Lexus LX500D vs Audi SQ8

What's the difference?

The Lexus LX550d Overtrail holds plenty of appeal for those who’d like to bookend a work week of refined daily driving with a weekend of fun and adventure undertaken in style.

With a full complement of standard features, as well as offering premium comfort and understated design, the Overtrail makes a lot of sense as a potential purchase.

It’s luxurious on the road, capable off-road and the Overtrail holds up quite well if cross-shopped against the likes of Land Rover Defender, Toyota LandCruiser 300 or Nissan Patrol.

The Audi SQ8 isn’t your typical performance SUV. It’s more refined and less flashy. The tech can be more complicated than it needs to be and if you’re wanting that V8 soundscape, you won’t find it here.

However, the handling and on road experience are superb plus you can comfortably haul the family around and look good doing it.

The LX500d Overtrail is 5100mm long (with a 2850mm wheelbase), 1990mm wide, and 1895mm high. It has a listed kerb weight of 2690kg.

It has an almost straight-up-and-down, old-school appearance, and leans more towards the retro-cool end of the design spectrum rather than the sleek end – and that styling, which is THE Overtrail look based on the GX Overtrail, works.

Adding to this 4WD wagon’s overall large-and-in-charge presence are its big front grille, bulging wing mirrors, side steps and those all-terrain tyres.

The Overtrail has black exterior touches (door handles and mirrors, window mouldings, wheel-arch trims), black front and rear bumpers, and bridge-type roof rails that top off its rugged look and further set it apart from its LX stablemates.

There are a lot more identifiably-Lexus, premium-style touches going on inside the Overtrail, including Overtrail-specific premium leather-accented front seats with Monolith colour stitching, Ash Sumi Black ornamentation, a plethora of soft-touch surfaces and a helpful does of durable plastic.

The SQ8 is a gorgeous coupe-style SUV that looks purposeful and poised with its balanced proportions and wide stance. It’s stands apart from its siblings thanks to the S-styled nose treatment and our test model's black accent package makes the honeycomb grille look even sportier. 

The update sees new air intake vents at the front, matrix LED headlights and new chrome exhaust tailpipes.

The upgraded 23-inch alloys with red calipers behind them hint at what’s under the bonnet, as does the Sakhir (sack-heer) Gold paintwork which is aptly named after the one-off Grand Prix race circuit.

The interior looks luxuriously appointed with the black Valcona leather upholstery and the dash is headlined by three high-end technology screens. The SQ8 also gets sport seats featuring a quilted design and 'S' badging but there’s not much else separating it from its siblings.

Audi fans will love the the SQ8's more understated interior but newcomers might be surprised it's not as flashy as some of its rivals.

Overall, the interior is functional, the build quality is impressive and this is a Lexus so, of course, there are lashings of prestige.

For starters, the seats are comfortable. The 2026 Lexus LX500d Overtrail has a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, and an eight-way power-adjustable front passenger seat and both have four-way Lumbar power adjustment and massager.

The second-row seats in this five-seater are in a 60:40 split folding configuration and are also on the right side of comfortable, which is not always necessarily the case in a 4WD wagon.

The 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen system dominates the upfront layout and shows navigation, your smartphone desktop, reversing camera view, etc and when off-roading it displays multi-terrain monitor showing the road surface and other conditions.

Underneath that main screen is a 7.0-inch touch display that displays drive modes, adaptive variable suspension, air-conditioning controls and the like.

Both are easy enough to use without hassle.

The driver also gets a head-up display, projected onto the windscreen right in front of the driver, but say hoo-roo to that info once you’ve donned polarised sunnies.

The Overtrail has a powered sunroof/moon roof, whatever you want to call it.

It has plenty of charge points – including two USB-Cs upfront and two for the second-row passengers, and a wireless phone charging pad in front of the cooled centre console – and there are 12-volt outlets front and rear, and a 220V outlet in the rear cargo area.

There are numerous cupholders – upfront and in the second-row armrest – and bottle holders in the doors.

The five-seater Overtrail’s rear cargo area has a 220V/100W socket (to run camp lights, fridge etc), a cargo blind, tie-down points and cup holders on both sides, left over from the seven-seat layout.

Rear cargo space is listed as 1109L with all seats in use, and cargo space is 1960 litres if the second row is folded down.

The rear tailgate is powered and lifts to open rather than swings to the side as the barndoor-style doors do.

Minor gripe: You’d think with the amount of cash you spend on an Overtrail that Lexus would equip the off-road-focused LX with rubber floor mats because its interior should be ready to cop more than its fair share of dirt, sand and mud during its driving days.

The upper large SUV tag certainly makes sense when it comes to cabin space because there's a lot of it. Both rows enjoy ample head- and legroom and access is great thanks to wide door apertures and high ground clearance.

Comfort is high with well-padded seats and thanks to the Sensory Package all but the middle back seater get some luxury extras.

The centre rear position has compromised legroom courtesy of the transmission tunnel, so it's best for a kid. However, the front seats take the cake with their massage, heat and cooling functions and adjustable supports.

Amenities are great throughout the car and the extendable sun visors, rear electric sunshades, soft-close doors and four-zone climate control clinch the practicality deal.

Individual storage is a bit sparse up front with two cupholders, a drink bottle holder in each door and a shallow middle console that realistically only fits a phone.

The glove box is a great size. I can fit my handbag in it, but there are not a lot of areas to pop your smaller items in.

Individual storage is a bit better in the rear as you get two big map pockets, a drink bottle holder in each door, plus two cupholders in the fold-down armrest - so it feels like you have more places for your bits and pieces.

Technology looks amazing but overwhelming to use until you wrap your head around it all. The haptic feedback also gets tired fast. The built-in satellite navigation is super simple while the head-up display and digital instrument cluster feature pull through directions, which is handy.

Charging options are good with each row getting two USB-C ports and a 12-volt socket but the front also enjoys a wireless charging pad. The pad is slow to charge, though, and left my iPhone feeling super hot whenever it was used.

The boot is a good size at 605L and easy to access, too. The sloping roof means larger items have to sit flush with the seats but you shouldn’t have to worry for road trips. 

The back seat has a 40/20/40 split which opens up storage options and this model has a powered tailgate.

There are three fuel-based variants for the Q8 and the model on test is the top-spec SQ8 TFSI quattro. Its mid-life refresh has seen a price hike of $10,015, bringing it's before on-road costs price to $178,815.

Our test vehicle has also been fitted with a few extras, like a 'Sensory Package' ($14,400) which includes a black headliner, upgraded 23-speaker Bang & Olufsen 3D surround sound system, massage function for the front seats, heat function for the rear outboard seats, electric sunshades for the rear row and an air-quality perfume function.

Also fitted are various black and matt carbon accents across/inside the body for a total of $5400, optioned 23-inch alloy wheels ($3000) and specialised 'Sakhir Gold Metallic' paintwork for $1600. Which brings the total MSRP price tag to $203,215.

Even with all of these extras, the SQ8 is still the most affordable performance SUV compared to its nearest rivals as the Porsche Cayenne GTS starts from $212,600 MSRP and the Mercedes-AMG GLE 63 outstrips them both at $272,300 MSRP.

As you'd expect the standard features list is robust for the SQ8 and includes premium features like a panoramic sunroof, electric front seats with heating/cooling and memory functions, full-leather upholstery, soft-close doors and a heated steering wheel.

There is a bunch of high-end technology throughout which includes a colour head-up display, 10.1-inch touchscreen multimedia system, 8.6-inch climate control panel, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, satellite navigation, wired/wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital radio, four USB-C ports, three 12-volt sockets and a wireless charging pad.

Practical features include keyless entry and start, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, dusk-sensing LED headlights, a powered tailgate, adaptive air-suspension and four-zone climate control.

Overall, not a bad list of features for this part of the market and you won't be left wanting.

Our test vehicle has a 3.3-litre turbo-diesel engine – producing 227kW at 4000rpm and 700Nm at 1600-2600rpm – a 10-speed automatic transmission and a full-time 4WD system.

This is a big wagon so it takes some encouragement to get going off the mark – it is sluggish rather than zippy around town – but once underway on an open road, especially on a highway, it punts along nicely.

I drove the seven-seater Lexus LX600 Sports Luxury – with a 3.5-litre petrol engine (305kW and 650Nm) – immediately after this test and – with the same dimensions, but 10kg lighter than the Overtrail – it’s more punchy off the mark.

The Lexus LX500d Overtrail has a variety of drive modes including Custom, Comfort, Eco, Normal and Sport S and Sport S+ for on-road driving.

It has front and rear locking diffs, and Multi-Terrain Select (MTS) drive modes for off-roading. Those modes include Auto, Sand, Mud and Rock. Each off-road driving mode adjusts throttle response, transmission shift patterns, wheel-slip control, engine power delivery and braking to best suit the specified terrain.

Our test vehicle has a 4.0-litre, twin-turbo petrol V8 engine that produces 373kW and 770Nm. That means it sits in the middle of its rivals in terms of outputs with the Mercedes being top-dog with its 450kW/850Nm combo.

Still... the SQ8 is no dainty flower when it comes to power delivery and has an impressive 0-100km/h sprint time of just 4.1 seconds. 

The SQ8 is a full-time all-wheel drive with an eight-speed auto transmission and the whole engine combo delivers a powerful but elegant on-road experience.

Official fuel consumption is listed as 8.9L/100km (on a combined cycle), but on this test, I recorded 12.8L/100km.

The Overtrail has 110L fuel capacity (80L main tank, 30L sub tank) so, going by my on-test fuel-consumption figure, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 860km from a full tank.

However, as with any vehicle, once you’ve loaded it with real-world burdens (e.g kids, dogs, camping gear etc) you’ll soon see fuel-use figures increase.

The official combined (urban/extra-urban) fuel cycle figure is 11.9L/100km, which is lower than its rivals.

My real world usage sits at 12.3L/100km after a mix of open-road and urban driving.

This result is decent for a performance SUV but expect it to be thirsty in an urban environment as the on-board gauge hit the mid-20s in the city.

Based on the large 85L fuel tank theoretical driving range is 714km and around 690 using our real-world result. Respectable for a performance SUV but not as good as some family SUVs.

On-road, the Overtrail is impressive: refined, comfortable, unstressed and it offers up controlled ride and handling.

The Overtrail sits nicely on sealed road surfaces – it has a wide wheel track and long wheelbase – and it maintains that composed posture even on gravel or dirt tracks.

It does exhibit some body-roll when pitched through country bends but in a large 4WD wagon that characteristic is no real surprise.

Ride quality is impressive and the suspension set-up, including the Overtrail’s adaptive variable suspension which adjusts damping force according to the drive mode selected, manages to smooth out the worst of most surface irregularities. Active height control is worth mentioned here because it's designed to optimise the spring rate to keep this wagon stable during turning, acceleration, and braking.

The 3.3-litre turbo-diesel engine and 10-speed auto are a smooth combination producing plenty of power and torque across a broad rev range.

It's mostly quiet in the cabin though wind noise does emanate from the chunky wing mirrors.

One thing I’m not a big fan of is the digital rear-view mirror. I understand the reasoning behind it as it helps establish visibility where you may not have it – for example, if something you’ve packed in the rear blocks your vision, or a second-row passenger’s massive head blocks your vision – but the slightly distorted view depicted on the mirror isn’t altogether helpful and tends to push me into headache territory on longer drives. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Maybe my old eyes need testing?

So, how does the Overtrail perform off-road?

Well, you’d expect it to go pretty well, especially as it is equipped with front and rear locking diffs, and a raft of off-road drive modes.

And it does. Mostly.

Steering is nicely balanced and the driver is afforded so much visibility of the track ahead that, even with a massive bonnet in front of you, it’s easy to get your wheel placement spot-on. The Overtrail also has a 360-degree camera system, so that maximises your chances of putting the vehicle on exactly the correct line.

Courtesy of its off-road modes, diff locks etc, the Overtrail drives with impressive composure through most off-road situations, whether that’s along corrugated dirt tracks, up steep rocky hills or through shin-deep mudholes.

It offers a reasonable amount of wheel travel for a large wagon and it has decent all-terrain tyres – Toyo Open Country (265/70R18) – and they provide plenty of grip on a variety of surfaces: sand, loose gravel, shale, even rain-soaked mud which can be very slippery and can quickly fill up tyre tread.

The LX500d Overtrail has 205mm ground clearance which is industry standard for a larger or upper large SUV, but it isn't great for a vehicle that’s intended as an off-road machine. However, worth mentioning again here is the addition onboard of active height control, which automatically adjusts vehicle height – Normal, High 1, High 2, and Low (for easy ingress and egress) – to match the drive mode you select and the driving conditions at any time.

And while the off-road angles – approach (23 degrees), departure (22) and rampover (22.7) – aren’t fantastic, those measurements are industry standard for a larger and upper large SUV, but again, in a vehicle billed as an adventure machine, those angles could be a lot better. In the Overtrail’s favour the underbody is well protected by substantial bash-plates and the Overtrail’s full-size spare is mounted to the underbody.

Wading depth is an estimated 700mm, which is also in the vicinity of standard for an unmodified 4WD wagon.

The side steps protrude and if you fail to drive with consideration then they'll probably cop a scrape and maybe even a bit of a dent.

Towing capacities are 750kg (unbraked) and 3500kg (braked). Payload is 590kg, which is not a lot once you throw in your kids, dogs, and camping equipment – not to mention anything you might be towing at the time. For reference, a 300 Series LandCruiser's payload, depending on the variant, is between 650kg (VX/Sahara/GR Sport) and 785kg (GX).

The Overtrail’s listed kerb weight is 2690kg, gross vehicle mass (GVM) is 3280kg, and gross combined mass (GCM) is 6780kg.

The SQ8 delivers on power because it’s effortless to get up to speed and the pick up is super responsive when the start/stop function is turned off (otherwise there can be some lag).

The engine doesn’t sound like a big and grumbly V8, though. There are some growls but it’s mainly when you turn the engine on and not to be obnoxious about it but if you're in a V8, you want to hear it as it’s part of the fun of having a big bruiser engine like this!

What doesn’t help the V8 soundscape is the fact the cabin sounds like a noise-cancelling headphone inside. There is a small hum from road noise but it’s pretty darn quiet. Almost EV quiet at times but that means the driving experience leans more towards refined and elegant rather than sporty and fun. 

The SQ8's handling is great - super direct steering, stable in corners and well-rounded passenger comfort when it comes to suspension.

You still get road feedback, which I like as a driver, but it’s not too stiff thanks to the adaptive suspension.

The SQ8 is a large car but you wouldn’t know it when it comes to parking. The 360-degree view camera is clear and the dynamic guidelines help you to position this big unit even the smallest of car parks.

The SQ8 has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing done in 2019 and features eight airbags, including side chest airbags for both rows. It's common to only find the latter in the front – so that’s great for a family car.

The SQ8 scored well across its ANCAP individual protection segments, scoring 93 per cent for adult occupant, 88 per cent for child occupant, 71 per cent for vulnerable road user and 75 per cent for its safety assist.

The SQ8 has a long list of safety features including blind-spot monitoring, safe exit warning, driver attention monitor, fatigue reminder, matrix LED lights, SOS call, forward collision warning, rear collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping/departure aids, tyre pressure monitoring, adaptive cruise control (with stop & go and lane keeping), park assist and a 360-degree reversing camera plus front and rear parking sensors.

The rear row features two ISOFIX child seat mounts and three top tether anchors.

The SQ8 has AEB with car, pedestrian, and cyclist detection and is operational from 10 – 250km/h but it is usual to see this system operate from as low as 4.0km/h.

The 2026 Lexus LX500d Overtrail is covered by a five year/unlimited km warranty.

Capped-price servicing applies for five years/100,000km for a maximum of 10 services.

Servicing is scheduled for every six months or 10,000km, whichever occurs soonest and cost per service, at time of writing, is $595.

The SQ8 comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty, which is a normal term for the class.

It also comes with capped servicing for five years or up to 75,000km and averages $920 per service, which is very good for the segment.

Servicing intervals are reasonable at every 12-months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.