An amazing luxury tow vehicle for a UTV or trailer loads weighing up to 6500lbs (for those LONG road trips). The Lexus GX 460. I can get up to 16 mpg towing (depending on the terrain). What makes it so special is the comfort, luxury, and features it has. The vehicle has an aluminum V8 making 300+ hp w/6 speed trans. It is a true luxury off-road vehicle with a full ladder frame and a low-speed transfer case. The luxury features are what makes the LONG road trips so comfortable. The unique features that make this truck a great tow vehicle are features that were designed for off/on-road driving. Features like; an auto leveling air bag suspension, KDSS (Kinetic Dynamic Susp. Sys.), AVS (Adaptive Variable Susp.), Torsen Locking/limited-Slip Differentials, crawl control and a wide view monitoring system.
The auto leveling air bag susp. has the ability to raise or lower the vehicle 4 inches. It also has an auto leveling setting that will level the trailer even when the vehicle is at max payload. It even has an air dryer designed into the system to eliminate moisture in the air that causes erosion. The KDSS system uses hydraulic actuators that automatically force the HD front and rear sway bars to help eliminate sway/plowing while cornering on-road. It also will completely disconnect the sway bars and force extended wheel articulation for off-road driving. The AVS system uses electronically controlled shocks to damper the suspension. It has three settings, comfort-normal-sport (works on the fly). Not much to say about the Torsen diffs other than they are fantastic. The crawl control system is absolutely amazing. It uses a computer to manage the engine and brakes to maintain five constant preset speeds (1 to 5 mph) traveling up/down over rugged terrain. The system does this in a way that is humanly impossible. It will tap a single wheel’s brakes to keep the vehicle straight no matter how harsh the terrain is. It also can dig the vehicle out of sand when the vehicle has dug itself down to the frame rails (absolutely amazing). The wide view monitoring system option adds cameras around the vehicle to monitor the terrain at low speeds, You literally can see 180 degrees from the front camera. You can stop the vehicle’s front bumper at a garage’s door opening and see down both ways of a street, without even leaving the garage.
I would spend way too much time going over the GX’s luxury features and it would be boring. The fact is one of the MOST important features of a great tow vehicle is comfort and the ability to travel long distances safely. The GX is whisper quiet and plush yet super capable. What makes it even better is when you disconnect the trailer, you have the ultimate family vehicle that’s almost unstoppable in severe weather. The only negative is the price. But if you look at the other real truck SUV’s (not crossovers), the price is easier to accept
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