kentw

Currently the owner of a 2008 Landcruiser contemplating a 2011 GX. Have compared a lot of the features of the two but I am looking for opinions from GX owners on dislikes that I should be aware of and may have missed. For example, some have complained the GX is underpowered which is an issue for me as I have a 3200 pound camping trailer I will be towing and I live in the mountains west of Denver. Any other issues like this I would love to hear about and know what I am getting into. Thanks in advance.

gxgonz

When I bought my 2010 GX I also test drove the LC. Two benefits of the GX stuck out to me that I liked over the LC. Cooled seats and fold flat 3rd row. Nice and cool on long drives. The LC 3rd row looked difficult to remove and the GX folded flat. You will have no problem towing 3200 lbs and more. Good luck and I wish I was in my GX when I am in the rockies not some Tahoe rental car.

SaniDel

Keep in mind that the GX 460 is not a "Lexus Land Cruiser" the way that the LX model is ... or used to be. The GX 460 was 'platformed' on the Prado, which is not available in the US although several on this forum have driven Prados in Europe and in South America. So, your Land Cruiser experience may not be applicable ... there are more changes than 're-badging'!

The GX 460 is adequately powered for the East Coast, but I will not claim it is adequate for where you live and especially pulling a 3,200 pound camping trailer. One of our frequent contributors also pulls a camping trailer and claims he is satisfied with the power of the GX, but he lives in New Jersey!

Our 'heaviest' trip with the GX was with three adults and their luggage for a week over the Pennsylvania Turnpike from the East Coast to Michigan and back. The GX handled that fine and was able to maintain speed by 'unlocking' the torque converter first, then downshifting if necessary, but there was always enough power and torque ... and more if I needed it for passing.

You will have at least three things working against you ... altitude, octane and grade! You will be a mile higher, burning 87 or 89 octane and going up 4% grades on the Interstates and more on secondary roads. Fortunately, you have six gears, but at what point is it ... well, pointless?
Regards,

SaniDel

closenough

For the conditions you are describing I'd suggest you continue looking at the LC, or LX, or Sequoia; the GX will have a tough time in the hills with 3200lbs.

I have not pulled 3,200lbs yet (more like 2,000) and I am very disappointed in towing capability. Yes the GX has lots of gears but it is very reluctant to use them! You basically have to push it to the floor to get a downshift. As for those who suggest manual or S mode? Sure you can, but I didn't buy a luxury SUV to be shifting manually. With a rated tow capacity of 6,500lbs it is ridiculous that Toyota did not give an automatic Tow/Haul mode to the transmission.

Before my GX I had a Tundra Limited 5.7, basically the same drivetrain as the bigger Toyotas mentioned above, and that engine never even noticed the trailer was back there (usually 2,000-4,000 lbs.)

Good luck.

kentw

Thanks for the opinions on my original post. Picking-up my new GX today, they get to keep the landcruiser. The landcruiser was a nice vehicle, but the GX is much nicer all around with many cool features the cruiser didn't have. Loved the cooled seats as it was a warm day in Denver yesterday when I test drove the car. Looking forward to learning new things about the car via this forum.

SaniDel

Congratulations and best wishes! Please keep us informed of any issues and ask questions. With a relatively uncommon vehicle like the GX it is fortunate that we have such an active forum with many current owners, no 'trolls' and a convenient way to share our experiences.
Regards,

SaniDel


P.S. It was the Land Cruiser 'looks' that convinced us to buy our first SUV ... a 1996 Lexus LX 450. We owned five more LX 470's, alternating with an LS 430 and an RX 400h, but now we are back in an SUV with our 2010 GX 460. We think of our GX as the LX 470 ... perfected!

SaniDel

I'm not claiming that your new GX can do this, much less SHOULD do this, but this is what a Prado can do:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyl7ytk1YIw


In particular, don't try this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=5KV9jXqyf3g

T4Fun

lc/lx frame is different than the frame the 4runner, prado and gx. one is a full size suv, the other is mid size. totally different segments youre trying to compare

SaniDel

That's why we like our GX so much. We were happy with our six LX 450/470s, but two things changed:

1. We moved into a townhouse with a single 11' wide garage, and

2. The Lexus LX and Toyota Land Cruiser got "super-sized"! The LX became the 570 and the Land Cruiser ... well, there must be one around here somewhere!

Fortunately, Toyota 'ported' the Prado to Lexus and turned it into the GX, which reminds us very much of our LX 470s, only better. So, comparing the current GX to the previous-generation LX 470 seems a fair comparison. However, enough has changed that the current GX is an even better vehicle.
Regards,

SaniDel

Booyah

Why did you give up your Tundra? Im about to do the opposite get rid of my GX470 and get a Tundra Limited or platinum....

Koz

Of course the 5.7 Landcruiser (with longer wheelbase) will tow better but you are only towing 3200 lbs. The GX will have no problem towing 3200 lbs. I'm towing approx 4200 lbs without any sway or DW systems and it is silky smooth (Premium has rear air springs and AVS). I just got back from a trip to Pittsburgh, up and down mountains. The GX handled the mountains with no problems at all. On the really steep grades, at speeds lower then 60mph I had to use 3rd gear. At higher speeds I used 4th. Most of the time i was able to use 5th and 6th gear. There were times I was cruising at 80 mph in 6th gear and it was rock solid. If you can stay in 6th gear you will get pretty good mileage (up to 17 mpg in 6th, between 15 and 16 in 5th and approx 14 in 4th).

Anyone who thinks they can tow in drive mode and should get a smooth ride without excessive downshifting on inclines (especially with a 6 speed) has no clue about towing. You must use S mode and select the gear that will maintain the set speed without downshifting. You then leave it at the top selected gear and use it as a 4 or 5 speed auto. If the terrain levels you simply bump the selector up a gear or two. The S mode on the GX is sweet for towing.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/6299218-post10.html

Koz

closenough

Wow... I guess that was aimed at me. Interesting at best but not grounded in fact.

Of course I expect downshifts, lots of them. I just expect the car to do it. That's what automatic means. There is some fancy-schmancy computer in there that knows when the engine/transmission are under load and should respond accordingly. It doesn't.

Toyota did a great job on the tow/haul mode on other vehicles. It causes the trans to hold gears longer and be more sensitive to downshifting. Works wonderfully. In fact, automatically. Something the GX would benefit from.

Enjoy yourself moving left and shifting up and down. You've "adapted" to the situation at hand, and that is great, just as I have, but it is not what I expected. Maybe I "know nothing" and "expect" too much; an automatic to be, uh, automatic, just like the many, many, automatics I have pulled the exact same loads with perviously.

I'm really at a loss for why you fight this so vociferously?

T4Fun

if i was gonna tow heavy, lexus would be last on my list of suvs to buy.

get a ford or chevy.

Koz

My post was aimed at the facts not a personal opinion (which everyone is entitled too). You can not compare the 5.7 engine to the 4.6. They are nowhere near each other and the tow ratings verify this. Of course towing 2K lbs with a vehicle rated to tow 10K is going to tow effortlessly (even if it didn’t have a tow mode trans). There is a reason why tow mode is not available in vehicles with lower tow ratings; my guess would be they would not be that effective. To imply the GX has trouble towing 2K lbs or something is wrong because it holds the gear too long is so far from fact, I felt the need to reply. Once you select the top gear for the road conditions the GX tows very well (I would rate it better then average).

The fact is, you do not want a trans that is so sensitive to a load that it will downshift frequently. The first rule for towing with an overdrive trans is to NOT use overdrive (unless there are no hills/mountains). 5th and 6th gears are overdrive gears on the GX. My previous TV was a 4.7 4Runner that was rated for 7K lbs (with 5 speed) and the GX with the 4.6 (rated at 6500 lbs and weighing 800 lbs more) tows better in every way. It also gets better gas mileage.

Koz

closenough

Just because you state something as fact does not make it so. Your brute force approach adds little to no value. Let's just agree to disagree. Your opinion versus my opinion, plain and simple.

The OP was asking about towing in the hills. MY OPINION is that he will be disappointed in towing the load he stated under the conditions required to operate a GX. Plain and simple. He will be quite comfortable in the drivers seat but will continue to wonder why he has to constantly tell the vehicle what maximum gear it should be in. It should know. In fact it does know, it just refuses to respond accordingly.

Your position is well heeled in these threads. Add me to the list of disagree-ers. I'm done arguing with you about if the GX can do it; of course it can. Or if my comparison vehicles are "fair" comparisons; they are.