akfd

So how many would like a barn door, or a lift gate, on the GX 460?

ybing

Every car have lift gate~ barn door is cooler~ lol
actually doesn't matter to me, that's not a reason I buy a car, and... how ofter do you use that door?

dgsvt

I wish that Lexus had done a poll like this before they finished "packaging" on the Gen 2 GX. It will be interesting to see if the trend toward lift gate continues... Oh well maybe the Gen 3 will have a liftgate...

antonio98

I'm pretty sure that Lexus already knew most Americans prefer the lift gate.

I think they just decided not to change the design of the rear door for this market to save on costs.

ybing

I don't think a barn door and a lift gate will have that much different on design cost~ is just what the designer what to put on the car, nothing need to redesign that much since all the technology is not new.
And if the GX door is a lift gate, that will be worst than barn door, coz it is bigger than RX, than it will have to split in to two part make it like the LX

dgsvt

Doesn't the 4runner use a liftgate and it's the same size as the GX460 right?

dgsvt

I believe it has to do with the sparetire being mounted to the tailgate in some markets. For the price they want for the GX, I think they should have switched for the other markets to a liftgate.

ybing

I don't think there will be a spare tire on the door on GX model, and I think the reason for a barn door will be the 3rd row seat, if the GX have a lift gate, it will be split into two like the LX, but since the 3rd row slide into the floor and it is few inches higher, they can't make the floor flat like the LX, usually a split gate will have a flat floor

dgsvt

It isn't the GX with the spare tire on the back, but the PRADO which is the closest Toyota to the GX. The GX460 is a PRADO with a nicer interior and revised fenders and front facia. Do a google search on toyota prado and you will see pictures of the spare tire on the back.

ybing

I know the Prado, but a door with spare tire mounting will still contain different parts on the exterior, and it looks nicer with a different badge ~

ggebhardt

I am not buying my GX till later this year but I am liking the Barn Door. All of my past LX units have had the drop gate and there are times when loading stuff it is a pain. Everything heavy has to be slid over the drop gate where the barn door gets out of the way. I will never use the third row so reaching into the GX to get items that have "move" to the front will be much more easy without having to crawl over the drop gate!

I will agree with others that the hinge should have been on the drivers side.

SaniDel

Neither! A split lift gate and drop gate like the LX470 introduced in 1998 would be the best choice, in my opinion.

A lift gate is for minivans and crossovers, but the GX is a body-on-frame truck, just like its "big brother" the LX. Granted, the "barn door" is unique ... if there is any other vehicle with that design I can't think of it, but there is a price to be paid. The door swing prevents opening in a garage whereas a split lift gate and drop gate would work in tight spaces.

The LX we traded in 2006 for an RX hybrid was accessible from the rear in our garage, but the GX460 is not ... a step backwards!

dgsvt

Toyota FJ cruiser and RAV4 have the swing gate and they also have a rear mounted spare tire. It is interesting that the FJ rear swings toward the driver and the RAV4 swings toward the passenger like the GX does. I'm not comparing the GX with a RAV4, but just saying that the swing gate is not completely unique. Like SaniDel said the "barn door" makes it impossible to load while in the garage. It is also tough to load while parked on the street since the door swings toward the sidewalk instead of swinging out toward the street. This was the same problem with the GX470 and the primary reason that I got my wife the RX over the GX. We have two kids and it would be a pain to have to back the car out of the garage to load it and then have to unload it before pulling it back into the garage. It doesn't sound too hard until you are doing it in the rain with two kids that are sleeping all by yourself. I know there is the lift up glass now, but I'm 6ft and had trouble reaching in. I ended up rubbing the door with my body to reach in. Forget it if I'm dressed in a shirt and tie and need to get something out through the glass hatch and the truck hadn't been washed earlier in the day.

wannaGX

fwiw, I was a very long time 4Runner owner (1996-2010), loved the liftgate and hated the fact that the new GX didn't switch to it. Got a GX anyway and it's truly no big deal. In fact, it's easier to open and my young son can help me open the door. Now, I agree the lift gate was a benefit in the rain so that's a negative, and I very rarely have to parallel park but just letting those who are hesitant know, I was hesitant and I'm fine with it. It's easier to open and easier to close (although an auto open/close would be much better, agreed).

In fact, I'm confused by the comment that you would be able to open a liftgate in the garage but not the barn door. I find the opposite is true. Whereas I used to have to open the garage to open the back of my 4Runner, I can open my barn door just a tiny bit to get in and get what I need.

The increased height due to the folding down 3rd row, now that's kinda a pain in my ***.

Just sayin.

ybing

I don't know how big you guys garage are... but my garage will be impossible to load stuff even the GX have a lift gate, there just not enough room at the rear to my garage door. Even RX will be very difficult to open the gate in my garage, aren't you usually loading stuff when you prepare to go out or come home with the garage open????

And I think sometimes barn door will be easier loading stuff in very tight street, well if you have small stuff you don't need to open it fully which use less space than lift gate since it will have to do a full swing no matter what, if it is really tight, there is no way you can swing it open either~