. Our guide told us that this was inspired by the way organizations like Doctors Without Borders would retrofit the center consoles in previous Lexus SUVs to transport penicillin to third-world countries. Yes, it can also hold your soda cans.
Despite the stormy weather that weekend, the LX felt awfully planted and took turns like it was on rails. The 3.4L twin-turbo V6 hybrid setup under the hood put out 457 hp and 583 lb-ft of torque through the 10-speed automatic transmission, and you could feel all of it. Giving it the beans brought a welcome growl from beyond the dash, and the boost gauge on the digital cluster corresponded perfectly with your head's intimate meeting with the headrest. It's no Lucid, but don't underestimate it.
That does, of course, lead to less-than-ideal gas mileage. During my driving, I managed to pull off a 15 mpg average. Compared to the EPA-estimated 20 mpg combined, that's not too far off. However, the average 700h buyer is not putting "high mpg figures" on their checklist when buying a car like this. View the 20 images of this gallery on the original article
This wasn't the off-roady version, that honor goes to the Overtrail, but even the Ultra Luxury came with a two-speed transfer case with a Torsen LSD, adaptive variable suspension, active height control, a center locking differential, and multi-terrain select. The 22-inch wheels might be wearing far-too-thin rubber, but the option is there should you wish to partake in it.
After a short photoshoot session by a lake, I continued along on my route back to our base. Winding through the hills of Napa, with the gentle pattering of raindrops hitting the windshield, I indulged in the plush, heated, and massaged seats. One slight complaint was the burial of the massage feature behind two different menus. This was especially perplexing since everything else, like the AC controls and all of the other heated surfaces, was easily accessible with physical buttons.
Speaking of menus and functions, the aforementioned 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment display is your gateway into Lexus's buttery-smooth interface that will show you anything you want to know at a moment's notice. It is paired with a smaller multi-information display that relays useful information like AC/heated seat level, brake/accelerator percentages, drive mode, and off-road specifics like 4WD mode and incline level.
It was also during this 40-minute ride back that I decided to test the capabilities of the 25-speaker, 2,400-watt Mark Levinson Reference Surround Sound system. Believe me when I tell you that if a choir of Angels descended from Lexus HQ and serenaded me personally, it would not sound as good as Prince's Purple Rain sounded at near-max volume. The sheer clarity and bass of the system, even at that volume, was astounding. When Prince started shredding, I started melting.
And if I were to have passengers, rest assured that they too would be unwilling for the journey to end as the dual 11.4-inch screens on the back of the front headrests would keep them more than a short lunch, it was time for the $118,010 Overtrail to wow me in a different manner. Sitting on smaller 18-inch wheels and all-terrain tires, the Overtrail is Lexus's first-party answer to the vast off-road support that their previous GX generations had. While the powertrain is the same, the Overtrail also gains electronically controlled front- and rear-locking differentials, which will come in handy later. The interior retains the plush nature of the 700h, although it loses some of the less-off-road-specific features like the illuminated door sills and second-row massaging captain's chairs.
Unlike last time when we were handed a book of routes to choose from, Lexus had instead programmed a specific route into our GPS systems for this one, and I'm glad they did. The surrounding forests and small town roads leading to the Ink Grade Winery off-road course were the perfect backdrop for my Nori Green Overtrail, and I effortlessly conquered the bendy, wet asphalt atop my six-figure steed.
What followed was the kind of terrain that this SUV was built for. Lexus had spent the past day digging an off-road track to flex what this trim was capable of. Upon arrival, we were instructed to lock our center and rear differentials, put the 700h in 4L, and cruise on through. Between the 45-degree incline, the near two-wheel lean, and the bumper-level puddles, this is what I imagined a Jeep aficionado's playground to look like. I have never felt so horrified of tipping over a car, yet so ecstatic that I had pushed through that I wanted to do it again immediately. View the 20 images of this gallery on the original article
The ride back was, unfortunately uneventful, and my adrenaline wore down eventually. As I drove back to base, I reminisced on the ironic circumstances that had just allowed me to scale up mounds of mud in a six-figure SUV with my heated seats, steering wheel, and massaging seats on full blast. If there was ever a vehicle that embodied the feeling of staying at a Ritz Hotel in the middle of the Brazilian jungle, the Lexus LX 700h Overtrail would be it.
On the other hand, if the thought of leaving your Los Angeles mansion troubles you, yet you sometimes get the urge to shorten your commute by hitting the dunes, the Lexus LX 700h Ultra Luxury can handle that.
And as Belinda Carlisle was saying through the Mark Levinson sound system, heaven is indeed a place on earth, and I believe I found it at the wheel of the Lexus LX 700h.
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