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SAN DIEGO – Landlines. Tube TVs. The VCR.
In a world of iPhones, paper-thin LCDs and Hulu, all now are quaint reminders of yesteryear.
As is a big body-on-frame SUV like the Lexus GX.
Once red-hot in the bigger-is-better 1990s, only a scattershot of SUVs still exist in the U.S. auto industry, and few remain in the luxury segment save for fullsize behemoths like the Cadillac Escalade and Lexus LX.
Most SUVs have been furloughed from brand lineups, replaced by sleeker, often smaller and generally more fuel-efficient car-based cross/utility vehicles.
An SUV today, no matter how nice, falls into the category of “best buggy whip” – soon to be irrelevant as technology and tastes march on.
But the ’10 Lexus GX is a very nice buggy nonetheless. Despite its ladder frame and solid rear axle, the third-generation GX’s ride is supple on-road and no more harsh than a Toyota Highlander CUV.
To improve handling, an Adaptive Variable Suspension allows drivers to select a comfort mode. There also are normal and sport settings.
As with similar adjustable suspension systems, such as the one in several Acura CUVs, it is hard to detect a difference between various driving modes on smooth roads.
For off-roading, which Lexus officials say GX owners sometimes do when hauling a boat or trailer, there is the standard Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System, which also was on the previous GX.
