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Is the Lexus LX600 really an off-road SUV? Well, if you’re Japan’s JAOS, most definitely. JAOS, a Japanese off-road parts supplier, showed its off-road racing version of the Lexus LX600 SUV at the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon this week. The LX never looked this rough-and-tumble before, and we want one.

The JAOS LX600 competed in the Baja 1000 race

JAOS LX600 at the Baja 1000
JAOS modified LX600 | Toyota Gazoo Racing

When you want to prove that you’re tough, you head to the Baja 1000 race. The 1,000-mile race across the desert of the Baja peninsula will break even the toughest of trucks and SUVs. The race, held Nov. 15 to 20, 2022 , featured 276 entries. The race is so grueling that only 135 entrants finished.

The Canguro Racing Team JAOS Lexus LX600 ran in the Stock Full Class, which is for vehicles that are minimally modified. While it’s mostly stock, that doesn’t mean that it didn’t go through a near complete tear down. In fact, the Jaos team stripped everything off the LX600 and took it down to the bare frame so they they could weld in a safety cage. That cage is required by the rules to protect the driver and the navigator if they crash.

Could you build this off-road LX600?

JAOS kept the LX600’s stock engine and transmission but added a lot. Shock absorber company KYB stepped in to sponsor with some special 14-way adjustable shocks. JAOS added over-fenders, light bars, and racing seats. It also beefed up the tires, to Toyo Open Country, and JAOS brand wheels. It also added coil-over shocks, lights, and a tube bumper. But overall, it didn’t add much to the luxury LX600.

The LX600 is a Land Cruiser, just not the U.S. version

The 2022 Lexus LX600 Ultra Luxury is a luxury SUV with premium features.
Lexus LX600 Ultra Luxury | Eric Boman, MotorBiscuit

The 2023 LX 600 stays on the GA-F platform, which means that it shares a lot of its chassis with the Toyota Sequoia and new Toyota Tundra. But, crucially, it also shares most key parts with the Toyota Land Cruiser that the rest of the world, but not the U.S., gets. That means that it gets a suspension that is specially designed for both on-road and substantial off-road capability.

Of course the Lexus has a giant flowing Lexus grille and low overhangs on the front that limit some of that off-road ability that JAOS removed. Regardless, it does have Toyota’s magic Crawl Control, which can get even this huge SUV un-buried from sand or mud

The LX 600 is Lexus’s biggest SUV. The list of features and options Lexus has for the LX 600 SUV can blow your mind. Consider that you can get this seven-seater in an ultra-luxury four-seat trim that turns the back into a spacious lounger bigger than some NYC studio apartments, with 43 inches of back seat foot room. There’s so much foot room that Lexus even adds a deployable footrest behind the passenger seat.

The JAOS version amps up the off-road ability

JAOS LX600 at
Jaos LX600 at SEMA | JAOS

The Tokyo Auto Salon is one of the biggest auto shows in the world, and it makes sense that JAOS would want to be there. The company also makes a series of skid protectors for the LX as well as fender flares and other custom bits, according to OffRoadExtreme. Since these are Japanese custom parts, they’re not common on U.S. LX600s.

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Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.