2022 Lexus LX600 offers luxury with headaches

2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Obsidian 4x4 vs. 2022 Lexus LX600 Luxury: A beastly battle.

This week: 2022 Lexus LX600 Luxury

Price: $104,345 for the trim level.

Conventional wisdom: Car and Driver likes the “broad range of available trims, refined twin-turbo V-6 powertrain, more deluxe interior than outgoing model,” but not that “third row not standard equipment, F Sport model has a rough ride, not as rich looking as a Range Rover.”

Reality: It’s all new. Ish.

What’s new: When last we were riding around in a giant SUV, it was the new Grand Wagoneer, which was roomy but not, drove small but ate like a big piggy.

Now we have the fourth generation LX, which is new for 2022, but doesn’t shout that at first glance. It is lighter, faster, and more rigid, Lexus tells us.

Competition: In addition to the Grand Wagoneer, there’s the Mercedes GLS, BMW X7, Lincoln Navigator, Cadillac Escalade, Infiniti QX80.

Up to speed: The LX600 certainly gets its occupants moving in a hurry. The 3.5-liter twin-turbo V-6 creates 409 horses, which gallop the LX600 to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds, according to Car and Driver. But that’s 0.4 second slower than the Grand Wagoneer. Advantage Jeep.

Shifty: The 10-speed automatic transmission did its work very well, changing gears without much calling attention to it.

Select PRND through an old-fashioned shift lever, with manual shiftability to the side and on the paddles. Not a fan of the Stellantis straight dial, so advantage Lexus.

On the road: Or is it all over the road? Even the Lovely Mrs. Passenger Seat could feel the vehicle flipping and flopping like a whale caught on the beach.

What she couldn’t feel was the sense of the LX600 getting away from me too many times on the highways and on curves. I feared one poorly timed bump would have this monster lying on its side.

The bump-laden Pennsylvania Turnpike and other roads were just sad places to be. Advantage Grand Wagoneer.

Cruisy: The LX600 had a distinct vibration while going up turnpike grades with the cruise control engaged. Every time I could feel a bit of a shudder or something, which only enhanced the other quirks of the suspension.

Driver’s Seat: Fortunately, Lexus has not forgotten how to craft seats that are supple and supportive. The headrest feels like a giant marshmallow cradling your cranium.

On the down side, though, the LX600 requires a master’s degree in Lexus studies, as features can be challenging to find and operate, as noted below. This category is a draw.

Play some tunes: The LX600 features two ginormous screens and they left the Lovely Mrs. enamored.

As for operation, I guess I should be thankful for a Lexus without a touchpad, but of course you knew I wouldn’t be. Because the giant touchscreen has its drawbacks.

Do not try to adjust the tone while on the road. The bass-treble-midrange slider bars are tough to aim at and tough to hit, as well.

What’s more, sound is not up to the usual Lexus level. Even after making several adjustments, I could call it only about a B+.

Friends and stuff: The second row provides excellent accommodations, almost on par with the first, even for center-row occupants. The third row tries, with very nicely appointed jump seats, but knees and heads are smushed. Still, if I were about five inches shorter, I could see the comfortable seat not being so bad, which is more than I can say about many SUV third rows.

Getting there is half the battle, though. Buttons sit in many places to provide ways to fold the seats flat to create a nice cargo area. But only the buttons on the middle seat spring the middle row out of the way to access the rear, and even then the access remains challenging. The wheel well cuts into the bottom of the door and the tall floor height means it’s a stretch to get inside.

Worse, though, is exit, where the narrow footpath and tall height could easily lead to tumbling out the door. Now, I’m klutzier than the average car guy, but still, expect some splatted kids littered around the LX600 in the parking lot. (Better keep paying those health insurance premiums, parents!)

Cargo space is nil behind the third row. The headrests really sit against the tailgate glass.

Towing is available up to 8,000 pounds — 2,000 less than the Grand Wagoneer, which handily wins this category, as well.

Keeping warm and cool: Toggles control temperature and the pretty secondary touchscreen controls other functions.

There’s something called “climate concierge” that handles things for you.

But other buttons are spread about the console. The seat heaters and ventilators are in the small cubby in front of the gearshift, as is the steering wheel heater button.

Fuel economy: I averaged about 16 mpg during a highway and country road trip up north.

Where it’s built: Aichi, Japan.

How it’s built: Consumer Reports predicts the reliability to be a 3 out of 5.

In the end: I can’t believe a redesigned Lexus would have features that are so archaic and confusing, and handling that is so city bus-like.

The piggish Grand Wagoneer wins the day handily.