Lexus GX 2024 review

Price and features – Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with?

8 / 10

The Lexus GX will arrive in Australia in three trim levels – the entry-level Luxury, off-road-focused Overtrail, and flagship Sports Luxury. And while the brand is yet to confirm official prices, we expect the range to kick off at around $115,000, based largely on the SUV's USA pricing.

There's about a US$10K jump between models, which if replicated in Australia – and again, this isn't exactly scientific – would put the Overtrail at around $130K in Australia, and the Sports Luxury at around $145K.

Opening proceedings, then, is the Luxury, which will arrive with 20-inch alloys, a huge 14-inch central multimedia screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a head-up display, a 10-speaker Panasonic stereo, three-zone climate control and a powered tailgate, hinged at the top rather than the side.

The flagship grade is the Sports Luxury, which rides on 22-inch alloys, scores a 21-speaker Mark Levinson stereo, includes a massage function for front-seat riders, and rides on adaptive suspension. There's also a cool box in the centre console and a digital rear-view mirror.

The toughest model, though, sits between those two trim levels, with the Overtrail doing away with some of the niceties but dialling up the off-road credibility, with 18-inch wheels wrapped in thick Toyo All-Terrain tyres.

It also has electronic centre and rear diff locks, and scores a clever 'eKDSS' (electronic Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System) suspension, which automatically disconnects the front and rear sway bars for serious wheel articulation when off-roading.

It also features a very cool 'Multi-Terrain Monitor' which shows the driver exactly what's happening beneath the tyres via the 14-inch central screen.

Oh, and all share the same very good engine, but more on that in a moment.

Design – Is there anything interesting about its design?

8 / 10

It looks the bloody business, the GX. Honestly, if this isn't the finest looking Lexus of recent memory it has to be damn close.

At least part of the style success is due to the fact that (and don't take this the wrong way, Lexus owners) it doesn't look that much like a Lexus.

There is no enormous 'spindle' grille or over-the-top design flourishes, all of which are replaced by a fairly straight-forward boxy design language that looks terrific.

There are two design themes at play here. The first being the on-road GX, which fits big 20-inch or 22-inch alloys, a more streamlined body style and it's own front-end treatment.

But the real gem, I reckon, is the Overtrail, which is fitted with 18-inch alloys wrapped in thick off-road rubber, along with its own front-end design, higher roof rails, blacked out mirror caps and more aggressively flared wheel arches.

Inside, it's pared-back, tech-filled premium. The giant centre screen is awesome, and easy to use, and the materials (synthetic or real leather, depending on the trim level) are all lovely under touch, too.

Practicality – How practical is its space and tech inside?

8 / 10

The Lexus GX can be had with seven seats (the Luxury and Sports Luxury) or seating for five (the Overtrail), meaning you can pretty much choose between people or stuff.

Has Lexus missed a trick by not offering a five- or seven-seat configuration across every trim level? Possibly.

The big truck stretches just over 5.0m in length, just over 2.1m in width, and just over 1.9m in height (the Overtrail) is slightly shorter than the other model), and the GX rides on a 2.85m wheelbase.

Let's start with the Overtrail, which rides on (265/70R18) Toyo All-Terrain tyres, and has a 10mm wider wheel track.

There are also slight changes to the front and rear bumpers to improve ground clearance, and there's a silver panel designed to be removed and replaced with a winch or recovery hooks on the after market.

It's a strict five-seat model, which means you get more boot space (the tailgate door, by the way, is top-hinged and includes a hatch window as part of the rear windscreen).

The Overtrail serves up 1291 litres of luggage space behind the second row of seats, with that number swelling to 2562 litres with the second row folded flat.

The Luxury and Sports Luxury deliver 291 litres of room behind the third row, growing to 1138 litres and 2177 litres when you start lowering the seats.

All models weigh in excess of 2.5 tonnes, by the way. And curiously, American-spec cars are rated to tow a braked 4000kg.

Australian-delivered vehicles are all rated at 3.5-tonnes, but I harbour suspicions that could head north by the time the vehicle launches in June.

Overtrail vehicles are massively spacious in every row, and even three-row models serve up enough space to be comfortable, and the way the middle-row seats collapse and fold-away means you can even climb into the third row without too much grunting.

Under the bonnet – What are the key stats for its engine and transmission?

8 / 10

I have a lot of love for this engine, which will make the all-new Prado feel like it is pottering around in the last century.

Every GX is fitted with a 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V6, generating a sizeable 260kW and 650Nm. That power is fed through a 10-speed automatic and sent to all four wheels.

We don't have a 0-100km/h time, yet, but I can tell you the circa-2.5-tonne GX feels surprisingly sprightly when you plant your foot.

What is its fuel consumption? What is its driving range?  6/10

6 / 10

Okay, the bad news starts here. A big engine and a big car means big fuel use, right? We were averaging around 15 litres per hundred kilometres on the combined cycle, and we weren't asking all that much from the big Lexus.

In the USA, the GX is fitted with an 80-litre fuel tank, so given the above numbers, you would be good for an approximate 500km range on a full tank.

Driving – What's it like to drive?

9 / 10

It's an impressive vehicle, this GX, every bit as comfortable on the road as it is capable off it, and a vehicle that feels very much like an SUV flagship, despite being smaller than the LX.

At least part of that is owing to the engine. Yes, it lacks electrification (for now), but there is something intoxicating about the hum of a big V6, and the potent stream of power attached to the sole of your right foot.

It's a cracking engine – smooth and potent, and happy to trundle along at suburban speeds in peace and quiet, but equally happy to open the taps when you want it to.

Honestly, if the pricing gap between the LandCruiser Prado and the Lexus GX isn't too enormous, I can see the luxury version poaching customers from its mainstream sibling, given the off-road and towing ability is matched, and the driving performance will likely be better.

The other thing that is immediately apparent is a level of refinement that you don't expect in a car in this category, and that's even true of the Overtrail model with its All-Terrain tyres, which, by Lexus' own admission, has worse NVH than the road-focused models.

Every model is quiet and comfortable, at least on American roads. But we'll have to put it to the test on Australia's typically dodgy road surfaces to figure out exactly how it performs locally.

One other small caveat before we get too carried away – I have so far encountered just the single corner in the Lexus GX, so to find out how the big bus handles when you're going around tighter bends, you'll have to wait until we get it in Australia.

It can also feel a little soggy through the steering, with plenty of on-centre doughiness, so my personal preference is to lock it into Sport mode where everything just tightens up slightly.

It doesn't turn it into a performance car by any stretch of the imagination, but it just adds a little bit of weight to the steering, takes out some of the vagueness, and makes you feel a little bit more in control of the car.

The Overtrail is the off-road hero in the GX family, which makes it the off-road hero in the entire Lexus range. And it's one that carries substantial changes to better handle the rough stuff.

Some of it we've covered already, like the eKDSS suspension set-up, but seeing it in action is pretty impressive, with massive articulation through the tyres when the GX tackles off-road tracks.

There are also locking differentials, four-wheel drive high- and low-range of course, descent control, and more off-road drive modes than you can shake a sand dune at.

Also impressive is the off-road camera, which fills the 14.0-inch central screen with exactly what's happening beneath the tyres, and comes in handy when climbing steep hills, with the cameras capturing what's happening over the crest long before you can see anything.

We put the GX through its paces on a pretty challenging off-road course –though one admittedly custom-built by Lexus, so we were always a good chance of getting to the other side – and the GX impressed.

I'm not Australia's best off-roader, that's a title we reserve for the inimitable Marcus Craft, but the GX made me look good, and that's saying something.

Safety – What safety equipment is fitted? What is its safety rating?

8 / 10

Lexus in Australia is yet to fully detail our specification, but you can expect the GX to arrive with the brand's 'Lexus Safety System+ 3.0' package, which includes things like AEB with pedestrian detection and junction assist, lane tracing assist, lane departure alert with active assistance, road-sign monitoring and intelligent headlights.

Happily, the safety systems don't squawk at you when they think you've exceeded the limit. Instead, a little red warning comes up on the driver display, which is infinitely better.

Ownership – What warranty is offered? What are its service intervals? What are its running costs?

7 / 10

The GX will be covered by Lexus' five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, but service pricing is yet to be confirmed by the brand.

Verdict