Five-Point Inspection: 2015 Lexus LX 570

The Lexus LX 570 is top-shelf utility vehicle that’s designed for serious off-roading. Think of it as a luxurious Japanese Jeep, or perhaps more appropriately as a reliable Range Rover. This vehicle is laden with features that give it the ability to climb mountains better than a bighorn sheep.

Like many of its rivals, including short-wheelbase versions of the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator, the LX 570 features body-on-frame construction; it’s built like a truck for extra durability.

And to ensure it’s never short on capability this vehicle is augmented with full-time four-wheel-drive. In normal situations it sends 40 percent of the engine’s available torque to the front axle and 60 percent rearward, a split that supposedly improves on-road agility. This system also features a locking Torsen limited-slip center differential.

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The vehicle’s Active Traction Control System (A-TRAC) is similar to Land Rover’s Terrain Response. It allows you to adjust how the four-wheel-drive system reacts to different surfaces. There are settings for mud and sand as well as loose rock, to name a few.

Of course the LX 570 comes with all kinds of other features designed to make it super capable out on the trail. It’s got things like turn assist, crawl control and hill-start assist as well as a driver-selectable low range. Further burnishing its rough-and-ready reputation, this vehicle is rated to tow up to 7,000 lbs.