We were driving home from our daily sunset hike and swim in the river, and as we passed over the crest of the hill, a white Lexus GX merged into the boulevard from the Spring Street exit, the gateway to Eugene’s “Bel Air”. And following it into town, I couldn’t help but think Who buys these cars? Why it’s the same kind of folks who were buying Jeep Grand Wagoneers back in the day: Well-off people.
The Grand Wagoneer’s buyers had the highest median income of any American vehicle back in the day; and I know that Lexus’ GX and LX are way up there too. I mean, who else even makes old-school medium-sized BOF genuine SUVs anymore, other than Toyota? These Lexus GX ($50k) and LX ($83k) buyers don’t care whether these vehicles are roomy or even make sense in any practical metric, just like Jeep GW buyers back then, who put up with terrible ergonomics and space utilization, a mediocre back seat, a rough ride, outrageous thirst and very iffy interior material quality. At least the Lexus SUVs have that last one nailed, but otherwise, they have all the relative shortcomings of the GW. But mostly only folks like them buy them; no nouveau riche poser would ever think of buying a Lexus GX. Its for folks who only want to signal to others of their kind that they’re one of the pack, and can’t be bothered to let the rest of the world know.
I’d actually argue that those who purchase GXs and LXs are trying to stand out from the crowd who’d typically buy a Land Rover, Escalade or GL, as well as the even larger crowd of luxury crossover buyers. Apart from the horribly-integrated obnoxious spindle grille, both the GX and LX have rather understated looks when compared to most other luxury SUVs.
I actually got the chance to drive 2015 versions of both the GX and LX a few months ago at a Lexus driving event. It was for the launch of the NX, so naturally there were many NXs, but Lexus also had various competitor models as well as its full-line of CUVs/SUVs to test drive on a closed course.
Oddly enough the GX460 was my favorite of all, a vehicle I’d definitely consider if I could afford it. I know it’s very old-school body-on-frame, with an interior that’s clearly 4Runner-derived, but nonetheless it was very comfortable, with a high-quality, luxurious interior. I was shocked at how well it handled for a tall and big SUV, with nicely-weighted steering and good pick-up. If I recall Lexus issued a stop-sale when this 2nd generation came out over some stability issue. Considering I was driving it through orange cone slaloms, it always felt very confident even with sharp, quick turns.
I was less impressed with the LX, which although luxurious, is becoming very dated and boring inside and out. Steering was far too light and artificial. What I always find curious about the LX is how close the Land Cruiser is priced to it, and there is still a considerable upgrade of premiumness in the LX. It seems kind of odd to pay $80K for a Toyota when you can get a similar but more luxurious Lexus for $84K. To people who can afford that $4,000 isn’t a huge premium.
I probably shouldn’t have written this, because I’m really clueless on the subject of upscale SUVs, which are quite rare here. Folks here tend to buy cars for their practical purposes, and a Subaru wagon seems to fill the bill for those that might encounter a bit of snow or a rough road to a trailhead.
So when I see a perfectly shiny Lexus SUV, I think…someone who is making a statement, and not buying for objective criteria.
I’m sure Toyota has made them decent riding and handling, but from the back, this GX looks so tall and narrow. So why would someone who’s never going to use its capabilities buy one? Well, that’s been the SUV story for quite a few decades now.
Large luxury SUVs are very common in this neck of the woods. Not so much the rural town I live in, but the affluent coastal towns where median home prices are somewhere around $750,000. And of course, all of them (Lexus included) are generally bought to make a statement. People don’t drive them off-road, as most of them aren’t actually very good off-road handlers anyway (first hand experience riding through 2 feet of snow up a dirt driveway in a relative’s Escalade).
I’ve noticed that the “old money” type tend to be more attracted to E-Class wagons in particular.
That being said though, these ever harsher and longer winters we keep getting in Massachusetts have unquestionably helped make a case for having a large SUV. Not just for the all-wheel traction, but for seeing over the often 5+ foot high snow banks. Personally, I also find something appealing about riding higher up in general, which I imagine many SUV buyers do too.
SUV’s have about 8 inchs of ground clearance, some perhaps a bit more. In any case they are not designed to get through 2 feet of snow. A drift that is not too wide and about 2 feet deep at the peak might be crossed with a bit a speed. What one can do with an AWD/4wd SUV is to get it throughly stuck in snow drifts.
My dad used to say “all four wheel drive does is get you ten feet further into the snowdrift”.
He was right to some extent. If the roads are so bad you need a 4×4 to get through you probably shouldn’t be out in the first place. But his last truck was a 4×4 and I certainly wouldn’t want a truck without it. It’s usually not a necessity, even here in Minnesota. It’s sure nice though.
Lexus LXs and GXs are ubiquitous in the upscale suburbs of the DFW metroplex, usually driven by a middle-age Texas Trophy Wife type. Typically you see them on the freeways, tailgating someone while talking on their cellphones.
Only Dodge Rams seem to attract ruder drivers.
Popular for picking up kids at the expensive private schools around the west side of LA – a friend’s now ex-wife had one for the reasons you mention. Stands out among all of the Range Rovers that are common as dirt here.
Brendan the whole car is a 4runner/Surf/Hilux its nothing special at all except for the price.
I am well aware the GX is 4Runner base, as I mentioned in my comment. That being said, I still liked the GX a lot. A car’s origins and the vehicles that are related to it really aren’t that important to me when forming an opinion of a car, especially when it’s a low-volume model like the GX. Plus, by the time you option a 4Runner Limited to the same levels of equipment as a GX, the price difference is only several thousand, and the GX boasts a far more elegant and higher quality interior.
Try as I might, I’ve never been a fan of today’s Lexus cars and SUVs. They may be reliable, but they’re also hideous looking, particularly looking at the front end.
A+
Amen to that.
Perhaps the Toyota Land Cruiser donor vehicle to the Lexus LX fits that description better, especially given the GX and LX are currently the only 3-row Lexus offerings — which do attract families on brand image, brand reputation, GX lease deals, and white glove service. Versus the almost as pricey Land Cruiser that gets serviced next to Camry and Rav4 — yet is rarely even stocked in any material volume — some dealers it is by order only.
The Land Cruiser totally seems to be the vehicle of choice around me for rich people who want to show that they are rich, but only to other rich people.
In developing countries with poor road conditions, the Land Cruiser is the vehicle of choice for the elite. That and the Mitsubishi Pajero.
The Land Cruiser name is far more legendary than either LX or GX. That’s why it’s priced like an LX.
It even have better resale down the road, just as classic Ford Mustangs remain more popular than Mercury Cougars.
Here’s something interesting. Over here the GX (Land cruiser Prado) *is* the Noveau Riche vehicle of choice. Whenever someone wants to flash some cash they pay…are you sitting down..$93k for it, making it more expensive than the proper old money Land Cruiser. there was a point where there was a waiting list. And you could make some decent money buy buying one and then flipping it instantly, as it appreciated on the used car market.
That has kinda spoiled them for me I’m afraid. But the bigger Land Cruiser seems to have taken the spot of the wagoneer quite nicely too.
As a member of the target demo of this vehicle, truth is, I’d buy a Land Cruiser. We know that is the real deal and, for many years, was the only true option as a high end, tasteful SUV when others didn’t exist. We (the royal we) know that the Lexus variants are for posers. And don’t even get us started on new Land/Range Rovers. Too few dealerships to have made an impact versus the Land Cruiser.
Correct — and given bad weather, trips to beach, 3 kids, preference to avoid potential reliability issues (too busy), and desire to keep it 150K+ miles that is exactly why i bought a 2011 Land Cruiser over a Tahoe or Land Rover LR4 — two alternate potential vehicles under consideration. Overkill for my daily needs? Definitely. Any regrets? None.
This vehicle is the perfect example of why Daimler thought the Jeep Commander would be a hit (if not an outright home run). It had all the demerits of the Lexus GS and LX (as well as the Toyota versions) but at a lower price. Unfortunately, it didn’t have the caché or level of quality, either, and those characteristics are more important than price to the wealthy who buy these types of vehicles.
In short, the Commander just didn’t cut it as a modern Grand Wagoneer.
Sorry folks, I`m just not into SUVs or Lexi. It might be a well built vehicle, but how many of them are actually going off road? If I were in this demographic, I`d probably buy a Range Rover Evoque-right spelling? if I had to. Otherwise, I`d get a…….
While I think it is correct that the Grand Wagoneer sold to very high income people, I think it was more tightly aimed than that. It really did go in large part to the horsey set. Remember most rich folks then were still driving cars. These rich people added great credibility to the Grand Waggoneer not just by being rich but by actually using the truck as it was intended, pulling horse trailers to country houses. This is what can’t be matched by the vehicle above. It is far more likely to be puling nothing heavier then the owners bums, whatever it’s capabilities. Rich housewife transport
The gross narcissuses of today are much more likely to be pulling atvs or big tacky boats or jetskis with the Escalades and Tahoes. I am looking at you Caitlyn/Bruce Jenner Hopefully such behavior won’t be emulated or remembered fondly in future days.
Quite right. The Grand Wagoneer was popular with the dressage set,the Lexus is for affluent suburban women to take to the day spa, Whole Foods, or drive their offspring to dance classes or soccer practice. BTW, whats the connection to Bruce…err Caitlin Jenner and the Lexus?
Still then Bruce, now Caitlin Jenner was hauling an atv alone in an Escalade recently when then he wrecked and killed the person in the car in front. The two points I was not very clearly making was when it comes to actually towing today someone choses a GM full size BOF SUV. The other was that the to my mind gross narcissum of today means that what we witness today will not warm our hearts like the well dressed handsome horsed set of a generation ago. I know, backward looking rose tinted glasses. Guilty.
I mostly agree with this. GWs tended to be bought by well off farmers and ranchers who actually used their capability to some extent. I always considered them to be more utilitarian than any Lexus.
As for your hope of future generations looking down on today’s behavior, well, get over yourself. If people only bought what they needed and nothing more sites like this wouldn’t exist and it would be a very dull world.
You make a valid point
Simply a status symbol. Not a drop of mud will ever be on one of those. Muffy’s too busy using it as a phone booth or a restaurant or a nursery to worry about even driving.
I think that the better analog was the older Land Cruiser (FJ60?). Like the GW, it began life as a purely utilitarian vehicle, and found favor with the landed gentry almost by accident. By the end of it’s life, it was hard to find one that was not loaded with leather and all manner of power equipment, and priced in the stratosphere.
This newer one was designed with that demographic in mind, where the earlier version (and the GW) were not.
my bother has an lx470. he bought it because he’s busy and he can afford it. when i mentioned to him that i believed this model was a little tippy and i heard that lexus had ordered a recall to reprogram the suspension dynamics, he shot me an annoyed look and said there was no recall and that it was the highest rated suv on the market.
he’s not buying because he feels a need to impress people. he simply wants a nice looking comfortable, reliable suv that he can throw his skis in the back of and drive eighty miles an hour from denver to vail. mission accomplished!
We looked at buying a used GX470 a few years ago (that’s the 1st gen of the Lexus GX models). It’s stunning how they hold their value. They’re not quite as investment-grade as Land Cruisers, but pretty close.
I was also surprised by how well Tahoes and Suburbans retain their value… not in Land Cruiser (or GX) territory, but still much better than I expected. I guess I was expecting to see Impala-type depreciation… nope!
Large 4×4 trucks in general hold their value great. Especially around here in the upper midwest.
I’m surprised that Paul says there aren’t a lot of luxury SUVs in Eugene. In my hometown of Berkeley, California, with perhaps similar demographics albeit a slightly less interesting curbside population, they are even more prevalent than Volvo 122’s and Peugeots back in the ’60’s when I was a kid. That said, there is a small group of Lexus LX and GX owners in the U.S. who know exactly what they own and why. They are very capable off-road vehicles, perhaps no more so than their Toyota branded brethren, but benefit from a good package of standard features and a good service experience at Lexus dealers. On the second-hand market they often can be bought for no more than the Toyota equivalent. For this reason, they have been very popular in the burgeoning “expedition” vehicle space since used LX450’s started showing up as lease returns 15+ years ago.
Umm; the median household income in Berkeley is $112k; in Eugene it’s $41k. That’s almost three times as high. 🙂 Berkeley may lean progressive politically, but it’s very affluent.
Good point. It’s no longer the Berkeley of my childhood. Which is why I moved away long ago.
Only where road salt isn’t a problem.
For those rust-prone sports cars, people will keep them away in the winter, but it doesn’t make sense for SUV ( even though they exist )
From the (Dutch) Toyota website: the Land Cruiser V8. Completely over the top of course, and a waste of money, since an Aygo or Yaris would be just fine for towing a trailer like that.
These care just a Toyota Surf in a luxury suit, not an actual luxury car but popular all the same.
This post makes me realize just how far the Lincoln Navigator has fallen – 15 or 20 years ago it was the It Vehicle in this segment and now it’s an afterthought.
To my mind the First Gen Navigator is still the best looking example of the Lux-Ute segment, it carried the traditional Lincoln styling cues very well.
Toyota absolutely dominated the SUV market here, especially out in the country. We don’t get the Lexus GX but we get the ear-identical Landcruiser Prado, plus Landcruiser and LX. I never see the latter but I see plenty of Landcruisers and the Prado battles with the Grand Cherokee for segment sales dominance. Very, very popular with soccer moms. Then you’ve got all the cashed-up miners/country folk who pay absurd prices for the ancient Landcruiser 70 Series with its V8 diesel… Yes they are simple and good off-road, but they are a decades-old design and poorly equipped.
My all-time favorite Land Cruiser is the 80-series from the nineties. With the 4.2 liter inline-6 turbo diesel. Perfect looks and dimensions, rugged, capable, more than comfortable enough to be a daily driver.
Yeah great cars very expensive new but of course now they are really cheap,
Older Land Cruisers (15 to 20 years old) here mostly have 500,000 to 750,000 km on the clock. The 70-series with the naturally aspirated 4.2 liter diesel, the 90-series (Prado) with the 3.0 liter turbo diesel or the 100-series (the successor of the 80-series above) with the 4.2 liter turbo diesel.
These things are used and go far, far beyond a soccer-mom existence.
A 1997 90-series 3.0 TD with 765,000 km on the odometer. Still € 6,000 asking price. Back then these were called the Land Cruiser Challenger.
The Land Cruisers’ owners probably have a higher net worth than owners of any of the blinged out garbage from England or Germany. It’s the official ride of money so old that it doesn’t want anyone other than other old money types to recognize it.
Given your usual excellent design critiques Paul, I am surprised you didn’t comment on how seriously garishly unattractive looking this Lexus is. As overdone and Transformer-like the nose is, this has to be one of the least attractive rear three quarter views on any modern mass market vehicle.
I like the 1st gen Lexus GX, 2nd gen not so much. LX never cared for it new nor old.
I know Lexus makes very good vehicles, but I just don’t get their styling. It’s so random and garish these days. Lines fighting each other, odd shaped lights and details, no consistent theme whatsoever.
Would be amusing to buy one of these and use it as a work rig while never washing it and off roading on the weekends.
You can say what you want about these when they are new, but once they age a little, they make quite the automotive bargain.
When looking for one of the larger Toyota SUV’s a few years ago, i found the used GX470 market to be pretty competitive compared to some of it’s brethren. The Landcruisers and 4Runner were actually priced higher while being in similar mileage/condition due to the demand for them.
I ended up buying an 04′ GX. Which is very nice on the inside, can do the weekend camping trips with some pretty nasty offroad use, has Toyota truck reliability/engineering, and shares the majority of it’s parts with it’s lesser cousins, so it is cheap to maintain and fix.
Alot of people scoff at Lexus because they say it is a glorified Toyota, and my response to that is: “….So?”
We bought a used 1st Gen with sixty thousand miles on it. I’d always admired them and am so happy we did. When I was little my Dad bought a wagoneer and I loved it. It took us camping and fishing and hunting all over the island we lived on in Canada. It rolled over any amount of snow and ice the Nor’easters could throw at us. That’s the same way I feel about this Lexus. It’s luxurious sure, but it’s really just a Land Cruiser Prado with a V8 to pull stuff, a four wheel drive system to take us anywhere and a rear hatch large enough for our weekend camping trips and occasionally our dogs. And buying it used with 60k on it means we didn’t break the bank but the car is just broken in. This is a car good for 300k with proper care and that’s the plan. I’ve got a Rubicon with 190k so I plan to keep this one at least that long. Oh yeah, this is an incredible road trip car too.
And these things can be beasts off-road. We take ours up and down FS roads in GA, NC, and TN. It can pull the jeep to the tough trails and there are quite a few built up to Overland vehicles on Overland Portal website. Check them out.
https://lexusgxor.com/