Lexus GX confirmed for Australia early next year

Lexus Australia has finally confirmed the all-new 2024 Lexus GX will be launched in Australia in the first half of next year – exclusively in petrol V6 guise.

Local pricing and specifications for the all-new large premium off-road SUV, which will be twinned with the new Toyota Prado, won’t be released until closer to the model’s arrival.

However, at this stage only the 3.5-litre twin-turbo petrol V6 has been locked in for our market, although Lexus Australia suggests the 2.4-litre turbo-petrol hybrid powertrain will follow at a later date.

“The GX will be offered initially with a 3.5-litre twin-turbocharged V6 petrol engine mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission,” the brand said in a press release this morning.

“This powertrain is best suited to the GX, producing acceptable towing performance and all-terrain driving in all weather conditions.”

Said engine is a detuned version of the one found under the bonnet of the flagship Lexus LX, in which it outputs 260kW of power and 650Nm of torque, meaning the GX will outstrip the equivalent Land Rover Defender P400 by 100Nm but won’t quite match it for kiloWatts (260 versus 294).

The powertrain is housed within an unrecognisably boxy body that proudly flaunts a muscular new stature compared to the previous Lexus GX, which was not sold Down Under, and the whole package is underpinned by the same TNGA-F ladder frame chassis as the bigger Lexus LX and its Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series sibling.

Despite being only slightly shorter overall than those models (5005mm versus 5090mm), the new GX actually shares its 2850mm wheelbase with its full-size SUV relatives.

Lexus Australia CEO John Pappas said the GX was the next step in the premium brand’s plan to enter new segments, including the people-mover market with the all-new Lexus LM, to better meet the needs of its customers.

“The GX is ideal for discerning customers looking for a sophisticated yet rugged full-size SUV to take the whole family camping and back again in true Lexus style,” he said.

“When it arrives in the first half of next year the GX will bolster our formidable luxury SUV line-up with its unmatched practicality.

“Large families with active lifestyles will appreciate the GX’s flexibility of carrying up to seven occupants. It is a true all-rounder, offering superb on-road manners and true off-road performance.”

Such capabilities will be provided by double-wishbone front and four-link rigid rear suspension systems, adaptive dampers at all four corners, full-time 4x4, a locking centre differential and two-speed transfer case.

The flagship Overtrail variant will take off-road capability to the next level via the E-KDSS detachable rollbar and Multi-Terrain Select drive mode systems, the latter of which offers six off-road settings – Auto, Dirt, Sand, Mud, Deep Snow and Rock.

At this stage it seems the GX will be offered here in five-, six- and seven-seat configurations, with the six-seater option replacing the three-person second row with a pair of free-standing captain’s chairs, as per the top-spec LX Ultra Luxury.

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