Big, expensive, and unapologetically opulent. Two titans of luxury off-roading. There’s the brand-new Lexus LX700h, now with hybrid muscle and a reputation for lasting longer than the scenery behind it. And next to it, the ever-so-English Range Rover. It’s as suave as it is sophisticated, the go-to chariot for the well-heeled and well-mannered. But here in Canada, where luxury meets snow drifts and 91 octane costs more than gold, which one actually makes more sense?

Design

The Lexus LX700h looks like it’s been carved out of a single block of steel. Sharp creases, dominating grille, and enough polished aluminum to blind a moose at sunrise. It’s unmistakably Japanese — bold, confident, and about as subtle as a hockey brawl. 

Meanwhile, the Range Rover keeps its minimalist elegance. That clean profile and floating roofline still turning heads since… forever. It’s less ‘look-at-me’ and more ‘I-own-a-private-island.’ 

If you’re after street presence, the Lexus wins for drama. But for pure class? The Range Rover takes it. No contest. 

On the inside, the Range Rover’s cabin is an art gallery of understatement. Windsor leather options, 16-speaker Meridian 3D sound system, and a touchscreen that actually doesn’t make you pull your hair out. Add in heated, cooled, and massaging everything — including your ego.

With the long wheelbase option ticked off, the Range Rover seats 7 in utmost comfort, including those in the 3^rd row. But if you skip the extra seats and go for the Executive Class rear setup, things get properly decadent. You get two individual recliners that heat, cool, and massage in near silence, separated by a full-length console with touchscreen controls and deployable walnut tables. It’s business-class travel with better suspension.

The LX700h stays true to its Land Cruiser roots. 7 seats, plenty of room for the kids, hockey gear, and a week’s worth of camping supplies. But the third row still feels more like a penalty box than a lounge. It’s very tight if you’re over 6 feet tall.

However, tick the box for the Executive VIP package, and it transforms the second row into something fit for royalty. Out go the three bench seats, and in come two enormous captain’s chairs with full recline, ottoman leg rests, ventilated and heated cushions, and even a built-in massage program. You also get a rear touchscreen control panel, separate climate zones, and a Mark Levinson sound system that somehow makes road noise vanish into thin air. It’s less family SUV and more private jet experience. 

Technology

On the tech side, both spoil you with toys. Adaptive cruise, lane guidance, 360-degree cameras, auto parking, and enough driver aids to make a pilot jealous. But the Range Rover’s tech feels more integrated, almost invisible. Its new Pivi Pro 2 infotainment runs on a 13.1-inch curved display that responds instantly. Add wireless updates, Alexa integration, and a digital key through your smartphone, and it starts to feel like you’re in Silicon Valley. Even the four-zone climate system can preheat or cool the cabin from your Range Rover app before you’ve even put on your coat. 

The Lexus takes a different approach. Less flash, more dependability. You still get all the assists like adaptive cruise, lane trace, blind-spot monitoring, and so on, but Lexus deliberately leaves a few physical controls in place, knowing some of us prefer a proper button when it’s minus twenty outside.  

Add in a head-up display, crisp cameras, and bulletproof consistency, and it’s technology that feels built to last, not just to impress. So yes, the Range Rover dazzles with screens and software. The Lexus? It just works — and in a Canadian winter, that might be the smarter kind of genius. 

Powertrain

Under the hood, the LX700h packs a 3.4L twin-turbo hybrid V6. 457 hp & 583 lb-ft of torque all sent through a 10-speed automatic transmission. 0-100 km/h takes around 6 seconds, which is not too bad for something that weighs as much as a small cottage. 

The hybrid system fills in the gaps between gear changes, so power arrives in an effortless wave. There’s no drama, just torque. It’s a smooth, electric shove that makes it feel smaller and lighter than it is. 

The LX rides on a body-on-frame chassis which means that it can shrug off small craters in the road. However, there’s no hiding that weight. You feel it through the turns. But it’s not trying to be sporty. It’s trying to be effortless, and in that way, it absolutely delivers. 

The Range Rover, on the other hand, doesn’t just have power; it has theatre. You can get it with a 395 hp inline-6 with a mild-hybrid system, or a 4.4L twin-turbo V8 with up to 607 hp. 0-100 km/h comes up in under five seconds, which is faintly ridiculous for something this tall, this heavy, and this dignified. 

Out on the road, the V8 feels endlessly smooth. There’s no real sense of turbo lag, just a deep well of torque from barely above idle. With the adaptive air suspension keeping the body flat, it corners with far more grace than its size suggests.  

It’s not the most efficient luxury SUV with a combined fuel economy rating of 12.9 L/100km for the V8 while the LX700h can achieve up to 11.7 L/100km combined. But you can opt for the plug-in hybrid version of the Range Rover with up to 90 km of gasoline-free driving range. Plug it in overnight, and you can do most weekday drives without burning a drop of fuel. 

Off-Road

Of course, all this luxury doesn’t mean much if you’re stranded the moment the pavement ends. And both of these beasts carry the kind of off-road reputation most crossovers can only dream about. 

The Lexus LX700h rides on proven Land Cruiser hardware, complete with full-time four-wheel drive, locking center differential, and multi-terrain select modes. Add in its hybrid torque delivery, crawl control, and a low range that’ll pull you up a rocky trail like a winch. 

The Range Rover, though, approaches off-roading with sophistication rather than brute strength. Its Terrain Response 2 system automatically adjusts air suspension, throttle, and traction control for whatever nature throws at it. And with up to 11.6 inches of ground clearance and a water wading depth over 35-inches, this thing could practically ford a small river on your drive to Whistler. 

Pricing

Now for the tough part, the price. The Lexus LX700h stars at $138,191 CAD with the top spec Executive VIP costing north of $173,000 CAD. 

The Range Rover starts at $133,000 CAD but once you add in every option, and there are A LOT of options, you’re easily looking at over $300,000 CAD.  

So, these are two different approaches to luxury. If you value bulletproof engineering, long-term reliability, and modest running costs, the Lexus is the smarter choice. But if you crave refinement, technology, and that intangible sense of prestige, the Range Rover still sits at the very top of the luxury food chain. 

One’s built to outlast civilization; the other, to rule it. Either way, lucky are those choosing between them.  

If you’d like to know more or test drive either of these luxury SUVs, please get in touch with us at OpenRoadAuto.com 

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