Starting at $86,900, the Lexus LX offers a roomy ride that provides four-wheel drive (4WD), a powerful engine, and a 10-speed automatic transmission. Its mileage probably won’t thrill you since its combined miles per gallon only inches up to 20.
You read that right. In a world of electrics that get eMPG of more than 75 to 100, this gas-guzzler gets 1970s gas mileage. The LX earns 17 mpg in the city and 22 mpg on the highway.
Despite its Lexus luxury, you probably want better fuel efficiency. You can.
The Lexus LX offers a 3.5-liter V6 engine standard, but you can upgrade to a V8. The standard-issue vehicle produces 409 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. This helps the vehicle excel at off-roading, but it can’t manage on-roading at a low-price point at the pump.
You can two quite a bit since it offers a towing capacity of 8,000 pounds.
It still has its proponents though. Depending on the configuration of seats you choose, you could seat up to seven individuals in the Lexus LX. When you fold down the seats to increase storage, that reduces to five or four, depending on which seats you fold.
Lexus makes it tough to beat its safety package since it makes most of its safety features standard. The standard features include a:
- pre-collision system,
- pedestrian detection,
- lane tracing assistant,
- lane departure alert,
- steering assistant,
- road sign assistant,
- blind-spot monitor,
- panoramic view monitor,
- multi-terrain monitor,
- hill-start assistant,
- trailer sway control,
- vehicle stability control,
- safety connect,
- service connect,
- cruise control.
Lexus offers five trims – the Lexus LX 600, 600 Premium, 600 F Sport, 600 Luxury, and 600 Ultra Luxury. The base model 600 starts the pricing at its sticker value of $86,900. The Ultra Luxury costs $126,000.
The vehicle entered its fourth-generation design with the 2022 models. While it updated its designs, it didn’t update the fuel efficiency. With gas prices nearing the $5 a gallon marker, that’s a problem.
Alternatives to the Lexus LX 600
Perhaps you want better gas mileage, or you want to try driving an electric SUV. You can find them easily. Seating seven individuals though even in an SUV comes rarely in the auto industry unless you drive a minivan. If you want an SUV style, you have a few options.
We’ve taken the work out of the search for alternatives to the Lexus LX for you. Read on to learn the top options for alternatives to this luxury SUV. You can find opulent options that cost less.
1. Infiniti QX80
The Infiniti QX80 beats the Lexus LX in price, starting at just $71,100. You’ll need that extra $15,000 since shopping for luxury SUVs seems to mean giving up on good gas mileage. Consider this – the Infiniti earns an abysmal combined 17 mpg, that’s 14 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway. That doesn’t save you a bit at the pump.
Why It’s Similar to the Lexus LX
You can still seat seven with all of the three-seat rows in place. You need to pack light if you have people in every seat because the QX80 offers a tiny trunk space of 16.6 cubic feet. If you need to stock-up shop then, fold down the rear seats and create a cavernous cargo space of 95.1.
You could move in this SUV if you do it alone, especially since it could handle nearly any tow trailer with its 8,500-pound capacity.
Vehicle Design Observations
The QX80 offers a lower price by offering less in its standard package. You’ll especially notice this when considering its safety features. It comes nowhere near the safety litany of the Lexus, offering electronic stability control, cruise control, a lane departure warning system, a blind-spot monitor, and a brake assistant.
The QX80 doesn’t come with 4WD but does make it an available option. You can off-road in it and expect performance similar to a Nissan Armada. It shares some parts with the Nissan. Its V8 engine wears out quickly and many owners reported a rattling noise that develops as they drive to the manufacturer.
That’s disappointing since, with luxury, you expect a quiet ride.
Speed/Time for 0 to 60 miles per hour: 5 seconds
Horsepower: 400 hp
Torque: 413 lb. ft.
Base Model Cost: $39,115
Seating Capacity: Seven
Fuel Efficiency: 14 mpg in the city/20 mpg on the highway
Towing Capacity: 8,500 pounds
2. Kia Telluride
Although not quite the lap of luxury, the Kia Telluride starts at $33,390 and offers many of the features of the Lexus without the over-the-top opulence. Most importantly in the 21st century, it gets better gas mileage – 26 mpg on the highway. Its 3.8-liter V6 engine produces 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque.
Paired with an eight-speed automatic, this SUV comes standard with all-wheel drive (AWD), but you can choose the optional 4WD. Its towing capacity means you can haul up to 5,000 pounds with it and go off-road when needed.
Why It’s Similar to the Lexus LX
Aside from seating seven, safety features galore, and their classification as full-size SUVs, these vehicles have nothing in common. The Telluride offers you way more bang for your buck. It earned higher ratings from every major auto reviewer – US News and World Report (8.6 out of 10), Edmunds (8.4 out of 10), and Kelley Blue Book (4.8 out of 5.0).
The Kia Telluride comes standard with the following safety features:
- Rearview camera,
- Front parking sensors,
- Rear parking sensors,
- Lane departure warning,
- Lane keep assistant,
- Blind-spot detection,
- Back-up collision intervention,
- Cruise control,
- Automatic headlight washers that activate during rain or snow conditions.
Choose the optional driver alertness monitor to ramp up safety even further. There’s also a vehicle stability management system.
Vehicle Design Observations
What makes it such a favorite? Well, let’s start with it costs about 50K less than the Lexus but delivers similar space, performance, and options. You can choose from four trims – LX, S, EX, and SX. Even its most opulent trim costs nearly half of the Lexus at a mere $43,290. J.D.
Power rankings place it in the great category for reliability, scoring 85 out of 100. That means that based on three years of ownership data, the vehicle rates as one of the most reliable available. In fact, the only reasons owners complained came down to a flaky touchscreen on the instrument panel.
Kia addressed the issue via two recalls, so new owners probably won’t experience this problem.
Speed/Time for 0 to 60 miles per hour: 6.6 seconds
Horsepower: 291 hp
Torque: 379 lb. ft.
Base Model Cost: $33,390
Seating Capacity: Seven or eight
Fuel Efficiency: 20 mpg in the city/26 mpg on the highway
Towing capacity: 5,000 pounds
3. Dodge Durango SRT
Choosing the Dodge Durango SRT inflates the price closer to the Lexus LX, but you still save close to $20,000. Starting at $68,960, the Dodge Durango SRT comes with a V8 and powerful horsepower, yet sucks you dry at the pump.
It earns worse fuel efficiency than the Lexus LX – 13 mpg in the city and 17 mpg on the highway. Its standard 6.4-liter, V8 engine provides 475 horses and 470 pound-feet of torque.
Why It’s Similar to the Lexus LX
Both vehicles fall into the same class of full-size SUVs. They offer luxury with a hefty price tag. Both vehicles suck down gas like it cost nothing, but both offer power to tow large loads. The Durango can haul 8,700 pounds. You’ll also benefit from a bevy of standard safety features including:
- Blind-spot monitoring,
- Rear cross-path detection,
- Park-sense rear parking assistant,
- active braking,
- Automatic windshield wipers that activate during rain or snow conditions.
Vehicle Design Observations
This Dodge Durango SRT provides 17.2 cubic feet of cargo space. Enjoy a massive 85.1 cubic feet of cargo space when you fold down the rear seats. This reduces the maximum seating from seven to six. You won’t win drag races with this capable off-roader, but you can haul a lot and seat your whole family.
Choosing the SRT trim nabs you the leather seats and leather-wrapped wheel of the Dodge Durango Citadel vehicle, but upgrades its other features, such as the Beats audio system.
Speed/Time for 0 to 60 miles per hour: 7.4 seconds
Horsepower: 475 hp
Torque: 470 lb. ft.
Base Model Cost: $68,960
Seating Capacity: Seven
Fuel Efficiency: 13 mpg in the city/17 mpg on the highway
Towing capacity: 8,700 pounds
Runners Up to the Top Three
Our top three vehicle alternatives to the Lexus LX aren’t the only games in town. You might also consider these alternatives.
4. BMW X7
Closer to the price of the Lexus, this $74,900 full-size SUV doesn’t save you much at the pump either, but its highway mileage does come close to the Kia. In the city, it earns 19 mpg, but on the highway, it manages 24 mpg. You can still off-road effectively with its 3.0-liter, six-cylinder engine producing – horsepower and – pound-feet of torque.
It comes standard with AWD and an eight-speed automatic transmission. You can still seat seven in this beast, but it reduces the towing capacity to 5,400 pounds. Zip from 0 to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds. Without folding any seats, you get a tiny cargo space of 12.8 cubic feet.
When you fold down all of the rear seats, you increase that cargo space to a whopping 90.4 cubic feet.
The Lincoln Navigator offers the opulent interior of the Lexus LX at a price of $77,635. It earns a combined fuel efficiency of 20 mpg – that’s 17 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. The standard 3.5-liter V6 engine produces 440 horsepower and torque of 510 pound-feet.
Another plus is your SUV still seats seven and this vehicle can tow up to 6,200 pounds. You can upgrade the engine and transmission to increase the towing capacity to 8,300 pounds. Unlike Lexus and Kia, Lincoln makes most of its driver assistance features optional.
You’ll need to purchase a safety package to make this vehicle as safe to drive as others that cost less.
6. Buick Enclave
Starting at a base price of $44,095, the Buick Enclave offers a sleek, sophisticated exterior, and similar interior space for toting your family and their luggage on vacations, to athletic events, etc. You pay nearly half of the Lexus price though. This Buick seats seven individuals and you can actually seat adults comfortably in its third row.
Although its third-row offers less cushioning than the front two rows, it doesn’t gyp you on legroom or headroom, so you may get elected to drive your buddies to all the football games.
Picking this SUV nabs you combined mpg of 24 mpg – that’s 18 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway. Enjoy a powerful 3.6-liter, V6 engine standard that generates 310 hp and 266 torque. Paired with a standard AWD, you can choose an option for front-wheel drive (FWD).
The Enclave can tow 5,000 pounds. You can zip from 0 to 60 in 6.5 seconds.
7. Cadillac Escalade
If coming off the line quickly and quarter-mile test times interest you, then choose the Cadillac Escalade for the best performance. It accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in a tiny 5.25 seconds. That’s pretty quick for a full-size SUV that seats seven. Its 6.2-liter, V8 engine offers 420 horsepower and 460-pound feet of torque.
This vehicle can tow up to 8,000 pounds. It earns a combined fuel efficiency in the teens though and savings at the pump matter now more than ever. It earns a combined 16.5 mpg – that’s 14 mpg in the city and 19 mpg on the highway. Most trims of this vehicle come standard with the following safety features:
- adaptive cruise control,
- automatic emergency braking,
- reverse automatic emergency braking.
Nope, that’s it. To nab all the driver assistants that you find on other vehicles, you need to add a package, sometimes two, to the Cadillac. You don’t expect that nowadays when paying for a vehicle with a base model price of $77,795.
Other Vehicle Options for Seven Seater SUVs
The best way to get all the bells and whistles yet keep down the price remains by buying last year’s model. Because vehicles lose so much value the moment that you drive them off of the lot, you can land a great price on a fabulous vehicle by purchasing from a dealership’s certified pre-owned program or its certified program car program.
The difference between the two boils down to who owned the vehicle.
- Pre-owned: any individual or organization could have owned the vehicle.
- Program car: the dealership or a car rental agency typically owned the vehicle.
Choosing either option saves you between $5,000 to $10,000 off of the price of the SUV, plus you still get a full warranty. The certified part of the name refers to the fact that the manufacturer or the dealership put the vehicle through a 100-plus point examination and test.
Anything that fails to meet or exceed manufacturer specifications gets replaced. Essentially, they rehab the vehicle to its original state. Legally, they cannot charge the same price though because it still has the miles on the odometer.
Most program cars only stay on the road for one to two years, so you could buy a Kia Telluride from 2021 and save even more money.
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