The Lexus GX has always been a cool truck, having been based on what is sold as the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado worldwide — essentially a smaller version of Toyota’s big Land Cruiser. When it was first sold here more than 20 years ago as the Lexus GX 460, it was positioned as a luxury product, with leather and powered everything, glossy wood trim — as was the style at the time — plus a smooth V8 from the full-size Tundra and air suspension. It was all a far cry from the utilitarian nature of the Land Cruiser Prado, and that still holds true with this latest 2024 Lexus GX 550.
The old GX developed a cult following, both from truck nerds who appreciated its international origins and what it was capable of, and from people who just liked it because it was a nice SUV that drove well, was reliable, and felt substantial. This new GX takes a lot from the newly resurrected and very retro Land Cruiser, and as such, wanders into new territory. It exemplifies the same upright, brutalist industrial design of military-chic vehicles that are so hot right now, like the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen and Land Rover Defender. Lexus carefully positioned this new GX as both a proper truck, and a vogue accessory.
I think this is the runaway looker of the bunch. They’ve captured the prerequisite rugged-chic aesthetic the segment demands, while maintaining a very distinctly Lexus sense of modernity that doesn’t lean as hard on retro design elements as its competitors do, including the new Land Cruiser. It takes what works there and builds on it in its own Lexus way; whether that’s for better or worse is up to you. This Overtrail+ trim also benefits from chunky 33-inch all-terrain tires, black accents, and gorgeous earthy paint — yes, really, the colour is called Earth — to complete the bougie-and-bombproof look.
This new GX 550 also takes a platform from the Land Cruiser, sharing the same fully boxed frame also used in the new Tacoma and the upcoming 4Runner. Unlike all of those, though, this new GX takes a page from its predecessor’s playbook and lifts the powertrain out of the mightier Tundra. Where the Land Cruiser relies on Toyota’s new hybrid powerrain featuring its 2.4-litre turbo-four, the GX gets the 3.4L twin-turbo V6 with 349 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque at just 2,000 rpm.
The change of powertrain isn’t all about numbers. The power increase is modest at best, having only 20 additional ponies and twisticles over the boosted four-banger. What Lexus successfully sought here is feel — its competitors and its own predecessor offer V8 power, and they did a brilliant job capturing that sense of effortless brawn. The GX feels properly smooth and quiet, hitting all the right notes, and unlike it’s predecessor, it’s quick. Surprisingly, despite producing more power and lacking hybrid assistance, I observed an average fuel use of 13.7 L/100 kilometres. Not bad at all.
Another not bad for Lexus is the cabin space. In pretty typical Lexus fashion, they’ve done a great job differentiating it from the Toyota on which it’s based, as well as its competition. The GX is much more contemporary-comfy than any of the other trucks that look like it, with an interior design that pays just barely enough attention to its angular exterior design to not feel disjointed. Materials are well chosen; everything is leather, wood, metal, or a leather-like liner for the dash and doors.
A 14-inch touchscreen that’s artfully integrated into the dashboard handles infotainment, augmented by physical climate controls and a real volume knob. The software behind it is the same as we’ve seen on other Toyota and Lexus models, meaning it generally works well, looks good, and it’s easy enough to figure out. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is present,and really likes being on a big screen.
The Mark Levinson sound system is terrific as usual, and the boxy exterior means the cabin is bright, airy, and has fantastic sightlines. There’s a good amount of storage in the front, the driving position is excellent, and there’s a decent amount of leg room for the second row captain’s chairs in this tester. A third row is optional, but excluded on the top trims like our Overtrail+ tester. Instead, cargo space is the focus here, and there’s a healthy amount of room for your stuff.
On the road, the GX drives, well, mostly like a Lexus. This is a body-on-frame truck architecture, so it’s not quite as smooth as other Lexus SUVs. They’ve also done away air suspension here, but I don’t think the GX really suffers for it. It feels like a truck — tough, substantial, and in a way much more satisfying to helm because of it. The ride is anywhere even close to what you might call rough, unless you’re used to other Lexus crossovers.
It’s a comfortable place to spend time, on-road or off. The GX very effectively isolates you from wind and road noise, and the power-adjustable, heated, ventilated, and massaging seats are top-notch — but I have to point out the controls for the massage function are inexplicably buried in the touchscreen. The 10-speed automatic transmission that directs the excellent engine is stealthy in its operation, disappearing into the background where it belongs. Lexus’ full suite of safety features and driver assists are present and all work well, save for the proactive driving assist. It does work but can feel unnatural, going against this truck’s whole ethos of feeling organic. Thankfully, it’s easily defeated via the shortcut menu.
When the road ends, this well-loaded Overtrail+ trim has a plethora of hardware and software to keep things just as slick off-road. It features a number of terrain modes, hill descent and crawl control, an electronic sway bar disconnect, skid plates, adaptive dampers that allow for greater articulation, and locking rear and center differentials. It also has a trick where it unlocks the centre differential in 4Lo to allow for a much tighter turning circle, improving its already pretty excellent manoeuvrability.
Our tester rings in at $102,250 as-tested, putting it right line with a decently equipped six-cylinder Defender. I’d argue the Landie drives better but leans harder on the militaristic theme for its cabin design, whereas the 2024 Lexus GX 550 is simply nicer overall. Either way, I think it’ll appeal to both types of legacy GX customers pretty well; on one hand, it’s a real truck that can tow over 9,000 pounds and manoeuvre itself through tricky trail with ease. On the other hand, it’s a beautiful luxury vehicle that’s practical, drives wonderfully, and should keep driving wonderfully for years with minimal headaches. Either way, it can go anywhere, do anything, and look like a million bucks doing it — and that’s what the GX has always been about.
