Filed under: SUV, Technology, Lexus, Toyota
The latest blow to the formerly sterling reputation of Toyota came this week when Consumer Reports gave the new Lexus GX460 a “Do Not Buy” rating. It’s not often that CR gives its worst rating to a vehicle and it’s never happened to a Toyota or Lexus product before. In light of recent recall woes, Toyota is taking this news very seriously and has stopped selling the Lexus GX while it investigates the issue.
The reason for the dire rating is what CR considers a major safety risk with the new GX. During the publication’s handling tests, the CR drivers experienced significant oversteer (the back end of the vehicle sliding sideways) before the electronic stability control intervened and brought the SUV back under control.
Cornering oversteer is something automakers try to avoid, except on high-performance sports cars. On SUVs with a high center of gravity, this is an especially serious problem because if the vehicle hits a curb, shoulder or other impediment while sliding it’s more prone to roll over. During a previous test with the Toyota 4Runner, which shares its basic platform with the Lexus GX, CR didn’t experience the same problem. Follow the jump as we examine some possible explanations for the disparity between these two SUVs.
Continue reading Why the Lexus GX may be rollover-prone (and the 4Runner isn’t)
Why the Lexus GX may be rollover-prone (and the 4Runner isn’t) originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.