Too hot? Too cold? This Lexus aims to tame it all
Autumn in New England might be ideal for leaf peeping and apple cider, but dressing for the weather can be a challenge. That’s why it's an ideal time to put the Climate Concierge system on the big Lexus LX570 SUV to the test.
Climate Concierge is supposed to make little adjustments to keep the passenger compartment at a constant temperature without loudly blasting heat or air conditioning.
One touch of the Climate Concierge button is all it takes to tell your Lexus to keep the interior as warm or cool as you want it to be.
Climate Concierge first debuted on the flagship Lexus LS sedan back in 2012. It works thanks to a software algorithm that relies on up to 13 sensors and multiple climate control zones, plus control over ventilation, surface heating, and cooling. Together, they act like a virtual fairytale protagonist—the perfectionist kind who demands that porridge, glass slippers, and pea-free mattresses all be just right.
At least, that’s what Lexus promises. Considering that a Climate Concierge-equipped LX 570 with heated and cooled seats and four-zone climate control costs a hair over $90k, I wasn’t going to let that claim go untested.
Even the seat heaters can be set to automatic mode, where they'll turn on and off depending on the cabin temperature.
So, on a cold fall morning after an overnight frost, I got into a Lexus whose interior was even colder than the outside temperature.
Normally, I’d crank up the heat and wait. Even on a luxury car with automatic climate control, though, the blower motors would work overtime to loudly blast lukewarm air throughout the cabin. Eventually, I’d get too hot and have to fiddle with the car’s controls, which would take my hands off the wheel and my eyes off the road—a solution as attractive as a sweater vest.
Lexus promises that won't have to fiddle with this manual climate control screen if you turn on Climate Concierge.
Instead, I left all the LX’s dials set to Auto and all climate zones set to 72 degrees. Despite the car’s massive interior, the Lexus warmed me up before I’d left my neighborhood. The heated seats and steering wheel automatically got as hot as they could, then slowly cooled down. As the massive 5.7-liter V-8 engine warmed up, the vents gradually started blowing warm air towards my feet—but never once drowning out the soft tones of Morning Edition.
Climate Concierge automatically mixed heating and cooling to keep the car precisely at 72 degrees.
When I got back in the car after a sun-drenched afternoon, the Climate Concierge automatically mixed heating and cooling to keep the car precisely at 72ºF. More importantly, it ensured that I didn’t have to make any mid-commute temperature adjustments. Had the day been even warmer, the seat coolers might have gone on automatically, cooling my body down well before the air conditioning had a chance to change my surroundings.
The verdict was in: Climate Concierge is a great fit for spring and fall in New England. Of course, the system wouldn’t be as inconspicuous in the dead of winter or on a stifling August day, when the heat or AC would have to kick on full blast.
After a week of driving, the gigantic LX570's big V-8 got just 12.5 mpg in combined city and highway usage.
It also wouldn’t work as well on a car with a smaller engine: Although the LX570’s V8 was only good for 12.5 mpg during a week of combined city and highway driving, at least it threw a lot of heat that could be used to warm the cabin.
Still, in climates where the temperature swings widely throughout the day, the system does take some of the frustration out of managing an automotive microclimate. That means you can spend more time enjoying leaves and cider, and less time fiddling with the air conditioner.