As you clamber into the cabin, the Lexus GX 460 looks and feels dated, old fashioned. There are lots of switches and knobs splayed across the dashboard and console. The center display screen looks like an add-on afterthought. And the powertrain doesn’t feel the least bit electrified. No doubt customers are delighted!
Not everyone likes the way cars are going today. They don’t like hunting through various menus on touch screens to get what they want. They’re overwhelmed by the choices of functions they have to choose from. And they don’t even like the engine switching off when they come to a stop light. That’s why the GX 460 is the perfect car for them.
Anyone who bought one of these vehicles years ago will feel right at home the moment they slip behind the steering wheel of a brand spanking new one. Yes, the GX has been updated over the years, but the basic structure hasn’t changed in a couple of decades: body-on-frame construction with a V8 engine and 6-speed automatic delivering power through an AWD transfer case and a solid rear axle. Even the styling has barely changed—you just get the latest version of the spindle grille.
Lexus sells about 30,000 of them a year in the US market and the reason why customers keep coming back to this 3-row SUV is that it’s quite a comfortable vehicle. The seats are soft and pleasant. The ride is soft and compliant. And the cabin is big and roomy.
Thanks to its 301 hp and 329 lb-ft V8 it has plenty of power, with a decent 6,500 pound tow rating. But this is a naturally aspirated V8 and you don’t get that eager response that turbocharged engines deliver. If you want to go, you really have to mash the gas pedal. And when you do it really does like to guzzle gasoline. The EPA rates it at only 16 mpg.
Prices start just above $57,000 and walk up to nearly $67,000, depending on the trim line. That’s rather reasonable for a luxury-brand SUV these days and maybe that’s because this thing hasn’t changed that much after all these years.
–John McElroy
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John McElroy is an influential thought leader in the automotive industry. He is a journalist, lecturer, commentator and entrepreneur. He created “Autoline Daily,” the first industry webcast of industry news and analysis.