In recent years, if you wanted a luxury off-road focused SUV, your go-to has been the Land Rover Defender. But now Lexus has introduced a new generation of the GX. So how does this 3rd generation GX 550 compare against the Defender?
Performance
Engine – Unlike the Defender, the 2025 Lexus GX 550 is only available with one engine. It is a 3.4L twin-turbocharged V6 that produces 349 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque (260 kW & 649 Nm). Later on, the GX will be available with a hybrid powertrain but for now, it’s just this gasoline-only V6.
The GX550 is a heavy SUV at 2,570 kg (5,665 lbs) but the power and torque of this turbocharged engine are more than enough to move the mass of this off-road SUV. At no point did the GX’s engine feel underpowered or as though it was struggling. Going up a steep hill, merging onto a highway, or traversing off-road, the V6 felt effortless.
Fuel Economy – But while this engine has plenty of power, it’s not very fuel efficient. The 2025 Lexus GX 550 is rated for 15.3 L/100km (15.3 MPG) in a city and 11.2 L/100km (21 MPG) on a highway. During my week with the GX, I averaged 14.8 L/100km (16.1 MPG) and of course, it’s recommended to use premium fuel.
Transmission – Paired with this engine is a 10-speed automatic transmission. First, and most importantly, the changes between gears are smooth and seamless. But it’s not the fastest reacting transmission. The 8-speed in the Defender is faster to respond. Even if the GX is in the Sport or Sport+ drive modes, the gear changes are only marginally faster. So make sure you plan those overtakes accordingly.
Braking – The brakes on the 2025 Lexus GX 550 are strong. It doesn’t take much effort from your right foot to bring this big and heavy SUV to a smooth stop. Under heavier braking applications, there is a noticeable amount of nose dive but the SUV remains in control and in a straight line.
Handling – With the GX being such a big SUV, it’s surprisingly not cumbersome to drive around town. Yes, there’s some body roll, even when the adaptive dampers are set to their stiffest setting, but the SUV remains planted and in control. Steering feel is on the light side but it firms up just enough at higher speeds so that it does not “wonder about” like the Jeep Wrangler.
Off the beaten path, the 2025 Lexus GX 550 has center and rear locking differentials. This demo vehicle is the Overtrail+ trim which includes 33” all-terrain tires along with Multi terrain Select drive modes and Crawl Control with turn assist. There are also skid plates underneath the SUV to protect the engine and transmission. The GX 550 has 8.7” of ground clearance, an approach angle of 26° and a departure angle of 21°. Compared to the Land Rover Defender, the GX 550 doesn’t have quite the same off-road capabilities. The Defender has more ground clearance, better approach and departure angles, and better water wading depth of 35.4” vs 27.5” for the GX. Additionally, Lexus’ engineers didn’t give the GX the disconnecting front sway bar of the new 4Runner or Tacoma, which both share the same chassis. So, while the Lexus GX can go off-roading, the Defender can go further away from civilization than the GX.
Comfort
Ride Comfort – Thanks to the adaptive dampers and the thick sidewalls of the tires, the ride of the 2025 Lexus GX 550 is plush. The SUV doesn’t bounce too much when driving over the speed bump, the tires effectively absorb the shunt of a pothole, and you can go pretty quick on a forest service road without your vision becoming blurry.
Interior Space – As is the case with many vehicles, the front occupants have plenty of space. At 6’4”, I had zero issues with headroom or leg room. In the back seats, it’s a different story. Behind my tall driving position, I had to keep my legs at an angle. Otherwise, my knees would be digging into the back of the front seat. Headroom is Ok as my hair was not brushing against the headliner. Additionally, the rear bench makes the occupants sit quite high up. If you’re relegated to the center seat, you’ll have to contend with a pretty sizable center hump. The GX is available with a 3rd row but that is dependent on which trim of the GX you choose.
In the trunk, the Lexus GX has 1,138 L (40.2 cu-ft) of cargo space behind the rear seats. With the seats folded, cargo capacity increases to 2,178 L (76.9 cu-ft). Without the 3rd row, there is a large step between the folded 2nd row seats and the trunk floor. But, from looking at pictures of a GX equipped with the 3rd row, that step is gone. As for the spare wheel, it is located under the SUV.
Noise, Vibration, & Harshness – For a square SUV, the GX550 has a remarkably quiet cabin. On highways, wind noise is well subdued as is road noise from the all-terrain tires. The engine isn’t too loud either when accelerating but some fake engine noises are pumped through the speakers when switching to the sportier drive modes.
Odds and Ends
Pricing – The 2025 Lexus GX 550 starts at $86,015 CAD ($65,685 USD) while this Overtrail+ trim will cost you $108,630 CAD ($80,795 USD). The starting price is roughly the same as the Defender S with the inline-6 engine but the Defender has more options and more expensive engines to choose from.
Gadgets – With its 6-figure price tag, the Overtrail+ trim comes well equipped with a lot of convenience features. There are heated & ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, 2-zone climate control (3-zone is available), surround view cameras with multiple off-road views, a head-up display, a wireless phone charging pad, power sunroof, power liftgate, a 21 Speaker Mark Levinson Premium Audio System, and a massive 14” touchscreen.
The infotainment system that is displayed on the large screen is the same one that is used throughout most Lexus and Toyota vehicles. It’s fairly easy to navigate around and it supports wireless Apple CarPlay & wireless Android Auto connectivity.
Interior Design – The interior of the Lexus GX shares some aspects with other Lexus vehicles but other designs are bespoke to the GX. For example, the large touchscreen and climate knobs are similar in other Lexus vehicles but the design of the center console is one that is found only in the GX. Most commonly used functions have their own dedicated buttons or knobs while other functions, such as air direction, are integrated into the touchscreen.
As for the materials in the GX, some are nice to the touch while others are a letdown. The seats and the steering wheel have soft NuLux/leather but there is quite a lot of soft plastic materials and harder plastics throughout the cabin. The quality of these materials are better than in a Toyota SUV but they’re not quite to the same standard as other Lexus SUVs. The GX is somewhere in between.
Exterior Design – The GX550 has a head turning exterior style. It is a very boxy looking SUV but it’s appealing to the eyes. Having said that, it looks a bit more at home outside of a luxury restaurant than in the middle of a forest. But that’s just my opinion.
Safety – The 2025 Lexus GX550 comes equipped with nearly every safety & driver aid as standard. The only exceptions are front cross traffic alert, lane change assist, traffic jam assist, and driver monitor camera. These are only available on the Overtrail+, Executive and Luxury trims here in Canada.
Warranty – The Lexus GX550 is covered by a 4 year / 80,000 km new vehicle and 6 year / 110,000 km powertrain warranty. For more information on Canadian Lexus warranty, click here. For information on American warranty, click here.
Conclusion – Overall, the 2025 Lexus GX 550 is a great SUV. However, it feels to me that Lexus’ engineers held back in making the GX a more capable off-roader. They could have given it air suspension with more ride height, a disconnecting front sway bar, better water wading depth and so on. But they didn’t. To me, the GX is more at home on roads than it is off-roads whereas the Defender is equally good in both scenarios. So if you don’t plan on doing a whole lot of hard off-roading, this is the one to go for. But otherwise, the Defender is still the best off-road luxury SUV.
Thank you to Lexus Canada for providing the vehicle. www.Lexus.ca
2025 Lexus GX 550 Overtrail+ Gallery
