2025 Lexus LX 700h Ultra Luxury 4WD - Lexus' Flagship SUV

 

Sometimes I find myself at a loss for words. That's how I felt when I sat down to write this. I am nowhere near a potential customer for a 2025 Lexus LX 700h, and even if I had the money I'm just not a big SUV kind of guy. So where do I start?

I'll start with the styling. Let's face it, you can give a big box different sculpture lines but it will always be a big box. From a side view, or a rear view, the LX 700h is not unattractive. It is that big, front grille that I don't like. In all fairness, some versions have a blacked-out grille that is a bit better.

The interior though is a totally different matter. I like the "Sunfire" color, semi-aniline leather, my wife not so much. For those who agree with her you can get Black.

I thought the driver's seat was a tad too hard, but otherwise I was comfy. As big as it is, the 700h Ultra Luxury is only a 4-seater. Other LX 700h versions can seat up to seven. A full complement of luxury features are standard in the Ultra Luxury. 

I would have preferred fold-down running boards instead of the fixed, narrow ones on the LX 700h Ultra Luxury. As far as I am concerned, fold-down running boards are one of the best options for big SUVs and trucks.

Power comes from a twin-turbocharged, 3.4-liter V6, combined with an electric motor giving a total of 457 hp, and 583 lb-ft. Power is sent to all four wheels through a 10-speed automatic. Lexus says the 6,200 lb (+/-) LX 700h will get to 60 mph from a dead stop in 6.4 seconds. The hybrid seems to be more for power than economy; the MPG figures are the same as the just gas-engine for highway (22 mpg) and two better for city (19 mpg).

As befitting a vehicle this heavy, the brakes are massive; the rotors are 13.94" front and 13.19" rear.

The LX 700h will tow up to 7,000 lbs. 

I'm going to shift gears here a bit and talk in general about large SUVs, especially the "luxury" ones. I am not sure who buys an expensive, luxury-oriented vehicle with the intent of off-roading it. I sure would not. And I do not know who buys a luxury vehicle thinking, "Yeah, I want luxury, but I want it to ride like a truck." 

I've driven many large SUVs, and they all belie their truck heritage. The worst shudder and shake over rough roads, or at railroad crossings. The best will transmit even the smallest pothole to the cabin.

Luxury is more than just leather and wood, at least as I see it. Now back to the LX 700h.

I mostly kept the LX 700h in "Comfort" mode and its ride was acceptable but just.

Welcome to the information age. No thank you. Screens and buttons, we got your screens and buttons. Could we maybe, just a tad or so, dial back the information overload? Guess how many times I needed the screen below. NEVER!

I wear glasses, but they are reading glasses. If I wear my glasses when I'm driving, I have trouble seeing down the road (again, this is not just a Lexus issue). I have to squint and fumble to find the correct switch.

Way back, when radios had push-button presets, you could reach over and push the button you knew changed the radio to the station you wanted, never taking your eyes off the road. It was that easy.

Case in point are the adaptive cruise control switches. Without squinting or putting on my specs they all look a little bit alike. I punched the top right button a few times, cursing it because it didn't activate the cruise system. Oops, that's the top left button. 

When I get in a vehicle, any vehicle, the first thing I do is adjust and set everything to my liking, then I try to orient myself - Where is the wiper/washer switch, the headlight switch, how do I tune the sound system or set the climate control. I do not want to fidget with any of this stuff when I'm driving. 

You are probable wondering how I felt about the Lexus LX 700h. When I test a vehicle I try to put myself in the mindset of a potential buyer. So I'll put it this way; people buying this class of vehicle buy as much for the name as anything else. There are those who see the letters L-E-X-U-S as a status symbol, but also a sign of reliability. They may have started out as Toyota owners, and now they want a vehicle with more cachet. Or maybe they owned some other luxury brand and found that the reliability wasn't there. 

I don't think you can go wrong with a Lexus, any Lexus. The LX 700h is not my cup of tea; maybe it is yours. 

Although the test Lexus LX 700h is a 2025, it is the same, with a few changes, as a 2026. The price of a 2026 LX 700h Ultra Luxury 4WD is $142,450, as of 10/23/2025, as shown at lexus.com.