I’m here in Vail, Colorado driving a quartet of off-road vehicles as part of eBay Motors’ goal to drum up publicity for its online car parts business, and while I’ll tell you a bit more about that later, today I have to make an admission: I’m getting old. I know this because I just fell in love with the Lexus GX, the ultimate dad-overlander. Here’s why I’m now such a fan.
A few months before I left Jalopnik, I went on an off-road excursion to Michigan’s mud-island, also called Drummond Island. I was joined by my then-boss and still-friend Rory Carroll, who is a bit older than I am and also father of two girls. He drove his Lexus GX, and I drove my Jeep Cherokee XJ.
At the time, I didn’t really get the Lexus GX. It’s humongous, its independent front suspension doesn’t flex much, it’s got a giant ass that requires a big lift to achieve an even acceptable departure angle, plus its otherwise extremely-reliable engine has a timing belt that requires work every 7-8 years. Not to mention, the vehicle looks a bit soft, and it costs a lot to repair when it does break.
I much preferred my boxy Jeep Cherokee XJ. It’s smaller, nimbler, has a solid front axle that offers way more articulation, it’s got much better approach and departure angles, and its four-liter engine is just as solid as the Lexus’. Why would anyone want the less capable GX? I didn’t get it at all.
But then two things happened: I got a little older, and also last week I off-roaded a GX for an appreciable amount of time. Now I totally get it. And that worries me.
The GX was one of four machines that eBay Motors had for journalists to drive [Full Disclosure: eBay flew me out there, fed me and housed me and gave me the keys to those four machines. -DT], and one of two vehicles that they’d actually bought from eBay and then outfitted with eBay-sourced aftermarket parts (this one had a small lift kit from Icon and some slightly larger tires on new wheels, plus a snorkel, rooftop tent and aftermarket front bumper). As you can see, my beloved XJ is among the four, and yet it was the GX that won my heart and the hearts of so many other journos.
The trail started off with a washboard dirt-road that beat the everliving crap out of me in the Jeep Cherokee XJ, and while the Lexus did have some bump-steer that you could feel in the wheel, its ride was shockingly good.
When the trail got worse, and big rocks started showing up on our Rocky Mountain trail, the GX shrugged them off in a way that seemed almost impossible. See this dirt road below? The Lexus made it feel like pavement!:
When it comes to off-roading, I’ve historically only given a damn about outright capability. Can this vehicle take on this hard obstacle? If yes, it’s a great off-roader, if no, it’s wack.
But my view on this has changed in recent years. If a vehicle can handle a trail difficult enough for 99% of off-road drivers, and it can do it in a way that’s much, much more comfortable than a more capable off-road vehicle, then why bother with the backbreaking CJ or XJ or Defender?
I still love solid-axle Jeeps, and in certain conditions – hardcore rock crawling, which I love doing — they actually offer a better, smoother ride than the GX. But unless you’re actively maneuvering through a huge boulder field, the Lexus GX seems like a better choice. And this is proof that I’m not a young whippersnapper anymore.
The GX’s suspension is a solid axle out back and an independent suspension up front. It’s nothing special, really, and yet it also is. The rough roads that it can shrug off still have me in awe.
But it’s not just ride quality, it’s quietness. The Lexus GX’s interior is like a sensory deprivation chamber, with dual-pane windows and more sound insulation than a recording studio. A key of the recipe, here, is the 4.7-liter V8 under the hood, which is the same motor as the one I had in my similarly-silent Lexus LX470. It’s a remarkable piece of machinery (despite its timing belt).
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The interior is a bit dated, but overall quality is so good, it makes a Jeep XJ look like a Lada Samara. Things are screwed together well, materials feel high quality, and overall the SUV just feels solid and safe and quiet and spacious and, well, all these other attributes that I’ve only started caring about in the last couple of years.
For the last 15 years, I’ve been more than thrilled with my $1400 Jeep Cherokee XJ rattletrap, but something is changing within me. I’m not entirely sure I like it.
I need to fix my 1954 Willys to shake off whatever this [see previous 800 words] is. I haven’t gone soft. I haven’t gone soft. I haven’t gone soft.
The Lexus GX is the same platform as the 4Runner and FJ Cruiser, and up front is the same as the Tacoma also. It’s only expensive to repair if you pay someone else to do it, and the fact that it’s a Toyota means it so rarely needs anything probably makes it cheaper to run than a Jeep.
I have a 2010 6sp FJ TTSE – same truck, but with a big V6 instead – and it has this exact same Icon suspension on it, and I GUARANTEE it will outperform a Jeep Wrangler or Cherokee of pretty much any year with similar mods (3″ or less lift, 34″ tires) on- and off-road. And everything works, all the time.
This GX is one of the most capable old-school off-roaders built by anyone in the past 4-5 decades or so. Just because it also has a nice interior and working AC doesn’t make it soft. As every serious off-roader knows, the best recovery equipment a Jeep owner can get is a buddy with a Toyota, because at least you know the drive home will be comfortable and issue-free, even while it’s towing your busted Jeep home at 75+ mph 😉
I think David is almost ready for his first pair of New Balance shoes.
When he does get them, let’s all get on his lawn!
Wait till they get him in a subaru!
Kind of half kidding but I think a lot of what has happened is that “overlanding” has taken over the 4X4 scene.
Most of what I have seen passed off as overlanding looks basically like navigating forest service and BLM logging roads in the Rocky Mountains. Going a couple of miles past where the semis stop and throwing up a roof tent.
We used to do that stuff in 91 legacy wagons back in the day. Heck we put a Ford Econoline Conversion Fan way deeper in the Canyon than we should have and almost left it up their for the winter after an overnight snow storm.
Overlanding is to offroading as glamping is to backpacking.
I took a 91 318i into the woods to go camping. It was a blast.
I was in my van, near Sedona, driving along a rocky, rutted “road” with several clearance challenges, when I came upon some campers who got there in a Camero and a Corolla.
David realizes why most people would rather not drive antiquated farm implements disguised as cars.
David has an epiphany and realizes Jeeps are pretty much only good at The One Thing and suck at Regular Car Things.
David, I’m not sure if you’ll read this or not, but as a long-time reader and enjoyer of your work this is something that I hope you’re starting to realize: being comfortable is not a sign of weakness, it’s a sign that you care enough about yourself to avoid unnecessary suffering.
there are a number of people I follow on YT that drive the Prado doing overlanding stuff. very capable, and I’ve convinced myself that the next vehicle for the wife is going to have a GX badge on it. I’ll never use it in 99% of the scenarios that it might be able to handle, but it will navigate 100% of what I can throw at it.
Back in 2020 and friend and I went to Moab for a week. Me in my 01 XJ, him in a 2012 LX570.
The XJ did much better in the technical rocks, the Lexus needed a strap a couple times for obstacles the XJ did with ease, and we had to park the Lexus on Cliffhanger and come back to it on our way out.
But that big Lexus surprised the hell out of me. And my buddy was of course much more comfortable on the washboard roads on White Rim and the drive from Texas to Utah (at a higher speed too).
As much as I love the old machines, tech has come a long way. Unless I’m towing I don’t see myself going back to something like an XJ. At least my A/C worked.
Yes but how well does it house a litter of feral cats?
Hey I’m 74 and still amazed at the soft ride quality in my 2015 Jeep Rubicon JKU compared to my 2004 Mini Cooper S with sport suspension! Of course, I get in anyone else’s pickup truck and think it is a luxury ride!
We had a GX when we used to live up north. As mentioned they are very good at everything. The only change was LT rated BFG A/T Ko2 tires. It was great off road, great in the snow and pulled a trailer better than our F150. It didn’t really work for us in Florida so it it was sold.
Agree the GX is a great “Up Nort” car. We kept ours following the move to FL – The separate, second A/C for the rear seat passengers and under-stressed V8 make it a great car for summer road trips and hauling bikes, boards and kayaks. It can also tow a small boat, but I’ve not yet found a “Boatopian” community to enable that foolhardy purchase!
I love this.
I had a first gen and loved it, and then the rear of the frame got the rust monster, so off it went. I have a 2017 now and I love it. Just added new exhaust this month and it’s something.
I’m losing my edge.
But I was there.
And yeah you’re getting older but it’s not all bad! The Eddie Bauer outlet near me was having a sale, and I bought 3 shirts that were the same shirt but different patterns of that same shirt.
And it felt just fine thank you.
I was there when the first cup holder was designed.
In Australia we get these as a base model sold as a Toyota Prado with 6 cylinder only diesel and petrol and for a long time manual and auto.
Have done many kms in my friends diesel, manual base model ex mining fleet with holes in the interior for rollover bar and lights but still running like a top at 250,000kms supremely comfortable and reliable but not fantastic at anything although a faithful companion. In Australia they have taken over the place where big 6 cylinder station wagons used to occupy.
No, you’re not turning old.
You’re just turning Hollywood.
More evidence of DT’s transition from rusted n busted to jet-setter! Trips to Vail, off-roading in a GX, that’s NOT inhabited by a pack of feral ground squirrels. It’s only a matter of time before the Autopian Style Guide is updated to permit using “summer” as a verb.
I love my 460. Almost completely stock and and it will totally handle the off-roading that most people will ever do. I’ve yet to need crawl control…lock the center diff and 4Lo really covers most of what I will need.
I’m proud of your growth.
Being a hard core Jeep fan requires some amount of delusion
Last week, David was at a British Duke’s Ball…
This week, David is in Vail, driving a Lexus..
Next week… David is headed to Pebble Beach to see the Concours…
Oh where, oh where has our beloved David tracy gone?
I miss the old David. The greatest auto writer I’d read in a years… the David that lived in icy, dirty, middle class Michigan. He told us all the best ways to loosen the rusty bolts on a Jeep that should’ve been crushed 20 years ago. A Jeep that was sitting in the junkyard, covered in two feet of dirty old, crusty snow!
Our beloved David Tracy has checked into the Hotel California and he’s never checking out. The good old days are gone. We’re ALL getting old. Except me, of course! I’m so old, I may or may not have sold Jesus his first donkey. It had low miles and didn’t eat much, I swear! He even got the tail warranty!
He’s really become fancy since he was quoted in the style section of the times.
Elise should check his texts to see if he’s been chatting with Kristen Lee.
The old David is about to drop a 2003 Pontiac Aztek transmission oil pan tonight and install a shift kit. Lord help me.
… And I can’t wait to read about it! Your articles are always good. You’ve been my favorite auto writer for years. I hope you’ll write a book eventually. Even though I do miss the old Michigan days, I’m very happy for you and your new life out west! It’s great to see good things happening for you. You’ve certainly earned it!
I did one of those in a 4T65! With Home Depot nylon spacers. It worked fine. Then I redid it with a proper shift kit. Which worked better. Still slushy at low RPM and cracked off quick, firm shifts once the 3800 began singing.
I hope you got an aftermarket pan with a drain plug to replace it with! This will make future ATF changes MUCH easier 😀
Yeah, GM is usually too stupid to include a transmission drain plug, while Toyota is usually smart enough to include one.
It’s actually a secret plot to get you to change the transmission filter since you’re forced to pull the pan.
Don’t forget to clean it in the dishwasher!
Fancy Kristen smiles somewhere
Beat me to it. Hat’s off.
As our colleague Tim R had noticed: David has done the noble thing and has stepped up to be The Autopian’s version of Fancy Kritsin.
Kind of make you wonder if truggy Tundra 4.7’s are the next big thing off road. Especially 4 doors or extended cabs since it makes is pretty easy to take on that rear overhang with a sawzall.
IIRC the single cab only came in RWD – this sounds like an excellent idea. There are plenty in the midwest that still run fine but are dangerously overrun by tinworms.
Just like most Toyota trucks, the GX was never best at any one thing, but was good at most things (minus MPGs), and will do said things for hundreds of thousands of miles with basic maintenance. It used to be the Toyota-people’s best kept secret that you could get one of these for a few grand cheaper than the equivalent 4th gen V8 4runner, but those days are gone.
I somewhat disagree. I picked up my 2017 for cheaper (they all seemed to be) than a comparable 4Runner. And since I wanted the understressed V-8 and a good-ish third row…winner winner, chicken dinner
Welcome to Colorado! The GX is underrated as an offroader. All the capability of the Land Cruiser, but all the comfort of a Lexus.
I remember test driving a gx470 and not being too impressed with the V8 that the Land Cruiser guys were bragging about. Then I drove an 80 series and completely understood why they were so happy to have a V8. Now I have an XJ as a daily driver that may become a toy in the future. Creaks and rattles aren’t a thing in the GX, quite the opposite in the XJ. I took am a young, old man.
I was looking at ’80s dream cars from my childhood the other day and wondering what it would be like to have one today and my first thought was if I’d be willing to give up Android Auto or even just Bluetooth not to mention dealing with chokes and carburetors… I think I’m getting soft too.
What were you looking at from the 80’s with a manual choke?
At that point I was browsing motorcycles, though pedantically that would be an enrichener vs a choke and the Android Auto argument wouldn’t matter on a bike anyways but it still feeds my argument that somethings have made motoring more enjoyable beyond just power and handling and I’m finally admitting to myself that those create comforts matter to me.
I’ve only had access to android auto for a little over a month, so I could still take it or leave it. I certainly don’t find myself forcing the Miata into errand duty as much as a I used to, though.
They do sell weatherproof Android Auto displays for motorcycles. Great for navigation of you’re on a long trip.
A digital only bluetooth headunit can be obtained for a solid $30 to fix that problem at least. They also make bluetooth tape deck adapters if you want to keep that stock look.
I’ve been down all those routes over the years, BT tape adapters, BT adapters that plug in to the CD changer plugs on the back of the head units, rpl head units, etc. They work but it’s never as good as just having it integrated into the car.
I know exactly how you feel as my 460 just crested 10 years and my family took it on a trip to the mountains last weekend. Youth eventually becomes a sweet memory for us all and when those aches and pains still linger past a good nights sleep, i’m glad we have softcore options.
You’ll know when you’re old when you bite into a brownie with nuts and think, “You know, the walnuts are a nice addition.”
or when it rains and you say, “we needed that”
Literally sitting here in what would be considered a substantial storm for where I live, telling my friend I’m very glad we are getting this rain, even if it means I get wet on the way out of the office. 😀
I guess you don’t live in California.