Lexus GX Long Term Test Conclusion [savagegeese]

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OprahFtwphrey@reddit

As someone who just moved from an '05 Acura MDX to a a '26 Honda Passport, it's the best blend of ~realistic~ off road capability and on road driving wrapped in a comfortable package that I test drove out of pretty much all car brands

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MortimerDongle@reddit

If you're just doing mild off roading / service roads and that kind of thing, the Passport makes a lot of sense. We might have gotten one if it could tow more, but unfortunately towing was our main use case and there aren't many midsize SUVs that can tow much.

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PSPistolero@reddit

I never really understood why you’d buy one of these over a slightly used 200 series Land Cruiser. Obviously new vehicle vs used vehicle comes into the equation but even a modicum of research will tell you to buy the 200 series. Just drop a more modern aftermarket infotainment in it for a thousand bucks or so and you’re in business.

I guess that’s why lightly used 200s are selling pretty close to original retail now.

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MortimerDongle@reddit

200s are great but they're still as much or more than the GX with pretty significant mileage on them (opinion varies on how important mileage is on a Land Cruiser, but still) and not super easy to find.

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generalright@reddit

The 200 series is an inferior on road vehicle compared to modern cars (BMW for example) so you would want them for off-road but again they are comparable to modern off roaders today, not better. It also gets terrible gas mileage. People barely bought them new and their prices are still too high. With all that said, who do they appeal to? I understand that sacrilege here but having a car that is “bulletproof” or “long lasting” loses a lot of its appeal when gas is $5 and the used car is expensive.

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drewforty@reddit

A lot of the appeal in a 200, and all Toyota/lexus to a lesser extent, is the low depreciation. They’re expensive used but they will still be expensive used when you sell. Driving something for 2-3 years and selling it for roughly what you paid is a nice feeling. Also there’s enough people with gas cards or wfh that the low mpg isn’t a deal breaker.

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d0ugfirtree@reddit

Even if it's a Toyota land cruiser it's still a depreciating asset, don't get me wrong they're cool and all but spending like $50k on a 10 year old truck is crazy.

For the used market might as well just get a nice Tahoe or Armada or something which will be at the bottom of it's depreciation curve. Stick the savings in the market and you'll probably beat out used land cruiser guy financially

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generalright@reddit

While I get that, you could do that in a lot of cars. Supra, m2, 911, trd pro 4Runner, LC500, list goes on…Hell if you bought a RAV4 hybrid you could essentially get what you paid back and then have low running costs from the mpg.

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drewforty@reddit

Sure, there are a lot of niche enthusiast cars that hold value well but I think the 200 might be that ticket for non-niche people that just want to own an end-game family car that they won’t loose 60%+ on. Most other luxury SUVs are much worse in this case.

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generalright@reddit

True

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PSPistolero@reddit

I've not driven in a GX550 so I'd leave it to others who have but, on paper, they are both body on frame with IFS and a four link. It's likely they don't differ as much on road as one might think and on road manners are likely determined more by damping/suspension set up and tires more than anything else. I can say a 200 with an OME kit drives very comfortably on road. I'd put it on par with any other large body on frame SUV.

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UrbanAlaska@reddit

We're keeping our '19 until they sort the bugs out. Seems like it still has a way to go.

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generalright@reddit

The LC250 is the superior vehicle. Everything you want do 10-20k less, better retro styling inside and out, and better canvas to customize your car.

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MortimerDongle@reddit

The GX tows 50% more and has higher payload capacity, so if you're using it for towing it has some big benefits.

The price difference is also much smaller than that, depending on trim. A fully loaded LC is about the same price as a GX P+

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Same_Lack_1775@reddit

If you can find the GX at msrp. By me dealers are putting huge markups on them. Plus, you can usually get $2-3k of the LC Premium trim

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MortimerDongle@reddit

Yeah, there's a big regional difference. Where I am (PA) the GX sells at MSRP with no dealer ads and the LC gets small discounts. The LC has somewhat shorter wait lists (2-3 months vs 3-6)

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optifreebraun@reddit

The real world price difference is actually much bigger. You can get huge discounts on the LC while in most places, MSRP is the best you can do for the GX. My local dealerships all charge “MSRP” but make you buy Lexus top coat, wheel and tire packages, etc., for the GX. Pass.

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CorrectCombination11@reddit

If you need that much towing capacity, which means you have disposable income for more toys, which means, why not just get a lx?

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MortimerDongle@reddit

The GX tows more than the LX, and the LX is like $40k more expensive. Even used ones sell for $100k.

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generalright@reddit

Yes, towing is better. But know that the fully loaded LC has far more off road capability than the GX until you get to overtrail and overtrail plus. It then continues to have many more options like leather, digital rear view, 3 zone climate, more air vents, better speakers, and physical buttons.

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LiquidSean@reddit

Ironically LC250 gets panned for its complex powertrain, even though it’s proving to me a more reliable engine than the GX550

(Note: I’m a biased, happy LC250 owner lol)

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RitzBitzN@reddit

I am also a biased, happy LC250 owner!

I never understood the crowing about a complex powertrain.

It's an under-stressed, conservatively tuned, 4-cyl turbo hybrid.

Toyota has been making dependable 4-cyl turbos for like 50 years and they have been making basically the prototypical 4-cyl hybrid powertrain with the Prius, for almost 30 years now. If there is any one company that could be trusted with combining the two, it'd be Toyota.

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andrewjaekim@reddit

Yep. Simpler powertrain too and is a lot more fuel efficient.

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Same_Lack_1775@reddit

I’m still happy with my LC. The only thing I wished it had from the GX is the toying capability.

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g-4-ces@reddit

I had a GX550 lux+. I spent 10 months with it. That was a brutal 10 months. The build quality was horrendous, the ride quality was terrible, the Mark Levinson was brutal, literally no sound from 2nd row or rear speakers and almost no bass. It wasn’t fun to drive, it drank gas like it was perpetually drunk. I cannot for like of me fathom why there are still some wait lists for this vehicle. However I do understand why there are a metric shit ton available used, including mine which hasn’t sold in 7 months.

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Mjolnir12@reddit

Well yeah, the luxury+ trim makes no sense. The gx550 for 100% on road use in general makes no sense. It is a body on frame platform with a solid rear axle. It isn’t going to ride as well as an X5 because it sacrifices that for offroad performance and towing capability. If you don’t need either of those, you shouldn’t get a gx550. Also the fact that the luxury and premium trims don’t even have a bunch of the offroad features means you really should only be getting the overtrail, because if you aren’t going offroad you should get an x5, x7, or even lexus TX instead.

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Kryptus@reddit

This. An X5 is such a better value for anyone who doesn't need a real off road vehicle.

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mind_blowwer@reddit

What if you plan on keeping the truck for a long time?

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ElectronicTroponic@reddit

I dont see either holding up long term lol

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mind_blowwer@reddit

That’s unfortunate.

Although not a GX550, I’m contemplating getting a GX460 as a second vehicle (daily driver). The comments here are making me think I’m an idiot for considering it.

I really haven’t considered the X5 or any other suv because I just think of the horrors regarding owning German vehicles long-term. Idk if that is still completely true for all models though.

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cadmiumredlight@reddit

The 460 is a totally different vehicle from the 550. It's dead reliable except for some small things that won't leave you stranded anyway. I wouldn't DD it due to the fuel economy, though.

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mind_blowwer@reddit

I work remote, so I don’t really do any commuting. Would just be for puttsing around locally and towing my Evo.

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Known-Name@reddit

I daily a 2017 GX460 and it’s great. But I also work remotely most days (1x a week in office, two towns over). I love it for just about everything other than fuel economy. But since I don’t commute far or often, I’m not concerned about that.

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cadmiumredlight@reddit

Gotcha. I'm in the same boat so the $125 fill-ups don't hurt so bad. It's a great car. Everyone who rides in it is always surprised how nice it is for a 15-year-old vehicle.

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Lochstar@reddit

I’ve got an 08 GX470. Most reliable most capable and most trusted vehicle I’ve ever owned. It tows, camps, take trails, and road trips all with ease. I just wish I could get better than 16 mpg.

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NorCalAthlete@reddit

The X5 -40 models with the B58 straight 6 should be fine long term. The X5M with the V8 though, not so much.

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Hnry_Dvd_Thr_Awy@reddit

As someone who's ran the gamut on body on frame SUVs: Look into the GM V8 offerings. Yes they have their issues no the really aren't deal breakers as much as the internet makes it out to be.

I like my Yukon more for its use case than I liked any GX I've been in. If parking or something is an issue then yeah maybe go smaller.

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cody87hoke@reddit

My wife went from an Off Road 4 Runner to a 24 X5 and now either wants a 550 Overtrail or AT4 Yukon. We went to buy a Yukon when we got the BMW but they sold it while we were on the way after getting everything done except signing, I have a Sierra AT4.

What do you like better about the Yukon over the Lexus? I like GM, we’ve had 5 GM trucks at this point but also like Toyotas off road focused stuff. My wife is over the BMW tax for everything and like the GX because it’s a luxury interior that drives and rides like a truck. Plus it looks cool. But said she’d look at a AT4 to, I hadn’t had any issues out of any of my trucks

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XMAN2YMAN@reddit

Don’t discount the armada Pro4x. I know Nissan gets lots of hate but their truck and SUV line up is really solid right now and prices are great, compared to others.

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Hnry_Dvd_Thr_Awy@reddit

I think the main things for me are fuel tank size/range and physical size.

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optifreebraun@reddit

I have a 15 year old GX I can’t get rid of because it just keeps running and working perfectly. Trust me- that’s an amazing car. Don’t let the naysayers get you down.

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mind_blowwer@reddit

My mom has a 2002 Sequoia, so the I definitely understand that part of it. Unfortunately the rust killed it, but it’s perfect beyond that.

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JimmyGodoppolo@reddit

Honestly, the X5 paired with the B58 is underrated in terms of reliability

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willpc14@reddit

It cannot possibly be underrated when every third post has someone commenting on the B58's reliability.

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optifreebraun@reddit

Then the TX would be a solid option!

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watduhdamhell@reddit

It's also a much, much better performer on-road (as we would expect).

Seriously. It's faster than 95% of cars on the road and it's no slouch in the corners. From a dig you will humiliate many drivers in much, much sportier cars. Ask me how I know... 😅

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SirLoremIpsum@reddit

The gx550 for 100% on road use in general makes no sense. It is a body on frame platform with a solid rear axle. It isn’t going to ride as well as an X5

That's what people want.

Range rover, cayenne. The appearance and capability w no intention to use it

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Mjolnir12@reddit

Both the cayenne and range rover are unibody independent suspension vehicles. Neither is body on frame or solid axle and neither has the amount of articulation you get from those designs. They aren’t as good off road as a solid axle body on frame vehicle. They are both primarily on road vehicles.

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optifreebraun@reddit

This. I have a TX500h and a Land Cruiser (essentially a poverty trim GX with a hybrid 4-banger and plastic interior) and while I absolutely love both cars, I’d take the TX all day long over the LC if I were intending just to stay on road. It’s quiet, comfortable and amazing for hauling a family around.

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Mjolnir12@reddit

I wouldn’t call the land cruiser a “poverty trim gx,” unless you have a 1958. The premium package land cruiser actually has some luxury features that a gx overtrail doesn’t, like leather, a “premium” speaker system (the JBL one), 3 zone climate control, and a digital rear view mirror. In the first model year of the gx550 the overtrail didn’t even have power passenger seats for some reason, but they since made them standard.

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mind_blowwer@reddit

I like the TX, but it’s not “manly” enough for me. If I had a family I’d definitely consider it though.

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Legal-Machine-8676@reddit

No family and want manly? GMC Sierra!

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yobo9193@reddit

build quality was horrendous

Can you give some examples?

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g-4-ces@reddit

Absolutely -

Hood flutter at speeds over 25mph. Had the fix done, took two weeks. Didn’t fix the issue. Hood still flutters.

Brake squeal. It’s incredibly loud. In forward and reverse. Was on list for replacement for 8 months before I got rid of it. Never fixed.

Driver side mirror vibrates at speeds above 45mph. No fix. Toyota says normal. It’s so bad you can’t make out car on highway.

The mark levinson. No bass and no rear seat sounds.

Ceiling liner was already falling down. Toyota said that’s normal.

The rear camera recall was announced, mine did freeze, never fixed.

At highway speeds, it’s roughly 1db per mph on the interior. That’s right your going 80mph, expect at least 80-85dbs of interior wind noise.

No engine issue but didn’t have confidence in an early 2025 build that I was gonna not be recalled too.

I’m sure there were more that I’ve forgotten.

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LiplessHen456@reddit

Did you not test drive it first? Or even sit in it? Seems like something I'd want to do for any car I buy let alone one where I drop that much dough....

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Scared-Loquat-7933@reddit

Test drives are genuinely useless. You get like 10-20 minutes max usually to figure out whether you want to drop tens of thousands of dollars on a car.

Not to mention the fact that there’s usually a high school dropout car salesman who tags along for the ride and 9/10 times does not know much about the car at all. I had a few questions about an LX one time and the lady straight up told me she’s “not a details person”. She’s not the only example in my experience but like what the actual fuck are those bums there for?

Best option is always to rent the car you want on Turo for a weekend or when traveling so you get to actually spend time in it and feel like you own it for a day or two.

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LiplessHen456@reddit

All the issues he described would be noticed on a 10-20 min drive with a sack of potatoes in the passenger seat, let alone a salesperson.

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Scared-Loquat-7933@reddit

No they absolutely would not.

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g-4-ces@reddit

Yes - needed a new car and was seduced by the exterior.

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mkcoia@reddit

Test drives nowadays at dealers are fucking worthless.

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DeTomato_@reddit

Wow, that’s horrible. And here I thought the Japanese built Lexuses were solid.

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Sarniezz@reddit

They "were". Enshitification hit them a few years back.

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ExoticFramer@reddit

Sadly a lot of these are present in our LX600 too (brakes, Levinson, hood flutter, interior noise)

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Sarniezz@reddit

That must be so disappointing. My LX570 is still driving like new, no rattles, nothing. Only has 50k miles but still.

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Tuned3f@reddit

That really sucks. As a 2025 gx550 owner, I have none of these issues.

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Spidahpig@reddit

Listing reliability as an issue when you didn’t have one makes you sound goofy af.

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g-4-ces@reddit

The word reliability wasn’t never written so reading what you want to read makes you look stupid AF

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drewforty@reddit

That’s wild. My extremely tarted up overland 460 with intake and exhaust, ATs, tube bumpers, RTT is like 78db at 70 iirc

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SHHHeng@reddit

Man, I am lucky didn't jump on it because the huge rear lift gate without split lift gate and a couple inches raised cargo and also the drama with TTV6.

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Dangerous-Ad9208@reddit

Holy shit…my beater Frontier still looks and feels new after 80k miles. That’s absolutely terrible for a new car.

80-85 dbs is unacceptable holy shit.

I will say, i didn’t go with a camry upgrade for that same reason. The interior wind noise is diabolical.

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DriveRightCarBuying@reddit

The GX550 to Cayenne/X5 pipeline is incredibly strong right now. I'm seeing this often in my business. They really missed the "luxury" side of the equation and instead built what the 6th generation 4Runner should have been.

Shame, such a good looking vehicle.

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Bugeaters@reddit

What's wrong with the 6th gen 4Runner? Feel like it met the assignment. Base SR5 4x4 is 45k--cheaper than a base bronco with auto transmission and hard top optioned. And the 4Runner is better equipped in base form with things like adaptive cruise.

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DriveRightCarBuying@reddit

Sort of apples to oranges. The Bronco is a much more capable off roader and has a much higher ceiling (factory or modded). The 4Runner is lower, longer, and has an IRS.

I don't think they're cross shopped all that much. 4Runner isn't offered in a two door or manual, so it was never a consideration to begin with in my personal shopping.

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Mjolnir12@reddit

It has a solid rear axle. It’s not going to ride like a luxury vehicle, especially with giant 21+ inch wheels.

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about_treefity@reddit

I seriously loathe that every truck and suv comes with 20+ inch wheels and rubber band tires now unless you get a high end off road specific model like a ZR2 or Raptor.

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Mjolnir12@reddit

Yeah, they have zero performance advantage, make the ride worse, make the tires and wheels more expensive, and make it easier to damage the rims.

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Same_Lack_1775@reddit

Lexus in general has that problem. New Toyotas have gotten good enough while Lexus quality has decreased that it no longer makes sense to pay for Lexus premium. The new RX is substantially worse than the last generation.

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xt1nct@reddit

The 4 banger is especially trash.

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MortimerDongle@reddit

It's sort of odd, though, since they're very different vehicles. The GX makes sense if you're towing or off-roading, not much sense otherwise. The Luxury trim probably shouldn't exist at all, it actually has the worst ride quality of any trim.

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g-4-ces@reddit

I can confirm that the Cayenne is amazing. Highly highly recommend it.

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chummsickle@reddit

I test drove a GX550 and was very disappointed for all of the reasons you mentioned. I then drove an X5 and it was night and day different.

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trackdaybruh@reddit

I don’t even think the GX550 is a X5 competitor, rather it’s the Lexus TX

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SithSidious@reddit

Interesting I haven’t heard about bad build quality for these. All the car reviewers with them (even long term) like savagegeese and tedward like them.

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Astramael@reddit

As a general rule, I’ve had great success buying the vehicles SG dislikes.

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g-4-ces@reddit

Many of them are paid reviewers. I’m not sure who is independent and who is not.

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CPOx@reddit

Oof. Thank you for your service … this vehicle was on a list of mine for the next potential purchase

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Mnm0602@reddit

I keep wondering why my 11yr old GX keeps increasing or holding value then I read this lol.

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StrangeSmellz@reddit

I get most of that, but did you really think a huge Luxus SUV was going to be good on gas and fun to drive?

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g-4-ces@reddit

It ls rated at 15/18 or something like that. It gets 10-12.

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Spidahpig@reddit

Wut, I have fatter tires on my gx550 and get 15 city and 19 highway. Sounds user error

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StrangeSmellz@reddit

I mean unless they’re lying to the EPA, that totally depends on driving style etc.

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Hnry_Dvd_Thr_Awy@reddit

including mine which hasn’t sold in 7 months.

Got a link?

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g-4-ces@reddit

Yes but not sharing it. You can just go and search used to find them all

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krackenracer@reddit

you know what's funny, I did a search on Cargurus of all 25-26 GX's for sale used in the country. The only ones on market for more than 60 days appear to be in excess of MSRP.

But somehow yours hasn't sold in SEVEN months?

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Hnry_Dvd_Thr_Awy@reddit

Least paranoid Redditor.

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Same_Lack_1775@reddit

Why wouldn’t you share it? Lol most used GX sell in a matter of days except if the dealer has an absurd price on it (higher than msrp)

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g-4-ces@reddit

Used ones absolutely do not. In fact they rarely sell. I don’t want vin tracking back to me here.

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ElectronicTroponic@reddit

The Honda Passport is better all around

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Uniball38@reddit

The problem with the passport is that it’s wide as fuck (0.5” away from F150 width)

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Astramael@reddit

Yay, you can get a different highly recalled V6!

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Tony-cums@reddit

Agree but the problem With the passport is the massive depreciation it will see. Like every other Honda and every other unibody suv.

4Runner keeps its value to a shocking degree. Yeah the passport would be the better vehicle but be worth 15k at 100k miles.

Give and take I guess.

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donniedumphy@reddit

I'm considering moving from my 2024 Toyota Tundra to a GX. I need to tow my 5000-6000 camper trailer and don't know of a better option. The Mark Levinson has to be way better then my POS base level stereo in my Tundra.

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Agreeable_Rain_1764@reddit

I own one of these. I think what’s missed by a lot of people who are car enthusiasts is that the downsides of the GX are really quite subtle in the grand scheme of things. An X5 is better in nearly every metric (dynamics, quality, tech, etc.) but the difference is not so great that the average person wouldn’t also consider the GX if they are a fan of the exterior styling and/or believe that the GX will be more reliable over time. Also, people shopping at this price point will naturally be less value oriented or else they would be shopping for a Palisade, Grand Highlander, Tahoe, etc.

Personally I bought mine because X5s and X7s are common in my area and are considered the boring/safe option. I also enjoy the ruggedness of the suspension over crappy roads and the ability to haul a track car if necessary.

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pokerawz@reddit

As someone who bought a new off-roader ~4yrs ago, I would not buy this (or any other new off-roader). Personally, I wish I had just went with a used LX/GX and kept my GTI.

Dropping $70-80k, on top of the expensive maintenance & fuel costs, for a compromised vehicle is just ridiculous to me. You’re not going to want to take this thing off road much. I’d much rather get a X5. I feel the same about the new 4Runner, Landcruiser, etc but to a lesser degree because of the price delta.

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thedogthatmooed@reddit

Filing the “kept my GTI” part in my brain for when I inevitably want to get a truck or something in the future

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pokerawz@reddit

Good news is I will be paid off in less than a year and I’ll probably snag another peppy car to fill the void.

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thedogthatmooed@reddit

Don’t get me wrong, I adore the thing, and I see it all the time “should have kept the gti” but I have a high horsepower itch. And rwd would be nice

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pokerawz@reddit

I’m between a few cars, will cross shop and see where I am financially next year. FWIW, I got a spanking deal on my GTI and I would’ve replaced it with a faster car anyway in 5yrs.

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Mjolnir12@reddit

The 4runner and land cruiser maintenance shouldn’t be too expensive because they don’t have all the complex electronic suspension stuff the gx550 has (at least on the overtrail) and they don’t have a complex twin turbo V6.

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burner456987123@reddit

It looks like they really ruined it with this model. The prior iteration seems superior in almost every way a buyer would want.

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fuck_the_mods@reddit

Other options: GMC Yukon, Nissan Armada, Cadillac Escalade, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Ford Expedition.

As someone that cross-shopped the GX, I didn’t consider any of these besides the LC. The list should include the Defender at the very least. You’re also looking at the standard luxury SUVs: GLE, X7, Q7. On the higher end LX and G550.

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MikeFromRoseville@reddit

Bought a 2024 Luxury+ almost two years ago and put 24,000 miles on it. Totally different experience than OP. Great vehicle. I also knew what I was buying after having a GX460 for 9 years. Not for everyone which is fine with me. The 22” wheels aren’t the greatest ride but easily changed to something with more sidewall.

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mrshickadance412@reddit

Tl;DW?

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MortimerDongle@reddit

Basically - it only makes sense if you need the capability (towing, off-roading), otherwise get a unibody luxury SUV.

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thisguyblades@reddit

without having even watch the vid i know they will shit on the car. that channel is more for sports car enthusiasts. the GX550 is a truck, a body on frame off roader first, luxury second. which differs from the previous gen which was a luxury first, off roader second. the GX550 is amazing, i very much welcome this direction from Lexus.

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