All-new 2024 Lexus GX revealed

The covers have finally come off the all-new 2024 Lexus GX, giving us a glimpse of its sister model – the next-generation Toyota Prado.

While the new Prado is expected to debut next year and will replace Australia’s top-selling large SUV, the new Lexus GX is yet to be confirmed for this market. However, it’ all but guaranteed to be one of the three all-new models Lexus Australia has promised to release by the end of next year.

Finally revealed in full after a series of official teasers and plenty of unofficial renders, the new GX has almost nothing in common with its predecessor in that it looks completely different, rides on an all-new platform and has a very different array of powertrains available under the bonnet.

Starting with design, the GX looks like nothing else in the current Toyota or Lexus model portfolios, save perhaps for a whiff of Lexus LX in its overall silhouette.

Nearly all of its key lines are hard or sharp and that’s especially true of the glasshouse, which is decidedly squarer than before with relatively thin roof pillars, emphasising the chunkiness of the rest of its body.

Compared to the bigger, grander and more elegant Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series-based Lexus LX, the GX almost looks like an Olympic gymnast – small in stature but loaded with muscle – given just about every panel has some sort of crease or contour to it.

Even the window line isn’t straight – a design cue enhanced further by the raised clamshell bonnet.

It’s clear the GX has been designed with a much larger off-road focus than the opulent LX, judging by the inherent lack of chrome trimmings, brash bumpers and oversized grille.

As expected, the GX – and the new Prado – is underpinned by the same TNGA-F ladder-frame platform as the LX and LandCruiser, and its relation to those bigger SUVs runs deep because all three share the same 2850mm wheelbase.

The smaller and narrower GX therefore has shorter overhangs, yielding a 26-degree approach angle, however, other key dimensions and off-road figures are yet to be announced.

Suspension duties are taken care of by a double-wishbone set-up up front, while a four-link rigid axle arrangement with lateral control arms takes care of things at the back.

Adaptive dampers again feature at all four corners, while the range-topping Overtrail variant debuts Toyota’s E-KDSS suspension system for the first time on a Lexus off-roader, offering drivers independent control of the front and rear electric stabiliser bars.

Other rugged and capability-enhancing features include Multi-Terrain Select drive modes (Auto, Dirt, Sand, Mud, Deep Snow and Rock), crawl control, hill descent control and a multi-terrain monitor.

Two powertrains will be offered under the bonnet of the new GX: a twin-turbo 3.5-litre petrol V6 and a 2.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol hybrid system, although we expect the next Prado to remain diesel-powered.

Outputs, fuel consumption and other key powertrain details are all yet to be announced, however, we do know the bent-six will drive all four wheels permanently via a 10-speed automatic transmission, while the hybrid will feature an eight-speed unit.

Standard equipment across the range includes the full-time 4x4 system, plus a locking centre differential, LED headlights and tail-lights, head-up display, 14-inch infotainment interface and the option of second-row captain’s chairs.

“The aim of the new GX is to create a Lexus off-roader that symbolises the central core of authentic Lexus off-roading,” GX chief engineer Koji Tsukasaki said.

“It is not just a model change, but a game changer that turns a new page for Lexus.”

Despite having now made its global debut, the GX has still not been officially confirmed for the Australian market and probably won’t be for a little while yet.

“Lexus Australia continues to assess models that may be suitable for the needs of local customers, with the GX no exception,” a local spokesperson said.

“A decision on GX will be made at a later stage.”

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