Is the 2025 Lexus GX 550 worth it over a Land Cruiser?

I know why you’re here: you like the Land Cruiser, but you want this 2025 Lexus GX 550. Of course you do – look at it. Sitting there next to some gigantic cargo cranes, looking all badass. And so it’s my job to help you discover the answer in about 2,000 words.

Is this latest GX worth the lux label? Let’s find out.

The 2025 Lexus GX 550 Overview

I like cars with a lot of power. Yea, duh, I know. I mention this because if I’m honest, you never really need 500 horsepower to take you out to dinner, it’s simply nice to have. My M3 is a costume, but a capable one should I find myself on a racetrack without warning. Hey, it could happen.

SUVs are costumes as well. The road to the super market is paved, but isn’t nice to know you could head to one in Mumbai if you wanted to? This 2025 Lexus GX 550 is built around that premise. Underneath its Tokyo Transformers body is the Toyota Land Cruiser, a body-on-frame SUV that built its reputation on simply getting you there in one piece, no matter the conditions.

This Lexus ups the ante though, with a turbocharged V-6, lux appointments, and third row seating (not available on the Cruiser). Though the GX name has been around for a long time, this model is fresh from da oven. The last model was based off the further-down-market 4Runner, so the 550 you see here is a very different car from the one it replaces.

Our fully loaded Luxury+ model comes in at $84,590, which is about ten grand more than the ‘Yota. Despite all that, this is a Truck, capital T, so let’s see if there’s enough Lexus DNA injected into this chassis.

Performance Score: 7. Crunchy roll

The GX plays in a very crowded market, and you can have your three-row SUV with more sporty flair, or more…shall we say adventure? The GX might be a little bit too extreme for those looking for just an adventure costume.

Engine

We start off with a big improvement over the Land Cruiser – Lexus has installed a 3.4-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 under hood, good for 349 horsepower and an Earth-crushing 479 lb-ft of torque.

I can tell you that the GX isn’t a slow car by any means. Torque is all online by 2,000 RPM, and there’s a gutsy pull all the way to redline. It’s an improvement not only on the Cruiser, but the previous V-8 in the old GX (just 301 horsepower). That said, it still feels like what it is – a V-6. Eight cylinders are smoother and more effortless. Isn’t that part of the Lexus credo? I also don’t see an issue for Lexus if they wanted to leave the hybrid bit from the Cruiser in here. More power is more better.

Wanna tow stuff? How about 9,000 pounds of boat, trailer, or maybe even that RC-F you want to track. The V-6 is definitely capable, but if all you’re going to do is climb rocks and go to the mall, I’m not sure the engine alone provides a good enough reason.

Transmission

The GX 550 bolts a ten-speed automatic to the V-6, two more gears than the Cruiser. There was a time when ten speeds were just too much, causing hunting and pecking through the rev range. No longer. The GX’s trans is totally transparent.

You could pull the paddles behind the wheel if you’d like, but there’s really no need. And that “old-school” shifter? Perfection. Stop messing with this, everyone else. Copy Lexus. Holding it all together is full-time four-wheel drive, which is superb off-road, and never claws or grabs on it.

Steering and Chassis

I’ve saved the majority of words for this bit right here. The GX has multiple buttons that control your drive, and it can be intimidating if you don’t read the manual.

First, there’s drive modes that range from Comfort to Sport +. Go ahead and touch that dial to make your teeth rattle over every bump. The GX is simply too harsh in any mode not named Comfort, and even at its firmest setting, the big Lexus will squat and dive. Steering is great though, offering feedback and clues as to what’s up underneath you.

Next, we have, ahem…Electronic Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System (E-KDSS). This is very useful. With the touch of a button, you can disconnect the front or rear anti-roll bars independently of one another, and that comes in handy when you’re off-roading. There’s a four-high and four-low setting for the transmission, and the traction control can be defeated. Know that the Land Cruiser has all the off-road guts here as well.

This Luxury+ trim gets pretty 22-inch wheels, but if you opt for the Overland, those are swapped in favor of 18-inch wheels with dirt tires. Might be worth it if you plan on using this thing as nature intended.

Brakes

The brakes here are nothing exotic, but work well in stopping the two-and-a-half ton GX. The issue is more about squat and dive. Step on the peddle too hard, and the big Lexus leeeaannns forward. I understand that it’s a big truck, but sometimes people are silly and cut in front of you. It shouldn’t be so dramatized.

The GX is a great off-road SUV, and a capable one everywhere else. Is the larger engine and more efficient transmission worth it? Not alone, but the 2025 Lexus GX 550 has other goodies too.

Lifestyle Score: 7. Three’s a crowd

Let’s start with the third row, something exclusive to the GX. If you’re a family with kids that are in the 5–10 age range and they can climb back there themselves, it’ll be useful to you. Otherwise, it’s too small, and too difficult to get back there. Oh hey, you like that Overland trim? Not available with a third row, sorry.

It also cuts out pretty much all the trunk space. You could fit more in a Supra. So be real with yourself – if you’re going to drive around with it folded down all the time, it could be another point in the Land Cruiser’s favor.

Up front are very comfy captain’s chairs – they provide long distance oohhs and ahhhs. But the second row’s separated seats aren’t nearly as cushioned, and my daughter said as much when she’d slide on them. Second row need not mean second class if we’re going to ditch the bench seat.

Fuel Economy: 3. Big N’ Tall

The 2025 Lexus GX 550 gets a combined 17 MPG, but during my time with it, I averaged closer to 15. I suppose I push press cars a bit more than the average owner (I gotta see what she’ll do), but the GX didn’t make me see red mist – it just likes to drink.

You can thank all that four-wheel drive hardware and boxy shape. The last gen GX, with its V-8, had a 15/19 MPG rating, technically two miles less than this new model, so the V-6 works better in that regard.

Features and Comfort: 8. Luxury over ability?

The saving grace of the GX is that Lexus badge, which means adding leather like it’s a furniture store, some nice wood, big screens – you get it. And that’s before we talk about its looks.

Wipe your boots

Yea, come on. Keep it clean in here, as Larry Kosilla would say. It’s very nice inside. Let’s look up first, with a gigantic DynamicSky sunroof. With the touch of a button, you can turn it all opaque, letting light in but blocking out bright sunlight. It’s so well done.

Everywhere you look, you’ll see Saddle tan and black leather covering surfaces, and it takes the plastic fantastic Toyota interior to much further heights. Could be worth the price of entry alone, but some cheap plastics still poke out on occasion.

Everything else is typical Lexus, from the ventilated and massaging seats, to the robust Mark Levinson stereo (who’s that blasting 90’s alt rock on the way to a shoot?!). Everything is connected to your life, and it’ll keep you in your lane. But it was also a bit noisy inside, and the hood fluttered at speed. There’s always a “but”.

Tokyo-cool Part 2

Love is never rational, so despite the GX’s flaws, I made googly eyes with it all week.

Painted the same shade as the wonderful IS 500 I had (Incognito, but there is no bad color for this thing), Lexus just gets exteriors right. Signature Triple-beam headlights give it a Tokyo vibe, and it looks like something Michael Biehn would use to crawl past a pile of Terminators.

There’s no real visual distinction between trim levels outside, though I do like the polished thin spoke wheels on this Luxury+. Nothing else, not the QX80, a Land Rover, or a BMW, looks as distinctive.

Others SUVs to consider

• Infiniti QX80
• Toyota Land Cruiser
• Land Rover Defender 110
• Ford Bronco Raptor

The 2025 Lexus GX 550 is a capable costume

Despite them being pretty close in ability, this GX has about $10k on the sticker compared to a Land Cruiser. But you can get a GX for $65,285 if you like. Yea, you miss the cool sunroof and massaging seats, but the essence of the car is there. I don’t think you’d be crying over missing options.

Still, the GX doesn’t make it easy. Feels like a truck, not necessarily a Lexus, or even a Lexus truck. I want to hop out of it asking “did you feel that bump?” after climbing Mount Fuji. Land Rover’s Defender does the off-road bits better, and Infinit does the on-road. Lexus also has some other options, like the new TX, that offer three rows and better manners.

As for choosing this over a Land Cruiser, it’s a better SUV, but a more expensive one. I admit to being a bit disappointed with its un-Lexus-like ride. If you’re going to get it dirty a lot, do you need all the leather? Won’t the Toyota do just fine? That’s your call.

But that doesn’t take away from what this car is – a really capable costume. If there is a zombie apocalypse, you’ll be prepared (and stylish), even if you’re just on your way to the mall.

Hey, it could happen.