Initial GX 550 Reviews... looking good!

Lexus literature says 8000lbs, can you point to somewhere that was updated to 9000?

https://www.lexus.com/content/dam/lexus/documents/brochures/models/2024/MY24-Lexus-GX-Brochure.pdf

You need to consider the brand consciousness of car buyers. People who are shopping loaded Broncos are cross-shopping Wranglers and maybe 4Runners, not Lexus. That's it. Not GX, no German brands, and there is nothing from other down market Japanese or Korean brands that comes close. These buyers will not be caught dead in a Lexus, it's the same reason why the Lincoln Blackwood failed while 100k+ F150 Raptors are still selling well. It's the same reason LX570 command less price on the used market than virtually identical J200 Land Cruisers.

If Toyota offered the GX550 with a Toyota skin, it would do better with cross-shoppers. But here we are, Toyota once again decided we can't get real Land Cruiser Prado under the Toyota name just like with the full size line, after the sale of J200 LC tapered off due to them keeping it so high trim and pricey. Toyota insisting on upsell the full size LC in the US was one of the things I have never liked about them. I hope a version of the GX550 with the same motor and driveline with less gadgets can make it into Toyota lineup at some point.

I live in a town where the cheapest house now costs about 1.5 million(it was much cheaper when we bought out place. LOL). The only people I see driving the GX are recent immigrant families who prefer lexus to Toyota due to status. The moneyed people of all races love to roll around in Toyota LCs and 4Runners to avoid attention from the criminal elements in nearby areas.

 

$80k or $70k Bronco is not a toy. This is a toy! The Bronco will not see any more offroading than the GX550. Matt's Banana mopped the floor with Sasquatch Bronco.

Again, this is a toy.

 

Actually it is more than 9000 lbs for the Premium trim. This trail one is 8500 lbs or so.

 

I agree with this, but people who do look into buying Broncos tend to be car enthusiasts like us... wonder if they would be swayed by the ecoboost issues.

 

When you reach figures like $80k, you do cross shop. This new Lexus is stealing a lot from Mercedez and Bronco.

 

I thought I heard 9K in one of those videos. I'll see if I can find it...

 

I like this Lexus motor, it is of decent displacement. It is not like Bronco's 2.7 and Jeep's 2.0

 

It is 9,069 lbs to be exact. I will double check

 

But the advantage of the Wrangler is that you can still get the Pentastar which is way more reliable than the 2.7 ecoboost. Obviously not as reliable as our 1GR-FEs, but it's nowhere near as bad as Fords.

 

I'll cross shop at $20K. But, I think it might actually be less common at higher prices. People who are going to spend $80K are probably set on a specific brand or model. Of course there are always exceptions.

 

Yeah, that extra 69# is certainly going to be the difference for some potential buyer.

 

Some stuff happening already. Next will be old man emu 3" for the new Prado, 35s, and high clearance steel bumper. And Bronco is toast
This is the new Land Cruiser, folks!

 

Not all Bronco buyers are fanboys. I am not a Toyota fanboy. I cross shopped and got something that made more sense. I could have bought a Wrangler, but I needed something that was more practical. And my modified 4Runner is pretty badass

 

This is the new Landcruiser:



And, a few mods aren't going to make the GX a Bronco killer. It will be a great alternative for those who want great capability and luxury in a non ugly vehicle, though.

 

I

 

This is looking mighty tempting in the Nori Green Pearl color. Must resist!

 

I would pass that 4 banger.

 

Really? You'd pass on a simpler motor (compared to the V6) that makes way better power than your current motor?

 

Simpler? Both are turbocharged. I would want the V6 at least and no hybrid

 

True, but an I4 is a much simpler design than a V6.

 

Simpler design would mean anything if it was hauling a stupid Camry, not a mid sized truck that is going to be modified all over. I would want the V6.

 

The torque on this Lexus is more than the Diesel Wrangler's. What a truck!

 

I have a GTI with the EA888... it's a 4-cylinder turbo and its been an amazing engine. Don't knock them down just yet, plus that hybrid combo will be phenomal.

 

So that you replace the battery pack. No thank you. How heavy is your GTI?

 

Haha, whatever you say.

 

My GTI isn't hybrid! All motor, love that thing. That 4-cyl turbo in it is just amazing. If VW with questionable reliability can produce a somewhat reliable turbo engine, Toyota will definitely make it bulletproof. Hell, even now VWs have been more reliable than Fords.

 

Give me an example from history of a 4-cylinder turbo in a heavy truck

 

My buddy's Spider has a 1.3 l turbo that has been going strong. That doesn't mean we put that in a Tacoma

 

There is some sense in Jeep's decision not to put 2.0 in the Gladiator or Ram 1500. This is going to be a problem for Toyota, it's going to lose some customers to Jeep, customers who are not fanboys