Let’s Take the 2016 GX 460 Off-Roading in an Old Gold Mine

By Tony Markovich - June 24, 2016

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This exact SUV, the 2016 Lexus GX 460 that sits before your eyes, costs $68,765. It is part of the second tier of luxury SUVs that Lexus offers, along with the bigger brother LX, and even with all of its fancy trimmings, it’s supposed to be an extremely capable all-terrain vehicle. Nathan Adlen of The Fast Lane Truck took it out to the Switzerland Trail in Colorado to find out just how real those claims are.

Now, Lexuses are just fancy Toyotas, and Toyota knows damn well how to make a fantastic off-roader, so it’s no surprise that the GX is quite comfortable in the dirt. Adlen makes it clear that the four-wheel-drive system is “more than adequate” for about any situation. None of the obstacles they run through in the video really give it any trouble, except a ditch on the last hill, which requires Adlen to lock the diff and put the vehicle in four low. Once he does that, no problems at all.

Our friend makes a fantastic point about this actually wanting to be an off-road vehicle, though, when he points out the clearance angles. The approach angle is 21, the breakover angle is 21, and the departure angle is 23. These could all be fixed without having the massive bumpers and low side skirts/steps. It’s pretty dumb, when you think about it, and could prevent you from doing any serious crawling. Still, it’s an interesting video for a vehicle that you don’t often see in the rough.