Lexus - LX

The 2006 Lexus LX 470 is available as one fully loaded model ($67,295). It's equipped with a 4.7-liter V8, five-speed automatic transmission, full-time four-wheel drive with a locking center differential and four-wheel traction control. It also comes with an adaptive suspension with variable-rate damping and adjustable height control, and big P275/60HR18 mud-and-snow tires on 18-inch alloy wheels. Four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and vehicle stability control help drivers keep the LX 470 on course even in emergency conditions.

Also standard is a sumptuous leather interior and a boggling list of luxury and convenience features, including automatic climate control front and rear, power seats, door locks, windows and moonroof; a DVD-based navigation system; and a Mark Levinson stereo system with a six-disc DVD/CD auto changer, automatic sound leveling and a separate rear-seat controls.

Safety equipment is impressive. Standard are frontal airbags, seat-mounted side-impact airbags (for torso protection) and side curtain airbags (for head protection), along with front seat belts with pre-tensioners and force limiters, and a first aid kit. The side curtain airbags are designed to help provide protection for the four outboard passengers in the front and second-row seats in certain types of severe side impacts or in case of a severe tilt or rollover. Windshield wipers adjust for rain automatically and the windshield is coated with water repellent.

Options include a rear-seat DVD entertainment system ($2,469) that plays movies on a 6.5-inch overhead screen; put it in Park and front-seat passengers can watch, too, on the navigation screen. Wireless headphones ($182) are an additional option. XM satellite radio is available ($486). Night View ($2,200) is also available; it uses near-infrared technology after dark to help illuminate people, deer and other objects up to 500 feet away and display them on a section of the windshield in front of the driver. You can also order a roof rack with cross bars ($220), a rear spoiler ($280), a sunroof wind deflector ($89), a cargo net ($59), and a cargo mat ($92).