2024 Lexus GX: It’s Hip To Be Square

It’s been 13 long years since there was an all-new Lexus GX, but the wait is over. In a double-feature debut that also saw the unveiling of the all-new TX three-row crossover, the Japanese luxury brand debuted the third-generation GX online Thursday evening. The squared-off looks are easily the most radical transformation in the model’s history, but it’ll keep its posh off-roader personality and lean even harder into what fans like about it, with more power and even more factory-issue off-road hardware.

As with the previous GX generations, the all-new 2024 model is based on the global-market Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, itself redesigned this year but with much more conventional looks. Both the body-on-frame Prado and GX, which translate the full-size Land Cruiser and LX 600 model’s talents into a slightly smaller and even more trail-friendly format, have earned enviable global reputations for their off-road abilities.

While there are industry rumors that the Prado might come stateside next year as a reincarnated Land Cruiser, the 2024 GX is less Prado-like than before, and stakes out new stylistic territory for the model. It also gets Lexus’ first-ever “Overtrail” trim, shod with 33-inch all-terrain tires on 18-inch rims, a terrain monitoring setup and a standard Electronic-Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System.

Of course, 13 years is a long time, and the GX was way overdue for an update. With this clean-sheet remake, even the non-Overtrail GXs get major upgrades in almost every area: power, towing capacity, fuel efficiency, infotainment and off-road ability. But it’s the looks people will notice first.

Rock Box

A fan favorite of off-roaders who want a little luxury with dirt-trail talent or who want to be as at home at the yacht club as the trailhead, the GX has a long history of owner loyalty, but it’s never been a style standout. Until now. The 2024 GX’s sharply creased makeover has an unmistakable presence and recalls other squared-off designs from rivals like the Land Rover Defender and Mercedes-Benz G-Class to the Jeep Wagoneer and Kia EV9, but it also preserves Lexus’ distinct design DNA.

Boxy is in right now, and the GX is the antithesis of “jellybean” aerodynamic. The windshield’s curve is so subtle it looks like a single flat pane of glass, and the side windows also look nearly flat, like on the original Mercedes Geländewagen. The trademark Lexus “Spindle” grille dominates the front, but elements of the sides and profile faintly resemble the boxy 1990s-era J70-Series Prado. 

The looks are functional, too. The front overhang is almost an inch shorter than before, for more approach clearance. The 2024 GX is 3.75 inches wider (and 4.52 with the Overtrail’s fatter tires), for more stability. The headlights are mounted higher to avoid contact. It’s 2.75 inches longer overall, most of which is in the wheelbase. The entire tailgate can rise (and can be fitted with a kick sensor) or the rear window can open separately for convenience.

Inside, the cabin leans into purposeful functionality gilded with the fine materials usually found in Lexus models. Among those materials are leather with Ultrasuede accents in multiple new hues. It’s a muted look in pictures compared to the G-Class, but it isn’t a bad match for the Defender and will certainly feel posh. 

The seating will remain the same seven-seat setup as before, with a tiny available third row that’s best suited to kids. Lexus has upped the convenience factor though, and there are now more small item storage space throughout the cabin, 12 cup holders and up to six charging ports (though only four on the Overtrail trim, which ditches the third row) and an available wireless charging pad.

Like the TX, the GX will use a 12.3-inch driver’s display and a 14-inch central multimedia screen. With so little frippery inside, the screens really dominate. They look good though, and promise much more functionality than the old GX’s dated systems and terrible trackpad interface.

Twin-Turbo Power

As before, all GX’s will come with standard four-wheel drive (4WD), but the engine is entirely new to the model. Gone is the old 4.6-liter V8 and six-speed automatic transmission. In their place are a 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6 and a 10-speed automatic. The V6 punches out 349 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, way up from the V8’s 301 hp and 329 lb-ft. That should make for better on-road performance, and no off-roader will ever balk at more torque.

As a result, towing capacity rises from the old GX’s 6,500 pounds to 8,000, which puts it only 200 pounds behind Land Rover’s Defender and Discovery and way above average for a midsize SUV. A stronger, lighter frame and a new double-wishbone front suspension and multi-link rear should improve on-road handling.

With more grunt, fewer cylinders and more gears for precise power delivery, the new GX should hopefully return better fuel mileage, which was a huge sticking point in the past. In 2021 we drove a GX that struggled to hit 12 mpg in real-world use despite its 16 mpg combined EPA rating. 

Lexus hasn’t released the full spec sheet for the 2024 GX, but it does estimate a combined 17 mpg for the new model. Hopefully, it’ll be more achievable in the real world. If it doesn’t, just wait, because the automaker plans to offer a hybrid model at a later date, possibly utilizing technology from the Toyota Sequoia. 

Off-Roading And Overtrail

The most interesting addition to the GX lineup is the Overtrail trim. Every 2024 GX will boast many meaningful improvements, but the Overtrail is part of what will eventually be a dedicated off-road trim lineup, not unlike Subaru’s Wilderness models. 

Designed around the accessories and extras that some GX owners were already adding to their vehicles, the Overtrail gets an electronic locking rear differential, 33-inch all-terrain tires on 18-inch wheels, a skid plate and black fender accents that the other models don’t. Those tires give it considerably larger contact patches with the road and they further improve the GX’s approach, breakover and departure angles (26, 24 and 22 degrees, up from 21, 23 and 21 in the old GX). 

Even the other GXs are no slouches with a 26-degree approach angle, and all of Lexus’ 4WD helpers are available, including a 3D Multi-Terrain Monitor, Crawl Control, multiple terrain modes, downhill assist control and the E-KDSS suspension system which helps wheel articulation and electronically disconnects a set of very beefy stabiilzer bars. Lexus says that switching to 4WD Hi should also be faster now thanks to improvements to the electronic transfer case. Expect this new GX to be just as capable as ever.

As in the old model, Lexus will also pile on the standard active safety features. The standard Lexus Safety System+ 3.0 includes adaptive cruise control, lane tracing assist (Toyota’s lane-keeping feature), traffic sign recognition, lane departure warnings with steering assist and several more features that are optional on some other midsize luxury SUVs.

2024 Lexus GX: When and How Much?

Production of the 2024 Lexus GX will begin at Lexus’ Tahara plant in Japan later this year, and the SUV is expected to go on sale in the first quarter of 2024. There will be six trims in total, with standard and plus (“+”) versions of the GX 550 Premium, Overtrail and Luxury. 

Lexus has not released pricing for these trims and won’t until later this year, but the prices shouldn’t change dramatically from the old model. That likely means a range from roughly $61,000 to about $75,000, depending on the model. Lexus will offer 11 exterior colors and a series of attractive two-tone shades on the Overtrail, but every single one will be instantly recognizable as an adventurer. That’s part of the fun, isn’t it?