2025 Lexus GX review - New GX550 - Prado based Luxury off road 7 seater SUV test
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00:00You might be waiting for the new generation Toyota Prado to arrive, but what if you want
00:04a few extra luxuries in life, and you don't want a diesel engine?
00:07Well, this could be the answer.
00:09It's the new generation Lexus GX, and yeah, it's based on the Prado, but it has a fair
00:14few differences and a lot more luxury.
00:17So please ring the bell, and you'll be updated when I do my Prado review soon as well.
00:22Let's go look at it, shall we?
00:24In detail.
00:30Yes, this new generation Lexus GX is basically a Toyota Prado, but done the Lexus way.
00:36And look, there's plenty of differentiation between this and the donor vehicle.
00:41It's the first time that Lexus Australia has offered a GX in our market, despite the fact
00:45that it has been available in other markets like the US for a really long time.
00:50But hey, I reckon it's a good thing because it does fill an important gap in the market
00:54for this brand.
00:56And I also think that there's pretty good value on offer here, like the entry-level
01:00version which is this one here, it's called the Luxury.
01:02It starts at $116,000.
01:04Now that might seem like a lot of money, but it's a 7-seater with all-wheel drive and a
01:09twin turbocharged petrol V6 engine, so yeah, that stacks up pretty well.
01:13And then you think about the standard spec, you're getting things like LED lighting around
01:17the car, there's also 20-inch alloy wheels with a full-size spare, you get 8-way power
01:22adjustable heated and ventilated seats, heated second-row outboard seats, there's push-button
01:28third-row folding seats, you also get tri-zone climate control, a head-up display, a 12.3-inch
01:34digital instrument cluster, a 14-inch infotainment screen, there's wireless and wired Apple CarPlay
01:40and Android Auto, a 10-speaker sound system, wireless phone charging, plenty of USB ports,
01:45a 360-degree camera and a power tailgate as well, and it comes with 7 seats too.
01:51And in the middle of the range is that off-road focused Overtrail version, it's $122,500,
01:57so a bit more money but it actually removes the third-row seats, so in that version you
02:01just get a big boot, it's a 5-seater and it has plenty of extra off-roady focused stuff.
02:07So it gets 18-inch wheels with all-terrain tyres, plus there's wheel arch mouldings and
02:13unique bumpers and black trim highlights, it also gets adaptive variable suspension,
02:18a locking rear diff, it's also got that very tricky Electronic Kinetic Dynamic Suspension
02:23system, so EKDSS for those who know what that is, and a different interior trim is available
02:29too and a refrigerated cool box for that one as well.
02:33So it's definitely the adventure-focused version but if you want the really, really plush one
02:37then you have to go for the top-spec Sports Luxury, it's a 7-seater as well, you see the
02:41price for it on your screen now, all these prices are before on-road costs by the way,
02:46and it has a few more features, again, 7 seats but it also gets 22-inch wheels and
02:53adaptive high beams, it's also got power extending sidesteps, a panoramic glass roof, it's also
02:59got that adaptive variable suspension, more driver seat adjustment, a 21-speaker Mark
03:05Levinson sound system, a digital rear-view camera mirror which is really, really handy
03:10and leather-accented seats, and also it gets that refrigerated cool box too, so a family-friendly
03:15one.
03:16That car I reckon.
03:17But what about the alternatives that you might want to consider?
03:18There are some really, really good ones.
03:23If you're thinking about spending this kind of money on a big, luxury-focused, off-road-ish
03:28capable SUV, then maybe you should go and check out the Land Rover Discovery.
03:33It comes with a choice of petrol and diesel engines, it's very, very capable off-road,
03:38very comfortable on-road, with three rows of seats and plenty of style as well.
03:43I know there are a lot of people who don't love the look of that car, and hey, if that's
03:48you, maybe just buy a Defender instead because it's got the boxy look if that's what you're
03:52after.
03:53It's also a really, really fantastic alternative to this if you are considering a big vehicle
03:57with three rows of seats.
03:59The Defender 130 in particular has a few versions that you might want to check out, and I think
04:03that those too are some of the most compelling options that you could consider if you are
04:08looking at an alternative to this.
04:10You could wait for that Prado, as I said, or maybe you could have a look at the Land
04:14Cruiser 300 series.
04:15It starts at a lower price point than this, and it does have a diesel engine, which might
04:20be the difference for you.
04:22That makes it a really compelling alternative if you are considering doing longer road trips,
04:27family stuff with your vehicle, then hey, it might make a bit more sense than this.
04:31But it's also a bigger car, so it might not necessarily suit your needs.
04:34But I also think that it isn't necessarily as fun to drive as this is.
04:38But we'll get to the driving stuff later on.
04:41Would you choose any of those?
04:43Oh, what about the Jeep Grand Cherokee L?
04:45It's now heaps, heaps cheaper.
04:47You could get a flagship version of that US-made big SUV for less than the entry-level version
04:53of this.
04:54Would you consider it?
04:55Let me know.
04:56I'd love to hear your thoughts.
04:59It's a pretty sizeable thing, this Lexus GX.
05:03Just over 5 metres in length, although because it's got that boxy body and that sort of
05:08really macho profile, it doesn't actually look as big as it is, well, in some regards
05:15anyway.
05:16It's tall, it's wide, and it's long, and it's got standard sidesteps, which is good.
05:21And at the back, I do like this light bar at the rear.
05:24I think it does add a little bit of wow factor.
05:27And you've also got some really practical elements to this rear section.
05:30So the glass actually pops open independently, which means that you don't have to open the
05:35entire tailgate if you just want to access what's behind the third row.
05:39So if you're dropping in your shopping or something like that, you can just plonk it
05:42all in behind there, and it does make it a fair bit easier.
05:45It also means that you can reverse closer to a parking space wall or something like
05:51that.
05:52So if there's a wall there, you don't have to open the entire tailgate in order to access
05:56the boot.
05:57I think that is just clever.
05:59I mean, we've seen it before, but it's still one of the smartest things that lots of brands
06:03don't do.
06:05Alright, let's take a look in the boot with the full tailgate opening situation.
06:09Yes, fully electric tailgate for all grades.
06:12Yeah, so like I showed you just before, there is still a decent amount of space behind those
06:19third row seats.
06:20And you can see the figure on your screen now for how much cargo capacity is actually
06:24available to you.
06:25I reckon that's a decent usability factor in terms of using those three rows of seats
06:32if you're going to do that full time.
06:33But let me lower them down and show you how much boot space you've got as a five seater.
06:37So the way you do that is using these electric adjusters here.
06:44I think that that is clever, but also a bit of a waste because it just takes so long to
06:50do this manoeuvre.
06:51Honestly, in some other cars, it would take a tenth of the amount of time to lower those
06:57seats down, but it's because they've got some clever folding stuff underneath that section
07:01of those seats.
07:03Yes, you can see for yourself, there's plenty of space in here.
07:06If you're using this as a five seater, it's going to be very amenable to your family needs.
07:12And look at this space, there's so much, and there's also a fair few good features in the
07:16back here.
07:17You do get a couple of little shopping bag hooks, one on either side, some cargo tie
07:22downs as well.
07:24There's a PowerPoint in the back, which is always a win.
07:27And yes, for those third row occupants, there are some good amenities as well, but we'll
07:31get to that when we get in the back.
07:33And hey, there's also a spare wheel underneath the floor here, so that's good to see, and
07:39it might come in handy if you're going off-roading or just touring around town.
07:44And what's also handy, there are these controls here.
07:46If you do want to adjust those third row seats, you just reach into the rear wheel arch behind
07:51the second row seats, and you can put those seats back up, and this will show you just
07:56how clever the mechanism underneath those seats is in terms of the usability.
08:01And that's why they're fully electric.
08:03That's pretty cool, isn't it?
08:09Okay, this is your point of view perspective of the entry-level version of the Lexus GX,
08:13and in some ways it does feel a little bit entry-level, and in other ways it actually
08:18feels a little bit Toyota.
08:19So, there are some finishes in here that maybe aren't what I was expecting of a Lexus.
08:25You've got this sort of trim on the doors, which is kind of hard but not quite squishy
08:29and soft, this perforated finish in the door trims there, and also the dashboard plastics
08:37are a bit, well, plasticky.
08:39So it is maybe feeling a little bit like the donor car in some ways, but there's also some
08:46obvious differentiators to make it feel special in a few ways too.
08:50So you've got this big digital instrument screen, as I mentioned.
08:55Just ignore the warning on the screen there, that's just because the car's not running.
09:00And look, I reckon that this is very usable, it's very manageable, and there's a few different
09:05ways that you can interact with it.
09:07So you can use the controls on the steering wheel and adjust the view and make it basically
09:11whatever you want it to be.
09:14It's not necessarily as configurable as some other screens in the segment, but hey, I think
09:19it's good enough.
09:20There's also a standard head-up display, which is a bonus in my opinion, and you've also
09:25got the non-haptic controls on the steering wheel, which is a massive, massive win because
09:31the existing Lexuses that have come out in the past couple of years have had these haptic
09:35controls which were very easy to bump.
09:37These ones, physical, actual buttons, which I know that off-roaders in particular will
09:42really, really appreciate.
09:44Now you've got relatively conventional stalks, blinkers on the right and lights, and also
09:49your wipers on the left, and those little purple lights there, that's your driver monitoring
09:54camera system.
09:55So that little screen has a camera behind it that looks at your eyes to make sure that
10:00you're paying attention.
10:02Now there's some elements of this design that I think are really quite snazzy, but other
10:06bits where it's a bit, well, flat looking?
10:10Like it doesn't have that much contour or wow factor to this cabin for $116,000.
10:16This big flat section where the screen is obviously, that's for the screen, but it sort
10:21of just doesn't quite look finished in some ways in my eyes.
10:25And the screen, it's just like lots of the other Lexus screens that have come out in
10:29the past couple of years.
10:30It is a little bit fiddly, and you do have to learn where the menus are, thankfully though
10:35it does have that wireless Apple CarPlay system if that's what you want to use, and your controls
10:40for the climate are all on the screen as well.
10:43As you can see, there's little dials with displays in there as well, and I'll just turn
10:48that off so it's quieter.
10:49You've got a volume dial, which is a bonus too, I think, and quick buttons for your demister
10:54for your front window, and also for your mirrors and your rear glass too.
10:59So look, the screen, I think, you know, you need to spend a bit of time with this car
11:04to see if you like the way the screen behaves.
11:06I just think that some of the menus are a little bit buried.
11:09Now in terms of other elements to this cabin, there's a hidden 12-volt port in there, and
11:14you can also maybe put your phone in there.
11:16This is a covered centre console area as well with a couple of cup holders, there's a wireless
11:21phone charger there, and here is a decent-sized centre console bin.
11:26Now your main controls here that you might want to pay attention to, high range four-wheel
11:31drive is up, and push it down for low range four-wheel drive if you're going off-road.
11:35There's a lot of diff lock in this base model grade, but like I said, there are higher grade
11:39versions with more diff lock orientals.
11:42There's also a traction control off switch, a towing and hauling mode switch, and you've
11:47got your drive mode selector up here as well, so that'll change on the screen there depending
11:53on which mode you're in, and if you do decide to put it into tow and haul, it'll also tell
11:58you that you're there on that screen up there.
12:02And look, I think that for the most part, it's all relatively easy to get your head
12:05around, relatively simple thankfully, but is it too simple for the money?
12:10That's the big question.
12:11Now, you do have a decent-sized glove box, which is filled up with stuff, and there's
12:16a little tray down there as well, so you can store a phone or something in there as well.
12:21The seats are pretty comfortable, I have to say, they're not overly supportive, but they
12:26are comfy, and you've got heating and cooling for the front seats, electric adjustment as
12:30well up here.
12:32There is no sunglasses holder, but you do get an SOS button, so if you're in an accident
12:37you can dial for help, and in some instances it'll actually dial for you.
12:43And you've also got illuminated vanity mirrors, and a little card holder for your parking
12:48tickets and so forth.
12:50There's grab handles to get in and out, because it is pretty big, this car, and you've also
12:53got grab handles even for the driver, so hold on tight.
12:57Now this one does have an auto-dimming rear-vision mirror, but it doesn't have the digital camera
13:01mirror, so like you can see, those headrests in the back, imagine this car with five faces
13:06pointing at you there, so it would be really hard to see out the back, but you don't get
13:11the digital camera mirror on anything but the top-spec model.
13:14Bit of a shame.
13:15Alright, let's check out those back seats, shall we?
13:19Now I've had to wind down the windows in the back here because it's very dark in this car,
13:23and this particular car has a sunroof fitted, but yeah, it's not necessarily a very airy-feeling
13:29cabin because of this really dark headliner, and dark trim material as well, and dark carpet,
13:37so it does feel pretty cocoon-like in the back, I would say, but let's have a look at
13:43the space on offer.
13:44So this seat is set for me at 182cm or 6ft, and these are my knees in this seating position,
13:50and I've got, well, a bit of space in front of my legs, a bit of legroom as well, in fact
13:54about the same as I get in a five-seat version of the Lexus LX, so it's kind of impressive
14:00in terms of the amount of space.
14:03You've got decent-sized pockets in the back there, there's one on the other side as well,
14:08you've got bottle holders in the doors too, pretty basic trim on the doors, you get ISOFIX
14:15points in the window seats, there's outboard seat heating as well, as I mentioned, a flip-down
14:20armrest with cup holders, so all of the family-friendly features are pretty much covered.
14:26You've got climate control in the back as well, with a fan controller, and there's also
14:32a couple of USB ports down here as well, USB-C I should say, so that's good to see.
14:38Those seat heating buttons are down there in case you're wondering, and there are vents
14:42in the ceiling as well, plus grab handles, plus coat hooks, so yes, oh, and if you're
14:47wondering about my headroom, yeah, the sunroof does eat into the space a bit, and that's
14:52maybe why it feels like it is a little bit cavey, but yeah, I think that it's okay.
14:58Now, I'm going to jump in the third row and see what it's like, let's do that now.
15:02Okay, so you can't slide the seat forward, but you can tilt and fold the seat to allow
15:06access to the third row.
15:07The bigger portion is on the roadside rather than the kerbside, so you can make your own
15:11mind up about that as to whether that's better than the other way around, but here it goes,
15:17yep, there's a decent amount of access to get in here.
15:21Now, let me jump in and see what it's like.
15:27Right, so I'm back here, I've put this seat to where I was sitting before, so yep, it
15:33doesn't slide, but you can see I am in the back row, and I'm a six-footer, and I have
15:39enough knee room to fit.
15:42My toe room is a little bit tight, and it is only a two-seater back here, and they are
15:47quite small seats, look at that, my buttock is almost hanging off the side, so maybe I
15:54could spread my legs out a little bit and be a bit more comfortable, but look, I think
15:57it's okay, and the headroom, again, is actually kind of better in the third row than in the
16:02second row, because it doesn't feel quite as cavey.
16:04You've got lots of glass, you've got grab handles in the back, there are vents back
16:08here as well, and you can even recline the seat, or incline the seat, so just a little
16:14bit.
16:15I mean, that's something, it adds something.
16:17You've got USB-C ports back here as well, there's a light back here too, maybe I should
16:22have had that on so I could see what I was doing, and I think that, you know, it is a
16:26usable enough space, but don't go thinking that you'll be able to fit car seats in here
16:30because it doesn't have any third row anchor points at all.
16:34Yeah, does that rule it out?
16:36It might for some people, but otherwise I think it's an okay experience in the third
16:40row.
16:41In fact, better than okay.
16:45All Lexus GX models in Australia at launch are powered by a 3.4-litre twin-turbocharged
16:51V6 petrol engine with a huge 260 kW of power, 650 Nm of torque, with drive sent to all four
17:00wheels via a 10-speed automatic transmission.
17:03Yes, there's low range gearing, a locking centre diff is standard as well, and you are
17:08looking at a pretty decent amount of towing capacity as well for this car.
17:13750 kilos unbraked, 3.5 tonnes brake towing capacity for the Luxury and also the Overtrail
17:22model, but a little bit less for the Sports Luxury.
17:25It gets a 31-30 kilo top towing capacity.
17:29You reckon that's good enough?
17:31I reckon for most people, bloody well will be.
17:37As I said earlier, this review is just going to be focused on on-road stuff, day-to-day
17:41driving, liveability, that sort of thing.
17:44The stuff that you will be doing with a car like this far more often than you will be
17:48going off-road.
17:49So, let's talk about the on-road drive experience and let me tell you, for something that is
17:54designed for off-roading and designed to be super capable, it's also surprisingly good
17:59around town.
18:00I have to preface that though by saying, does it feel like a Lexus to drive?
18:06Not necessarily, and not like most other Lexuses at least.
18:10Sort of feels more like the LX than anything else obviously, but shared components there.
18:14But I think that you do get a decent drivability for what is, like I said, an off-road capable
18:20vehicle, but it is just pretty cruisy, pretty comfortable and pretty easy going in terms
18:27of the drivability.
18:28It's got decent steering which is actually pretty reactive.
18:31It's kind of a bit slow on centre and it does take a bit of turning of the wheel when you
18:36do do a reverse parallel park or if you're doing a U-turn in a cul-de-sac or something
18:42like that, you will need to do a bit of arm twirling.
18:45But I think that for the most part the steering is perfectly predictable and it's a little
18:51bit wallowy obviously.
18:52It's not a super sharp handling thing, but the ride is also pretty good as well.
18:59It handles itself pretty decently over lumpy, bumpy sections of road.
19:03Look, I'll go over some here.
19:06It's got 20-inch wheels and it's doing a fine job as far as I can tell for this drive experience
19:12that I've been throwing at it.
19:13I mean, if you hit a really sharp edge you can feel it, but it's hardly uncomfortable
19:18or hard to deal with or hard to live with.
19:22I think it's absolutely adequate for this sort of car.
19:26And also this engine, okay, so in day-to-day driving it's a bit of a, whatever, that might
19:33seem a bit harsh for a twin-turbo V6, but yeah, I mean, it's just like a petrol engine.
19:41It just has that, you know, sort of motion to it.
19:47Again, well-suited to this sort of application, fine, decent response, pretty powerful, even
19:54better when you put it into sport mode and then, yep, it's very, very, very fast.
20:03So if you aren't expecting this to be a really fast car, remember how much power and torque
20:12it's got.
20:13It is a twin-turbo V6 petrol engine.
20:15It's got a clever 10-speed automatic transmission in most situations.
20:20It is a little bit eager to upshift in normal driving, but when you put it into sport mode
20:27the transmission becomes a bit more active and a bit more thoughtful about how things
20:32are progressing.
20:33Now, yeah, it's got permanent four-wheel drive, so you don't need to worry about mucking around
20:37with that on-road and I like the fact that there is that traction that you would expect
20:43from a permanent all-wheel drive system like this.
20:47So I think that, for the most part, this drive experience is exactly what it should be.
20:54It's not setting any benchmarks in terms of dynamics, but it's also way better than I
20:59was expecting it to be for something that has this level of capability built into the
21:05hardware, into the chassis.
21:07So you tell me what you think.
21:10Is it the best in the class?
21:12I think it's one of the best.
21:14And another thing that I really can't understate the brilliance of is the safety systems.
21:20Like, these safety systems are some of the best that I've experienced.
21:24The fact that it has all the tech, like it's got a driver monitoring camera system, but
21:28it doesn't annoy you.
21:30It's got the speed sign recognition tech, but it just shows that it's red when you're
21:35going over the speed limit.
21:36It doesn't beep and bong and warn you and chime at you and get on your nerves.
21:41And the lane keeping assistance is even pretty good.
21:44Like, I haven't turned it off, which is a massive tick in my book.
21:48If I don't have to turn off the lane keeping, it means that you've done it right.
21:53And this car, well, it does so much right.
21:56There's no doubt about that.
21:57But there's one thing that maybe it doesn't do so well, and that's fuel consumption.
22:03Alright, let's talk efficiency with this big boy.
22:06If you're a sedate driver, or if you do mainly long distance driving, I think you'll see
22:12close to that, maybe even less.
22:13You might get 10 if you do a lot of freeway driving.
22:16But I have to say, what is most alarming about it is that it has an 80 litre fuel tank, and
22:24that it has 95 RON premium unleaded as the main requirement.
22:29And it's also got a really pessimistic fuel gauge, so the distance to empty when I got
22:35into this car, 80 litre fuel tank, the distance to empty was showing just over 400 kilometres.
22:42What?
22:43What is going on with that?
22:45I mean, I'm an optimist, but that is ridiculously pessimistic.
22:49I would like to think that you'll be able to get more than that on regular driving duties.
22:56But if you're wondering what I've seen over my time with this car, you'll see the number
23:00on your screen.
23:01This is what was displayed on the trip computer after a couple of days of doing the usual
23:06daily driving stuff.
23:07So, is that good enough?
23:09I'd love to know your thoughts.
23:10Hit me up in the comments.
23:14On the safety front, there's plenty of standard spec and tech, but it doesn't have a safety
23:18rating just yet.
23:20That might change at some point in the future, but you're still getting things like autonomous
23:23emergency braking with pedestrian, cyclist, motorcyclist, head-on and junction avoidance,
23:30and there's other stuff like a full speed adaptive cruise control system, so it'll go
23:34all the way to a stop and then keep going.
23:37There's lane keeping assistance, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, you
23:41get front and rear parking sensors, you get a surround view camera system and a reversing
23:45camera with a washer for the cameras as well, which is really cool.
23:49And there's plenty of other stuff like safe exit assist and all that sort of gear that
23:52you would expect, traffic sign recognition which doesn't beep and bong, which is great,
23:57and a heap of other really good features.
23:59And there's a driver monitoring camera and it's not annoying either, so that's a win
24:02in my book.
24:03There's also nine airbags fitted to this car, including dual front, front side, front
24:08centre, curtain airbags for all three rows, and probably more.
24:12There's a lot of airbags.
24:16Lexus Australia has a really good reputation for customer service and the ownership experience,
24:21and look, this car comes with a five year unlimited kilometre warranty as standard,
24:26plus there's also a cap price servicing plan for the first five years too, and you'll see
24:30the average cost over that five year period on your screen, and now I'll show you also
24:35what the servicing intervals for this car are too.
24:38Now included in that there's also a level of roadside assistance, plus there's access
24:43to the Lexus Encore program, a three year free membership for all versions of the Lexus
24:47GX, which allows you access to a few special events and that sort of thing, and some extra
24:53nice things when it comes to getting your car maintained.
24:56They'll come and collect it and clean it and all that sort of stuff as well if you need
24:59that.
25:00So, what do you think?
25:01I reckon it stacks up pretty well, but hey, what about those service prices?
25:07As I said at the start of this video, this was always going to be an on-road focused,
25:11liveability focused take on this car, and hopefully at a later date I'll get a chance
25:16to drive the Overtrail and do some off-roading and tell you what I think about it in that
25:20sort of situation.
25:21As it is, this is very impressive in a lot of ways, but hey, that, I guess, thirst for
25:26the fuel might be a real concern for those who like to do long distance and use the interior
25:32to its maximum capacity as well.
25:34Tell me what you think about it in the comments section below.
25:36Would you choose this?
25:37Would you wait for the Prado?
25:38I'd love to know.
25:39If you haven't already, please like, subscribe and ring that bell to keep up to date with
25:43all of my reviews, and thanks for watching.
25:45See you in the next one!