Will the new Lexus LX gain hybrid variants anytime soon? [Update]

Update: ‘On the Lexus LX Hybrid’ and ‘Price & Release Date’ sections updated.

Toyota’s luxury brand unveiled the all-new 2022 Lexus LX in October 2021. It’s the fourth generation of the flagship Lexus SUV and a sister model of Toyota’s all-new Land Cruiser 300 (J300).

Presenting the Lexus LF-Z Electrified electric SUV coupe concept, Lexus briefed on its new electrification strategy in March 2021. It will roll out 20 new or improved models by 2025, and more than ten of them will have electrification. At one end of the spectrum, there are radical BEVs like a production Lexus LF-Z Electrified (Lexus RZ), and on the other, traditional models like the Lexus LX will come in one or more partially electrified forms.

Waiting period in Japan at 4 years

Just about a month after Lexus announced the LX 600, the brand’s Japanese website issued an all-important notice. Lexus says that it might take up to 4 years for customers to get delivery of their Lexus SUV. The 4-year delivery date forecast is as of February 18, 2022, but it still reads on the website. Customers in Japan who had ordered the SUV in November 2021, when the first batch was open for reservations, have to wait for more than one year, according to Creative Trend‘s report dated February 18, 2022.

Lexus says the production scenario might change in the future, and deliveries might happen sooner. The announcement has been made in the wake of another similar notice by parent company Toyota regarding the new Land Cruiser series, on which the Lexus LX 600 is based. Toyota issued a similar apology in January 2022, stating that deliveries for the SUV could take up to 4 years in the Japanese market. This explains how sought-after the new flagship SUVs from Lexus and Toyota are worldwide, and how the semiconductor shortage has curtailed production. For this reason, Lexus may delay new variants including the Hybrid.

2022 Lexus LX Design

The 2022 Lexus LX features a design that is both familiar and refreshing. It’s quite different from the latest Land Cruiser model, but the similarities are seen in the more pronounced power bulges on the hood and the rounded-off door mirrors.

At the front, the 2022 Lexus LX has a new spindle grille with a 3D shape consisting of seven floating bars, straighter headlamps with new L-shaped DRLs, and new, large side air inlets cut into the bumper.

The 2022 Lexus LX has a slightly sportier silhouette compared to the Land Cruiser which it is based on. Image Source: Lexus

On the sides, Lexus has pulled the A-pillars back to form the so-called “cab-backward design” and given the wheel arches more definition. The D-pillars lean forward, just like those of the outgoing LX, and so, the 2022 LX doesn’t have the upright tailgate of the Land Cruiser 300. LX customers were asking for more differentiation from the Land Cruiser, and Lexus has delivered, but not by introducing remarkably different changes but by retaining the familiar silhouette from the third generation.

At the rear, the 2022 LX offers a greater road presence with new tail lamps featuring L-shaped light clusters and a light blade spanning the vehicle width, a feature Lexus offered first on the UX and then the all-new NX. The tail lamps are larger and emphasize the width of the SUV much better, and their outer section running onto the shoulders is reminiscent of the third-gen Mitsubishi Outlander. Instead of the brand emblem, the 2022 LX has ‘Lexus’ in block lettering and an inverted license plate section on the tailgate.

Visually, the 2022 Lexus LX is one of the finest body-on-frame SUVs, despite the evolutionary upgrade. Image Source: Lexus

For the first time, Lexus is offering an F Sport trim option, and it enhances the styling with a special spindle grille with jet-black chrome grille frame and a mesh pattern, exclusive 22-inch forged aluminum wheels, and F Sport emblems.

2022 Lexus LX interior & safety

The 2022 Lexus LX packs more noteworthy upgrades on the inside. There’s a new steering wheel with more buttons, an all-new, North American-developed Lexus Interface dual-screen touchscreen infotainment system that gives the center console a cleaner look, and a new, semi-digital instrument cluster. Customers can specify their 2022 LX in an all-new VIP version with four individual seats, a dedicated rear-seat console, and exclusive ceiling AC vents. Five-seat and seven-seat seating layouts are also available.

The Lexus Interface system of the new Lexus LX includes an exclusive 7-inch lower touchscreen. Image Source: Lexus

The Lexus Interface infotainment system comprises a 12.3-inch upper screen and a 7-inch lower screen. The upper screen shows navigation and audio controls, and it serves as the Multi-Terrain Monitor during off-road driving. The lower screen allows controlling the climate control system and serves as a driving-support screen for Multi-Terrain Select. Also new on the tech features list is wireless Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto support.

Multi-Terrain Monitor shows the vehicle surroundings using four cameras. The upper screen can display the composite images of the foreground taken in advance as transparent underfloor images. The driver can check front-wheel position and underfloor conditions with these pictures. A Lexus-first and world-first feature called Back Underfloor View, using similar composite images, helps the driver check the position of the rear wheels and get an understanding of obstacles as well as details of the terrain. This feature is available when reversing the vehicle.

Another Lexus-first feature, although this is not a world-first, is a fingerprint reader. A sensor installed in the center of the ignition button checks if the fingerprint matches the fingerprint information registered in the vehicle, and the engine cannot start without a match.

The Lexus LX is available with four independent seats for the first time in its fourth generation. Image Source: Lexus

The fingerprint authentication system would be a big relief to owners, especially in Japan, where Lexus LX thefts are rising. On April 12, 2021, the Aichi Prefectural Police Headquarters reported that during the second year of Reiwa (2020), Aichi Prefecture ranked no. 4 in car thefts in Japan. During that period, according to a document Aichi Prefectural Police Headquarters released, the Lexus LX was the most stolen vehicle with a share of 24.4% or 119 units in the crime.

The Lexus Safety System+ 2.5 (LSS+ 2.5) safety suite, introduced on the 2021 IS, is standard equipment. Pre-Collision System (PCS) with Frontal Collision Warning (FCW), Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Pedestrian Detection, Bicyclist Detection, and Emergency Steering Assist, All-Speed Dynamic Radar Cruise Control (DRCC), and Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist (LDA w/ SA) are some of the main features of Lexus Safety System+ 2.5.

2022 Lexus LX technical info

TNGA-F platform

The Lexus LX has adopted the newly developed, 20% more rigid GA-F platform. It’s still a body-on-frame SUV, only more robust and yet lighter. Belonging to the TNGA platform family, the GA-F platform brings a weight reduction of 441 pounds to the LX.

The 2022 Lexus LX is 441 pounds lighter than its predecessor, thanks to the TNGA-F platform. Image Source: Lexus

Lexus has increased the usage of high-strength steel plates, and for the first time ever in any of its models, made the roof out of aluminum. The hood and all door panels are also in aluminum. The company has pushed back the powertrain 70 mm (2.8 inches) and kept it 28 mm (1.1 inches) lower, improving the front-rear weight distribution and the center of gravity.

Key technical changes in the new Lexus LX include the adoption of an electric power steering, an electronic brake system, Active Height Control (AHC) system, and an Adaptive Variable System (AVS) as well. The Land Cruiser 300’s Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System won’t be available in the 2022 LX.

Powertrain & Variants

The Lexus LX 600 is the base variant, and as the name implies, it’s a gasoline-powered. In some markets, the Lexus LX 500d diesel variant is part of the range. The LX 600 packs the V35A-FTS 305 kW (409 hp)/650 Nm (479 lb.-ft.) 3.5-liter twin-turbo gasoline mill and the LX 500 the F33A-FTV 227 kW (304 hp)/700 Nm (516 lb.-ft.)* 3.3-liter single-turbo diesel engine, both linked to a 10-speed automatic transmission.

*220 kW (295 hp)/700 Nm (516 lb.-ft.) in Europe

On the Lexus LX Hybrid

The fourth-gen LX could get multiple facelifts during its lifecycle. At the time of the first refresh, which could come at the earliest in 2024, Lexus will likely introduce one or two hybrid variants. A U.S.-bound gasoline-electric full-hybrid variant is almost a certainty, while a diesel mild-hybrid variant could be in the pipeline, for Europe.

Lexus needs an LX Hybrid in other parts of the world as well, like in Australia, for instance, where it wants electrified vehicles to start accounting for 80% of its sales by 2025. The company has lined up more than 10 new/improved electrified models for launch by 2025. It aims to offer all its models in at least one electrified form by 2025.

One speculation is that the U.S.-spec LX Hybrid could get a modified version of the Tundra Hybrid‘s i-Force Max hybrid system in which a 3.5L twin-turbo V6 gasoline engine is linked to a motor-generator system integrated into the bell-housing. The inline hybrid powertrain develops 437 hp and 583 lb.-ft. of torque in the hybrid truck.

Lexus LX750h

On June 6, 2021, creative311.com reported that the fourth-gen Lexus LX line-up would include an LX 750h hybrid variant in the future. The Lexus LX 750h would get the 3.5L gasoline hybrid powertrain, with the maximum power and maximum torque set at 480 hp and 871 Nm (642 lb.-ft.), respectively.

Price & Release Date

Given the situation with the shortage of semiconductor chips and the long waiting lines for the standard version, the Lexus LX hybrid variant could arrive in MY2024 or MY2025 in the U.S. market.

Currently, the U.S.-spec LX comes in the LX 600 variant that packs the V35A-FTS 3.5L twin-turbo gasoline engine producing 409 hp at 5,200 rpm and 409 lb.-ft. at 2,000-3,600 rpm. A 10-speed automatic transmission and a full-time four-wheel drive system send drive to the wheels.

The 2022 Lexus LX is now on sale in the U.S., with prices starting at USD 88,245 for the Base variant. The Premium variant is priced at USD 96,345 while the F-Sport Handling with the forged metal wheels and Torsen Limited Slip Differential is priced at USD 102,345. The Luxury and Ultra Luxury variants will cost USD 104,345 and USD 127,345, respectively. These prices include the USD 1,345 destination fee.

Lexus LX 600 variantsPriceBaseUSD 88,245PremiumUSD 96,345F Sport USD 102,345LuxuryUSD 104,345Ultra LuxuryUSD 127,345

Lexus LX 600 U.S. price list as of May 2022. MSRP includes delivery, processing and handling fee. Not inclusive of taxes, title, license and optional equipment.

We’ll update the page with additional information on the LX Hybrid in the coming months, so be sure to check back later!

2022 Lexus LX FAQs

What is the price & release date of the 2022 Lexus LX?

The regular LX is now available in the U.S., with prices starting at USD 88,245.

When is the Lexus LX Hybrid variant expected?

It is reported that the LX Hybrid would come in 2 variants. We don’t expect it before 2024.

Which SUVs will be the 2022 Lexus LX alternatives?

The Jeep Grand Wagoneer, Cadillac Escalade, Range Rover & Mercedes GLS are the main competitors.

Featured image: Lexus

Keyword: Will the new Lexus LX gain hybrid variants anytime soon? [Update]