2012 GX 460 Premium Review "The End of an Era"?
01-15-13, 11:59 AM
#31
do not like 7 seat 'mid-size' suvs because you have to choose between people or cargo, and when you choose cargo, those 3rd row seats take up a lot of room, even if they fold 'flat', it still means the floor is higher. better off with a minivan if you're gonna take 6/7 people around a lot.
You can, however, also store cargo on the roof rails, so it's not like these can't take 7 on a camping trip.
01-15-13, 11:12 PM
#33
Lexus Champion
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Excellent review Mike. Very well done as always. It's always good to see in depth PERSONAL reviews from guys like you and Mmarshall. I enjoy reviews from the perspective of guys here at CL.
Exactly!
Great point but why is it that Jaguar/Land Rover have been successful with their 4.2 V8 engines in the older XF and Range Rover? Not to mention their current 5.0 V8 in the XF/XJ and off road and high tow rated Range Rovers? I never understood why Lexus detuned that fantastic and fuel efficient motor in their newly designed GX? Instead of increasing the weight by nearly 400 lbs for the 2nd gen GX (when everyone else including Land Rover), they should have gone unibody like the GL and others and not worry with concerns about cannibalizing their highly successful smaller RX. The GX460 will need more than the spindle grille whenever they do decide to update it.
The GX is nice, but very quirky in some usability like the barn door. I'd prefer to see a traditional rear hatch on a 7-passenger unibody chassis........ Had this car been out in 2008 it would have been very advanced for it's class. As it stands, the GX is pretty long in the tooth even being 3 years old. I fear they will neglect it even longer
Oh and the 303hp and 329lbft from the 4.6L..... you have a perfectly good 4.6L putting out 367/380/386hp and 360lbft....
Oh and the 303hp and 329lbft from the 4.6L..... you have a perfectly good 4.6L putting out 367/380/386hp and 360lbft....
Exactly!Great point but why is it that Jaguar/Land Rover have been successful with their 4.2 V8 engines in the older XF and Range Rover? Not to mention their current 5.0 V8 in the XF/XJ and off road and high tow rated Range Rovers? I never understood why Lexus detuned that fantastic and fuel efficient motor in their newly designed GX? Instead of increasing the weight by nearly 400 lbs for the 2nd gen GX (when everyone else including Land Rover), they should have gone unibody like the GL and others and not worry with concerns about cannibalizing their highly successful smaller RX. The GX460 will need more than the spindle grille whenever they do decide to update it.
01-16-13, 07:26 AM
#34
Guest
Posts: n/a
Thanks everyone, I appreciate it.
This week I've had time with the previous gen ML 450 and the 2013 ML 450. If I have time I'll do a review on the new one. Now the MSRP was 75k (it was already sold) but it drives significantly better than the previous model, the interior is very well done and there is more room than a GX, it is a much larger SUV. Like the GX the rear seats fold flat with the touch of button. I always forget the ML uses a column mounted shifter. Internetz gave that a pass
So far though the new Range Rover is the one that blew me away and I believe they will offer a 7 seat version but the price was 95k on the one I drove.
While I am no fan of the looks, the Infiniit QX56 is clearly the big bargain here and a reason they sell very well for such a big SUV.
This week I've had time with the previous gen ML 450 and the 2013 ML 450. If I have time I'll do a review on the new one. Now the MSRP was 75k (it was already sold) but it drives significantly better than the previous model, the interior is very well done and there is more room than a GX, it is a much larger SUV. Like the GX the rear seats fold flat with the touch of button. I always forget the ML uses a column mounted shifter. Internetz gave that a pass
So far though the new Range Rover is the one that blew me away and I believe they will offer a 7 seat version but the price was 95k on the one I drove.
While I am no fan of the looks, the Infiniit QX56 is clearly the big bargain here and a reason they sell very well for such a big SUV.
01-16-13, 08:06 AM
#35
Lead Lap
When I was in the market for a new SUV to replace our 08 GX470 (which I actually loved) I considered the GL, X5, Q7, QX56 and LR4 or RR Sport. I wanted something with some luxury including NAV, heated /cooled seats, third row seating, heated steering wheel, etc. My budget was $60k +/- a couple thousand. The GL and the RR Sport were way more than I wanted to spend with all of the options I wanted and the QX56 was also more but I couldn't get over the exterior looks of it. That left me with the Q7, LR4, X5 and GX. I didn't care for the Q7 at all but I really liked the LR4 and the X5. The issues I had with these two were reliability. Even though they would be under warranty I don't want to see my dealer that much and I knew with the GX I only would need to see the dealer for oil changes (at least from my personal experience). The X5 is a better driving car for sure and the tech seemed top notch but it doesn't really do well in bad weather (not that we have had a lot recently anyway). The LR4 was my wife's favorite and we may get that next but it get really bad gas mileage, maintenance seems more expensive (brakes/rotors/tires don't last long and aren't cheap) and even the salesman couldn't give me confidence in the reliability of this truck. That left us with the GX460 which while not the best looking or best driving SUV, it was exactly $60k for the premium model with rear seat entertainment and we knew it was reliable and was a good bad weather performer. There are some things that we don't like about it but it met our needs. Had the GL been around the same price I probably would have gone with that.
01-16-13, 09:02 AM
#36
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
This week I've had time with the previous gen ML 450 and the 2013 ML 450. If I have time I'll do a review on the new one. Now the MSRP was 75k (it was already sold) but it drives significantly better than the previous model, the interior is very well done and there is more room than a GX, it is a much larger SUV.
surprised a bit that the ML has more room than a GX, although the GX is very narrow and probably its body on frame design and sophisticated high travel suspension eat into interior room too.
I always forget the ML uses a column mounted shifter. Internetz gave that a pass
While I am no fan of the looks, the Infiniit QX56 is clearly the big bargain here and a reason they sell very well for such a big SUV.
01-16-13, 06:56 PM
#37
Lexus Champion
Thanks everyone, I appreciate it.
This week I've had time with the previous gen ML 450 and the 2013 ML 450. If I have time I'll do a review on the new one. Now the MSRP was 75k (it was already sold) but it drives significantly better than the previous model, the interior is very well done and there is more room than a GX, it is a much larger SUV. Like the GX the rear seats fold flat with the touch of button. I always forget the ML uses a column mounted shifter. Internetz gave that a pass
So far though the new Range Rover is the one that blew me away and I believe they will offer a 7 seat version but the price was 95k on the one I drove.
While I am no fan of the looks, the Infiniit QX56 is clearly the big bargain here and a reason they sell very well for such a big SUV.
This week I've had time with the previous gen ML 450 and the 2013 ML 450. If I have time I'll do a review on the new one. Now the MSRP was 75k (it was already sold) but it drives significantly better than the previous model, the interior is very well done and there is more room than a GX, it is a much larger SUV. Like the GX the rear seats fold flat with the touch of button. I always forget the ML uses a column mounted shifter. Internetz gave that a pass
So far though the new Range Rover is the one that blew me away and I believe they will offer a 7 seat version but the price was 95k on the one I drove.
While I am no fan of the looks, the Infiniit QX56 is clearly the big bargain here and a reason they sell very well for such a big SUV.
No third row and no 450 in the ML.
01-16-13, 10:54 PM
#39
Lexus Champion
We all make technical mistakes once in a while when posting. I'm no different.
02-22-13, 08:01 PM
#43
Moderator
Does anyone know when the 2014 GX 460 will arrive with the new spindle grill?
02-23-13, 09:25 AM
#45
Moderator