When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I came from a Mercedes. Never owned a Lexus or Toyota before, and it's VERY different. Simple things are unnecessarily complicated & confusing, such as the cruise control - as far as I can tell, it doesn't work unless lane centering is turned on first (but the car doesn't say anything other than "Cruise control not available, consult owner's manual"). The dealer had no clue (in general, they have been less than worthless - constantly saying that the GX is a new model and nobody knows how things in it work). And the 800 customer support line seems staffed by arrogant Gen Zs or know-it-all millennials who are (as always) completely unhelpful.
Also, I have the Mark Levinson audio system, which is not good and a pain in the A to use (constantly having to get off the highway and park just to change stations, its just dumb). And I'm really, really tired of all the GX's distracting warning beeps. Driving one feels like living inside of a video game. It's very noisy & stressful (someday, we're all going to read about university studies of how these dumb touch screen and noises from its many drivers' alert systems cause tons of accidents). My wife bought a new Subaru at the same time I picked up the GX, which is so much simpler to use and FAR less noisy - - we prefer using it much more.
..Do you also need the 3rd row since the GX hybrid might NOT have it? People complain that the 4-banger hybrid in the Landcruiser is not refined when being pushed hard.
Absolutely need the third row. True it might not have one, but then it might also. Time will tell, and for now, I have time to wait and see.
Ever driven one of these Volvo four bangers? Landcruiser four banger may be unrefined when pushed hard. Volvo T5/T6 four bangers are unrefined when barely pushed. I don't expect much refinement from any four banger, maybe except a Honda. Thats where noise isolation should come into play for the luxury brands.
Sounds like you don't think much of the 4 cylinder hybrid powertrain. Why is that? I am here lurking and waiting specifically for that power train. Looking for a replacement SUV for my wife who currently drives a 2018 Volvo XC-90 T6. The T6 engine is a 4 banger with turbo + super charger, which makes 316hp & 295lb-ft. It drives with enough pep for our family hauling needs. So if Lexus uses the i-Force Max 4 cylinder hybrid engine which puts out 326hp & 465lb-ft, it is going to be more than enough for folks like me who are not looking to burn rubber with a family SUV.
Some of us are coming from prior Lexus/BMW/MB that have proper I6/V6/V8 motors that sound like a proper luxury vehicle. The Toyota/Lexus 4 banger turbo/hybrid sounds just like a corolla under acceleration and hard to accept at the $80,000+ price range.
Only 500 mi but I love it. Amazingly sure footed and comfortable over our rough two-track access. The torque is fantastic. Extremely quiet. It is overly complicated and lacking of convenient storage locations but I am very pleased with it overall.
I just picked up my GX from the body shop. We went up to the mountains to see the snow, and I accidentally backed into a log that was covered with snow (which is why I didn't see it and backed into it). I bumped the GX's tow hitch and bumper. The shop did a great job repairing it, except for the frame around the tow hitch which was bent in a little from the log. They told me that Lexus policy is to not let shops straighten frames using heat or cutting out and replacing dented sections. They showed me a toyota 4x4 that's been sitting in their yard for a year waiting for a whole new frame because that's the only repair Lexus approves. My dad owned a body shop, and so I know this Lexus policy is just stupid. Its just as crazy as their policy to fix squeaking brakes that most GX's seem plagued by - instead of just applying the copper grease that everyone has used to stop squeaks for decades, we all had to wait for special new brake pads from Lexus.
I've owned a Lexus since September, and so far its been an extremely frustrating and unhappy experience. The only thing I like is how it looks, and how Lexus somehow got around the requirement for an auto shut off engine that I saw on every other new car (though considering how expensive gas is, maybe that's not a good thing). For 3 weeks I drove a new Honda as a rental, and it was so relaxing to not have to hear all the constant bings and bongs of the GX's many, highly distracting warning systems. It's not just the GX model. We drove a small new SUV, I think it was an NX hybrid, and we had so many problems, including not being able to unlock the doors from the inside (for some crazy reason, you have to pull the door handles TWICE before the doors will open), how to put it in gear & park, etc. Lexus' implementation of drive by wire just sucks, and they just say "customers get used to the new system", but "people get used to it" isn't how good designs are described. It seems like a poor excuse for terrible designs.
My plan is to dump the GX in a year or two and find something else that's less frustrating to live with, and that has isn't filled with such annoying tech (seems that everything in the GX requires a teenager to figure out). It won't be a Lexus.
the new GX is great. I believe it's much better than the G wagon. I had a brand new 2019 GX and last year I was planning to upgrade to a GX 550 or an LX. So I borrowed my friend's GX 550 for a weekend trip. there were a few things I noticed.
first is the body lean. It has a noticeable swaying of the body during lane merge and cornering particularly on highway.
second is the interior. it has plastics and feels less luxurious than my GX. but imho plastics is more animal friendly than leather :-)
about the wind noise it's very quiet and the G 63 my friend drives has more wind noise at high speed.
I particularly don't like the body lean on my GX and I want to have more luxury. but the LX 600's two screen setup just looks so afterthought.
so after the trip I purchased an LX 570 instead. It's very smooth on highway and it looks beautiful.
the new GX is great. I believe it's much better than the G wagon. I had a brand new 2019 GX and last year I was planning to upgrade to a GX 550 or an LX. So I borrowed my friend's GX 550 for a weekend trip. there were a few things I noticed.
first is the body lean. It has a noticeable swaying of the body during lane merge and cornering particularly on highway.
second is the interior. it has plastics and feels less luxurious than my GX. but imho plastics is more animal friendly than leather :-)
about the wind noise it's very quiet and the G 63 my friend drives has more wind noise at high speed.
I particularly don't like the body lean on my GX and I want to have more luxury. but the LX 600's two screen setup just looks so afterthought.
so after the trip I purchased an LX 570 instead. It's very smooth on highway and it looks beautiful.
I was dead set on buying an LX570 for my next car coming from a 13+ old RX350 ultimate lux w/rear screens and ML speakers (was perfect for my kids and road trips). I casually kept my eye out for the past year but could never find the right one. Those on the market in my area were low availability (a testament that owners keep their LX long term), moderate mileage, and oddly usually in white exterior. I really enjoyed the heavy steering, tankiness, and quality interior. Almost pulled the trigger on a 2020 sport, but the underside had more rust than i liked for the price. Beautiful built vehicle, arguably the peak of Lexus SUV craftsmanship, but the dated tech and center console left much to be desired and for me, felt like a time machine. My RX and the LX570 share very similar interior design elements and amenities, and ultimately I couldn't do another 5-10 years of it as a daily driver and needed a new change. I also considered a 2022-23 LX600 but did not like the placement or integration of the infotainment screen and didn't need the vast offroad capabilities. I ended up getting a nebula/tan GX prem+ and so far couldn't be happier.
Coming from Mercedes, the intrusive nature of the Lexis tech is, hard to adjust to. I just had one of my dealer's tech kids work on it. Was amazing how many screens he had to go through, reducing sensitivity settings (to minimum), increasing warning distances (to maximum), etc. . Took almost an hour. Much less annoying now (still can't make the pointless rear seat warning light turn off, and the cruise control remains a unsolved mystery.
I was dead set on buying an LX570 for my next car coming from a 13+ old RX350 ultimate lux w/rear screens and ML speakers (was perfect for my kids and road trips). I casually kept my eye out for the past year but could never find the right one. Those on the market in my area were low availability (a testament that owners keep their LX long term), moderate mileage, and oddly usually in white exterior. I really enjoyed the heavy steering, tankiness, and quality interior. Almost pulled the trigger on a 2020 sport, but the underside had more rust than i liked for the price. Beautiful built vehicle, arguably the peak of Lexus SUV craftsmanship, but the dated tech and center console left much to be desired and for me, felt like a time machine. My RX and the LX570 share very similar interior design elements and amenities, and ultimately I couldn't do another 5-10 years of it as a daily driver and needed a new change. I also considered a 2022-23 LX600 but did not like the placement or integration of the infotainment screen and didn't need the vast offroad capabilities. I ended up getting a nebula/tan GX prem+ and so far couldn't be happier.
Do you know the GX has more steel body panel and weaker frame as well? that's why I always prefer the LX.
check the video
I came from a Mercedes. Never owned a Lexus or Toyota before, and it's VERY different. Simple things are unnecessarily complicated & confusing, such as the cruise control - as far as I can tell, it doesn't work unless lane centering is turned on first (but the car doesn't say anything other than "Cruise control not available, consult owner's manual").
Odd, must be due to the new design/electronics. Wonder if an OBD2 dump will show settings that can be changed in Techstream (I had the dlr tech disable the auto driver seat retraction in techstream, as the nav would only disable the steering wheel retraction. OBD2 showed the seat option set to on but I couldn’t change it myself). My 460 doesn’t do that (I have the lane departure off all the time and use cruise) and can change stations/modes in the ML audio (same as with my 22 RCF), but we are talking electronics designed 10-15 yrs ago, which still seem new to me since my LX is a 2003! Agree with the LX600, NX, etc… enormously complicated screens with 3D renderings of the vehicle… reminds me of that on Galaxy-class starships on Star Trek TNG but no warp drive!
I just picked up my GX from the body shop. We went up to the mountains to see the snow, and I accidentally backed into a log that was covered with snow (which is why I didn't see it and backed into it). I bumped the GX's tow hitch and bumper. The shop did a great job repairing it, except for the frame around the tow hitch which was bent in a little from the log. They told me that Lexus policy is to not let shops straighten frames using heat or cutting out and replacing dented sections. They showed me a toyota 4x4 that's been sitting in their yard for a year waiting for a whole new frame because that's the only repair Lexus approves. My dad owned a body shop, and so I know this Lexus policy is just stupid. Its just as crazy as their policy to fix squeaking brakes that most GX's seem plagued by - instead of just applying the copper grease that everyone has used to stop squeaks for decades, we all had to wait for special new brake pads from Lexus.
I've owned a Lexus since September, and so far its been an extremely frustrating and unhappy experience. The only thing I like is how it looks, and how Lexus somehow got around the requirement for an auto shut off engine that I saw on every other new car (though considering how expensive gas is, maybe that's not a good thing). For 3 weeks I drove a new Honda as a rental, and it was so relaxing to not have to hear all the constant bings and bongs of the GX's many, highly distracting warning systems. It's not just the GX model. We drove a small new SUV, I think it was an NX hybrid, and we had so many problems, including not being able to unlock the doors from the inside (for some crazy reason, you have to pull the door handles TWICE before the doors will open), how to put it in gear & park, etc. Lexus' implementation of drive by wire just sucks, and they just say "customers get used to the new system", but "people get used to it" isn't how good designs are described. It seems like a poor excuse for terrible designs.
My plan is to dump the GX in a year or two and find something else that's less frustrating to live with, and that has isn't filled with such annoying tech (seems that everything in the GX requires a teenager to figure out). It won't be a Lexus.
Could you post some photos of the frame damage? Curious to see how bad it is.
Coming from Mercedes, the intrusive nature of the Lexis tech is, hard to adjust to. I just had one of my dealer's tech kids work on it. Was amazing how many screens he had to go through, reducing sensitivity settings (to minimum), increasing warning distances (to maximum), etc. . Took almost an hour. Much less annoying now (still can't make the pointless rear seat warning light turn off, and the cruise control remains a unsolved mystery.
You must've not tweaked system settings much on MBUX...on every Mercedes we've ever owned (seven total), you always need to go through several menus to find what you're looking for, especially with the MBUX system.
Not in love with mine - big dissapointment
