GX 550 no longer off-road poser
It’s been 14 years since the Lexus GX benefited from a total makeover, and since 2010, the Lexus GX has spent much of its time in the urban jungle.
That may change with the redesigned 2024 Lexus GX 550, a body-on-frame SUV that finally resembles what it’s capable of achieving. Severely square-jawed and unremittingly horizontal, its design banishes its mall-crawling snobbery for some serious trail-boss boldness. And its capability is more than skin deep. It rides on the same Toyota corporate GA-F platform that underpins the Lexus LX 600, the Toyota Tundra, Sequoia and Tacoma, and the soon-toarrive Land Cruiser.
But for 2024, its appearance looks as ready for the rough stuff. While all models get a Torsen limited-slip locking center differential, the Overtrail has an electronically controlled, locking rear differential and an electronic kinetic dynamic suspension system (E-KDSS) that locks and unlocks the front and rear stabilizer bars to enhance off-road wheel articulation. Drive modes, crawl control and tow/haul mode switches are handily on the center console.
Regardless of grade (Overtrail or Overtrail+), the 2024 Lexus GX is 5 inches longer than the
2023 GX, as well as being 3.8 inches wider, 1.4 inches taller and offering 0.6 inch more ground clearance. It also loses the barn-door rear door for a traditional roof-hinged tailgate with a window that can be opened separately, so rear cargo can be accessed without opening the tailgate.
That said, Premium and Luxury models have a mere 10.3 cubic-feet of cargo space with all three rows in use, and most of it is vertical. In contrast, Overtrail trims are fitted with two rows, providing
45.6 cubic feet of cargo space with both rows in use. This allows you to haul a lot of gear to your campsite without being exposed to the elements.
A 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, 10-inch head-up display, a 14-inch infotainment touchscreen, wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto, and up to six USB-C ports come standard. And a 21-speaker Mark Levinson surroundsound system is available if the standard 10-speaker system doesn’t live up to your expectations.
The first two rows have the space and comfort you might expect, providing a generous amount of head and leg room. But the third row is best left to children and adults you secretly despise.
If there’s anything that’s disappointing about the Lexus GX, it’s that the interior lacks the luxurious
ambiance you might expect. It feels more like a premium Toyota than a truly luxurious Lexus.
The 2024 Lexus GX
550 holds few unexpected revelations when it comes to on-road behavior. It provides the quiet, comfortable ride you’d expect from a Lexus SUV; it’s a nice driver. And being a body-on-frame SUV, it truly possesses off-road ability.
So, yes, there’s body lean in corners, but perhaps not as much as you might expect. That being said, any sportiness you might expect comes once you venture past civilization. That’s when this vehicle truly shines. It can ford 27.5 inches of water. Disconnect the sway bars and you have an extra 2.45 inches of wheel articulation, which should meet the needs of all but the most demanding off-road enthusiast.
Certainly, it should meet the expectations of the weather-phobic.
And while it has six drive modes — Auto, Dirt, Sand, Mud, Deep Snow and Rock — most drivers will never switch from Auto. It is a Lexus, after all.
Even if you never venture off-road, you’ll find the 2024 Lexus GX 550 to be the perfect off-road lifestyle accessory. It’s the lifestyle gear. You may not need it, but you know that you want it — and with good reason.