CAR WARS! WHICH Full-Size Luxury SUV Takes The Cake? Lexus LX570 vs. Range Rover vs. Cadillac Escalade vs. Mercedes GL

It took a while - but I finally realized where this "styling" that Lexus is using has come from - of all places - Japan. For Years - the Japanese manufacturers knew that some of the preferred styling in Japan would not appeal to a market outside of SouthEast Asia - so they tried not to do that. Every once in a while they would try an overtly Japanese design - it would fail - and they would go back to producing more conservative designs. Obviously - at Toyota - they took that too far for too long - making boring cars in most ways. Now - they are trying to have "bold" styling (Jan would say that) - but where is it bold?

By the looks of things, it is obvious that Toyota/Lexus designers are blind.

Range Rover would be my top pick, but i would also have the GL or Escalade.

The Lexus is a 90's design trying to be relevant in 2015. Not working.

For me, it would be the Range Rover and hope it doesn't break on me. The GL is the next choice. The Lexus wouldn't even be on my shopping list.

@cidflekken I totally agree. The LX and GX are unrefined Toyotas suitable only for traversing the roads of either Third World nations or hot, dusty nations with extremist dictatorships. Coating the interior with leather, adding chrome, and making the ride cushy does not make them premium

MDarringer.......something tells me nobody got your sarcasm.

Agree with TomM. Here are some facts about Japan:

Due to 311 earthquake in Japan that almost destroyed the Fukushima nuclear plants, radiation has spread all around the Eastern part of Japan, and nowadays there are many reports of Japanese people falling asleep in the middle of nowhere (And there are even photos of those, and yet, the Japanese media does NOT even report any of this), and any smart Japanese who used to live in Setagayaku (The place where rich people usually live in Japan) are now said to be moving to the Western Japan or just leaving Japan completely. And also the government wants to restart Sendai nuclear plants that are near Sakurajima, the volcano that might explode sooner or later, and many Japanese are currently angry at their government's incompetent fools. Because one volcano eruption is good enough to make Fukushima radiation look like nothing.
Some Japanese people I know just tell me "Japan has no hope nor future."

And then you look at their brands nowadays, they are all crap. Sony isn't worth anything, Seiko used to challenge Rolex but now Seiko is nothing more than a Buick of timepiece brand, Lexus wanted to challenge Mercedes-Benz by making itself look like a European brand and thanks to the internet, Toyota can no longer fool anyone, and practically, the only person who still cares so much about Japan is Donald Trump, who said the U.S. is still losing to Japan. But many analysts have said, "Does Trump still live in the 90's? Because no one cares about Japan nowadays."

And now back to the topic, look at those 4 SUVs.

1. Range Rover - The most popular SUV among the rich. And the most elitist of all as well. You can definitely feel the might of Britain.

2. Mercedes-Benz GL - G Wagon is a lot more popular among the rich, but GL is also one of the best choices. One of the best things that ever came out of Germany.

3. Cadillac Escalade - America's pride.

4. Lexus LX - Toyota Land Cruiser trying hard. Looks like an Acura, too. And on top of that, this thing is from "JAPAN", the country that has absolutely no idea how to build a decent supercar anymore (Which is why the new NSX and GT-R are being designed and built by the Americans and the Europeans), not to mention it has radiation problems.

So like honestly, I still wonder myself, "who" buys an LX?

This is my take:

1) Land Rover Range Rover. Simply put, no one's even close to the LWB model.

2) Lexus LX570/Mercedes-Benz GLS. The new interior on the LX is fantastic and the GLS isn't all that and a bag of chips contrary to popular belief. Just me, though.

3) Cadillac Escalade. People love these things and I'll never understand why. Awful ride quality but I will admit the interior is pretty damn nice; however, why on EARTH would you buy one when a Tahoe will provide the same experience just dressed down a bit?

@GMCadillac, the answer is very few. If you add the sales of the Lexus LX and the Toyota Land Cruiser together, they still represent a volume that is disgraceful.

GMCadillac...hate and jealous still lives w/in you since the 80's and 90's!

I wonder why GM after murdering more than 120+ people and injuring thousands ...why none of their executives are in prison!? Yes, i know your reply will be Toyota brake issues- but still hasn't proven what caused it but only old people drinking to much at lunch time.

Personally I would pick the LX...I would even pick a 70's, 80's, 90's Land Cruiser over the Ranger Rover, Benz, Caddi, etc. Those are just fancy badges for insecure people who really have nothing else interesting in life to do but spend their days at the dealership getting leaks, electrical, and trannys repaired.

If asked...which SUV would you drive thru the middle of the desert/jungle/mountains and back...I'M SURE NONE OF YOU WOULD PICK RANGE ROVER/caddi/BENZ. AS they say in Africa..."if you want to go Safari take a Rover, but if you want to return home take a TOYOTA!" I would even pic a RAV4 over any of those lady boys vehicles. There is a reason why people lease Rover,caddi,BMW, Audi...everyone knows how crappy they are and knows not to keep it more than 24 months. If it wasn't for their FANTASTIC LEASES...only idiots would buy these POS. I'll buy a LX any day!

Freakin hideous... you get the opportunity to design a car, and they design something that looks like that.... "Gigantor".. http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Gigantor+Cartoon+Theme+Song&Form=VQFRVP#view=detail&mid=0AD387C2C9C9E16D094A0AD387C2C9C9E16D094A

It always makes you wonder who in the company saw this design and thought it was attractive enough to approve for productuion, thinking it would attract buyers.

@jeffgall I think the Lexus design language is ugly on purpose to get people talking about Lexus.

Since I have always considered Infiniti and Lexus to be second tier premium cars - it is the Buick and Volvo buyers that by the Lexus - Buick really has nothing to compete with it until they bring it in from China. Should Buick actually produce that Avenir - and price it lower than the Lexus LS - the LS buyers would leave Lexus in Droves - too bad GM will not do that.

I'd take the Mercedes or the Cadillac.

The Lexus is a VERY old Toyota Land Cruiser underneath and it's ghastly ugly.

The Range Rover is pretty and all, but it's reliability still isn't stellar.

Mercedes GL is the gold standard of excellence in engineering combined with a rugged chassis and reasonably good reliability.

The Escalade is the diva of the group. It's glamorous, regal, and commanding. It's an excellent vehicle in every way.

The wife and I had had a Mercedes GL until we made too many boys and needed more space. The GL was a great vehicle.

Her parents have an Escalade and it's a guilty pleasure every time I drive it.

Why, even waste your time or bother comparing this LX in the group of Full size SUVs. 1) The LX very, very dated looking. 2) It's the ugliest SUV by a very long margin not just in the full size range but all SUVs. 3) Doesn't have the great pedigree of the other full sized SUVs. 4) Even the revised interior's styling still looks just boring especially with that cheap plastic compared to the SUVs that are way more refined and high end looking and feeling. I could go on on and but this already is enough to make me or most anyone not even consider the LX. This revamped version has adds a lot to negatives (mostly the design) to NOT want to buy it. The high end buyers in this market want high end style and class and this LX has none of these.

LX looks FANTASTIC. i'm sure it will run better than ANY MICROSOFT PRODUCT AND UPDATES!

Id wait til the new GLS comes out. It will be better looking than the Lexus, more reliable than the Rover and less gaudy than the Escalade.
Where does the Infiniti QX fit in?
T

The Infiniti QX fits in with the Lexus Land Cruiser i.e. a horribly outdated product with ugly, lipstick-on-a-pig styling.

Let me start by explaining I was in the market and recently purchased a lux SUV in June. I looked at everything out there. Wife and I probably test drove at least 15 vehicles. If we did not need at least seating for seven then the Range Rover would have been our pick. The only vehicle Land Rover sells like that is the LR4 but the issues were:
Floaty boat like suspension/ride. Made wife car sick.
Trunk is unusable with seven seats up.
Otherwise we liked it.
Mercedes GL issues:
Firm seats
Not enough trunk space
Not wide enough to fit children's seats in the second very well.
We did like the safety cage and Mercedes fit and finish. Diesel engine is a plus.
Looked at suburban/Yukon XL/Escalade:
Even the long versions have a really bad third row. Seats were decent but not great. Quality of materials and finish seemed poor.
Volvo XC90:
Best seats in any car ever. Amazing.
Suspension ride unstop harsh.
Car seemed really cheap. The demo car was already breaking.
Not enough physical buttons I don't care for looking down at a touch screen.
Toyota Land Cruiser/Lexus LX:
Honestly looked felt and drove like the most reliable, highest quality, best fit and finish vehicle on earth.
Third row and trunk was very bad.
Price is high.
I'm surprised this list comparison does not include the refreshed 2015 Lincoln Navigator L. We decided on this vehicle because:
Great seats
Best ride comfort
Excellent room and visibility
Best in class third row and trunk
Best in class towing
Great value
Two months in and we love it. Fits all the adults and children with luggage better than any competitor in the best comfort.

"Olivy: I'm surprised this list comparison does not include the refreshed 2015 Lincoln Navigator L. We decided on this vehicle because:
Great seats
Best ride comfort
Excellent room and visibility
Best in class third row and trunk
Best in class towing
Great value
Two months in and we love it. Fits all the adults and children with luggage better than any competitor in the best comfort.

I agree with you Olivy that the Lexus LX is very expensive and the space behind the rear seats is ridiculous, but even though the price is expensive it is still the best value of all listed because of the "real" resale value.

If one was to amortize price paid vs actual resale price at the end of a 5 year cycle, not only will the Lexus depreciate at a MUCH slower rate, but more people in the market will "always" line up to buy a used Toyota product vs any other brand listed here.

Regarding Mdarrenger's typical clownish self ingratiating negative comments towards the Lexus capability off-road, then you should maybe view this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NmplcRQf8k

If you are someone who is too poor to maintain your expensive car, then obviously Lexus is your choice.

Thus, it is nothing more than a second tier luxury brand, a brand for people on limited budget. Not only is the design of Lexus cars outdated, so is the engineering in their cars.

Sparty:
We keep our cars in the household at least 10 years maybe more. Even after 10 years the Toyota holds better value but the difference is not so severe. Ultimately we care about functionality better than resale. Value to the buyer as fulfilling our requirements at a lower price while still maintaining good mechanical quality is what I care about. Then again I used to have a toyota tacoma for 10 years and it maintained incredible value! bought it for 22 and sold it for 11. Kudos to Toyota for building a quality product.

For exterior looks the Range rover is my choice. for everything else that counts the Lexus LX is far and away the best premium SUV out there.Think of it this way, if you had to take a trip across the desert or Africa believe me the last vehicle you would count on is a Rover or the GL. I don't get those who put the Escelade in the same conversation as these vehicles.

Overall cachet: RR
Crossing the Sahara (as put by david99): LX / Land Cruiser
Most complete package: GL
Best indicator that you are rich in the U.S. but don't like to travel abroad: Escalade

The LX570 is the best premium SUV in the world and has been for years.....Period!!!

I wouldn't even consider the escalade (its just a dressed up tahoe/suburban) and the LX is just hideous in the front. The grill height and amount front overhang is ridiculous! The interior is very nice and it will no doubt be the most reliable. I have a GL350 bluetec that has been nothing but a nightmare. Thank goodness for warranty but alot they won't cover, like the oil cooler seals and adblue (DEF tank) heater. had the oil cooler seals replaced only to have the "other" ones leak, and the engine has to be dropped to do it. My LR3 was far more reliale.

If the LX wasn't so hideous in the front t would no doubt be my first choice.