2024 Lexus GX 550: More than a luxury Toyota Prado?
A Lexus for the great outdoors
In the Philippines, a Lexus isn't something that sees dust for extended periods. You see them all out first thing in the morning in many gated communities often being washed as you take your morning jog. And rarely does an SUV with an L badge get taken into the wilderness, even if it was a 4x4.
Not so in Arizona, where we are ranching it out in the heart of the American Southwest known for the sun, the Sonoran Desert, and the Saguaro Cactus. And we will do the exact opposite of what normal Lexus owners in the Philippines would do with their SUVs.
The Lexus GX has come a long way since its first debut over two decades ago. Originally, it was just seen as a luxurious (and up-priced) Land Cruiser Prado. In some ways, that may still be the perception as Toyota just launched the Land Cruiser 250 which the GX 550 shares a lot with. But Lexus wants to aim high with the new GX, as they've set their sights on a very popular model to benchmark against: the Land Rover Defender.
That is one hell of a benchmark. Can this GX deliver on those lofty goals?
If we were to take Chief Engineer Koji Tsukasaki on his word, then the answer will be undoubtedly yes. He is very proud of their new product which he shares was engineered from the ground up from Toyota’s GA-F platform. He also fondly speaks of the Lexus Driving Signature DNA that is found in every modern Lexus. This means that the GX should feel and drive like every other Lexus model available.
While it may sound like hard-sell marketing terminology, they were so confident that they took us out to these desert trails that were once traveled by adventurous individuals on four-legged transport; the original 4x4s.
What’s more interesting is that Lexus has decided to position the all-new GX for two kinds of customers – the overlanding off-road savvy folk and well-to-do city dwellers looking for a premium SUV that’s still as capable for infrequent off-road jaunts.
While many automakers have decided to make their premium SUVs into unibody platforms (including the Defender), Lexus decided to keep the body-on-frame configuration for GX which gives it that classic robustness expected of a 4x4. It is also interesting how they were able to maintain rigidity while giving the vehicle a massive diet using a unique welding method on the frame.
Designers decided to employ edgier cues for the exterior which the automaker calls the Lexus Next Chapter design. The most characteristic would be the sculpted shoulders on the hood which is both aesthetic and functional. They give the GX a rugged and imposing look combined with its interpretation of the spindle grille and the signature Lexus DRLs and compact triple-beam LED headlamps enclosed in an arrowhead housing. The boxy, chiseled look continues on the side and is finished off by a rather familiar silhouette similar to the Land Cruiser 300 series.
Akin to modern Lexus models, it also gets a blade lamp illumination for the taillights that double as a frame to the brand name spelled out. But what we like is what Lexus did with the tailgate.
The GX gets a new split-style tailgate that now opens vertically; before, the tailgate swung out to the side because it needed the capability to carry a spare. What we like is that Lexus carried over a feature where the rear windshield can be lifted up independently of the rear door. We like that feature because it'll allow us to film cars in tracking mode more easily, not that we'd use a GX as a photo/video car.
Step inside and you will now be welcomed with a lot more tech for the instrumentation, active safety, infotainment, and enhanced off-road suite for the GX Overtrail version. Despite getting a tech suite overhaul, the implementation of the cockpit feels very minimalist and premium. Depending on specification, some models may come with a large sunroof that you can turn on electronically, similar to the one found in the RZ EV. This gives it a sense of airiness and space.
To make it more agile, living up to the “driving signature”, it now gets a 3.5-liter twin-turbo mill (similarly found in the LX 600) detuned to 349 horsepower but keeps the same 650 newton-meters of torque rating. It's not going to be thrifty on fuel, but it does give the new GX it a significant weight loss from the 4.6-liter V8 it replaces.
On the road, power delivery is smooth and linear as you’d expect of a Lexus. That's something not normally expected of turbo cars, but Lexus is easily able to do it anyway.
Perhaps more important is the behavior of the suspension. Our drive experience took us through a specially designed off-road course which demonstrated the capabilities of the new suspension and four-wheel-drive system in more extreme rough-road driving conditions.
As expected, the GX effortlessly went through the obstacles that consisted of rocks, logs, elephant holes, mud pits, a sidehill, as well as downhill and uphill slopes. It showed how the hardware and tech could actually help you appreciate the outdoors better while it helps you through obstacles you may (or may not) encounter.
Mind you, it's a curated kind of experience, meaning they know the GX can do it and safety is a must. For the real experience, we have to take it outside of a drive event, but that will have to wait.
The next stage involved driving through horse trails where you felt like a modern cowboy driving through effortlessly as it were going through a dirt lot. Despite the increased size it did not feel like a hefty vehicle to maneuver. I imagine a wider Lexus LX would not be as maneuverable here, and that's why the GX exists.
Thanks to the more dynamic configuration of the front suspension, it gets better road-following performance. While it tries to balance the ride comfort, I find the ride to be leaning a bit more to the utilitarian side. No problem for me as I enjoy that sort of dynamism. I do drive a pick-up truck everyday after all.
I ended the drive with a dilemma, this is something that definitely vibes with me and I'd love to take it out to the great outdoors. We'll have to wait before we get a chance to do that when Lexus Philippines launches this capable 4x4. I really have my eyes on the Overtrail edition, but...
Emphasis on but. My guys at the office might not appreciate me splurging on an SUV just yet.
