Lexus Gx550 vs Lexus RX450H

What's the difference?

The new Lexus GX 550 showcases a brand new design for its third-generation iteration but the model is new to the Australian market.

And while it hasn't been as hotly anticipated as its cousin, the Toyota Prado, it's still one that should excite. It's a capable full-time four-wheel drive that manages to look good on- and off-road! It feels like a breath of fresh air.

Will it find itself more likely adorning the garage of a city slicker? Perhaps, but you can't deny it has some star power now with its design and it couldn't have come soon enough. Especially when you compare the flagship Sports Luxury grade my family and I have on test to its European luxury rivals, the BMW X7 and Land Rover Defender.

This is a review with a difference. For three days, I had a Lexus RX450h and thought it was pretty terrible to drive. Every time I turned the steering wheel, the tyres would squeal as though they weren't inflated with air but instead with tiny, fluffy kittens.

I was bitterly disappointed. How could a car get out the door of the Lexus engineering division with such an aversion to corners. I mean, I know it's not meant to be a corner-carving monster, but normal cornering should have been okay.

After those three days, I'd had enough. The low tyre pressure warning light came on and the penny dropped. I hadn't even thought to check the pressures. They were very, very low. Like only at two-thirds of recommended. So after visiting three separate establishments to find a working pump, I had a whole different car.