Big grille apart, it’s important to admit the GX 460 seems to be fairly butch.
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The GX 460 is the oldest product in Lexus’ lineup, however it discovered its method again into the highlight. With overlanding gaining reputation lately, the GX is having fun with newfound stardom due to its easy-to-modify structure, legit four-wheel-drive chops and high-quality inside. There are lifted examples throughout Car Twitter. Lexus’ historical SUV is as soon as once more cool.
LikeOutstanding off-road efficiencyPlush, quiet, high-quality cabinPlenty of room for passengers and cargoLots of ordinary security tech
Don’t LikeReally previous multimedia interfaceV8 is underpoweredFuel economic system is not nice
It looks like Lexus is lastly leaning into the GX’s old-school nature, too. Last yr, the corporate created the GXOR Concept as a nod to house owners who, in keeping with Lexus, “discovered and embraced the SUV’s perfect combination of ultimate luxury and unrivaled off-road capability.” And for 2020, there is a new Off-Road Package which provides particular drive modes for various kinds of terrain, panoramic-view and under-the-car cameras, a transmission cooler, gas tank protector and Crawl Control, which is like cruise management for super-slow off-road stuff. It’s a $1,570 choice that is solely accessible on the top-tier Luxury trim, however for those who’re planning to enterprise off the overwhelmed path in your GX — and you actually, actually ought to — it is a must-have.Aside from that, the obvious replace for 2020 is, uh, that face. Lexus’ outsized spindle grille is nearly blown out of proportion on the GX. It’s fairly dangerous, you guys. Thankfully, the remainder of the SUV is fairly good-looking, with its upright design and high-mounted taillights. My tester wears the $2,020 Sport Design Package, which provides dark-finish 19-inch wheels and another grey physique work, in addition to second-row captain’s chairs, which do not precisely convey “sporty,” however no matter, they’re good.
Gettin’ soiled.
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Actually, the entire dang inside is good, with comfortable leather-based surfaces and wonderful match and end — the form of stuff you count on in a Lexus. The red-and-black shade scheme is a bit a lot for my tastes, and it would not precisely scream “please throw all of your muddy camping gear in here,” however it provides some visible aptitude to the in any other case simple cabin design. It brings the GX’s cabin nearer to fashionable instances, too, particularly with a redesigned three-spoke steering wheel, aluminum trim and a brand new backlit gauge cluster.Headroom is ample for entrance and rear passengers alike, and there is even a 3rd row of seats, although they’re greatest left unused. The GX presents a most of 64.7 cubic toes of house, although it is price noting you entry the way-back by a side-hinged tailgate, so take particular word earlier than backing right into a storage or squeezing into a good parallel parking house. Old SUVs, am I proper?
Speaking of previous, get a load of the GX’s multimedia tech. This outdated touchscreen infotainment system makes use of low-res graphics, it is fairly gradual to answer inputs, form of complicated to navigate and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are nowhere to be discovered (Amazon Alexa integration, alternatively, is customary). But it isn’t all horrible. In reality, the just-touch-what-you-want interface is way simpler to make use of than any of Lexus’ newer setups — you understand, the silly mouse-like joystick or, worse, the Remote Touch trackpad.
There’s no less than a formidable roster of driver-assistance tech, with Lexus’ Safety System Plus suite fitted to each GX. This incorporates pre-collision braking with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, automated high-beams and adaptive cruise management, although the latter system would not cowl a full vary of velocity, so do not depend on it for stop-and-go conditions.Perhaps an important driver-assistance applied sciences are those that assist the GX off-road, since that is the place this SUV can actually strut its stuff. The Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (KDSS) retains the GX degree and regular each on- and off-road, stiffening or stress-free the entrance and rear stabilizer bars as wanted. Stiffer is healthier for managed physique motions on easy pavement, whereas softer settings give the wheels a better vary of movement on tough terrain. The high-quality leather-based is pretty much as good right here as it’s in another Lexus. The infotainment, nonetheless…
Lexus
Interestingly, the vast majority of the GX’s off-road options do not work except you choose the four-wheel-drive system’s low-range, at which level you may as well lock the middle differential. The GX 460 has respectable off-road geometry, with strategy, breakover and departure angles of 21, 21 and 23 levels, respectively, in addition to 8.1 inches of floor clearance. The GX has air suspension tech, too, however just for the rear wheels.The ethical of the story is, the GX is way extra succesful than you may suppose. Playing round at California’s Hungry Valley off-road park, the Lexus fortunately bounds alongside dusty trails and scales steep grades with assured energy. I would not press it into service as a rock crawler — that is what a Jeep Wrangler is for, or perhaps a Toyota 4Runner — however for the form of get-off-the-map overlanding that is precipitated this complete resurgence in GX reputation, it is obtained each device for the job.The GX is lots good for commuting by civilization, too. Normal, Sport and Comfort drive modes modify the adaptive dampers, although to be sincere I can barely inform a distinction. Leave it in Comfort. Go plush or go residence. Besides, the comparatively mild steering and considerably sluggish transmission show the GX would not actually need to be hustled. Instead, it is easy, simply highly effective sufficient and the inside is properly insulated to maintain the surface world the place it belongs.Motive drive comes from a 4.6-liter naturally aspirated V8, pushing out 301 horsepower and 329 pound-feet of torque, despatched to all 4 wheels by a six-speed automated transmission. The GX is not precisely fast, however a manufacturer-estimated 0-to-60-mph time of 7.8 seconds is not pokey, both. Unfortunately, this previous powerplant is fairly thirsty, with the EPA estimating you may see 15 miles per gallon within the metropolis, 20 mpg freeway and 17 mpg mixed.Here’s hoping GX patrons really take their SUVs off highway.
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The 2020 GX 460 begins at $54,025 together with $1,025 for vacation spot, which positions it nicely under its main large-ish luxurious off-road competitor, the Land Rover Range Rover Sport ($69,945). Upper-crust variations of the Jeep Grand Cherokee pose a little bit of a risk, too, with the range-topping Summit coming in at $53,990. Fully loaded, the GX 460 Luxury pictured right here prices $73,090.If you do not plan to take your luxurious SUV off highway, the Lexus GX in all probability is not for you. Car-based crossovers just like the Audi Q7, BMW X5 or Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class provide extra energy, higher gas economic system, more energizing fashion and considerably higher tech, with extra relaxed on-road manners.But there’s one thing oddly compelling concerning the archaic GX. Those who respect its rugged appeal will discover quite a bit to love. And hey, if one would not make sense proper now, Lexus’ confirmed reliability will make this GX a candy secondhand purchase when it is time to construct an overlanding rig of your individual.