Initial GX 550 Reviews... looking good!

Only thing I would say is that even though there are some dials, the HVAC needed to be more buttons similar to the LC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK6nFymSM8s&t=228s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKdXieacf-s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mfQsx1wylM

 

That trail trim is sick. Too much $$$ though, I am happy in my 5th gen.

 

Same here.

Won't lie, I am tempted to buy it a 3-4 years from now once all the bugs are worked out... but still keeping my 5th gen.

 

They’re gonna sell like hotcakes. I can only imagine the markup we are gonna see for the first year or two.

 

Oh yeah it will be insane, watch it's gonna be like the Bronco.

 

I have a deposit for a Overtrail+ and I'm #10 on my local dealer list. I heard it's beyond 450+ now lol. I'm keeping my 5th gen for the trails/camping and the GX will be my new daily and glamping

 

This thing has the potential to kill the Bronco. It comes with a solid V6 and 33s from factory. Wish it came with air suspension for 10+ inches of ground clearance. But I can guarantee you, aftermarket lifts will be available for this. Lift and 35s will be amazing.
The tires on this thing are 285/70/R17s, the ones the stock Wrangler Rubicon have.

 

How does the swaybar stuff work on this? Is it some kind of KDSS or manual swaybar disconnect?

 

Look at that flex, funny for a luxury SUV. And it is stock.
https://youtube.com/shorts/nIdoK-DgbBU?si=4QGavcB4Zb1c8N2A

 

This thing is too nice and too expensive to chop. I wouldn't do a Viper Cut on this thing

 

So what do BMW and Mercedez have on this Lexus? In the past, Lexus weren't powerful. This beast has the Tundra motor, and offroad capability rivaling the Bronco. This thing will hurt BMW, AUDI, Mercedez and Ford, I have no doubts.

 

Outside the modest sized group of Toyota/Lexus enthusiasts, this doesn't change its relative position to the German marques, those who buy the German brands don't own them long enough to be out of warranty, and those who trust Lexus more will never buy German at this point.

 

I don't think so. This Mercedez is toast. Lexus is no more slow and boring

 

The GX has 470 lb-ft of torque and can tow 9000 lbs, 2500 lbs more than Tacoma. The numbers are mind blowing.

 

That's a stretch. Most lux car buyers buy the German brands for the prestige of having a German badge, Lexus doesn't have that perception even though it matches in lux. Plus, most of these lux brand buyers don't buy these trucks to go off-roading. The ones that do have a GX460 and take it off-road are a small percentage.

 

The tires are 265/70/18s

 

Looking forward to the MPG tests to see if that really hits 21 MPG highway but for the more modern powertrain (with all the pros and cons “modern” entails) sounds about right.

Not a fan of the increased width to 78-79” but eh, not like I’m rolling in the money to buy one new anyway.

 

479 ft-lbs

On the Overtrail it's E-KDSS other trims doesn't have it anymore. Compare to the old kdss the new system separates the front from the rear and hydraulics is replaced with electric. It has 24 inches of articulation of wheel travel, 2 inches more then the non E-KDSS and almost 4 inches more then the old 460.

 

Yup my thoughts exactly

 

It's true competition is the Land Rover Defender 110.

 

But I will agree though with one thing, the Defender is an unreliable piece of crap, I am sure most buyers could be swayed to the GX.

 

"Kill" the Bronco in what way? Bronco has front locker, better approach and departure angles, bigger tires, removable roof and doors. Plus Bronco aftermarket is huge already.

Regardless of all that, I'm sure they're two very different buyers. Same way the Bronco AND Wrangler kill the 4R in nearly every off-road metric, yet most 4Runner buyers won't even look at them.

 

Picking up on a typo, I see

 

Price. You would be stupid to get a loaded Bronco when you can get this. This thing needs a lift and 35s and you are good to go.

 

Has anybody test driven the Bronco? It is crap, the interior is cheaply made. This thing is a Made in Japan Lexus. I don't mind modifying it to make it very capable. Nope, Bronco is losing some customers to this. This is today's Land Cruiser

 

Looks like it went over your head why I mentioned Ford. Read again, good luck!

 

The 550 seems pretty nice, but I still can't get past the gas mileage. 17 mpg for a $70-80k SUV in 2024, come on. Worse than a 2010 4Runner, that's shameful. Worse rating than the Tundra and Sequoia with the same engine too, so it must be really bad in real world numbers.

The Defender mentioned above has 3 engine options (turbo 4, hybrid and/or turbo 6, and v8), and they all get better mileage. Their middle engine is comparable to the 3.4 tt in the Lexus, power-wise.

Yes, I agree this should be more reliable than the Land Rover, but most people just don't care about that. All of the European luxury car brand successes show that people are willing to pay to play. Toyota/Lexus is just playing catch-up, trying to capitalize on the current off road image trend while leveraging some existing LC engineering.

 

Wife has a 2016 GX460. Not ready to give up the naturally aspirated V8 quite yet. But it’s tempting.

 

$80 SUV buyers don't care about gas mileage unless they have some Green BS in their minds

 

I don't necessarily disagree about the price, one could argue you get a nicer vehicle with the GX for the money.

However I don't think that money is the number one factor in comparing vehicles like this. I think these are both for a specific buyer.

I personally would rather own the GX, but if I was looking for something that was going to be an off-road toy, I wouldn't even consider it.