We take the all-new Lexus GX on-road and off to see if it has the chops its fans have come to expect.
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00:00 [MUSIC]
00:07 It has been a hot second since we've gotten a new Lexus GX, but better late than never, right?
00:13 The second-gen GX debuted 15 years ago, which is basically ancient history, but
00:18 the new one is finally here.
00:19 And guess what?
00:20 We've driven it.
00:22 Traditionally, the GX is the Lexus that's designed to go off-road with an available
00:26 third row.
00:27 That means today's model has a standard full-time four-wheel drive system and
00:31 a Torsen limited slip-locking center differential.
00:34 All that's moved along by a 3.4 liter twin turbo V6 that makes 349 horsepower and
00:40 479 pound-feet of torque, which is more powerful than the outgoing V8.
00:45 A hybrid engine will come later on, but for now, we'll focus on the V6.
00:49 Presently, the GX comes in six different trim levels, premium, premium plus,
00:54 luxury, luxury plus, over-trail, and over-trail plus.
00:58 The new GX is big and blocky on the outside, and you know what?
01:01 It's big and blocky on the inside too.
01:03 We're told Lexus used lots of straight lines here, so
01:06 it's easier to tell how far the SUV may be tilting when you're on a particularly tough
01:10 trail.
01:11 Sitting in it, we like how clear the 14-inch infotainment screen is, and
01:14 that optional panoramic electrochromatic roof glass is sick.
01:18 It's a dope feature that lets in either some or a ton of light at the touch of a button.
01:23 Three rows of seats are standard on premium and luxury models, and
01:26 two rows are standard on over-trail models.
01:28 We took some time to hang out in each row, and
01:30 can report that third-row materials aren't stellar, and
01:33 it's pretty tight back there as well.
01:35 Furthermore, we weren't super wowed by the design in the front row either.
01:39 Don't get us wrong, it is a nice place to sit, but
01:42 this being a Lexus, we expected a little more flair.
01:45 Yet for a big body-on-frame SUV that's meant to get muddy,
01:49 maybe this isn't the worst thing.
01:51 The best part of driving a large Lexus SUV like this is you feel on top of the world.
01:55 Takeoff from stops are smooth, and there's plenty of power to get you around.
01:59 Out of all the trims we tried, we thought the over-trail with 33-inch all-terrain
02:03 tires had the best ride quality, followed by the premium,
02:06 aka the base model, on 20-inch wheels.
02:09 The Luxury Plus could have ridden better, and that was with the adaptive suspension.
02:14 And just because there are now too few cylinders than before,
02:17 don't expect gas mileage to be stellar.
02:19 The MPGs are still pretty low.
02:21 Every single model was extremely quiet inside the cabin,
02:24 something you expect from a Lexus.
02:26 The off-road trails Lexus picked for us were relatively tame, but
02:29 the over-trail plus GX still made easy work of them.
02:32 Both the brake and accelerator pedal were responsive,
02:35 which is important in these low-speed, low-traction situations.
02:39 With good body control, the Lexus was overall quite impressive,
02:42 despite how big it is.
02:44 It stayed sure-footed and felt capable throughout.
02:47 There's even an electronically-assisted off-road function called
02:50 Crawl Control that comes with five different speeds.
02:53 We tried this out, but it did make us wonder, what's the point?
02:57 Don't people go off-roading specifically to enjoy it themselves?
03:01 Anyway, as a final note, we thought the electronically-assisted steering was
03:04 pretty good in an off-road application.
03:06 It actually provided decent feedback and added to the GX's overall confidence on the trail.
03:12 This new GX will compete directly in the Luxury off-road space,
03:15 which means it has the Land Rover Defender right in its crosshairs.
03:19 Now, you might be asking yourself,
03:21 "Who the hell is taking their very expensive Lexus off-roading,
03:24 where the chances of damage are high?"
03:26 The answer is very few people, for now.
03:28 Most buyers will use it as a luxury commuter, and it'll do that job very well.
03:33 But the fact remains that this SUV comes out of the box with all the hardware
03:37 that makes it an accomplished off-roader.
03:39 So, who knows?
03:41 Maybe by the second or third owner, we'll see these things overlanding out on the trails.
03:45 But the point is, no matter the job, the GX will get it done.
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