1111GS

Hello Guys,
Wondering if I can get some feedback from you. I'm considering a new GX and have a few questions to ask.
1. What makes you pick the trim that you picked? Base, Premium or Luxury. I'm considering Premium but would like to know feedback from you about the plus/minus of each trim in your opinion.
2. How is the ride compared to the RX and/or 4Runner? I know the best thing to do is to test drive and I will do that later. I hope they let me keep the vehicle over night to try out. But getting a feedback from real owners is always more valuable.
3. Is it worth it to get 15 over 14? I remember reading somewhere up here and saw only a few minor changes on 15.
4. What are some reasonable residual value and MF on this vehicle?
5. What are other advices you have for a new owner?
Thank you very much in advance.

redbrick

I can only answer the first.... I went all out to get the full experience.... if that makes sense. Better to have and not need than to need and not have. Also... it's like going to a five star restaurant and only ordering the appetizers.... that just sucks imo...

1111GS

Thanks and I hear you. I'm driving a luxury GS and the AVS system and wood trim themselves makes it all well worth it. But when I compared the three models on lexus.com, the one thing that stands out for me between the premium and luxury is the headlamp type. How do they compare in person? Are there any other things that are not listed on the website? I'm not gonna take it off road so anything along that line is not important in my case. Thanks.

cutiger

I bought a 14 a little over a month ago and went with the premium because it seemed to be the level with the most car for the dollar for what I needed. The Mark Levinson is nice but I listen to primarily talk so that would have been overkill. The aniline seats are also nice but wasnt significant in my opinion and the adjustable ride/air suspension seemed like something I would adjust a couple times to play with and then just leave on normal for the life of the vehicle. These are just my takes on it and whichever one you decide on its a great vehicle.

Craig B

The headlights are the same LED's on all three models. The Luxury model has LED fog lights.

Revnitup

I purchased a. 14, Base with Nav. Bough in Oct. 2013. If I had to do it over again I would of gone with the premium and Nav. I hate not having heated and cooled seats but then again I though the base would come with heated seats. Plus the premium you get the current wheels instead of the base wheels. The base wheels have been abound since 2010. Only thing I do not like about the premium is the alligator looking leather. In the base you get Nulux which is leather like and way durable. I have not seen crease one in the driver seat and I'm a big guy 6' 215.
Resale is top notch and so is the build quality. This is not designed to be the smoothest riding suv out there but it is one of the most capable. Definitely take it home and test it out and see if it really fits your needs and wants. Spending $50k plus on a vehicle you better be happy with your decision now then later.

Kitana

I purchased a 2014 premium model a month ago. It has everything and more than I needed. My husband and I test drove the luxury model and both agreed we did not notice any big enough difference to make me want to buy the luxury model. The only extra thing I needed was a hitch for my little cargo trailer and the dealer installed it for us at no extra charge.

I previously owned a Highlander with every possible upgrade including nav system & entertainment package. I will never get an installed entertainment system again. We had 2 different $2,500 systems that eventually broke in less than 3yrs so not worth it IMO. My kids use iPads with Hotspot most of the time now and if they want to watch a dvd we have a $200 portable dvd system that has worked perfectly for the last 5yrs.

Don't quote me but I think I read that the GX has excellent resale value.
When ready to buy if you get a dealer that is not willing to come down at least $3,000 -$4,000 off the MSRP then find another dealer.

As for the difference in drive between the RX I would imagine is similar to the Highlander. They are both much lighter than the GX and drive more like a car. I can definitely feel a big difference with the GX. It feels much heavier/sturdier and I love the extra power and engine roar. I have always been a truck girl transporting horses and ponies up and down the east coast with my F350 dual wheel power stroke diesel. Little sports cars are not for me. I needed something reliable that plays as hard as I do and is safe for my family. The GX is a work of art inside and out and an absolute pleasure to drive. Did I mention I LOVE IT!!

Do it man!! Buy one!

GRAND_LS 4

iTrader: (2)

I personally wanted all the below hence I went for all the options available in my region (middle east):
-ML
-crawl control
-cool box
-climate control seats
-LED fogs
-Gray finished wheels
-Electronically adjustable suspension/Air Suspension
-Semi aniline leather

So it really depends on your personal needs.

1111GS

Thank you all for the feedback. I checked out the vehicles yesterday and did do a short test drive. Traffic was bad so it didn't really give me enough time to learn the vehicle. They wouldn't let me take it home this time since it's Friday and they only have one Demo on site. They could do Mon - Thurs. I may come back for the vehicle this week. From the short drive though, I do like it. We've had quite a few Lexus in the family but this is the first time I drove the GX. Not sure why but it could be because the experience I had with my Runner. I bought a brand new 2000 model just because I felt in love with that shape when it came out in 1996. I didn't even do a thorough test drive. As I was driving home from the dealership, I realized it wasn't the one I wanted I got to learn and started to like the truck more but after that I don't want another Runner .
Now back to the GX. From the short drive, I felt it drives better than the RX and does not have the tendency to throw you like the Runner. I like the heavy feel it gives me, tall but feel kind of planted. As far as the trims go, I think I will go with Premium. The extra features that the luxury has don't really attract me much. The biggest disappointment for me is the design of the back seats. I hope someone can give me some feedback on this. They don't look comfortable to me. Look kind of short and cheap in a way. I do agree with the comment about the alligator looking leather, esp. on the black one. It does make the car look as if it was an old car.
I looked on the website again and it shows "Gas Discharge and Halogen" for Luxury and "Halogen" for Base and Premium. Can someone please clarify this? Do they look different in person at night? I had an RX loaner and the headlight was very yellow looking compared to my GS. I prefer the white looking more.
Thank you again and if there's more feedback, please share.

gzorn

1. Got the 14 Premium, owned a 2003 GX. Would have sprung for Luxury but did not want to wait the 3 to 4 months, not worth that much more if on the lot would have bought. Don't bother with the base. You will want the heated/coooled seat and blind spot monitor.
2. Much smoother then the 4Runner. I feel more comfortable in the GX then RX. They are nice but just not my type. Got a couple neighbors own them and they like them.
3. 15 will have the Siri eyes, so if you are an Apple phone owner you want, the 14 seems buggy with my Iphone 4S and can't seem to fix the issue.
4. Not sure
5. Test drive, test drive, test drive. Had my wife who drives it rarely, only on long trips when we split the drive, liked it better then any other SUV we tested. She is short and was able to adjust the seat so it felt like she could see everything which she could not do in other cars.

1111GS

Thanks for the feedback. Plan to try to borrow it for a day to check out. Is it ventilated or cooled? I'm in a hot region of the country, so I don't really need the heated feature. My GS has ventilated seats and from my experience, it does not do any good for me. BSM is helpful and I do want the fogs. So I will most likely take the Premium. How does it feel in 2nd and 3rd row on short/long trip?

planoman

Wife picked up a Luxury trim last week. Coming from a Benz GL450 and she looked at them again and they dealer where we live had one on the lot not the color or options we wanted. Plano has a new Lexus dealership (new location) so we checked out the GX and they had about 15 on the lot. Picked up the color she wanted (Tungsten Pearl) and the Luxury package with a few other things. She was very hesitant to get the Lexus as this would have been her 5th Mercedes. The Lexus Salesperson earned our business!

The seats are ventilated I believe. Did not notice much difference other that a bit of air movement. It was about 100 the day we bought.

Hoping for a great experience with Lexus.

1111GS

Called a different dealership on Saturday and they were able to arrange me a Premium. Got to keep the vehicle over the weekends. Had a chance to really try out the vehicle. It was raining pretty hard at some point and it was a great to test it too. Overall I'm impressed with the vehicle. I'm driving a GS now and surprised that I wasn't turned off by this high vehicle. The ride is definitely better than the RX and Runner. The steering wheel is a bit heavier than the RX when starting but when going, its ride feels much better with better view. We've had our eyes on a vehicle with 3rd row for a while so GL was on our list as well. We rented the new GL for a week for our last long trip to check out. There are some nice features but not enough for us to consider. Plus it's quite expensive when adding more features. We all feel the GX is a better fit for us.

What we like about the vehicle:
- The Ride and the View
- Spacious
- Cross Traffic Alert. I have BSM on the GS and don't find it very useful and sometimes it gives me false alarm, but Cross Traffic Alert is really nice.
- The front view. The whole thing makes it really stand out even compared to the LX but I guess it's a personal choice.
- It seems to work fine with my iPhone 5s.

Couple of things I think could be better:
- Seats. I was hoping it would have side bolster and leg extender like the GS (I'm getting old )
- Alligator looking leather. Why? I guess one can go to Luxury.
- Info display. I wish it were designed like the GS. Looks more luxurious that way in my opinion. It would also help if it displays the tire pressures here
- Back up camera. Wondering why it does not curve with the steering wheel.

The bottom like is we like the vehicle and will consider it. Let's see if the dealership work with us. One more thing I would like to see is the Sepia in person. We're considering Ecru but I'm afraid it gets dirty easily. Saw Sepia on website but it looks too dark for us. I saw an RX with Saddle Tan this morning. He said it looks similar but darker. I have Flaxen on my GS. How does Sepia look compared to Saddle Tan and Flaxen in person? Anyone has a good picture of this interior? Thank you everyone for the feedback. It's a beauty.

Randy B

The camera does curve with the wheel. You probably had the wrong line setting on. There are several to choose from in the display.

Sepia, is like chocolate ice cream. It's not light like saddle or flaxen.

Randy B

1111GS

Oh... That's great to know. Thanks. Another thing I forgot to add. The windshield wipers are kind of rough and loud when they're working. When the vehicle is in motion, I don't really notice it but at stop, it's quite loud and rough. Wondering if it's this vehicle only.