A poor man’s Lexus or a Prado in disguise?
That’s the $120,000 question the world’s biggest car maker has been posing since this surprising-looking off-roader hit the market.
One look and it’s instantly a new direction for Lexus.
And you can imagine how this has been received in Lexus land, where the posh garages of Sydney’s toney Eastern Suburbs to Melbourne’s Toorak and even Queensland’s Gold Coast glitter strip roam.
All because of this machine.
It’s the newest member of the Lexus stable but not the most luxurious, nor the most expensive.
But hasn’t it caused a stir.
Called the Lexus GX550, it’s one of the biggest SUVs to arrive on our shores for some time.
But don’t let that familiar Lexus badge fool you.
It looks as much like a Toyota as any Lexus has done for decades – inside and out.
All of those years trying to create a point of difference between Toyota and its luxury sibling – apparently undone by a silhouette that looks like it could easily be a Jeep.
So what to make of this “poor man’s Lexus”.
Well, it mirrors in almost every way Toyota’s Prado – the car that has flown as wing-man to the iconic LandCruiser for almost five decades.
The engine is a good place to start – a refined, powerful twin-turbo diesel that instantly brings additional cred to the GX – borrowed, of course, directly from the Cruiser.
That is coupled to a class-leading 10-speed automatic, not to mention the go-anywhere capability that has long underpinned the Toyota success.
Much more obvious is the GX’s design.
“That’s not a Lexus,” exclaimed the lady of the house as she set eyes on this big, slab-sided monster.
That’s a pretty good piece of recognition, to be fair. Anyone who can tell this Lexus apart from its frumpy Toyota twin deserves a medal for paying attention.
Poor man’s Lexus?
Well, only if you think someone driving a car nudging $120,000 could be classified as “poor”.
Lexus refers to it as “daring design” which is a brave way of describing it.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is the slightly down-market appeal of the cabin. Practical, perhaps, but the Lexus tradition of lashings of leather, plush features and absence of soft-out surfaces give the game away.
Some luxuries remain, of course, such as the Mark Levinson sound gear, the massive central control screen and giant sunroof. But the massive black wheels, shod in chunky rubber are not your typical Lexus spec.
Yes, that terrific diesel engine and upgraded off-road capability have lifted the car’s appeal to some. The question is whether the legion of Prado lovers will be willing, or able, to join the posh end of town.
LEXUS GX550
HOW BIG? No question this brute is built for off-roading – but it’s surprising the “new Prado” stands quite so shoulder-to-shoulder to the iconic LandCruiser.
HOW FAST? The twin-turbo, six-cylinder diesel has transformed the LandCruiser – and it’s one of the truly redeeming facets of the newest Lexus.
HOW THIRSTY? Once again, the new engine has had a transformative effect on the Prado – giving it a new name and much-reduced thirst.
HOW MUCH? Tested was the GX550 diesel, about $120,000 before adding any off-road gear to the package.