This Fix To The Lexus LX’s Grille Makes It Look Amazing

I didn’t necessarily need to read Thomas Hundal’s excellent review of the latest Lexus LX. He did get into technical details in a way that few other sites are going to and did so with his typical level of clarity and wit, but I’d already made three critical assumptions just by looking at the topshot image of the post and name of the vehicle.

First, it doesn’t matter how many advancements the LX employs: it’s a 6,100 pound body-on-frame SUV. You can make an elephant dance, but it really doesn’t want to. I have serious doubts that you’re ever going to truly have anything other than a comfortable-riding behemoth.

Next, it’s a sort-of Land Cruiser, so there will be little that you can do to stop it from reaching seven-figure mileage on the odometer, and its value is unlikely to ever drop to something that seems like a bargain.

Lastly, and most importantly: In a category filled with rather subdued, clean designs like Range Rovers, Lexus somehow chose to adorn its premium SUV with a grille-to-the-ground front end that resembles a modern-day Family Truckster. Are they serious?

Apparently, they are serious. This nose treatment existed on the last versions of the earlier 200 Cruise-based LX model as well, so I’ve had plenty of time to get used to it. I have not gotten used to it, and I think few others have either. Could a more “normal” nose allow people to appreciate the many good qualities of this descendant to what might be Toyota’s most legendary product?

Maybe The Grille Should Continue To The Windshield?

I was surprised to see that I was nearly four comments into Thomas’ review before someone stated their displeasure with the Lexus interpretation of the “spindle” grille treatment on the latest LX- to put it mildly. After that, the floodgates opened:

Damn, they are really letting this thing have it. This one is pretty good here:

That’s just a few, and all of this is rather a shame, since many commenters were totally on board with this capable machine, wretched excess be damned:

Inadvertently, Goose just said the cost-no-object, long-term focused LX600 or 700 is likely the best choice for the category. As a used car, it’s almost a no-brainer for someone who wants a reasonably-sized, three-row “prestige” cast-off SUV from a one-percenter whose main concerns are not having to buy another car for 10 to 15 years, never having to open the hood, and not being too “showy.” The first two points actually make sense for me; I’m rather un-Autopian in that I fucking hate buying cars almost as much as I hate working to keep them in as-new condition here in the Rust Belt (especially on a car that Somebody Else drives most of the time). Combined with my wife’s disinterest in anything flashy looking, this likely explains why I saw this when I went to throw something in the recycling bin at home last night:

It’s actually been there for some time if I recall correctly. Handling and fuel economy are nonexistent but it does the tasks at hand quite well; when it’s essentially used up (if it ever is) and I sell it (for pennies on the dollar to Mercedes Streeter) I’d gladly buy another. Or so I thought.

I’d have a hard time driving this current 2025 LX model without doing some vinyl or 3D printing work or something on that front end; I just “cannot” as the one commenter said. There are other parts which are tough to stomach as well. Let’s see what we can do to rectify the situation.

The Grille Of Your Dreams

It’s great to have a certain styling element you can hang your hat on. Whatever we think of the Lexus “spindle” grille, at least they’re trying something. However, it should be painfully obvious that as with any kind of design or fashion, not all styles fit all shapes and sizes. If you need proof of this, you can see me wearing a Speedo swimsuit (no, let’s not). Here are a few other Lexus models where the grille either works or isn’t totally offensive:

Not too bad, right? The LX is a totally different story; it’s way too tall and blocky to have such a grille visually look right with the design.

If we go back and look at the ancient truck sitting behind the bikes in my garage now, you’ll notice that the grille is broken up with body-colored sections, as well as some different designs of material (as in with chrome and without) to divide the space and try to lessen the visual impact of what is a massive frontal area. We can give that a go on the new LX. Here are the modifications:

“Can I see an animation?” You sure can:

Mind you, I did keep enough of the grille bars to allow for the “spindle” shape, meaning that it tapers in and then tapers back out again at the bottom to create that double-trapezoid form. Note that I also raised the bottom of the grille and the lower valance to not only reduce the visual frontal area but to at least give the impression that this thing has a breakover angle that’s decent for a serious off-roader. Who wants an overlander with a front spoiler dragging on the ground? The big detent down the center of the hood is gone, too.

How about a darker color? Here’s a lovely green:

Now with the modifications:

The animation tells the tale best:

Some of you might say the best answer is to just paint the damn thing all black. It looks better in those sportier versions, but it’s really a Band-Aid and a doesn’t eliminate the problem.

Let’s do some of the same fixes here, but with an even thinner body-colored crossbar in the grille:

Once again, let’s animate it:

If you look carefully, you can see I’ve also made another change to the LX. Notice the  upswept rear quarter window, a very curious styling element that doesn’t work for a variety of reasons …

It blocks vision. More sheet metal to the back makes an already heavy truck look even heavier. Worst of all, it’s a design detail shared with the Infiniti QX80 (below, and aka Nissan Patrol), a truck that is forever sniffing the exhaust of the Land Cruiser/LX and seemingly would give its right headlight to be more like the Toyota (even though it isn’t a bad choice for a luxury SUV).

Why is Lexus copying a second banana? Actually, the current QX80 has lost that detail anyway for the latest model so Infiniti’s made the improvement before Lexus. Nice going. Let’s fix it:

One more animation:

The look is sort of Mercedes-like, a brand that Lexus used to be unafraid of copying to great success. If nothing else, if you’re a person that actually looks out windows to merge and back up, you’ll like the change.

Ahead By A Nose

Oddly enough, I’m sure that I will now see commenters looking at these revised LX designs and saying, “Now they’re too boring.” If that’s the case, my job is done. Honestly, when has a Land Cruiser or Lexus LX ever been known for its extroverted styling? The whole reason the car is so popular with so many is that it doesn’t have an ostentatious look. It’s an expensive, well-crafted machine that’s unassuming with merits that only the well-informed are aware of.

I do hope that Lexus eventually does something to eliminate that grille, the one part of this impressive machine that seems to be polarizing far too many potential buyers. Maybe the aftermarket can provide a solution. I certainly hope so, since like it or not, the new LXs that do sell are going to be rolling on streets and trails for a long, long, long time.

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