Will the real Land Cruiser please stand up?
2024 Lexus GX 550 review by The Road Beat
Words and pictures: Mitchell Weitzman
Following my disappointments with the new Toyota Land Cruiser, I knew I could still count on the ace up Lexus' sleeve when delivering the true heir to the Land Cruiser; The result is one of the best and unique luxury SUVs on sale today. Like the Land Cruiser, the looks are outwardly phenomenal, boasting a commanding road presence with its neo-retro and cubist styling. Interior enhancements and a gutsy V6 engine solidify improvements that make this Lexus-enhanced version truly desirable and the real heir to the Land Cruiser legacy.
Luckily, the Lexus GX looks nigh-identical to the new Toyota Land Cruiser, save for a different badge on the also-different grille. Dark olive green suits the GX admirably with its botanic natural hue that says, "yes, I do like hiking," and "yes, I do have a fresh clump of eucalyptus in my house." Where the Toyota let down, was inside, featuring an interior that was nice for a Toyota, but nowhere near what can be expected for its tall price. Lexus has fixed that, and even though the price creeps ever-so-slightly higher now, there's no getting around the fact that this is an appropriately nice car now. All the touch points are softer and feel more expensive and substantive, the screen is larger, and the Land Cruiser's dumb row of fiddly and creaky buttons have been evicted. I always favor physical switches verse digital, but the Land Cruiser's items felt like a future failure point with how flimsy and lamely tacked on they were. Also, the volume knob is now centralized and not out of reach for your passenger. See, this isn't just one rung nicer inside, but multiple, and plays the part of luxury SUV convincingly when the Toyota just could not. There's also the addition of jumper seats to make for additional third-row seating, not that I'd want to sit back there, ever, but it's welcome for emergencies (and with the seats upright in place, cargo volume all but disappears).
Another large improvement involves the removal of the wastefully pointless four-cylinder hybrid power unit in favor of a smoothly combusting and robust twin-turbo V6. Not only does this new mill sound far more pleasing with its authentic guttural growls (still not as a good as V8, mind you, but vastly superior to a four cylinders) verse the noisy and cheap-sounding four-banger, but power is delivered more consistently and the gas mileage is literally the same. Actually, it's better, because while I averaged less than 19 in the Land Cruiser, the GX achieved 20 MPG during my weeklong test. So not only is the V6 an increasingly satisfying engine for its character and sound, but it's also more efficient than the boosted and hybrid four-cylinder that cheapens the experience in the Land Cruiser.
Despite similar horsepower figures on their respective spec sheets (modestly improved with 349 here in the Lexus vs 326 in the Toyota), the GX walks away from the Land Cruiser further than 23 extra ponies would suggest, taking only 6.2 seconds to dispatch 0-60 MPH (instead of a staid 7.7). Why is this engine not at least an option in the Toyota Land Cruiser? Beats me, and logic certainly beats Toyota, as I think the GX is worth the upgrade alone just for the everyday pleasantries and refinement the twin-turbo V6 brings while not sacrificing any fuel economy in the real world. Also noteworth is towing capacity, because the GX and the V6 can tow up to 9,000 pounds, a monstrous 50% more than the Land Cruiser's 6,000 pound rating.
On the road, there's very little to distinguish the two from one another, but the Lexus has a quieter cabin at speed, and the supportive and cushy seats and steering wheel both offer further comfort and command of this lux SUV. That's not to say this is a particularly quiet luxury car, because over 70 MPH, the wind noise can be excessive due to having the aerodynamic properties of a Doc Martens boot. The large, boxy mirrors don't contribute much help either, and with the windows down, driving over just only 40 MPH can become tiresome due to the lack of streamlining and those blocky mirrors. Also not exactly ideal is suspension that borders on the firm side, but this is likely necessary to retain improved road control on this classic and heavy SUV frame, but in return offers exceeding precision compared to past GX and Land Cruiser models.
Which brings me to how the GX 550 drives, which is very well, just like the Toyota Land Cruiser to no surprise. Despite the classic off-road SUV architecture, the GX goes and steers like a thoroughly modern machine, and while some might say that drains character, it makes for an easier and more pleasant car to be behind the wheel of for longer. The steering is also nicely weighted and has accurate responses to nuanced inputs - no 'sawing' at the wheel to keep straight - and the handling impresses with a surprising threshold for balance, being far happier to quickly change direction and tuck the nose in corners than past big Lexus and Toyota SUVs. I really liked driving the GX around, and even if it lacks the vintage 'character' (flaws) of past models, it still oozes charisma when compared to the current crop of more normal new SUVs from other brands.
Like my Land Cruiser test, I unfortunately did not have an opportunity to venture off-road in the GX 550, but the advanced electronic controls remain to assure the easy mastery of soils. Locking center differential, full-time 4WD with a granny-gear low-mode, terrain controls, etc., it's all there. What unfortunately does remain is the low 8.7-inches of ground clearance, and despite the electronic tools and aids available at your disposal, what you can cross will ultimately be dictated by this moderate ride height. Want a comparable perspective? It's the same clearance (okay, it's 0.3-inches extra) as a Toyota RAV4, and nearly a full inch less than most 2024 4Runners. So while the capability is there, you will be limited by what you can trek through and over by the kind mediocre ground clearance. Truthfully, most GX 550s will likely never leave pavement past perhaps a gravel driveway, but it's a bummer there isn't an additional inch of lift from the factory. Even the optional Overtrail package only boosts clearance to a moderate 8.9-inches. Land Rover's Defender, another off-road oriented SUV with a throwback shape, fails by offering a paltry 8.5-inches of standard ground clearance to its name, but with air suspension and off-road mode engaged, the Brit's clearance rises to a towering 11.5, and that's a standard feature on the pretty English box.
However, and this is a big however, as just at the time of writing it was announced that 2025 model year GX 550s will receive a full one inch lift, albeit only on the Overtrail trim levels. In other words, for the most definitive overlanding and land cruising experience, a 2025 GX 550 Overtrail and Overtrail+ will be the obvious choices and address the last chief complaint of this test unit.
That's not to outright shame the GX 550, because I do really really like this car. It's everything the Toyota Land Cruiser ought to have been, representing such a marked improvement in the problem areas that this is only one worth considering of the two. Yes, it costs a small premium, but it's easily worth it for those that can budget it. And besides, there's even some overlap to the pricing, with the Land Cruiser starting just below $60,000 and cresting $80,000, while the 2024 GX 550 starts at $65,000 and can reach nearly $85,000. This Premium+ model as equipped? About $71,455, or only a solitary grand more than the comparable Land Cruiser I previously tried, and this Lexus is significantly nicer in every tangible way that you would experience every single day. With its eerily-similar pricing in mind, the Lexus GX is the only Land Cruiser worth considering. Yet, it also warrants a gander all on its own merit, too, for choosing a luxurious new SUV with character and looks that get all the right kind of stares.
2024 Lexus GX 550 Premium+
As-tested price: $71,455
Pros: Gorgeous exterior; Satisfying V6; Nice interior
Cons: Not exactly aerodynamic; Weak ground clearance on 2024 model
2024 Lexus GX 550 photo gallery
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