2025 Lexus GX Review

The basic features of the new GX550 haven’t changed much for the second season. The whole series now has a power-adjustable steering column, and the outside mirrors, steering wheel, and driver’s seat can all be set to a memory setting in all GX models. The Off-Road trims, Overtrail and Overtrail+, have extra switches and a one-inch suspension lift to help them get over obstacles.

Pros

• Generous standard feature content enhances the experience.
• Ready to embrace the great outdoors.
• Offers the convenience of an available third row.

Cons

• Some rivals are not more refined or practical.
• The Land Cruiser is not any less cool.
• It does not have good fuel economy.

The GX550 comes standard with a 3.4-liter V-6 twin-turbo engine, delivering 349 horsepower. This turbocharged V-6 surpasses the Land Cruiser’s turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid and the previous GX model’s V-8 in performance. Four-wheel drive is standard on all cars, and an automatic transmission with 10 speeds is also standard. The Overtrail and Overtrail+ grades have more features for off-road use than the other classes. It has a metal skid plate, 18-inch wheels with 33-inch All-Terrain tires, an adaptive suspension system that lets the wheels move more freely, crawl control, and different drive modes that can be used across various types of terrain. The GX550 has a lot of energy on the road, and it speeds up quickly. On the other hand, we felt a lot of hood flutter while driving on the highway. The ride is a bit rough, especially when the biggest wheels are used. You can really feel the steering wheel, but the GX doesn’t handle very well for a big, boxy SUV. It has a lot of body roll. The Lexus Overtrail is great off-road, and it has great visibility, which is especially helpful on narrow paths. We checked this out with an off-road comparison test. The Electronic Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (E-KDSS) lets you disconnect either the front or back anti-roll bars. This makes the vehicle more stable, stops the head tossing, and gives it a better grip on rough terrain. The transfer case also lets the driver choose the low-range gearset without locking the center differential. This makes it possible to turn the vehicle more tightly.

The GX has many features that help the driver, such as lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking, and the ability to recognize pedestrians. The following are important safety features:

• Typical automated emergency braking recognizes people.
• Lane-keeping assistance and standards lane departure warning.
• Adaptive cruise control with lane-centering functionality is standard.

The GX has a luxurious cabin, even though it looks rough on the outside. There are many types of real or fake leather upholstery, and some Overtrail models have dark green fake suede accents. The Premium and Luxury trims come with a basic second-row bench and three rows of seats that can fit up to seven people. If you want to reduce the number of seats, you can add a pair of captain’s chairs. The Lexus TX crossover has a clear edge in this area, though, as the third row doesn’t have a lot of room. Overtrail cars only have five seats and no third row. The middle passenger does not have as much foot room, though, because the center console’s base is made of plastic. You can also get a cold storage bin, a head-up display, or a digital key fob. The luggage floor is high, which makes it hard to load big things. However, the GX550 Overtrail could fit 18 carry-on-sized boxes behind the second-row seat and 33 with the back seats folded down.

Even though the old GX460 has a twin-turbo V-6 engine instead of a V-8, it doesn’t use much less gas. The EPA expects that the GX550 will achieve 15 mpg in the city and 21 mpg on the interstate. We tried the GX500 Premium on an interstate that went 75 mph. On average, it got 21 mpg. The GX gets 22 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway, which is a lot less than the four-cylinder hybrid Land Cruiser.

There is a 14.0-inch navigation system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto that works wirelessly in all GX models. There is also a 12.3-inch digital gauge display that can be set up to show different types of information to the driver. Most of the climate settings are located on the touchscreen. There are only four USB-C ports on the Overtrail and Overtrail+ models, not six like most others. You can add a wireless smartphone charging pad that stands the phone up and at an angle if you want to. There is a 10-speaker radio as standard, but audiophiles can update to a Mark Levinson surround sound system with 21 speakers.

On our test track, a GX550 Premium took 6.2 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph. This is a whole second faster than the last generation GX and is faster than the Land Cruiser’s time of 7.7 seconds.

The GX550 can pull up to 9096 pounds, which is a lot more than the Land Cruiser’s rating of 6000 pounds and the GX460’s rating of 6500 pounds. This luxury car can also pull more than its rivals, like the Audi Q7 and BMW X5.

The GX550 can be either an off-road beast that can handle rough terrain or a high-class car that can drive on pavement. If you plan to spend most of your time on asphalt, we suggest the Luxury trim. It adds a lot of nice features to the inside of the GX550, such as illuminated door sill plates, second-row window shades, 10-way adjustable front seats with massage, heat, and ventilation, and semi-aniline leather upholstery. It also has bigger 22-inch wheels that fit into the GX’s roomy wheel wells and make it look more luxurious. The Overtrail+ trim level doesn’t have the third row of seats or some of the other luxury features of the GX. Instead, it has a more rough look and is much better at going off-road. But the Overtrail is definitely something you should think about if you want to do something outside that requires you to cross rough ground.