2014 Lexus GX 460: Ghost Of SUVs Past

The 2014 Lexus GX 460 is the perfect illustration of the luxury brand’s ‘stand fast’ strategy for truck development.  Much like the larger LX 570, and Toyota platform-mates the 4Runner and Land Cruiser, the Lexus GX 460 is somewhat of an anachronism, a full-frame SUV in a world where very few premium competitors haven’t moved on to more car-like unibody designs.  Proudly upright in styling and stance, and with the kind of off-road-ready hardware underneath its skin that not many rivals choose to duplicate, this mid-size sport-utility vehicle has been cosmetically refreshed – and re-priced – but apart from that, this is very much the same GX that has been available for the past decade.

Whether that’s a good thing or not depends on what you are looking for in a luxury SUV.  If you care at all about fuel economy or handling, then please, look elsewhere.  If you are willing to sacrifice modern road manners in exchange for modest trail-breaking capability and the roar of a V8 engine, then read on.

• Also: Lexus : A Small Luxury Crossover Named NX
• Also: 2016 Lexus RX Will Launch In New York

Putting The ‘Truck’ Back In ‘Luxury Truck’

I don’t want to give you the impression that the 2014 Lexus GX 460 is in any way uncomfortable to drive, as Lexus has done a good job of making sure the inevitable vibrations and chatter from the vehicle’s truck-based chassis don’t intrude on the inner peace of its cabin.  The GX’s lack of grace when changing direction, however, is a dead giveaway that the technology underpinning its chassis hails from another era, one where brute strength was favoured over agility and papering over blemishes with soft suspension tuning was par for the course.

The upshot of the Lexus GX 460’s rugged character is an eight-cylinder engine that delivers the goods with the hammer down.  The 4.6-liter unit in the Lexus is rated at 301 horses and 329 lb-ft of torque, but when accelerating quickly it feels more vigorous than its numbers would imply, easily pasting a smile on your face as you dust off whatever sedan was sitting beside you at the traffic light.  Any exuberance at all, however, is paid for dearly at the fuel pump: despite the mocking presence of an ‘ECO’ light on the dashboard, the GX 460 consumed gasoline at a prodigious rate during our time together, even when driven gingerly.  One can blame its two-ton weight, its full-time four-wheel drive (which comes with a low-range setting as well as a locking center differential), and its Tundra-sourced motor.

Pretty On The Outside?

The biggest change made to the 2014 Lexus GX 460 for the current model year is the adoption of the brand’s ‘spindle’ grille, a gaping trapezoidal maw that doesn’t look half bad hanging off the front of this SUV.  Tweaks have also been made to its now-LED headlights, tail lights, and trim in order to present a much more attractive package than was available with the previous model.

The interior of the Lexus GX 460 has additionally been updated, but the results are more mixed.  The vehicle’s cabin suffers from the same lack of creativity that plagues other borrowed-from-Toyota rigs in the premium brand’s line-up, which means nice leather stretched over door panels and dashboard but uber-plasticky switchgear and trim on the console, center stack, and steering wheel.  It’s a jarring combination, one that suggests ‘high end’ but then contradicts itself every time you are forced to interact with one of the truck’s buttons or knobs.  A new LCD touchscreen is also present for 2014, but the graphics and logic of the system feel dated – another Lexus trait that has become more typical as of late.

I did like the amount of room afforded to the front and second row passengers in the GX 460, which is well-suited to haul five people over hill and dale.  You might be surprised to learn that Lexus has stuffed a third row of accommodations into this SUV, a decision that will perhaps be appreciated by parents of very small children but of no use at all to anyone seeking to transport an additional pair of adults, due to the limited amount of space afforded by the setup.

The World Has Gone And Left Me Here

The Lexus GX 460 finds itself in a tough spot, for while its parent company might have frozen the development of any SUV other than the exceptionally popular RX sometime back in 2009, the rest of the segment kept evolving.  This means that there are a panoply of better choices at the GX 460’s price point, including vehicles that are equally capable off-road (the Jeep Grand Cherokee immediately springs to mind).  It’s also worth noting that almost every vehicle that the Lexus is up against – with the exception of perhaps the more plush and powerful Land Rover LR4 – is significantly better at the fuel pump in real-world driving.

Did I enjoy piloting the GX 460?  Yes, I did, but it was the kind of pleasure one derives from stepping outside one’s normal life and sampling something that flies in the face of modern convention.  As an anachronism, this Lexus is intriguing.  As a vehicle worthy of your luxury dollars, it’s likely not in the conversation with more refined options.