New 05 GX470 owner - mild off road pics
08-13-11, 09:26 AM
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New 05 GX470 owner - mild off road pics
After several months of months of research and searching for a used GX with the sport package, I became a proud owner last February. I bought it out of a Chicago dealership, certified with ~58k miles and the sport package, and had it shipped to Salt Lake City about the time the 2011 snowpocalypse hit Chicago.
She has seen plenty of snow this year in Salt Lake as well, but not as many forest roads as I was hoping (we had our first child Jul 5th).
I've had a couple of opportunities to take a little advantage of what she was made for. Attached are some pics taken of the GX above 8k feet going for a joy ride and one from Olympic Nat Park. As well, thought I would share a couple pics demonstrating the KDSS with some ruts.
Some of my first impressions over the past several months for those that may be thinking of purchasing one:
-Better gas mileage in the city than I was expecting if I take it easy (15-17mpg), but a lot worse on the highway/road trips than I was expecting (as low as 13mpg). I tend to stick around the speed limit on city roads though, but am well over the speed limit on the highway.
-The navigation system does an alright job, though the resolution is a bit poor on the '05 system. The stereo is pretty old school as well, with a tape deck and CD changer in the glove box. I installed the USA Spec iPod interface and that works decently and wasn't very difficult to put in (I did it at night with a flash light).
-Maybe because this is the nicest vehicle I've owned, but I'm surprised how much fun I've gotten out of detailing her (after a road trip to Seattle I spent upwards of 4 hours washing and detailing).
-I love the combination of luxury and comfort, but knowing there's a legitimate truck there as well. She has a lot more get up and go than I would have thought and handles fairly well. We were originally more in the market for and test drove 4Runners. For me there is no comparison. Honestly, the height of the windshield/ceiling alone in the 4Runner was a deal breaker for me (I'm only 5'8"). Perhaps that's typical of SUVs (I'm coming from an Accord), but I didn't get the instant sensation that they wouldn't be able to recognize my body after a rollover accident when I test drove the GX. As well, I found that the 4Runner had a lot more play in the steering and felt underpowered with the V6. Overall, I felt that you got a lot more bang for your buck with the GX especially when what you'd really be comparing is a 4R limited to the GX, and the new 4Runners don't have the Torsen differential outside of the limited model.
It's been fun so far. I have close to 200k miles on our Accord, and am hoping to enjoy the same out of the GX, but with a lot more on the dirt!
She has seen plenty of snow this year in Salt Lake as well, but not as many forest roads as I was hoping (we had our first child Jul 5th).
I've had a couple of opportunities to take a little advantage of what she was made for. Attached are some pics taken of the GX above 8k feet going for a joy ride and one from Olympic Nat Park. As well, thought I would share a couple pics demonstrating the KDSS with some ruts.
Some of my first impressions over the past several months for those that may be thinking of purchasing one:
-Better gas mileage in the city than I was expecting if I take it easy (15-17mpg), but a lot worse on the highway/road trips than I was expecting (as low as 13mpg). I tend to stick around the speed limit on city roads though, but am well over the speed limit on the highway.
-The navigation system does an alright job, though the resolution is a bit poor on the '05 system. The stereo is pretty old school as well, with a tape deck and CD changer in the glove box. I installed the USA Spec iPod interface and that works decently and wasn't very difficult to put in (I did it at night with a flash light).
-Maybe because this is the nicest vehicle I've owned, but I'm surprised how much fun I've gotten out of detailing her (after a road trip to Seattle I spent upwards of 4 hours washing and detailing).
-I love the combination of luxury and comfort, but knowing there's a legitimate truck there as well. She has a lot more get up and go than I would have thought and handles fairly well. We were originally more in the market for and test drove 4Runners. For me there is no comparison. Honestly, the height of the windshield/ceiling alone in the 4Runner was a deal breaker for me (I'm only 5'8"). Perhaps that's typical of SUVs (I'm coming from an Accord), but I didn't get the instant sensation that they wouldn't be able to recognize my body after a rollover accident when I test drove the GX. As well, I found that the 4Runner had a lot more play in the steering and felt underpowered with the V6. Overall, I felt that you got a lot more bang for your buck with the GX especially when what you'd really be comparing is a 4R limited to the GX, and the new 4Runners don't have the Torsen differential outside of the limited model.
It's been fun so far. I have close to 200k miles on our Accord, and am hoping to enjoy the same out of the GX, but with a lot more on the dirt!
Last edited by waelder; 08-13-11 at 10:21 AM.
08-14-11, 01:42 AM
#4
Nice! Glad to see another person on here actually taking their GX offroading! I know what you mean about the cleaning/detailing. I wash it on a weekly basis and keep her waxed up at least once or twice a month. Cleaning it sure does require some extra elbow grease after going rough on some trails though, LOL.
08-15-11, 06:47 AM
#7
Waelder, welcome to CL! Looks like you had 2 babies this year. 
Congrats on both!
Great pics! I too detail my own vehicle and spend about 5hrs on the exterior and another 3 hrs on the interior spread over 2 days. I wish I had more time to detail on a monthly basis but that's aint happening now...I'm lucky to be able to do it once a year but now I'm trying really hard to do it twice a year...Note I do it for both my cars.
Congrats on both!Great pics! I too detail my own vehicle and spend about 5hrs on the exterior and another 3 hrs on the interior spread over 2 days. I wish I had more time to detail on a monthly basis but that's aint happening now...I'm lucky to be able to do it once a year but now I'm trying really hard to do it twice a year...Note I do it for both my cars.
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08-15-11, 10:42 PM
#8
Waelder, welcome to CL! Looks like you had 2 babies this year. Congrats on both!
Great pics! I too detail my own vehicle and spend about 5hrs on the exterior and another 3 hrs on the interior spread over 2 days. I wish I had more time to detail on a monthly basis but that's aint happening now...I'm lucky to be able to do it once a year but now I'm trying really hard to do it twice a year...Note I do it for both my cars.
Congrats on both!Great pics! I too detail my own vehicle and spend about 5hrs on the exterior and another 3 hrs on the interior spread over 2 days. I wish I had more time to detail on a monthly basis but that's aint happening now...I'm lucky to be able to do it once a year but now I'm trying really hard to do it twice a year...Note I do it for both my cars.
08-19-11, 02:48 PM
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Thanks all for the kind words.
My wife can't understand why I take pics of the GX almost as intently as our baby girl, but it's a good time...
My wife can't understand why I take pics of the GX almost as intently as our baby girl, but it's a good time...
Last edited by waelder; 08-19-11 at 02:56 PM.
08-22-11, 11:46 AM
#12
Awesome pictures.
I bought my GX around the same time you did and have been in love with it ever since. For me it is a great combo of power, luxury, capability and maneuverability due to the smaller size when compared to Expeditions, Sequoias, etc.
The addition of an AUX jack, HIDs, LEDs and some floor mats is all I have done. Hoping to get the windows tinted soon and I need to get my studs mounted on some 4runner rims for winter.
I bought my GX around the same time you did and have been in love with it ever since. For me it is a great combo of power, luxury, capability and maneuverability due to the smaller size when compared to Expeditions, Sequoias, etc.
The addition of an AUX jack, HIDs, LEDs and some floor mats is all I have done. Hoping to get the windows tinted soon and I need to get my studs mounted on some 4runner rims for winter.
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