Spoonito

Hi all thought I would introduce myself. I've been trolling / lurking for about 2-3 weeks now trying to pull some info. I'm looking at different SUV right now to replace my 2013 LR4. I love that truck, but I've had problems with it since I purchased new and the dealership and JLRNA are giving me the run around and are trying to play it off that the car is not having electrical problems and that I'm using the vehicle wrong. After 7 failed attempts to fix it (and still having the issue), I filed with the BBB and I'm waiting for the arbitration to be over. This is / was the 3rd Land Rover in the family and the 7th vehicle we've purchased / serviced at the dealership (from the late 90's to present). Needless to say their attitudes turned me off and I am now servicing all our vehicles at other dealerships. Anyway I've been looking at the GX460, T4R Trail Premium, and a few other off road capable vehicles. No dealership I've visited had one on site and I've been told at 1 dealership that they won't come down on price (which I think is BS).

I've put a spreadsheet together comparing the LR4, GX, T4R Trail, etc. to see the similarities and differences (it's the Engineer in me I guess), but paper doesn't do it justice, and I haven't had the opportunity to test drive either the GX or T4R. I guess these to aren't in supply here right now. The Toyota dealerships said the Trail version especially with the KDSS is not sold in this region unless custom ordered. They did a 250 mile search and there was only one. My question is, does anyone have experience with the LR4 or RRS and can give a driving feel / impression vs. the GX and or the T4R? How capable is the GX off road vs. the LR4. I've only found 1 video comparing the LR4, GX460 (2013), and the Mercedes GL. The video was by Motor Trend.


Apologies for the long post...

Spoonito

For reference this is my current vehicle...

Spoonito

Another picture...

Eppieguy

Can't help you much besides tell you that you can get deals on a new GX as seen on this forum.

Welcome Aboard!!

JohnJerk

Your LR4 is beautiful. Can't help with LR vs Toy/lex ride comparison but go drive a T4R SR5 to get a feel for the trail without KDSS. You won't have full time 4WD in the trail and while the v6 is powerful you have to stomp it to move fast. My guess is that you will find the T4R a uber downgrade if it is a 1for 1 replacement for the LR4. The GX can certainly go off road, but there is no rear locker option and it appears the base does not have ATRAC which is an essential line of defense if you get stuck, so watch out for that. The 2.5 gen GX approach angle is arguably poor. For me the GX is a perfect balance of all things, including reliability and resale value in particular. I have not strayed from Toy/Lex since a 1995Saab 900 turbo set me straight.

patgilm

Want to trade(just kidding of course), my wife and I loved the LR4 when we test drove it last year. I can't comment on the ride vs. the GX because we didn't have enough seat time in it but to me it drove similar, like a heavy truck and both are very capable off roading. I liked the large interior of the LR4 (except the small nav screen) and that it had full ride height changing ability. The GX only has that ability on the rear suspension. When considering trading in the GX for the LR4, the one thing that turned me off was the reliability and cost of maintenance. I did a ton of research on the net, talked to friends with Land Rovers, etc. It's not that they are all unreliable but the chances of having an issue are greater than that of the GX. For the most part, the only time you will go to the Lexus dealer is for routine maintenance. Even though the GX doesn't get the best gas mileage, the LR4 was terrible in comparison. The other thing is I read about people needing tires and brakes somewhat early on some LR4's and it seems somewhat expensive to replace. The dealership experience at the LR dealer near me isn't that great either so it made it an easier decision.

Both of these trucks are great and have their pluses and minuses. Hopefully you can test drive the GX to find out if you like it.

MTLDean

To the OP, I test drove both the 4Runner (2014, Trail edition with KDSS) and the 2014 GX460 before settling on the Lexus.

I loved the 4Runner but the front looked really cartoonish. Everyone who saw it agreed that it was too "weird" and I would get sick of it. The interior was really nice except for the horrible fishy smell from the pleather, which I heard can take up to 6-12 months to go away, if ever. The rest of the interior was really well laid out, comfortable, and spacious. The drive was pretty good - the V6 has a lot of pick up and is super smooth. The 4Runner launches aggressively and is just a great drive all around. The on-road performance is as expected, body-on-frame bounce with some diving on braking and a bit of body roll on hard turns, but they're all like that. I came from a line of Wranglers and recently an Audi S4 and a few Lotuses (Loti?) so my driving perspective is well-balanced, so I'd like to think.

The Lexus is a full league ahead in terms of exterior and interior. The shape and lines are way more adult and mature. It's totally sophisticated and everyone who sees it loves it. It's elegant and you wouldn't feel weird getting out of it wearing a suit. The interior is very similar in terms of dimensions and overall seating position, ergonomics, etc, but gone are all the weird mishmash of colors that you see in the 4Runner (blue and orange glowing from the gauges, and so on). There is a stark monotony to the Lexus interior (white lights and black leather and soft-touch plastics everywhere). The drive is a bit different - when you drive around town, the sense of urgency that the 4Runner demonstrated is not there. The 4.6L V8 is sort of a sleepy, quiet, smoother powerplant. It's virtually silent, unless you floor it, and then it wakes and bellows. It's not that fast (I think the 0-60 sprint is the same in both 4R and GX), probably a shade under 8 seconds, but it has a nice sound.

One of my close friends has a Range Rover Sport (2012 or 2013, right before this current redesign) with the 5 liter non-supercharged. I would say the GX and the RR Sport drive quite similarly and the RR is a bit louder and much tighter/less spacious cabinwise. The leatherwork and color combinations in the RR are way nicer than the Lexus, but the Lexus is roomier and smoother. Resale has to be waaay better in the Lexus. A quick Autotrader scan of my city shows dozens of RR Sports with 30k miles on them depreciated by at least 50%, but 3-4 GXs with lower miles and higher prices, and that's with a lower MSRP.

I came from an Audi S4, and like you, got sick of the garbage build quality and ridiculous issues (carbon buildup in 18k km of driving?!!), not to mention the sheer number of Audis where I live (they're just everywhere). This is my first foray into Japanese, and so far I have to say I'm impressed. The only car that has impressed me more was my old Elise, which was pure magic for a whole other set of reasons.

Spoonito

All, thanks for the info I appreciate it. I'm definitely caught in the middle on this one. The LR4 offers great offroad ability and has tons of luxury. I understand the 4Runner doesn't has as much in terms of luxury and also I'm finding out that the 2014 only has leather in the Limited and that the Trail Premium has a synthetic type leather. I stopped by another Lexus dealership on the way home from work and they had 2 white 2014 base models but I couldn't test drive them as the were both already sold. They both had the nuluxe. It wasn't bad and it was actually better then I thought it would be. They did not have one with leather, but I'm assuming it's the same leather as the other Lexus vehicles. Dimensions are very close between the LR4 and GX460. Acceleration is nearly the same as well (7.5 - LR4 vs 7.8 - GX460). I've been in American and European cars all my life and this will potentially be my first Japanese vehicle. I'm sure that the reliability is far superior than the LR4. The only things about the GX460 that I'm not a huge fan about are the running boards, the mahogany trim, and how the rear tailgate opens. I guess I would get used to the tailgate. Are there any options out there to replace the running boards with something else (either standard side skirts or small rock sliders). I wish that I was able to get a black trim on the premium or luxury model. For the LR4 I had the option to get piano black lacquer trim instead of the standard wood trim.



MTLDean, looks like you and I had similar car backgrounds. Before the LR4 I owned an M3 and a lotus as well. Pretty funny. If the GX460 rides similar to the RRS then I have a pretty good idea of how it would handle then. The 2010-2013 LR4 and RRS (non supercharged) essentially share the same trans, engine, chassis, and suspension . The LR4 has more room than the RRS.

Lolrax

I have had both vehicles and I left the 4Runner for a couple of reasons:

1. Living with the V6 and the ancient 5 speed transmission is brutal. The vehicle is a dog, it seems peppy but it isn't. Its just got no guts.

2. The 4Runner is unrefined for what you get. Lots of road noise, crappy bluetooth, , etc etc. its just not finished right.

3. The trail edition and the SR5 are RWD with the ability to switch to 4WD (The Limited is AWD/4WD like the GX). Back in the day, that was the only way to drive SUVs, but having AWD that can become 4WD is awesome, and makes for a much nicer driving experience when you don't want to have 4WD engaged, but you have slippery patches in your city driving.

4. Price of the 4Runner. With the GX I believe I got what I paid for. A fully loaded 4Runner is almost the same price as a completely decked out Tundra with the 5.7L V8 and the 1794 package. Too expensive for a rough around the edges, V6 powered SUV.

yakim

i've owned a Land Rover and switched to Lexus LX570. Loved everything about LR except : rotten reliability and sporadic warning lights that would come and go, generally poor service departments and arrogant dealers, abysmal resale value, off-roading crowd mentality (I could never get the notion of getting the kicks out of driving a $65k car thru' mud/dirt trails and then bragging about it on fora) All in all, I am genuinely glad I outgrew the Land Rover brand and happy to be a Lexus owner.

Spoonito

Lolrax,

Is the T4R that bad in terms of the vehicle's drivability and appointments? I didn't think that the T4R was as expensive as a Tundra, but I never built one on the Toyota website.





Best quote so far on a Trail Premium w/ KDSS I got was $39,000.

Best quote so far on the GX Premium was this...

Retail
Vehicle Base Model ..........................:$ 49085.00
Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross-Traffic Al 800.00
Power Retracting / Auto Dimming Outer Mirrors
Headlamp Washers ........................... 100.00
Premium Package: ........................... 4710.00
Wood & leather trimmed steering wheel & shift 310.00
Cargo Mat, Cargo Net, Wheel Locks & Key Glove 260.00
--------- ---------
Total Accessories ...........................: $ 6180.00
Destination Charge ..........................: $ 910.00
TDA .........................................:
---------
Total .......................................: $ 56175.00

$56,175 MSRP
-$3,634 Internet Discount
$52,541 Your Price plus tax, title and fees



Is there room for more negotiation on this one?

Lolrax

It's really that bad. My brother and I both bought them at the same time thinking "how bad could it be?"....real bad. We both dumped them around a year of ownership. You will really regret your decision if you go T4R. I can't speak on your prices there, I'm in canada where my GX was a fortune compared to what you guys are looking at.

Jbizzle

That is a really good price. Go for it.