the lexus gx460 – luxury and safety in one suv

Last week I was given the opportunity to review the 2010 Lexus GX10 for a week of luxurious driving. This will not be a comparison post because comparing my Hyundai Santa Fe to a 2010 Lexus is just laughable and totally unfair to my trusty sidekick. I have no complaints about my current ride but the Lexus blew our socks off.

When the GX460 rolled up into my driveway I was taken back by the size. I thought, “There was no way I am going to be able to drive this thing.” However it surprisingly drives like a car, in fact the turning radius on the GX460 is far superior over my smaller SUV. We decided to test out the GX460 on our recent trip to Las Vegas. I drove most of the 5 ½ hours to Las Vegas, which would amaze anyone that knows me. I hate driving especially long distances. But the GX460 drives so much like a car you can easily forget it’s in motion.

Plus any car that can get my daughter to fall asleep within a few minutes of the ride is worth every penny.

Favorite Safety Features
One of my favorite features is the in-dash monitor that you can watch while backing up to make sure all is clear. It’s a wide angle camera so you can see from all view points. I also like the warning beeps when you are getting close to a wall or another vehicle.

The rear and side view mirrors even dimmed to make it easier to see the other drivers on the road. One of the things I hate about driving to Las Vegas is the lights blinding my vision through the mirrors.

Other Safety Features (from Lexus)
Family drivers will love the array of thoughtful safety and driver-support technologies,
starting with a whisper-quiet seven-passenger cabin surrounded with 10 airbags, the most in its class. Among numerous available features, the Lane Departure Alert recognizes certain lane markers and warns distracted drivers when they appear to be unintentionally drifting out of their lane. Likewise, the optional Pre-Collision System blends several technologies, including one that forewarns drivers of potential frontal collisions, preemptively retracts front seatbelts, increases brake force, and can apply brakes when impact is deemed unavoidable. Not to mention standard rain-sensing wipers, available headlamps that pivot while cornering and Safety Connect™ with Lexus Enform™, a service designed to provide emergency support at the touch of a button and is automatically notified if airbags deploy.

Coolness Features
The coolest feature about the GX460 is the push button start. Even my son was screaming, “push the button,” whenever we climbed in. Another thing we loved was the air conditioned seat cushions which were an absolute necessity in the Vegas heat. It was over 110 degrees when we visited and the car cooled off nicely after being out in the son.

We all enjoyed the extra space in the GX460 the kids’ car seats far enough apart to actually fit a 3rd passenger in the back seat and if you needed more room you could add a 3rd row.

The GPS navigation worked great and when we had trouble it was easy to get assistance from an operator. The GX460 when test drove also came with satellite radio and ports to plug in your iPod.

When it was time to fill up I was nervous about how much it was going to cost and how large the tank was because just days before I had spent $53 to fill up my own car. To our surprise the tank was not that much larger and it was pretty fuel efficient during our road trip.

The base model of the new Lexus GX starts at $52,000 to read all the amazing features of the Lexus GX check out www.lexus.com. You will be missed…