Lexus GX (US) review

Like the exterior, the cabin of the Lexus GX receives a tremendous overhaul. Outside of the tech improvements, the clutter across the dashboard and center console has been drastically reduced. The multitude of surfaces and tiers of inputs have been consolidated into one 14-inch touchscreen with the HVAC controls squished down and neatly integrated just below. The center console is similarly cleaned up with the drive select lever and modes packaged neatly to allow a spot for cupholders and a hidden-away 12V socket.

How about the tech?

Lexus interfaces have been behind the curve since the invention of the curve, and thankfully the latest UI has brought them into the modern era. The 14-inch touchscreen is massive but very neat in its placement and is fairly easy to use at a glance. There isn’t a great need to stare and fiddle with menus for functions needed on the fly.

Most of the info is relayed to the 12.3-inch digital display behind the steering wheel that is easily customized. All told, there isn’t much setup involved and once it’s done, the GX lets you focus on the actual driving.

There is also a suite of drive assists baked in as well as a number of safety features like a cross-traffic warning that’s sensitive enough to alert us to cyclists as well as cars, which is welcome. Though the visibility in the GX is quite decent, we can still appreciate the bank of cameras giving us a sharp real-time view of the Lexus’ surroundings. Better still is the big camera button by the steering wheel that can be activated by a no-look slap while our attention could be kept on the task at hand.

How roomy is it?

Quite roomy in the front, fairly roomy in the back. In either the first or second row, the head room feels like a non-issue for the average-to-tall occupants. All trims seat at least five people, though the Premium and Luxury versions have a third row for the sake of having it.

We say that because pity to those who have been banished to such a small and miserable fate. That extra row comes at the cost of basically all the useable storage space, too. With the seats upright, you’ll barely be able to transfer a couple of backpacks.

Fold them down and the Lexus GX has about 40cu ft of useable space, which is easy to do with the press of a button. Since the Overtrail trim doesn’t bother with having to hide extra seats, it automatically has 45 cu. ft. available from the start. The second row can of course be tucked away for between 76 to 90cu ft of storage space depending on trim.